eGriz
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Joined: 27 Mar 2002
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Location: Missoula, Montana
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The stories are in order as they appear in this content area:
Griz hit homestretch of spring (Missoulian).
Hartman resigns from Grizzly football (Kaimin).
Touching on some recent happenings (Missoulian).
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Lulay dazzles crowd on, off field (Great Falls Tribune).
NAU Adds Two Transfers From Saint Mary's (NAU).
Sacramento State Announces 2004 Schedule.
***
Griz hit homestretch of spring
By JON KASPER of the Missoulian
Phase two of Montana's spring football practice schedule began Tuesday, and it certainly felt like spring.
The Grizzlies, who took last week off for spring break, left the Riverbowl practice field Tuesday evening under sunny skies and warm temperatures with just four practices and two scrimmages remaining until they turn in their gear until August.
"This is our chance for our young guys to get some live work and live tackling before the lights go on for us in August,'' said Montana second-year coach Bobby Hauck. "It's important we keep getting better and stay healthy.''
The Griz returned minus sophomore quarterback Justin Hartman, who announced last Thursday that he quit the team. Hartman started two games last season for UM, helping the Grizzlies to victories over Idaho and Cal Poly. The loss of Hartman leaves the Grizzlies with senior quarterbacks Craig Ochs and Jeff Disney, along with freshmen walk-ons Drew Hedrick and Casey Cordial. Hauck said he isn't sure if the loss of Hartman will force the Grizzlies to alter their depth chart.
"We'll see once we get to fall,'' Hauck said. "Of the guys battling for the No. 3 spot, Drew Hedrick probably has the best stats of anyone this spring.''
Hauck said he's also impressed with the development of sophomore offensive lineman Ryan Wells of Hamilton. The 6-foot-4, 282-pounder is a backup guard.
"Ryan has got a ways to go, but he is night and day from where he was last spring,'' Hauck said. "If he makes the same improvement in the next 12 months that he made in the last 12, he's going to be a good football player.''
Several of the offensive linemen are working at new positions.
Senior Cory Procter has been moved from right to left tackle. Jay Green, who ended the 2003 season as the starting center, is working at right guard.
Brad Rhoades, a starting left guard as a sophomore, has moved to right tackle. Chris Orwig, who moved from defensive line to backup tackle last season, is listed as the starting left guard. Garth Enger is working at center. Enger, who saw extensive action in 2001 and 2002, was limited last season by an injury.
Hauck said he's also pleased with the progress of defensive ends Mike Murphy and Mike Potts. Murphy, a 6-3, 240-pounder from Great Falls, saw action as a grayshirt freshman last season. Potts, a 6-4, 235-pound sophomore, is a Missoula Loyola grad. With All-American Tim Bush graduated, and Lance Spencer still out with a knee injury, the Grizzlies need the likes of Murphy and Potts to be ready come August.
"Mike Potts has made a big jump,'' Hauck said. "Mike Murphy has made a big jump. Our young linebackers are also playing well. We've got great competition. We've got some upperclassmen and some really young guys at linebacker competing hard for playing time. It's really fun to watch.''
The Grizzlies practiced kickoff coverage for the first time this spring Tuesday. Hauck said the offense and defense will keep increasing the playbooks in the final few practices.
"We'll start putting in some of the periphery of our packages, like the nickel and dime stuff on defense,'' Hauck said. "On offense, we'll keep expanding.''
The Grizzly offensive and defensive coaches took separate spring break trips. The offensive staffs traveled to Montana-Western and the University of Utah to watch practice and visit with coaches. The defensive coaches took in Washington State practices.
"All three of those coaching staffs were great,'' Hauck said. "It was good to get out and share some ideas. It was awesome for our coaches''
Hauck said those ideas won't be implemented this spring.
"We need to study more,'' Hauck said. "Everybody has a way of doing things.
It's a lot of things you bring back, from teaching methods and how they make certain plays better. We've got parts of our offense and defense that are real similar to all three of those places. So you can pick things up, maybe little idiosyncrasies and coaching points that help to communicate it better to the player.''
Quick kicks: Grizzly recruits Dan Carpenter, a kicker from Helena High, and Rob Schulte, a running back from Great Falls High, observed Tuesday's practice. Both will join the team in August. Carpenter is expected to battle for the starting place-kicking job. Š Montana won't practice Wednesday, but will be back at it on Thursday. They'll take Friday off. UM will scrimmage Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Š. Montana will cap spring with a scrimmage at Nelson Stadium in Helena on April 17. UM is slated to scrimmage at noon, followed by two-time NAIA national champion Carroll College at 1:30 p.m.
***
Hartman resigns from Grizzly football
Jeff Windmueller, Montana Kaimin
Justin Hartman has been a Grizzly football fan ever since he can remember.
“Even when I lived in Bozeman I rooted for the Griz because my uncle had played there,” Hartman said.
That’s why it was so hard for the sophomore quarterback to write a one-page letter on April 1, announcing that he would withdraw from the University of Montana’s football team.
The letter was sent from his home in Great Falls to media outlets and his coaches describing his dissatisfaction with the football team’s direction.
