WAYNE TINKLE RECEIVING A MAJOR VOTE OF CONFIDENCE 4 DAYS BEFORE THE MONTANA GRIZZLIES MENS BASKETBALL TEAM OPENS THE SEASON. .

THE GRIZ AGREEING ON A 3 YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION WITH THE THIRD YEAR HEAD COACH - WHICH WOULD KEEP HIM IN CHARGE THROUGH THE 2011-2012 SEASON.

THE DEAL EXPECTED TO BE APPPROVED BY THE MONTANA BOARD OF REGENTS WHEN THEY MEET IN MISSOULA ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20.

(http://mus.edu/board/meetings/2008/Nov08/StaffComp/ITEM141-1000-R1108.pdf)

TINKLE IS IN THE FINAL SEASON OF HIS ORIGINAL 3 YEAR CONTRACT - WHICH PAYS HIM $122,596 PER YEAR. HE'S 31-31 IN TWO SEASONS WITH THE GRIZ.
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MY THOUGHTS:

Pending the approval of this deal (which should happen, as it is being recommended by President George Dennison and AD Jim O'Day) this makes all the sense in the world for the Griz.

I don't know if the whole "lame-duck coach in the final year of his contract" phenomenon exists as much in college as it does in the pros.
A pro athlete is far more likely to quit on his coach if he's in the final year of a contract than a college kid is. I do know that while Tinkle would have absolutely given it his all this year regardless of what happened, this agreement has to ease his mind. He can feel comfortable knowing the administration has the same positive feelings about the direction of the program and the players he's been able to recruit that he does.

This is the first season in Tinkle's time at Montana where he's had a team full of HIS guys. I asked him if he felt that way a couple weeks ago. He was very careful not to speak ill of any of the guys who have been here in the past, but pointed out that everyone on this year's team other than Kyle Sharp and Jordan Hasquet was recruited by him and his staff. As an assistant under Larry Krystkowiak, he was instrumental in recruiting Hasquet and Sharp, so they might as well be his guys.

This team clearly has some very exciting potential. The nucleus of Jack McGillis, Michael Taylor, Brian Qvale, Ryan Staudacher, and Derek Selvig is going to be here for a couple years. Add a bunch of the other new faces who will be around for a couple more seasons and the talent pool looks pretty deep. It's good for these guys to know they are going to have the continuity of Tinkle and his system for the next few years.

There was a lot of behind the scenes stuff that went on last season that Tinkle is taking the high road about. He keeps the specifics in-house, but has mentioned several times over the last few weeks how good a group of guys it is this year and how good the chemistry on this team is. In basketball more than any other sport, having that good chemistry goes a long way. He's also talked about how he's grown as a coach over the last couple years. With this decision, the Griz are saying they're confident that growth will continue.

~Varun
varun@maxmontana.com

Hard to believe the prep football playoffs are already here. Class AA wraps up it's regular season tomorrow, while all of the other classes will be playing first round playoff games this weekend.

8 out of the 14 teams in AA make the playoffs. Here's a look at the standings for the teams who have already clinched a playoff birth or are still alive heading into tomorrow's action, as well as who they play in their final game. Teams with a "C" next to them have already clinched.

CLASS AA FOOTBALL STANDINGS (AS OF 10/30/08)
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1. C- HELENA CAPITAL 9-0, Flathead
2. C- BILLINGS WEST 8-1, Skyview
3. C- GREAT FALLS CMR 8-1, Great Falls
4. C -HELENA HIGH 6-3, @ Bozeman
5. C -KALISPELL FLATHEAD 6-3, @ Capital
6. C -BILLINGS SKYVIEW 5-4, West
7. C -GREAT FALLS 5-4, CMR
8. MISSOULA BIG SKY 5-4, Glacier
9. MISSOULA SENTINEL 4-5, Hellgate

Helena Capital is the only team to have clinched it's seed. Let's take a look at the possibilities for the teams in our viewing area:

FLATHEAD
The Braves have already clinched their 11th postseason trip in the last 13 years, thanks to the current 6 game winning streak they're riding. They could end up as high as the #4 seed with a win @ Capital and a Helena loss @ Bozeman. That would put the Braves at 7-3 and the Bengals at 6-4. Helena holds the tiebreaker over Flathead thanks to a week 2 victory over the Braves. Flathead can't end up any lower than a #6 seed.

