Grizmas lights: Second-ranked Griz primed to battle No. 3 Minutemen

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It isn't No. 1 vs. No. 2, but in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, No. 2 vs. No. 3 ain't bad.

The stage is set for the second-ranked Montana Grizzlies to battle the No. 3 Massachusetts Minutemen Friday at 5:35 p.m. at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The temporary lights are up and aimed. The ESPN2 crew, presumably, has brushed up on the pronunciations of ?Ihedigbo (ee-HEAD-dee-BOO)? and ?Beaudin (BOW-den).?

The teams are primed. The stadium will be packed.The winner of the first semifinal, in what can be called the Division I-AA playoffs for a few more days, earns a trip to the Division I Football Championship next Friday in Chattanooga, Tenn.

?I think it'll be a great game,? fourth-year Grizzlies' coach Bobby Hauck said. ?Probably, like most of them, down to the wire.?

The teams match excellent defenses and balanced offenses. Both teams have had one less day to game-plan, Montana for Massachusetts' gambling, pressure D and the Minutemen for the Grizzlies' gap-sound, run-conscious 4-3.

?They'll be all over the place,? Hauck said of the Minutemen defenders, who line up 4-3, then 3-4, and keep changing things up from there. ?They'll be even, they'll be odd (up front), lots of line games. There will be guys running all over the place, is what they'll be.?

?Their two defensive ends, I really love their foot speed,? UMass coach Don Brown said of the Grizzlies, who haven't allowed a playoff touchdown. ?They are very solid inside. Their three linebackers all can run and cover. I really like both the safeties. I think they have good coverage skills and are great tacklers.

?And their corners, again, complement their safeties extremely well.?

But Brown's biggest concern seems to be the play of Montana quarterback Josh Swogger, who has gotten healthy and been on target down the stretch.

?They're playing very, very good defense right now,? Brown said. ?But we're easily as concerned about the matchup of their offense against our defense. It looks like they're kind of functioning on all cylinders.

?I don't know if there's a throw that Josh can't make.?

Swogger, the Washington State transfer, has six touchdown passes in two playoff games after throwing for eight TDs in the Grizzlies' previous eight outings. The Griz lost junior receiver Mike Ferriter to a broken arm early in the McNeese State game; Craig Chambers, Ryan Bagley and Eric Allen have kept it dangerous for opponents to blitz.

Balancing them is a run game that is currently led by redshirt freshman Thomas Brooks-Fletcher, averaging 5.6 yards a carry. One telling statistic may be who has the most yards by the final gun Friday - Brooks-Fletcher or UMass tailback Steve Baylark, a 220-pound senior.

?It's December, you've got to stop the run,? Hauck said. ?And you've got to run it. That's the way of the world.?

Baylark has 5,030 career rushing yards, 1,658 of those coming this season. He's a load, though he is impressed by the Griz, who held down Payton Award finalist Arkee Whitlock of Southern Illinois last week.

?There's some big boys out there,? Baylark said. ?I didn't know they had such big boys out there in Montana.?

Baylark figures to be the key, since UMass likes the play-action pass. Yet when he's been slowed, the Minutemen have won. Mostly, he hasn't been; he ran for 198 yards against New Hampshire last week.

Maine did the best job, holding him to 50 yards on 17 carries.

?Maine knows what they're doing,? Hauck said Thursday. ?They're solid. But they didn't beat 'em (UMass won 10-9). It's one of those deals where they couldn't get it done.?

Add in super sophomore Liam Coen at quarterback, a trio of receivers that UM defensive coordinator Kraig Paulson really likes and another all-world tight end (Brad Listorti), and the Minutemen are a handful. Much more so than SIU, which found little room to operate in a 20-3 loss to Griz last week.

The Minutemen won't have a fullback out there all the time.

?They do a little more,? said Paulson. ?They're not so dead-set on staying two-back until they have to go one-back. They can switch gears.

?They're the best team we've seen. They just are.?

Baylark is confident.

