eGriz
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Joined: 27 Mar 2002
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Location: Missoula, Montana
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September 12
Big Sky Conference and I-AA Top 25 Results.
That pass-happy feeling is back in Grizzlyville (Missoulian).
Griz can't always rely on lightning (Missoulian).
UM's Edwards has knack for making right play at right time (Missoulian).
Segars, Heidelberger put charge in Griz (Great Falls Tribune).
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Montana Pulls Away Late For 41-23 Win Over Pride (Hofstra University).
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Bearkat Blues (Huntsville Item).
Maine Humbles UNC in Battle of the Bears (UNC).
UTEP blanks Weber St (Salt Lake City Tribune).
Maine Humbles UNC in Battle of the Bears (UNC).
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McFarland sticks with Bills (The Daily Inter Lake).
2004 NFL Opening Roster Players from Current I-AA Member Schools (I-AA.org).
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Big Sky Conference Results
Montana 41, Hofstra 23
Montana St 19, Adams St (II) 0
SF Austin 24, NAU 17
Air Force 42, E Washington 20
Nevada 59, Sacramento St 7
Cal Poly 35, at Idaho St 20
UTEP 32, Weber St 0
Portland St (Idle)
I-AA Top 25 Results
1. LOST Southern Ill 22, at No Ill 23
2. won Montana 41, Hofstra 23
3. won Wofford 24, at SC Sate 22
4. LOST Colgate 20, at #14 UMass 30
5. won Furman 45, at Samford 10
6. LOST Mcneese State 17, SE Louisiana 51
7. won Delaware 21, Towson 17
8. won Villanova 22, at #22 Lehigh 16
9. won No Iowa 40, Mankato St 0
10. won Ga So 84, John C Smith (DII) 3
11. won W Ky 58, Concord (DII) 0
12. won Montana St 19, Adams St (DII) 0
13. LOST NAU 17, at #15 SF Austin 24
14. won UMass 30, #4 Colgate 20
15. won SF Austin 24, #13 NAU 17
16. won W Ill 98, Cheyney (DII) 7
17. won Maine 38, #23. No Colorado 0
18. LOST Northeastern 24, at Navy 28
19. won New Hampshire 35, at Rutgers 24
20. LOST E Ky 21, #24 Appalachian St 49
21. won Northwestern St 28, at Jackson St 20
22. LOST Lehigh 16, #8 Villanova 22
23. LOST No Colorado 0, at #17 Maine 38
24. won Appalachian St 49, #20. E Ky 21
25. idle Penn
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That pass-happy feeling is back in Grizzlyville
Nick Lockridge, Missoulian
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/09/12/sports/sports01. txt
Montana passed for three times as many yards as it ran and the Grizzlies received a pair of big second-half plays to lift the second-ranked team in Division I-AA football to a 41-23 victory over unranked Hofstra in front of 23,100 fans Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Montana quarterback Craig Ochs threw for a career-high 364 yards and a touchdown in leading the Grizzlies' evolving air attack back to its glory days.
"It shows you how far we've progressed as an offense," Ochs said. "Last year we kind of lived and died by the run. This year (we have) the ability to throw with the receivers I have and the O-line blocking the way they do. It gives teams a tough time. It's pick your poison so to speak."
"Our plan was to throw it around," said Montana coach Bobby Hauck, whose club rushed for 104 yards Saturday. "There are weeks when that could be reversed."
Ochs, who had 217 yards in a season-opening win over Maine last week, threw for 300 yards for the first time since Oct. 18, 2003, when he had 329 yards in a win at Idaho State.
His main target was fellow senior Jefferson Heidelberger, who caught a career-high 12 passes for 146 yards. The 12 grabs tied for the fifth-best total in a single game in school history.
However, the biggest pass play went to another senior speedster.
Levander Segars turned a 15-yard crossing pattern into a 75-yard arm tackle-breaking sprint to the end zone.
"That looked like a return almost, once he got going," Hauck said.