BIG SKY
The formula for the Eagles is pretty simple. Win and you're in. No team has a wider range of possibilities. Losses by Great Falls, Skyview, Flathead, and Helena combined with a Big Sky win tomorrow would vault the Eagles all the way up to the #4 seed. Big Sky would win tiebreakers over Flathead and Helena since they beat both teams head-to-head.

However, a loss to Glacier could spell disaster for the Eagles if Sentinel wins. Head-to-head losses to Skyview, Great Falls, and Sentinel mean the Eagles would lose every tiebreaker if they end up losing to Glacier and finishing with a 5-5 record. If they lose, they'd either be the #8 seed (If Sentinel loses) or out of the playoffs (If Sentinel wins).

SENTINEL
It's been a great season for the resurgent Spartans, but the clock may strike midnight on this Cinderella story tomorrow. The loss to Great Falls two weeks ago was a killer, hurting the Spartans in the tiebreaker scenarios.

Ties are broken first by head-to-head record, and then by point differential against common opponents. According to the MHSA, the highest point differential from a single game is 14 points, no matter how much a team won or lost by. This is done to prevent teams from running up the score. For example, Sentinel's 34 point win over Butte only counts as a +14, while the 35 point loss to Capital only counts as a -14.

We know that the Spartans can get in with a win and a Big Sky loss, but is there any way they can get in if the Eagles win? Let's take a look at the possible scenarios::

1) TIE BETWEEN SKYVIEW, GFH, AND SENTINEL (ALL 5-5)

COMMON OPPONENTS: WEST, SENIOR, CMR, BIG SKY,

POINT DIFFERENTIALS: SENTINEL (-9), SKYVIEW (+14), GFH (-2)

IN THIS SCENARIO, THERE IS NO WAY FOR SKYVIEW TO BE ELIMINATED BECAUSE OF THE 14 POINT CAP ON +/-. SENTINEL STAYS AT -9 REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS IN THEIR GAME BECAUSE HELLGATE ISN'T A COMMON OPPONENT FOR ALL THREE TEAMS. IF SKYVIEW WINS THIS THREE TEAM TIEBREAKER, THE TIE BETWEEN SENTINEL AND GREAT FALLS WOULD BE BROKEN BY HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD. THE BISON BEAT THE SPARTANS, AND WOULD GET THE #8 SEED, WHILE SENTINEL WOULD BE ELIMINATED.

2) TIE BETWEEN SENTINEL AND SKYVIEW (BOTH 5-5, GREAT FALLS 6-4)

COMMON OPPONENTS: WEST, BUTTE, CMR, BIG SKY, SENIOR,
CAPITAL, GFH, HELLGATE

POINT DIFFERENTIALS: SENTINEL (-23), SKYVIEW (+10)

IN THIS SCENARIO, SENTINEL HAS NO WAY OF CATCHING SKYVIEW BECAUSE OF THE 14 POINT CAP ON POINT DIFFERENTIALS. EVEN IF THEY BEAT HELLGATE BY 14 AND SKYVIEW LOSES TO WEST BY 14, SENTINEL WOULD BE A -9 AND SKYVIEW WOULD BE A -4. SKYVIEW WOULD WIN THE TIEBREAKER AND GET THE #8 SEED, WHILE THE SPARTANS WOULD BE ELIMINATED.

3) TIE BETWEEN SENTINEL AND GFH (BOTH 5-5, SKYVIEW 6-4)

IN THIS SCENARIO, SENTINEL WOULD BE ELIMINATED BECAUSE THEY LOST HEAD-TO-HEAD TO GREAT FALLS. THE BISON WOULD GET THE #8 SEED


To sum it all up, Sentinel needs a win and a Big Sky loss to earn it's first playoff birth since 1989. Big Sky is in with a win, and can only be eliminated if they lose and Sentinel wins. Should be a great day of football!

~Varun
varun@maxmontana.com

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) - Montana State wide receiver DeSean Thomas
will miss the Weber State game with a concussion.
Coach Rob Ash called the injury a fluke that happened during a
no-pad, no-contact practice on Thursday. He says the freshman went
to catch a punt and hit his chin on another player's shoulder.
Ash says Thomas will be re-evaluated next week.

"You just gotta treat it like its a PAT. If you think about the 25,000 fans, you are going to miss."

