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Post Game: Statement win

BWahlberg

Well-known member
DONOR
The Grizzlies short spring season is over, finishing 2-0 with two blow-out wins where the Grizzly offense and defense showed off their depth, talent, and physical nature of play. After last week's blowout the talk was if they could do it again, this time against and equal opponent and today Montana proved they sure could. I know there's been some chatter from coaches/media about PSU being a possible top-5 team, I didn't see that today. They looked rusty, limited in skill on offense, and way overmatched on defense. I don't think they're probably as bad of a team as they showed today, but at this point it's pretty hard to see them as a possible bubble team to make the playoffs in the fall of 2021.

The Griz though, sure as hell looked the part, and even in two games with plenty of errors and issues to still bring up, they were dominant for the full stretch of the game. If this team can come through the summer healthy and strong they will stand great chance to be the team that finishes on top of the Big Sky.

Montana had 511 yards that was pretty well balanced, there was a blend of big plays and some wonderfully executed, dominant drives on the ground game. Defensively they held PSU to under 300 yards (78 of which on one deep pass play). They had multiple short yardage stops yet again. PSU only got into Montana territory 3 times (one of which was the TD pass). PSU was 2-13 on 3rd down and 0-4 on 4th down according to the stat sheet.

A few observations I had from this game:

1. Cam Humphrey looked better today than he did last week but still had some issues. First and foremost I hope he's ok from that wicked hit. He appeared to be out cold for a few seconds, that was really scary. His TD pass to Sulser was a strike, he found some good / open targets, he moved the offense well. He had better help with a stronger running game today, and he once again didn't take any sacks. The endzone pick was a bad throw into cover-2, he had some misses on crossing routes, and the last scoring drive of the half had a few pretty poor throws - but he recovered from that. I'm not sure if he's the "put the team on my back" guy like Sneed was, but I'm also not sure if he needs to be, especially if our ground game can keep up what they showed today. Biggest improvements I'd like to see from him over the summer has to be timing on some of these routes we saw in both games where the passes were behind.

2. Last week the stat sheet for Ostmo and Harris weren't the greatest, I brought up the low YPC numbers. That got corrected today in a major way. The O-line was dominant in all phases today and it was awesome to see - even with a high rotation of different guys, showcasing the talent at depth in this group too. 5.5 YPC, 250 rushing, and monster days for Ostmo and Harris. The injury to AJ Forbes is super concerning and didn't look good - hoping for the best for him bc he seemed to be kicking ass at center. Ostmo (IMO) had to silence a bit of the chatter on here that I saw last week that suggested he was too slow, unable to make good cuts, and not starter material. He was forceful and unstoppable today. Harris made great strides from last week as well, looking far more comfortable in his role, with 109 on the ground. I'm guessing his injury is a sprain, he was still limping after the game, but didn't need assistance.

3. I tweeted this too, I don't recall the last time we had such a physical and hard hitting secondary. Huge hits all over the place, some ending drives, disrupting passes, and stopping ball carriers short of gain. I think we're in far better shape at corner than we've maybe ever been - and the safety group has done well too. PSU was using a lot of double moves today, one went for a TD, another was successful but called back on a PSU penalty. That seems to be the key to attack the Griz corners at times - catch them on their heels bc in many situations they have no safety help. Once the defense went to a little more safer coverage (after the deep TD) PSU's ability to stretch the field was totally gone. Great adjustment there.

4. Great day for Jace Lewis, team leading 8 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 0.5 sacks, 1 INT. Really happy to have him leading the defense into the fall.

5. The defensive line showed some great stuff too. They were not pushed around at all, got some good pressure on the PSU QB, and had a bunch of big stops. McGourin and Belknap making some plays, Alford and Gubner stuffing the middle. There was some good pressure too - also that many times didn't allow the QB to escape the pocket laterally - that disrupted a lot of things too. This group will go down without the flashy stats but make no mistake - they're going to do a great job setting things up for the linebackers and safeties.

6. Another good day on special teams. PSU got one longer return off and a missed PAT. I have a feeling the kicking game might be a little shaky at times in the fall. Punt unit was great again. Flowers an awesome block, Sulser another big return.

-----------
It's pretty hard to find much to really complain about in a blowout win against another FCS / conference school. There's plenty to clean up, need guys to get healthy, get back into the S&T routine over the summer, and get back out in the fall ready to rock.