Continued…
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/09/12/sports/sports01. txt
***
Griz can't always rely on lightning
By RIAL CUMMINGS of the Missoulian
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/09/12/sports/sports02. txt
Hofstra coach Joe Gardi says Grizzly football has "all the bells and whistles." On this gray Saturday, Montana needed every one of them - as well as three cymbal crashes - to leave Washington-Grizzly Stadium with a 41-23 victory that showed ... well, that's a good question.
Either Hofstra is better than advertised, or the No. 2-ranked Griz have a long, long way to go. Either Division I-AA is stronger, more balanced than ever, or it's a tad weaker than anyone suspected. Go figure. Try a little of both.
Montana rolled up 473 yards of offense, the third-highest total in Coach Bobby Hauck's 15-game tenure, and at 2-0 could well be ranked No. 1 come Monday, thanks to top-ranked Southern Illinois' 23-22 loss to Division I-A Northern Illinois.
That's the good news.
But forget the deceptive margin of victory. Montana had a dickens of a time subduing an unranked Hofstra team picked to finish last in its division of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Griz might well be smarting from a loss today had they not taken to the house three spectacular touchdowns: a 38-yard interception return by Kevin Edwards, a 75-yard catch-and-run by Levander Segars, and a 96-yard kickoff return by Jefferson Heidelberger.
Scoring TDs on defense and special teams isn't something Montana can count on every week. But as a young secondary matures, and an unseasoned offensive line develops, the Griz better keep trying.
"It's a three-faceted game, and we want to be aggressive in those other two areas, as well as on offense," Hauck said. "It was great to get six out of our defense and six out of our kicking game. It's kind of always there.
There are some weeks when we don't do it, but the two big ones today were good to us."
Continued…
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/09/12/sports/sports02. txt
***
UM's Edwards has knack for making right play at right time
By RIAL CUMMINGS of the Missoulian
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/09/12/sports/sports03. txt
It appears that even when Kevin Edwards gets it wrong these days, it turns out right.
Montana's junior cornerback may not have always been in the correct position on Saturday, but his playmaking instincts - being in the right place at the right time - continued to shine as the No. 2 Grizzlies improved to 2-0 with a 41-23 non-conference victory over unranked Hofstra.
Hofstra committed just two turnovers on an overcast, sometimes drizzly day at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. And Edwards was smack dab in the middle of them both.
Edwards picked off his third interception of the young season and sped 38 yards to put Montana ahead 10-0 in the first quarter. Then, with Hofstra poised to tie the score late in the third quarter, Edwards stripped receiver Charles Sullivan of the football and fellow Griz Mike Murphy recovered.
The Griz maintained their lead the rest of the way.
"Those were two big plays," said Montana coach Bobby Hauck. "A lot more football games are lost than are won, if that makes sense. People find ways to lose games. I'm not saying that's what happened with Hofstra today, but turnovers kill people. Those were two big turnovers."
Hofstra quarterback Bobby Seck tried to find Sullivan on a pass toward the sideline seven minutes into the contest, but the ball tipped off the
6-foot-2 freshman receiver's hands. It may also have grazed a lineman's hand.
Continued…
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/09/12/sports/sports03. txt
***
Segars, Heidelberger put charge in Griz
The Great Falls Tribune
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20040912/localsp orts/1220451.html
MISSOULA -- Jefferson Heidelberger and Levander Segars generated the high voltage Saturday afternoon as the Montana Grizzlies turned up the juice against the Hofstra Pride.
Segars broke a third-quarter tie with an electrifying 75-yard pass play from Craig Ochs, and Heidelberger returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown as the Grizzlies trounced the Pride 41-23 before 23,100 fans at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Coach Bobby Hauck's second-ranked Griz improved to 2-0 with their second straight victory over an Atlantic 10 opponent. A week ago, UM defeated nationally ranked Maine 27-20.
"That was a good win for our team against a quality opponent," said Hauck, now 11-4 in his second season at UM. "I think that when all is said and done this year, Hofstra is going to win a lot of games."
Hofstra wasn't supposed to be in Maine's class -- the Pride was picked to finish last in the six-team Northern Division -- but coach Joe Gardi's team used a well-oiled passing attack to gain 471 yards, just two fewer than Montana. The Pride never led, but tied the game at 20-20 in the third quarter as linebacker Gian Villante intercepted Ochs' pass and returned it
42 yards for a touchdown.