-Griz kicker Brody McKnight after the game.

If before the game I told you the Griz would win on a walk-off 42 yard field goal, who would think I had one too many at the tailgate? But there was Sophomore Brody McKnight jogging onto the field with 5 seconds left, and a chance to erase all prior kicking woes. Talk about erasing the past - nailing a no doubter - and extending the Griz' regular season winning streak to 25 games.

Some pros and cons from today's game:

PROS

Cole Bergquist:
The senior torched the Central Washington D for a career high 377 yards and 3 TD's. On the final drive - 4th and 4 at the 37 yard line - he fit the ball in an area the size of my pinky for the first down that set up the game winning field goal. There were a few mistakes - including a costly interception in the endzone and a fumble returned for a touchdown - but all in all a career day for Cole. We keep saying it, this team will go as far as Cole takes them. If he throws like he did today and cuts out some mistakes, that could be all the way to a National Title.

Marc Mariani:
Where did this guy come from? Only 1 TD in his career coming into the year, and in 4 games he has 7. He just gets open. You can't single cover him or he will burn you. On his 2nd TD today they recognized the Safety blitz and just tossed one up for him. The corner had pretty good coverage - but he just catches the football. When both him and Ferriter are on their game, the Griz passing game is going to put up some points.

Brody McKnight:
What a kick. 25,000 screaming fans, a 24 game win streak on the line, and he nails it just like any other kick. The confidence that he takes from making a kick like that will pay off big down the line. Because I can almost guarantee the Griz need him to make another game winner with the way they are playing his year.

The Running Game:
154 yards - 88 coming from Chase Reynolds on just 16 carries. It hurt a lot to lose Schmidt. But if Reynolds can keep this up, and they sprinkle in a little more Rob Schulte, the Griz will be just fine on the ground. I know this was against a D2 school, but they still looked pretty good.

CONS

Turnovers:
It is rare to see a team turn the ball over 5 times and still win the game. The Griz had some beyond terrible turnovers: Cole's INT in the endzone, the fumble returned for a TD, and the fumble on the 20 yard line. Coach Hauck said after the game that he had never been a part of a team that had 5 TO's, much less won the game. If this had been an FCS opponent, no way the Griz pull it out. They dominated in every aspect of this game: more passing yards, more rushing yards, way more time of possession. It should not have been close. But if you turn the ball over 5 times and walk away with a win, its time to count your blessings.

Pass Defense:
Mike Reilly is a good quarterback. Still, the Griz should have been able to contain him more. I don't care if Chase Daniel is out there, 280 yards and 3TD's with no interceptions is a terrible day for the D. There are some legit passing attacks in the Big Sky: including Portland St. and Eastern Washington. In order to not lose at least 2 games in conference, they need to fix things quickly.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All in all, obviously not the prettiest game for the Griz. Against a better opponent, they lose. But the important thing is they walked away with a W and gained some much needed confidence in their kicking game. I'm still not convinced this is a Big Sky Championship caliber team. They really need to shore up that passing D, and stop playing to the level of their opponents. But if Cole throws like he did today, and McKnight can keep making big kicks, this team has a chance to take the conference.

~Greg
greg@maxmontana.com

Some thoughts on Friday nights games:

Sentinel vs Senior:
Two teams heading in the opposite direction. Its pretty obvious that the defending State runners up just don't have it this season. Losing AJ Paine, Mo Burrough and Sam Gratton makes for a pretty tough rebuilding project.
Meanwhile, the Sentinel Spartans seem to have finally put things together. 2-2 so far this season after ending their 34 game losing streak at the end of last year. Senior QB Steven Rominger and Sophomore WR Ben Roberts are a scary combo - so look for them to come out throwing early and often. This is almost a must win game for the Spartans - with their next two against Flathead and Capital - and I expect them to be up for the challenge.

Prediction: Sentinel 35 - Senior 14

Big Sky vs Skyview:
When you lose the top RB in the state - its going to be tough to replace him. But Jordan Tripp is filling in just fine for Beau Donaldson. Its still tough to gauge how good the Eagles are this season. They looked sluggish in their opener in Great Falls, came back with two solid performances against Senior and Flathead, then dropped a tough one to crosstown rival Sentinel last Friday. Both Skyview and Big Sky sit at 2-2 - and with the top 4 playoff spots pretty much already reserved - the winner of this game has an inside track to the postseason.