Good crowd today - had to be more than the 4600 announced (I was told some scanners weren't working). I'd like to see Montana continue this, even if it's just 1 home game each spring - this was a lot of fun and could do some real good for fan engagement, fund raising, and work for the team.

I'm excited for the fall, I know Bobby and the players/staff are too - today showcased part of why.

Go Griz!
 
I’m just very, very disappointed Gubner doesn’t have 2-3 INT’s at this point. Really slacking.
 
I hope Cam is ok, brown got some good experience today. Much improved from last week, the entire team looked more comfortable for their second game and it showed. We do have a ground game! Can’t wait for the fall. Go Griz!!
 
AZGrizFan said:
I’m just very, very disappointed Gubner doesn’t have 2-3 INT’s at this point. Really slacking.

Agreed. Also I think OD lost the coin toss again today. Sighhhhh
 
Game story coming in about 15 min

https://twitter.com/SkylineSportsMT/status/1383568495820951563

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93elmZMQJI0
 
BWahlberg said:
AZGrizFan said:
I’m just very, very disappointed Gubner doesn’t have 2-3 INT’s at this point. Really slacking.

Agreed. Also I think OD lost the coin toss again today. Sighhhhh
I’m also disappointed in how bad I got sun burned. Jesus I was not expecting it to be that nice :lol:
 
GAME STORY - Griz hit stride, rip Portland State in final spring game
https://skylinesportsmt.com/griz-hit-stride-rip-portland-state-in-final-spring-game/

https://twitter.com/SkylineSportsMT/status/1383608151769948163
 
When was it that the Griz scored on a long drive consisting of only run plays? I suspect it has been a while.
 
Grade A for the whole team and every position group. I was pleasantly surprised how much they cleaned up the areas that needed improvements. Running backs cut better, saw the field better, and looked more comfortable. OL dominated, in both the run game and pass protection, just like the days of old. Dare I say, we saw glimpses of DOLA against Portland State. Just hope that Harris will be 100% for fall camp. That kid was very impressive. His skill set reminds of Jordan Canada, with the vision of Chase Reynolds.

As I posted in the game thread, my hat is off to Humphrey. Despite the interception, he played a great game. He only forced the 1 pass, which was intercepted. A few passes were a little off, but for the most part, his passing was crisp, and on mark. He proved, he can be patient, by waiting longer to run, or get further into his passing progressions. However, he did prove that throwing against your body isn't easy for most qbs. He tried to do that, and was nowhere near what Brown did. Then again, many qb's cannot throw well against their body. My heart sank when he took that nasty hit. Thankfully, he was okay, come the end of the game. I think, that hit is what it took for him to learn to slide or get down earlier. He's lucky, he wasn't hurt worse and long term. I was also impressed with his interaction with teammates throughout the game. We sat, 8 rows up on the south 40 yard line. I got to see how everyone interacted. When Brown was done, Humphrey gave Brown a friendly brotherly hug and head slap. That really impressed me.

Speaking of Brown and impressions, I witnessed how seriously Hauck and his staff take "leadership" from the QB position. The 1st time Humphrey left the game, Justin Green screamed for Brown, something like, "Get out there, you need to be ready!" (not his exact words). Then later on, after Humphrey's blow that took him out, Brown had just come off the field after a TD drive. He was by the stands around the 50 yard line, thinking he could rest. Next thing I hear is, "Where is Brown?" The big tall bald coach (who is it?) finger points and gestures for Brown to get his ass to the end of the southside of the player box. Brown came running as prompted, the coach spoke to him aggressively, and put his arm around Brown. He lectured him about leadership and the little things. Guess what, from that point on, Brown was the 1st player to greet the special teams players and offensive players as they came to the sideline. Yes, those little gestures and communications lasted rest of the game, by Brown. I was fortunate to be sitting where I was. Otherwise, I would've never witnessed that. Tell you what, that really impressed me, about how focused this staff is. They made the little things a big deal and learning opportunity to a young talented player. Brown's taking to that coaching was equally impressive.

Portland State is fortunate, the GRIZ didn't fully utilize Akem. They used single coverage on him, way too much, the fade and post routes were available most every snap. Fortunately, the GRIZ finally took advantage of it, with Akem's 1st half ending TD reception. I was so happy to see them finally use that to their advantage.