It was one of few mistakes made by Ochs, the 6-2, 205-pound senior quarterback who transferred from Colorado to Montana about 18 months ago. A week after going 22-for-33 against Maine, Ochs was even more effective against Hofstra, completing 30-of-43 for 364 yards. He now has 581 yards and four TD passes after two weeks.
Continued…
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20040912/localsp orts/1220451.html
***
Montana Pulls Away Late For 41-23 Win Over Pride
Hofstra University
http://www.hofstra.edu/Athletics/Football/ath_fb_gameresult.cf m?gameID=F4EDE1FD-CA89-43BA-A7ADAC4D54B50CBF
Missoula, MT -- Quarterback Craig Ochs completed 30-of-43 passes for 364 yards as the Montana Football team broke open a 20-20 second half tie and captured a 41-23 win over Hofstra on Saturday afternoon at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
The Grizzlies, who improve to 2-0 on the season, also returned an interception and a kickoff for a touchdown on its way to the 41-23 victory.
Hofstra slips to 1-1 on the year with the defeat after opening with a 45-0 win over Albany last weekend.
Jefferson Heidelberger caught 12 passes for 147 yards and ran a pivotal kickoff back for a touchdown for Montana. Lavender Segars also went over 100 yards receiving, catching six passes for 108 yards on the day. Hofstra quarterback Bobby Seck (pictured) completed 26-of-46 passes for an even 300 yards and a touchdown in a losing effort.
The Grizzlies scored first in the contest, taking the game-opening drive 49 yards on 12 plays before the Pride defense stopped the Grizzlies on the Hofstra 22-yardline. Dan Carpenter booted a 40-yard field goal to give Montana a 3-0 lead with 9:20 to play in the first. The Grizzlies boosted their lead to 10-0 two minutes later on a Pride turnover. Hofstra had the ball first-and-10 at their own 32 after a Montana punt when Seck’s pass was deflected at the line, bounced off of Charles Sullivan’s hand and was picked off by Grizzly junior cornerback Kevin Edwards. Edwards returned the interception 38 yards for the score. Carpenter’s kick gave the Griz the 10-0 lead.
Continued…
http://www.hofstra.edu/Athletics/Football/ath_fb_gameresult.cf m?gameID=F4EDE1FD-CA89-43BA-A7ADAC4D54B50CBF
*** ***
Sam Houston State vs. Griz: September 18
Bearkat Blues
By Jason Barfield, Huntsville Item
http://www.itemonline.com/articles/2004/09/12/sports/todays_sp orts/sports01.txt
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - For fans who showed up in the fourth quarter to watch the postgame laser light show Saturday, they saw a heck of a football game.
Sam Houston State and Southwest Missouri State combined for 381 yards and 37 points in the final 15 minutes of play. It was just a matter of which team had the ball last. Unfortunately for the Bearkats, it was the Bears who had the opportunity for the final drive.
SMS quarterback A.J. Porter twice diced up the SHSU defense in the final three minutes of the game. On the next to last play of the contest, he hit Kaya Farris for a 7-yard touchdown and a 33-31 victory.
"I don't know what happened," senior safety Paul Donelson said moments after the game. "I think we just panicked. It was a pressure situation and we just panicked. We broke down mentally.
"The part of the game we have to be focused on the most, we broke down mentally. This is a heartbreaker and one we are going to think about for a long time."
The touchdown pass by Porter was the fourth score in the final three minutes of the game. With SMS leading 20-17, SHSU quarterback Dustin Long hit Jason Mathenia for a 44-yard touchdown to give the Kats a 24-20 lead with 2:37 to play.
Continued…
http://www.itemonline.com/articles/2004/09/12/sports/todays_sp orts/sports01.txt
***
Weber State vs. Griz: October 2
UTEP blanks Weber State
UTEP 32, Weber State 0
By Chris Roberts, The Associated Press/Salt Lake City Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_2411835
EL PASO, Texas - For coach Mike Price's first victory at Texas-El Paso, players gave him a Gatorade shower.