Prediction: Big Sky 14 - Senior 10

Glacier vs Great Falls
When the season began nobody gave Glacier a shot to do anything. But on the eve of their 1st official Homecoming, here they are at 2-2. The Wolfpack have probably had the easiest schedule so far this season with their wins coming against Butte and Hellgate, but you still have to give them credit in just their 2nd season. The road gets much tougher from here on out - facing 4 straight playoff teams from 2007. The Pack certainly have the talent on offense to pull off a couple upsets. People say Shay Smithwick-Haan is the next best QB in the state behind Brock Osweiler. But in reality - I cant see them winning any of these next 4 games. Great Falls QB Trylan Wassman lost his 1st game as a starter since Freshman year last week - and I don't see him losing #2.

Prediction: GFH 31-Glacier 14

Bozeman vs Flathead
In my opinion, this is the most intriguing match up of the week. Flathead started out the season 0-3 - but looked pretty good against Butte last week. Offense has not been a problem for the Braves this year - but they cannot seem to stop anybody. If Flathead wants any shot at making the playoffs - this is beyond a must win. On the other hand - the Hawks have looked great against lesser competition and mediocre against two of Montana's best. They blew out Glacier and Billings Senior - but lost by 20 to both Capital and Great Falls. If they want to prove they can hang with the big boys - they need to show it tomorrow night. Overall I think Bozeman has a better team - but I think Brock has some tricks up his sleeve.

Prediction: Bozeman 35- Flathead 42

Butte vs Helena

The Bulldogs don't look good at all this year losing by an average of 22 points per game. If they beat Helena tomorrow night - it would be the upset of the year. I just don't see it happening - Helena's defense is just too good.

Prediction: Helena 24-Butte 0

Hellgate vs CMR
Hellgate may be the worst team in AA this season. They have been shut out three times and lose by an average of over 25 points per game. CMR has one of the top teams in the state - only losing to Billings West - and should roll all over Hellgate tomorrow.

Prediction: CMR 35-Hellgate 0

~Greg
greg@maxmontana.com

With their 29-24 win over UC Davis on Saturday, the Montana Grizzlies set Big Sky Conference and school records by winning their 24th straight regular season game. The last time the Griz lost in the regular season was on September 2, 2006, when they dropped a 41-7 decision at Iowa. In honor of the record, here are 24 random thoughts, observations, and predictions about the Griz:


24. For running back Thomas Brooks-Fletcher. #24 has led the Griz in rushing in 2 of 3 games this year. He finished with 12 carries for 38 yards to lead the team in last week's game against UC Davis. As the schedule gets tougher, the Griz will look for TBF to improve on that yards-per-carry average.

23. The previous school and conference record for the number of consecutive regular season games won, accomplished by the Montana Grizzlies from 1969-1971 The Griz went a perfect 10-0 under legendary head coach Jack Swarthout in both the 1969 and 1970 regular seasons,

22. The number of points the Griz scored in their last loss. That, of course, was in the first round of last year's playoffs. The Wofford Terriers came into Missoula and ended the perfect season, beating the Griz 23-22 after Dan Carpenter's field goal sailed wide left.


21. The number of first downs UC Davis had against the Griz D last week. Bobby Hauck pointed to the third down defense as a point of emphasis in practice this week. The Aggies converted more than half of their 3rd downs (8 of 15), which played a large part in their ability to drive up and down the field most of the game. The 3rd down D will be critical in stopping 4-0 Central Washington's explosive passing attack this weekend.

20. The number of games the Griz have lost all-time at Washington Grizzly Stadium. They're 142-20 at WGS. Ironically, two of those losses have come during this current 24 regular season game winning streak. They're both painful memories for Griz Fans. The first, a 19-17 loss to the University of Massachusetts in the 2006 semifinal playoff game on December 8th. The second, the aforementioned loss to Wofford in last year's playoffs.

19. It's impossible not to reserves this spot for the heart and soul of the Griz defense, safety Colt Anderson. #19 is a Buck Buchanan Award candidate and has taken on an increased leadership role this season with so much inexperience in the secondary. He is the second leading tackler on the team with 21 stops in the first 3 games.