This GRIZ defense is deep and talented. For both games, the DB's, especially the CB's stood out to me. Ford is Jimmy Wilson 2.0 on the field. Ford, Hicks Onu, Walker, Soe, are all starting caliber CB's, and every bit as physical as any GRIZ CB group as I've ever seen. There is a lot of Jimmy Wilson, Keith Thompson, and Tuff Harris in this group. Justin Ford jumps out at me though. This group sure has the look of being special.

Overall, I think the GRIZ are back. If they stay healthy, no doubt they are TOP 5 FCS program. I like their chances at getting to Frisco. To me, anything less than the semi finals will be disappointing, if the key players remain healthy.

Great job, men. This GRIZ fan is chomping at the bit for 2021 GRIZ football!!!!
 
BWahlberg said:
AZGrizFan said:
I’m just very, very disappointed Gubner doesn’t have 2-3 INT’s at this point. Really slacking.

Agreed. Also I think OD lost the coin toss again today. Sighhhhh

For the love of Christ. :twisted: :twisted:
 
BWahlberg said:
AZGrizFan said:
I’m just very, very disappointed Gubner doesn’t have 2-3 INT’s at this point. Really slacking.

Agreed. Also I think OD lost the coin toss again today. Sighhhhh

He’s keeping it vanilla until the fall.
 
Missed large parts of the game. Is Brown still on pace to beat out Humphrey? Asking for a friend who wants to know when to surrender the hill.
 
It looked to me like they were rotating Keintz, Martin, and Mallory at the Guard spots. I thought Mallory played the least, but I think that was by design and for development purposes. Martin played almost the whole game; and obvs took over at C. Like they were planning it. Martin’s snaps were a bit high and not as crisp.

I thought Robertson may have gotten banged up too. I thought I saw him go gimpy, but he returned. Graves played a ton in that spot and did amazing. Possibly more play time than any backup on D. Toward the end, he was running with the 1s and I figured Robertson was just taking a break.

Ford is a tremendous tackler/hitter but I believe that’s his downfall, and reason he may not be the best cover corner, or starting—his cover skills. Seems to come off or come up too hard and falls for double-moves. I thought Walker did the same. Looked like those routes were called up again against them but could not connect due to pressure. Really the only weakness on D yesterday.

Here’s the craziest part. They took Cam out to run the 4th-n-2 keeper. They knew it was going to be a running play, and likely a keeper, so they put Brown in and he didn’t get it. Maybe they think Brown is a better runner, or better at getting short yardage because he’s so much bigger. Or maybe they didn’t want to risk Cam on a known keeper. Problem is, next time Cam ran the ball, he got knocked out. Brown became QB#1 and it was basically all running plays after that.

New-age-Bobby. Starters in way too late. Never thought I would complain about Bobby not going conservative soon enough.
 
PlayerRep said:
Missed large parts of the game. Is Brown still on pace to beat out Humphrey? Asking for a friend who wants to know when to surrender the hill.

..to me Cam had a good game but like a I said before he's prone to get hurt if he doesn't start to slide...on the
other hand I thought they tune down Kris Brown by letting the running game take shape...maybe they did this by design
and not let out Brown's ability to throw...obviously just guessing.. but if you got a good thing why advertise it
prematurely...I think Brown is their secret weapon and they will take their time developing him..no rush if hes got
4 years....Cam will be the starter...
 
I think they just wanted to run out the clock and get out of there before anybody else got hurt. I as well would’ve liked to have seen Brown throw a couple more balls but I understand why he didn’t. We’re in good hands with Cam and Brown, and as one poster mentioned yesterday we don’t need stellar QB play, we just need above average QB play with the weapons we have everywhere else.
 
BWahlberg said:
The Grizzlies short spring season is over, finishing 2-0 with two blow-out wins where the Grizzly offense and defense showed off their depth, talent, and physical nature of play. After last week's blowout the talk was if they could do it again, this time against and equal opponent and today Montana proved they sure could. I know there's been some chatter from coaches/media about PSU being a possible top-5 team, I didn't see that today. They looked rusty, limited in skill on offense, and way overmatched on defense. I don't think they're probably as bad of a team as they showed today, but at this point it's pretty hard to see them as a possible bubble team to make the playoffs in the fall of 2021.

The Griz though, sure as hell looked the part, and even in two games with plenty of errors and issues to still bring up, they were dominant for the full stretch of the game. If this team can come through the summer healthy and strong they will stand great chance to be the team that finishes on top of the Big Sky.