''This is by far the earliest in the season that I've ever gotten drenched,'' he said after Howard Jackson rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns in the Miners' 32-0 win over Weber State Saturday night.
UTEP (1-1) bounced back from a 41-9 loss to Arizona State last week. The Miners racked up 490 yards of offense and held Division I-AA Weber State
(0-2) to 112 yards. It was UTEP's first shutout since 1991.
Jackson scored on runs of 32 and 15 yards, the final one capping a 98-yard, 10-play drive for a 25-0 third-quarter lead.
''When our running backs get into the open field, they're pretty shifty,'' Price said. ''Jackson can break it all the way anytime.''
Jordan Palmer, the brother of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, was 18-of-28 yards for 223 yards without an interception or a touchdown. Palmer, who won the starting job just before the season began, was picked off four times last week.
''You think it's been 13 years since we recorded a shutout, it feels
like it's been 13 years since I've played a game without throwing an interception,'' Palmer said. ''It feels good not to make any mistakes, but I'm still missing some reads.''
The Miners didn't turn the ball over, a week after losing it five times.
Palmer fumbled when he was sacked, but he recovered it. The Miners also racked up 30 first downs.
Price said his quarterback is getting better, but added, ''He still needs to improve.''
Chris Marrow caught seven passes for 116 yards for UTEP.
''I knew going into this game if the opportunity presented itself, I had to have a breakthrough performance,'' Marrow said.
Price credited the defense for the dominating performance and said he gave the game ball to his defensive coordinator.
''It feels tremendous,'' linebacker Robert Rodriguez, who led the team with 10 tackles, said of the shutout. ''This is not the best we can play but we played hard and we're getting better every day.''
Weber State, meanwhile, could never get going.
''I don't think there is any doubt we battled hard and did some good things in the first half. They've got good enough athletes that if we make any mistakes they'll make us pay,'' said Wildcats coach Jerry Graybeal. ''In the second half, they just wore us down.''
The Wildcats had just eight first downs and two turnovers.
Nick Chournos led the Wildcats in rushing with 45 yards on 13 carries.
Kyle Bauer completed 6 of 18 passes for 41 yards and an interception.
***
Northern Colorado at Griz: September 25
Maine Humbles UNC in Battle of the Bears, 38-0
UNC suffers its worst defeat since the 1985 season.
U. of Northern Colorado
http://uncbears.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/09110 4aab.html
ORONO, Maine - The University of Northern Colorado football team suffered its worst defeat since the 1985 season on Saturday evening as the Maine Black Bears scored a 38-0 shutout.
Maine came into the contest ranked No. 17 in the nation, while UNC was ranked No. 23 in the latest Sports Network Top 25 poll.
The Black Bears (1-1) returned two interceptions for TDs, with Anthony Hicks scoring on a 30-yarder in the second quarter and Darren Stone on a 38-yarder in the fourth.
Maine also held Northern Colorado (1-1) to 65 yards in the first half as the Black Bears took a 21-0 lead.
Maine opened the scoring on Ron Whitcomb's 5-yard touchdown pass to Kevin McMahan, and made it 14-0 in the first quarter on Whitcomb's 16-yarder to Christian Pereira after Northern Colorado fumbled the snap on a punt.
Williams added a 38-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and Mike Mellow completed the scoring in the fourth with a 33-yard field goal.
UNC's offense was limited to 162 total yards, while the Black Bears notched
325 total yards. Sophomore running back Andre Wilson rushed for 57 yards and had a team-high 54 yards receiving on five catches.
UNC junior quarterback Tony Christensen had a game he would like to quickly forget as he passed for 117 yards on 14-of-36 passing which included three interceptions. Backup quarterback Nick Hager entered the game and passed for
17 yards on 3-of-5 passing, which also included two interceptions.
The Bears defense was led by senior linebacker Ryan Palmer's 12 tackles.
Juniors Thomas Smith and Reed Doughty tallied 11 tackles each. Sophomore defensive lineman Jacob Carlson notched the Bears' first quarterback sack of the season.
Senior defensive lineman Jared Wallen recovered a fumble forced by senior Jason McMillan.