18. The number of touchdown passes Central Washington senior quarterback Mike Reilly needed to tie Jon Kitna's (starting QB for Detroit Lions) school record entering this season. Reilly, who played at Flathead High School in Kalispell for one year with former Griz great Lex Hilliard (2002), is being projected as a late round NFL draft prospect. He's thrown 11 TD's this year to give him 92 in his career, and is now just 7 short of Kitna's record 99.

17. The number of consecutive regular season home games the Griz have won. The Griz are 17-0 at home in the regular season since beating Cal Poly 36-27 in Missoula on October 22, 2005.

16. The number of consecutive Big Sky conference games the Griz have won. Since their current 24 game regular season winning streak began in 2006, the Griz are a perfect 16-0 in conference play,

15. For October 15, 2005. That's the last time the Griz lost a regular season game at Washington Grizzly Stadium. They fell 34-20 to Eastern Washington on that day.

14. For quarterback Cole Bergquist. The senior is 30-6 in games he's participated in as a member of the Griz. He showed his toughness by playing through a left shoulder injury and leading the Griz on an 8 play 72 yard scoring drive in the final minutes against UC Davis, capped off by the game winning touchdown pass to Marc Mariani.

13. The number of 10 + win seasons the Griz have had heading into this, their 108th season. I can't see them losing more than one game this year. More on that later, but that number will be up to 14 after this year.

12. For backup quarterback Andrew Selle (#12). The sophomore from Billings West HS deserves a huge shoutout for his play against Southern Utah in relief of Bergquist (4 TD's, 0 INT's). Hauck called him the best backup quarterback in America, which is some serious hyperbole, but the Griz look to be in great shape with Selle under center the next two years.

11. For October 11th, when the Griz head to Cheney to face Eastern Washington. I think this is the game that determines which team ends up winning the conference this year. The Eagles are just 1-2, but opened the year by playing at BCS teams Texas Tech and Colorado. The Eagles nearly upset the Buffaloes, losing 31-24 after being outscored 17-3 in the fourth quarter. It's a shame this showdown isn't later in the season. Expect a shootout.

10. For junior linebacker Shaw Lebsock. #10 is one of three new starting LB's for the Griz and has been terrific all season. He had a team high 12 tackles against UC Davis, and leads the Griz with 24 tackles this year.

9. Bergquist's ranks on both the Griz career passing yards and career TD passes lists. With 36 career TD passes, he needs just 3 to move past Marty Mornhinweg for 8th. His 4,896 passing yards is 523 behind Craig Ochs.

8. For #8 Rob Schulte. The senior is Mr. Everything for the Griz. His underwhelming numbers don't reflect his true importance. The scrappy receiver is a good blocker from the slot position, returns punts and kickoffs, and even found time to carry the ball 3 times for 8 yards against UC Davis.

7. The difference between the number of rushing touchdowns the Griz had through three games a year ago (11) compared to this year (4). Last year Lex Hilliard led the team with 6 rushing TD's through 3 games and Bergquist was second with 2. This season, Andrew Schmidt, Chase Reynolds, TBF, and Bergquist each have 1 TD on the ground.

6. Conversely, the Griz have 6 more passing touchdowns this year (10) than they did through 3 games a year ago (4). Interestingly enough, the run/pass balance hasn't been all that different from a year ago. Through three games this season, the Griz have run the ball 56% of the time and thrown it 44%. For the season last year they ran it 59% and threw it 41%.

5. The number of touchdown catches by wide receiver Marc Mariani. The junior caught just 1 TD all of last year, but he's shown himself to be one of the most improved players on the roster so far this season. He's already topped his totals in receptions (17 to 15) and yardage (344 to 231) from a year ago, and came up with the two biggest plays of the game in the win over UC Davis. Of course, there's also that record tying 4 TD game against Southern Utah. Hauck raves about his ability as a blocker.

4. The number of losses Bergquist has as the starting quarterback for the Griz. He's 20-4 in games started since his freshman year in 2005.

3. The number of wins the Griz have this season. Also the number of losses the Griz have since the start of the 2006 season. They are 26-3 since that time.

2. For freshman cornerback Trumaine Johnson. #2 already has 3 interceptions this season, and his INT before halftime against UC Davis set up a Griz touchdown and ended up being one of the biggest plays of the game.