Montana had 511 yards that was pretty well balanced, there was a blend of big plays and some wonderfully executed, dominant drives on the ground game. Defensively they held PSU to under 300 yards (78 of which on one deep pass play). They had multiple short yardage stops yet again. PSU only got into Montana territory 3 times (one of which was the TD pass). PSU was 2-13 on 3rd down and 0-4 on 4th down according to the stat sheet.

A few observations I had from this game:

1. Cam Humphrey looked better today than he did last week but still had some issues. First and foremost I hope he's ok from that wicked hit. He appeared to be out cold for a few seconds, that was really scary. His TD pass to Sulser was a strike, he found some good / open targets, he moved the offense well. He had better help with a stronger running game today, and he once again didn't take any sacks. The endzone pick was a bad throw into cover-2, he had some misses on crossing routes, and the last scoring drive of the half had a few pretty poor throws - but he recovered from that. I'm not sure if he's the "put the team on my back" guy like Sneed was, but I'm also not sure if he needs to be, especially if our ground game can keep up what they showed today. Biggest improvements I'd like to see from him over the summer has to be timing on some of these routes we saw in both games where the passes were behind.

2. Last week the stat sheet for Ostmo and Harris weren't the greatest, I brought up the low YPC numbers. That got corrected today in a major way. The O-line was dominant in all phases today and it was awesome to see - even with a high rotation of different guys, showcasing the talent at depth in this group too. 5.5 YPC, 250 rushing, and monster days for Ostmo and Harris. The injury to AJ Forbes is super concerning and didn't look good - hoping for the best for him bc he seemed to be kicking ass at center. Ostmo (IMO) had to silence a bit of the chatter on here that I saw last week that suggested he was too slow, unable to make good cuts, and not starter material. He was forceful and unstoppable today. Harris made great strides from last week as well, looking far more comfortable in his role, with 109 on the ground. I'm guessing his injury is a sprain, he was still limping after the game, but didn't need assistance.

3. I tweeted this too, I don't recall the last time we had such a physical and hard hitting secondary. Huge hits all over the place, some ending drives, disrupting passes, and stopping ball carriers short of gain. I think we're in far better shape at corner than we've maybe ever been - and the safety group has done well too. PSU was using a lot of double moves today, one went for a TD, another was successful but called back on a PSU penalty. That seems to be the key to attack the Griz corners at times - catch them on their heels bc in many situations they have no safety help. Once the defense went to a little more safer coverage (after the deep TD) PSU's ability to stretch the field was totally gone. Great adjustment there.

4. Great day for Jace Lewis, team leading 8 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 0.5 sacks, 1 INT. Really happy to have him leading the defense into the fall.

5. The defensive line showed some great stuff too. They were not pushed around at all, got some good pressure on the PSU QB, and had a bunch of big stops. McGourin and Belknap making some plays, Alford and Gubner stuffing the middle. There was some good pressure too - also that many times didn't allow the QB to escape the pocket laterally - that disrupted a lot of things too. This group will go down without the flashy stats but make no mistake - they're going to do a great job setting things up for the linebackers and safeties.

6. Another good day on special teams. PSU got one longer return off and a missed PAT. I have a feeling the kicking game might be a little shaky at times in the fall. Punt unit was great again. Flowers an awesome block, Sulser another big return.

-----------
It's pretty hard to find much to really complain about in a blowout win against another FCS / conference school. There's plenty to clean up, need guys to get healthy, get back into the S&T routine over the summer, and get back out in the fall ready to rock.

Good crowd today - had to be more than the 4600 announced (I was told some scanners weren't working). I'd like to see Montana continue this, even if it's just 1 home game each spring - this was a lot of fun and could do some real good for fan engagement, fund raising, and work for the team.

I'm excited for the fall, I know Bobby and the players/staff are too - today showcased part of why.

Go Griz!


Good analysis. Wish I could have watched it.
 
hunt-ducks said:
BWahlberg said:
The Grizzlies short spring season is over, finishing 2-0 with two blow-out wins where the Grizzly offense and defense showed off their depth, talent, and physical nature of play. After last week's blowout the talk was if they could do it again, this time against and equal opponent and today Montana proved they sure could. I know there's been some chatter from coaches/media about PSU being a possible top-5 team, I didn't see that today. They looked rusty, limited in skill on offense, and way overmatched on defense. I don't think they're probably as bad of a team as they showed today, but at this point it's pretty hard to see them as a possible bubble team to make the playoffs in the fall of 2021.