The Kaimin was unable to attain a copy of the letter and excerpts were taken from a Missoulian article.
“As of April 1, 2004, I Justin Hartman, regretfully inform you that due to the current situation and direction of this program I have decided to leave the football team and pursue other interests,” he wrote.
Hartman said in an interview with the Kaimin that although some would believe he is quitting because he has not seen sufficient playing time, that is not the case.
In fact, Hartman had not planned to play much, or any at all, but redshirt during the 2003 football season. When Craig Ochs and Jeff Disney sat out with injuries, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Hartman was thrust into the spotlight, starting games against Idaho State and Cal Poly.
Hartman said he knows Ochs and Disney are very capable and ready to start before him. He simply wanted a chance to prove he could play.
“(There were) a lot of promises that weren’t kept,” Hartman said. “And the treatment wasn’t very good.”
Hartman said he was promised he would be able to take snaps with the first and second teams during spring drills, but hasn’t had the opportunity to prove his abilities yet.
During the team’s first scrimmage nearly two weeks ago, Hartman took reps with the No. 3 offense, throwing just two passes, completing none with one interception.
He said that he has been dealing with problems and considering the resignation since the season ended last fall, but the worst has been during the spring season.
“Since the football season has ended I have heard of, and responded to rumors that have been relayed to me by sources very close to the football program,” Hartman wrote. “These rumors, from Coach Hauck, were reported as
follows: ‘I never would have recruited Justin Hartman out of high school.’
‘I have lost faith in Justin’s arm.’ Comments such as these, I feel, should not be said about a player behind their back, especially by their leaders and coaches.”
Hauck was unavailable for comment, but Hartman said the two have yet to speak about the matter. He intends to ask for his release on Tuesday.
Hartman, a 2002 graduate from C.M. Russell High School in Great Falls, came to UM the next fall but did not officially join the team until 2003. He grayshirted his freshman year while recovering from a knee injury he sustained during his senior season of high school and intended to redshirt the next before starting as a backup.
In the first game that Hartman played in last season, he completed 7 of 12 passes for 92 yards and a 7-yard touchdown run to help the Griz win 41-28 over the Vandals. However, true freshman Kyle Samson was given much of the credit. Samson was brought in to run an option attack that propelled the Griz to 344 rushing yards.
The next week Hartman started against Cal Poly, but threw only three passes, completing two for 17 yards before Ochs returned to the field. Under Ochs, the team managed three scoring drives that led it to a 17-14 victory.
“In that matchup I was confined to handing the ball off before an injured, and still recovering Craig Ochs came in to replace me, and was encouraged to throw the football,” Hartman wrote. “I question why Coach Hauck would jeopardize Craig’s health during a non-conference game, and when the conference season was just a week away.”
Hartman also wrote that he felt the coaching staff had meant to pass him by, leaving him in situations where he was forced to fail.
With his resignation, the Griz are left with Ochs and Disney as the only quarterbacks on scholarship. Both are entering their senior year.
Since he made his decision, Hartman said he has felt the support of his family and friends, and has not been ostracized by teammates or fans.
“Everybody I’ve talked to has been real, real supportive,” he said.
He plans to finish spring semester at UM and is planning to keep his doors open for any other schools searching for a quarterback.
“I’m willing to go anywhere,” he said.
***
Touching on some recent happenings
By RIAL CUMMINGS of the Missoulian
Spring fever has struck here at Sports Central, so I'm going to touch on three topics before heading for the nearest hammock:
Sophomore quarterback Justin Hartman's decision to quit the University of Montana football team is regrettable. Even more regrettable is the way he chose to handle it.
I'm not going to debate here whether Hartman was given a fair shot at being the starter. Sometimes personalities and styles don't mesh; sometimes promises, for any number of reasons, can't be fulfilled. That may not seem fair, but college athletics isn't necessarily about fairness. Sometimes, in fact, it's learning to deal with disappointment.
The bottom line was that at this relatively young stage of his career, Hartman wasn't clearly better than seniors Craig Ochs and Jeff Disney. So the former Great Falls Russell standout faced another year as an understudy, and then competing against less experienced players for the starting job.
If he didn't like the hand he was dealt, Hartman was perfectly welcome to look elsewhere.
What is troubling is that Hartman apparently chose to vent his displeasure in public before sitting down with UM coach Bobby Hauck. In choosing that route, the young man did a disservice to his team, to his coaches - and to himself.
*** ***
Bobcats
Lulay dazzles crowd on, off field
Quarterback tosses for pair of TDs, 188 yards in Blue-Gold game
By SCOTT MANSCH, Great Falls Tribune
Travis Lulay put up big numbers Saturday night at Memorial Stadium, and that's just the quantity of autographs he signed.
The Montana State junior quarterback threw for 188 yards to highlight the Bobcats' Blue-Gold scrimmage, then obliged dozens of youngsters who gathered around the smiling redhead.
"In a one-back offense your quarterback has got to be as good a player as you put on the field," MSU head coach Mike Kramer said. "And Travis is as good a player as we've put on the field on offense maybe for a long time."