1. The maximum number of games I think the Griz will lose during the 2008 regular season. The only game I think they might drop is the aforementioned one against EWU. The Eagles nearly beat the Griz in Missoula last year, but a miraculous catch by Ryan Bagley and a Dan Carpenter field goal allowed the Griz to hold on 24-23. The Griz don't have the luxury of Carpenter this year and the kicking game has looked suspect the last two weeks. I think the kicking game and the Griz as a team will improve greatly by the end of the year, but if I were forced to pick this game right now I'd give the nod to the Eagles because I think their offense is a little more potent.



~Varun

varun@maxmontana.com

BERGQUIST INJURY UPDATE
Finally got some clarification on the exact nature of the injury starting quarterback Cole Bergquist suffered against Southern Utah. After the game, the senior said he bruised his left shoulder after getting hit on two consecutive quarterback keepers against the Thunderbirds. Bergquist added, "If the game was on Wednesday I probably wouldn't have played. I had some x-rays and a CAT scan and they figured it was just a bruise. I mean, you can play with a bruise. It may hurt, but people play with bruises all the time. It's football."

CB14 finished the game 19-29 for 255 yards and 2 touchdowns, including the game winner to Marc Mariani capping a 8 play 72 yard drive in the closing minutes.

CAN GRIZ WIN TWO CONFERENCES?
Head Coach Bobby Hauck opened his postgame press conference by joking the Griz were in good shape to win the Great West Athletic Conference (GWAC). All three teams the Griz have beaten (Cal Poly, Southern Utah, and UC Davis) are from the GWAC.

RESPECT FOR CAL POLY
Hauck was very emphatic in pointing out his belief that Cal Poly is the class of the GWAC. He said he considers the Griz beating the Mustangs on the road in Week 1 an upset, but didn't consider the Griz victory over UC Davis to be one. He also added about Cal Poly, "You better really strap it on when you play those guys."


A THORN IN HIS SIDE
When asked to comment on having an extra point and field goal blocked for the second straight week, Hauck seemed to place the blame on the protection, saying "Brody (McKnight) came in and hit the ball well on field goals. Russ Schey hit the ball well on kickoffs. I was pretty sure we were going to hit the ball well with the kickers, But the protection, that's another thorn in my side. When I have a thorn in my side then somebody
else is going to have a thorn in their side. ...I guarantee it'll be good next week. Mark my words. I don't guarantee much, but I guarantee our field goal protection will be good next week."

McKnight went 2/3 on PAT tries and 1/2 on field goal attempts. He hit a 46 yard field goal in the second quarter, but had a field goal blocked in he 4th that would have put the Griz up by 9 points. UC Davis defemsive tackle John Faletoese blocked both the extra point and field goal, and said, "Our special teams coach pointed out their right guard might have been a weak link, and I got through twice on him." Hauck responded with, "Central Washington is going to see something on tape - that we suck...But we have the wherewithal and resources around here to get that fixed.

BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Montana State defensive end Dylan Kinkelaar
underwent surgery on his ankle Wednesday, knocking him out of the Bobcat
lineup indefinitely.
Kinkelaar injured his ankle in Saturday's 35-23 loss at
Minnesota. MSU coach Rob Ash indicated that redshirt freshman Brad Smith
is slated to start for Kinkelaar, with sophomore Dustin O'Connell moving
to defensive end behind Smith. Redshirt freshman John Laidet, a transfer
from Oregon, moves into the depth chart at Bandit as Dane Fletcher's
backup.
Kinkelaar, a former walk-on from Winifred who started MSU's
first three games this season, underwent surgery on his ankle Wednesday.
He is second on the team with three tackles-for-loss, in spite of
exiting the Minnesota game after the first play.

Bobby Hauck the comedian.

The Griz looked very impressive in their 46-10 dismantling of Southern Utah on Saturday. While the Thunderbirds can't come close to measuring up with the Griz talent-wise, this win was so impressive because the Griz clicked in almost all phases of the game (other than the kicking game,which I''ll get to in a moment).

It should be a much tougher challenge against UC Davis on Saturday. The Aggies picked up their first win of the season over the weekend against the Griz's Big Sky Conference brother Portland State, racking up a whopping 588 yards of total offense in their 38-24 victory. I'll have a more detailed game preview later in the week. For now, let's get to the Griz issues of today.