The Griz though, sure as hell looked the part, and even in two games with plenty of errors and issues to still bring up, they were dominant for the full stretch of the game. If this team can come through the summer healthy and strong they will stand great chance to be the team that finishes on top of the Big Sky.

Montana had 511 yards that was pretty well balanced, there was a blend of big plays and some wonderfully executed, dominant drives on the ground game. Defensively they held PSU to under 300 yards (78 of which on one deep pass play). They had multiple short yardage stops yet again. PSU only got into Montana territory 3 times (one of which was the TD pass). PSU was 2-13 on 3rd down and 0-4 on 4th down according to the stat sheet.

A few observations I had from this game:

1. Cam Humphrey looked better today than he did last week but still had some issues. First and foremost I hope he's ok from that wicked hit. He appeared to be out cold for a few seconds, that was really scary. His TD pass to Sulser was a strike, he found some good / open targets, he moved the offense well. He had better help with a stronger running game today, and he once again didn't take any sacks. The endzone pick was a bad throw into cover-2, he had some misses on crossing routes, and the last scoring drive of the half had a few pretty poor throws - but he recovered from that. I'm not sure if he's the "put the team on my back" guy like Sneed was, but I'm also not sure if he needs to be, especially if our ground game can keep up what they showed today. Biggest improvements I'd like to see from him over the summer has to be timing on some of these routes we saw in both games where the passes were behind.

2. Last week the stat sheet for Ostmo and Harris weren't the greatest, I brought up the low YPC numbers. That got corrected today in a major way. The O-line was dominant in all phases today and it was awesome to see - even with a high rotation of different guys, showcasing the talent at depth in this group too. 5.5 YPC, 250 rushing, and monster days for Ostmo and Harris. The injury to AJ Forbes is super concerning and didn't look good - hoping for the best for him bc he seemed to be kicking ass at center. Ostmo (IMO) had to silence a bit of the chatter on here that I saw last week that suggested he was too slow, unable to make good cuts, and not starter material. He was forceful and unstoppable today. Harris made great strides from last week as well, looking far more comfortable in his role, with 109 on the ground. I'm guessing his injury is a sprain, he was still limping after the game, but didn't need assistance.

3. I tweeted this too, I don't recall the last time we had such a physical and hard hitting secondary. Huge hits all over the place, some ending drives, disrupting passes, and stopping ball carriers short of gain. I think we're in far better shape at corner than we've maybe ever been - and the safety group has done well too. PSU was using a lot of double moves today, one went for a TD, another was successful but called back on a PSU penalty. That seems to be the key to attack the Griz corners at times - catch them on their heels bc in many situations they have no safety help. Once the defense went to a little more safer coverage (after the deep TD) PSU's ability to stretch the field was totally gone. Great adjustment there.

4. Great day for Jace Lewis, team leading 8 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 0.5 sacks, 1 INT. Really happy to have him leading the defense into the fall.

5. The defensive line showed some great stuff too. They were not pushed around at all, got some good pressure on the PSU QB, and had a bunch of big stops. McGourin and Belknap making some plays, Alford and Gubner stuffing the middle. There was some good pressure too - also that many times didn't allow the QB to escape the pocket laterally - that disrupted a lot of things too. This group will go down without the flashy stats but make no mistake - they're going to do a great job setting things up for the linebackers and safeties.

6. Another good day on special teams. PSU got one longer return off and a missed PAT. I have a feeling the kicking game might be a little shaky at times in the fall. Punt unit was great again. Flowers an awesome block, Sulser another big return.

-----------
It's pretty hard to find much to really complain about in a blowout win against another FCS / conference school. There's plenty to clean up, need guys to get healthy, get back into the S&T routine over the summer, and get back out in the fall ready to rock.

Good crowd today - had to be more than the 4600 announced (I was told some scanners weren't working). I'd like to see Montana continue this, even if it's just 1 home game each spring - this was a lot of fun and could do some real good for fan engagement, fund raising, and work for the team.

I'm excited for the fall, I know Bobby and the players/staff are too - today showcased part of why.

Go Griz!


Good analysis. Wish I could have watched it.

the entire game is in the post directly above your on a youtube link.
 
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