Lulay completed 22 of 34 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns, including a 9-yard scoring toss to tight end Blake Wolf and a 32-yard touchdown strike to Ricky Gatewood. Both touchdowns came against MSU's top defense near the end of the 90-play scrimmage, attended by about 3,500 fans on a mild, windless evening.
"We started a little bit slow and weren't doing as well as we've been practicing," Lulay said. "But I thought we made some progress at the end.
... It'll be easy for us to see where we need to improve when we watch tape."
Although the defense was forced to take a hands-off approach on Lulay, who has always been an effective scrambler in his MSU career, the veteran passer displayed his usual efficiency.
"If I could run, that would open up a little more for us, I'd like to think," said Lulay, who was not intercepted. "When we have that option, we'll be that much better as an offense."
Said Kramer: "Offensively we're doing just fine. As a coaching staff we need to focus as much as we can on our running backs and receivers -- getting them caught up to Travis."
The Bobcat defense played without several injured starters, including tackles Raymond Sebestyen (concussion) and Beau Clark (knee), linebacker Mac Mollohan (knee) and cornerback Kahiam Hunter (shoulder), yet more than held its own. The first-string unit yielded some first downs, yet held firm on the first six possessions by the Lulay-led No. 1 offense.
"Defensively we're on the right page. We're going to get where we need to go," Kramer said.
Defensive ends Clive Lowe and Chad Gluhm, and linebackers Roger Cooper and Nick Marudas, led the MSU defenders.
"Our defense is always going to be good," Lulay said. "They're always going to fly around and blitz a lot, and that just prepares us better for the fall."
Ex-Great Falls High sports star Aaron Papich, a freshman defensive end, had two quarterback sacks for the second-string D.
"It's great to be back," said Papich. "I have a lot to improve on, because I'm nowhere near where I need to be. But it's sure great to be back here."
Freshman running back Dan McInerney, a former Billings Skyview star who redshirted last year, had 94 yards on 17 carries. The 5-9, 188-pounder displayed a quick first step and surprising strength.
"I'm just trying to make the best of the opportunities," said McInerney.
"The O-Line did a great job today. I was just running behind them and getting into the open field.
"I'm trying to step up and make the best of my opportunities, just show what I can do.
Kramer, who will welcome a pair of JC transfer running backs in the fall, liked what he saw from McInerney.
"Danny has a good feel for our offense," Kramer said. "His footwork is awesome, and that allows him to get into position to always make plays. What he needs to do is show the ability to break that last tackle, avoid the defensive back or break that last arm tackle."
Jason Gathing showed some power en route to 33 yards rushing. Both he and McInerney played against both the first- and second-string defenses.
Sophomore Brandon Roosevelt caught four passes for 40 yards, while Gatewood caught four for 52 yards, including the TD. But other than that, the MSU receivers failed to distinguish themselves.
"The concern that I have, is that our wide receiver corps has got to practice with a great sense of urgency," Kramer said. "We think one of the debilitating factors of our offense through the years has been that we've been unable to get our entire receiving corps on the same page all the time.
What you saw tonight was an exact example of that. We've got guys who will run right routes, but they won't make any stupendous plays. You can't really go back through all the passes we threw tonight and think who made the wild catch or the wild run after the catch."
Backup quarterback Rick Coppack displayed fine arm strength while completing eight of 14 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.
All in all, Kramer declared the day a huge success. The veteran MSU coach presided over a youth camp earlier in the day that attracted more than 300 kids in grades 3-8. Many of them joined Kramer on the field during the final stages of the scrimmage -- and many stayed afterward to collect autographs.
"I don't know where else in the United States you could go to find a crowd, an ambiance, a welcome like this for your seventh spring practice," Kramer said. "To be in the great city of Great Falls along with everybody from the communities in the local area ... It was just a magical day, an absolutely magical day."
*** ***
NAU Adds Two Transfers From Saint Mary's
NAU Web Site
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Two offensive linemen have signed and will transfer from Saint Mary's College to Northern Arizona University to play football in the fall, head coach Jerome Souers announced.
The Lumberjacks have added junior-to-be Jacob Wolfe (6-5, 305) and sophomore-to-be Joshua Williams (6-2, 270). Wolfe started all 12 games last season for the Gaels, who disbanded their football program last month.
Williams played in eight games as a true freshman.
Both players will play significant roles on the offensive line that lost four of its five starters and seven of its top 10 players to graduation.
NAU continues spring practice until April 24.
Name, Pos., Ht., Wt., Cl.-Exp., Hometown (High School/Last School)
Joshua Williams, OL, 6-2, 270, So.-TR, Elk Grove, Calif.(Elk Grove)
Jacob Wolfe, OL, 6-5, 305, Jr.-TR, Yountville, Calif.(Vintage)
***
Sacramento State Announces 2004 Schedule
Sac State Web Site
Sep 4 at Nevada
Sep 18 Southern Utah
Sep 25 at UC Davis
Oct 2 at Northern Arizona
Oct 9 Portland State (HC)
Oct 16 Weber State
Oct 23 at Idaho State
Oct 30 at Eastern Washington
Nov 6 Montana State
Nov 13 at Montana
Nov 20 Cal Poly
Source: Tom Griz Fan
April 8, 2004
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