The Bears 38-point loss was the squad's worst since UNC lost a 49-6 decision at South Dakota on Nov. 9, 1985. UNC was also shutout for the first time since a 14-0 setback to Minnesota State on Sept. 19, 1992.
UNC will be back in action next weekend at home against Idaho State.
Saturday's game will be televised by Altitude Sports and will kickoff at
12:06 pm.
***
McFarland sticks with Bills
By Dixie Knutson, The Daily Inter Lake
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/NewsEngine/SelectStory_AD.tpl?co mmand=search&db=news.db&eqskudata=42-733729-36
The phone did not ring -- and for Flathead Brave alum Dylan McFarland last week, that was a good thing.
That’s how the Buffalo Bills let McFarland know he had made the team’s 53-man NFL roster.
"A few of the guys hanging around the hotel waiting for the phone not to ring," McFarland said.
He spent the day watching TV, walking through a local mall and checking the Internet to see who had been cut.
"I thought I’d played pretty well throughout camp and showed some good things, but you never really know which direction they want to head.
"I had an idea (I was going to make the team), but I wasn’t positive about it. So it was a pretty stressful day.
"They decided it was my turn to get an opportunity," he said.
Three of the four hanging out together that Sunday made the team.
"That was tough. We were all excited and calling our family. You kind of feel like you’re rubbing it in (to the person who didn’t make the team).
"It’s a lot of fun right now. It’s kind of a relief."
The seventh-round draft pick from Montana even beat out a few veterans.
Since the Bills kept McFarland, they had to cut Marques Sullivan and Ben Sobieski from the active roster.
Both were signed to the practice roster.
"I definitely must have showed something to have (the Bills) take a chance on me. I think that’s going to pay off for them," McFarland said.
"I just want to get in there and start helping and contributing as fast as I can."
Continued…
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/NewsEngine/SelectStory_AD.tpl?co mmand=search&db=news.db&eqskudata=42-733729-36
***
2004 NFL Opening Roster Players from Current I-AA Member Schools
I-AA.org
http://www.i-aa.org/article.asp?articleid=60119
Related Material
9/8/2004 NFL Rosters, I-AA
9/8/2004 NFL Rosters All NFL teams have at least one former I-AA student-athlete from current I-AA member schools. See the attached spreadsheets that detail the complete NFL rosters and the I-AA representation. (Source: NFL.com)
Players on Opening Day NFL Rosters
Number (total): 1,860
Number (former I-AA): 175 (9.41% ) from 76 schools
I-AA Conference Representation
GFC 28
A10 23
SWAC 19
BSC 19
MEAC 18
SLC 16
OVC 14
IVY 12
SOCON 10
GWFC 9
PFL 3
INDEP 1
MAAC 1
BSOUTH 1
NEC 1
PL 0
I-AA Participating School Representation (minimum of four players) Western Illinois 8 Northern Iowa 8 Northern Arizona 5 Northwestern State, La. 5 Western Kentucky 5 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 5 North Carolina A&T 5 Eastern Kentucky 5 McNeese State 4 Montana 4 New Hampshire 4
NFL Teams With Former I-AA Players
Baltimore Ravens 12
New York Giants 12
Dallas Cowboys 10
Jacksonville Jaguars 10
St. Louis Rams 9
Miami Dolphins 8
Kansas City Chiefs 8
New Orleans Saints 8
San Diego Chargers 7
Buffalo Bills 6
Green Bay Packers 6
Philadelphia Eagles 6
Tennessee Titans 6
Carolina Panthers 5
Chicago Bears 5
Detroit Lions 5
Oakland Raiders 5
Houston Texans 5
Seattle Seahawks 5
Cleveland Browns 4
New England Patriots 4
Pittsburgh Steelers 4
San Francisco 49ers 4
Denver Broncos 3
Arizona Cardinals 3
Cincinnati Bengals 3
Indianapolis Colts 3
New York Jets 3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3
Atlanta Falcons 2
Minnesota Vikings 1
Washington Redskins 1
Continued…
http://www.i-aa.org/article.asp?articleid=60119
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