QB UPDATE
It was all about the quarterbacks in Bobcat land during fall camp. Now the Griz have a QB situation of their own to deal with. Here's what we know:

Bergquist left the game on Saturday after throwing a 66 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marc Mariani with 5:23 left in the second quarter. He didn't return the rest of the game. At halftime, I saw the trainers working on what appeared to be his right shoulder in the tunnel, but I am not positive that is what he injured. He returned to the sideline a few minutes into the third quarter.

The Griz have been very tight lipped about releasing injury information while Bobby Hauck has been the head coach, and all Hauck said after the game was, "He got a little banged up and wasn't available." He didn't elaborate any further when asked about Bergquist's status at today's press conference. Bergquist is listed as the #1 QB on the depth chart the team released yesterday for the UC Davis game.
He was scheduled to be at today's press conference, but was conspicuously absent, with Hauck mentioning something about a doctor's appointment. For Hauck's reaction to the question "What can you tell us about Cole?" click on the watch video link.

I wouldn't go as far as calling this a "quarterback controversy," but if Bergquist is out for an extended period of time and backup Andrew Selle continues to build off his good performance against Southern Utah (13-20, 203 yards, 4 TD's), it will be interesting to see if CB14 automatically gets his job back. We've seen several instances throughout football where the old saying of, "a player can't lose his job due to injury" has not held true. I have a hunch this injury isn't anything serious and if we don't see Bergquist under center this week, we should see him the following week against Central Washington.

During fall camp I said this team would go as far as Bergquist takes them. I still think he is the best quarterback on the roster right now, but Selle showed me something. The coaching staff raves about how smart he is (4.0 student and a math major) and Offensive Coordinator Rob Phenice calls him the "human computer" because of his ability to pick things up quickly. I think the Griz are in great shape with him under center for the next two years, and he should be just fine filling in for Bergquist for 2 or 3 games if he has to.

RB UPDATE
Andrew Schmidt is not listed at running back on the Griz depth chart for UC Davis, after being forced to leave the game against Southern Utah on two separate occasions due to injury. Schmidt was on crutches on the Griz sideline during the game. No word on the exact nature of his injury. Hauck said about the injuries in general, "We've got a bunch of guys banged up. Obviously we don't spend a lot of time talking about it, but when somebody gets banged up it's incumbent on their backup to pick up the flag and charge."

KICKING SITUATION
For now, it look's like Mike Ferriter at kicker was a one game experiment. Hauck said he expects Russell Schey to get the start against UC Davis, but quickly added, "As always, we reserve the right to change our mind." Purdue transfer Brody McKnight did not dress for the game against Southern Utah. Hauck said Schey's problems mostly stemmed from not hitting the ball well.

More on the Griz-UC Davis match up later this week

~Varun
varun@maxmontana.com

Some thoughts and observations after week 2 of the High School football season:

1. Brock Osweiler is the REAL DEAL.

It has been a long time since a kid has had this much hype coming into his senior season in the Treasure State....and so far he is living up to it. While his team may not be doing so well, (its not his fault they got split in half last year) Brock has done nothing to disappoint. If he keeps up his current pace - just over 300 yard per game - he will become the all time leading passer in Montana history. After Mark Desin hit the 9,000 mark a few years back, not many thought anyone would ever catch him. I know Brock has a long way to go - but I would not be surprised to see him on an NFL sideline in the future. Jack Johnson, Ryan Leafs old High School coach, said he has never seen anyone as talented at QB in his 30 years of coaching.

2. Billings West is going to be tough to beat.

It seems every year the Golden Bears are one of the top teams in the state - and this year is no different. They absolutely demolished a solid CMR team on the road on Saturday - and if they can stay healthy all year - I would put money on them playing for a state title.

3. Missoula Sentinel might surprise some people.

They did not look good in their opener against West, but then again who does? Sentinel has been pretty bad the past couple years. But with Steven Rominger and Ben Roberts leading this team - a playoff run is not out of the question. We will see what they are really made of when they head to Great Falls and face off against CMR on Saturday.

4. Congratulations to Glacier

After a full year of getting dumped on by every team in class AA, the Wolfpack finally pulled out their first ever win two Saturdays ago against Butte. Now I'm not sure how good Butte is this year, but nevertheless congrats to the Wolfpack. It takes a while to build up a new program, but with plenty of talent in the Flathead Valley, expect Glacier to be a playoff team sooner than later.

~ Greg
greg@maxmontana.com