?If the run game doesn't work out, I know the receivers will step up,? he said. ?Once they start making plays, I just know I have to be patient, and the run game will open up.?

A sellout crowd figures to have more of an impact than the usual December weather in western Montana.

?I've been hearing a lot about Montana's crowd out there, and the stadium and how loud it gets,? Baylark said. ?You've got to try to drown out all that stuff and stay focused. It's win or go home. Right now we just want to get that win.?

Of course, so do the Grizzlies.

?Regardless of what happens this will be our last game here,? said defensive end Dustin Dlouhy, one of eight seniors winding up their Griz careers. ?This is something you think about, and you do want to take everything in this week and next week, and make the most of it. And pray that everything is positive.?

 

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Montana fans prepare for Minutemen, semifinal matchup

As soon as last week's nail-biter victory over New Hampshire was sealed with a Liam Coen kneel-down, the Massachusetts football team (12-1) - and its loyal Maroon and White fan-base - became thirsty for today's semifinal game against Montana. What some people may be forgetting, however, is that the Grizzlies (12-1) have a pretty diehard following of their own. And they are all anxious to welcome the Minutemen to their turf for the much anticipated win-or-you're-out matchup.

The Grizzlies' campus is electrified right now as tens of thousands of proud Montana students are psyched up after a week of preparation and hype for today's slobberknocker.

Ellen Wood, a 19-year old history major at Montana - and a recent transfer from UMass - says she can't get enough of the excitement that is pulsating through the university.

"Campus is crazy for the Griz," she said. "There is a huge fellowship - almost an obsession - to the games and the players, and I think it is because of the school. Griz Pride is everywhere.

"I'm really excited about the game," Wood added. 'It'll only be my third, but everyone is so enthusiastic, it's hard not to get pumped up. I think it will be a great game. Both teams show great skill, and I am proud to say that I have attended both universities."

This testament to student dedication was echoed by her fianc�, Ben Goodman - a recent transfer from Boston University.

The 20-year-old business major said that it is hard to pin down what the mood that's buzzing amongst his peers is like.

"[Everyone is] psyched, anxious, excited, crazed, pumped, ecstatic, obsessed and any other term you can find to describe someone who is indescribably ready for a game," Goodman said. "I have watched every game in person, or on TV, for the last 10 years.

"I love every game I have ever been to, and I think a night game under the lights will make it even more enjoyable," he went on to say. "I think it is going to be a fun and interesting game." The Grizzlies only loss came in the form of a 41-7 thrashing at the hands of Iowa in the first game of the season.

Since then, Montana has been riding a 12-game winning streak and hope to keep it going today against the Minutemen.

"It's big. But, this isn't new territory for the Griz," Goodman commented. "We have been here before and we have won. We have never had all home playoff games, like we did this year, and not gone to the final game. Griz Nation views it as important and necessary to win."

"I am really looking forward to it," Wood mentioned. "They will be playing in the dark, with stadium lights, which will add to the mood. We also come with blankets, cocoa, and pizza, which makes it like a party in the stands."

"I am expecting a great game," Goodman added. "I think these two teams are at the top of their game at the end of the season. I think that it will be a great show Friday evening."

Montana has been to five of the last 10 National Championship games - winning one of them in a 13-6 victory over Furman in 2001 - and look to make it to a sixth with win over the Minutemen.

 

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Air up there could be a problem for UMass


MISSOULA, Mont. - Some players and coaches gasp for air whenever the spotlight of a big game arrives, but UMass coach Don Brown and his team could use a little more oxygen for a different reason: Altitude.
Missoula?s elevation of 3,200 feet above sea level isn?t as dramatic as the Mile High City of Denver, but the Minutemen have taken the thin air into consideration during preparation for tonight?s Division 1-AA semifinal against Montana.
?We?re concerned,? Brown said after sending his team through a light practice at Sentinel High School. ?I don?t think we did enough to get winded, but yeah, it?s a concern.? UMass offensive lineman and captain Alex Miller isn?t worried about the altitude.
?We were pretty good,? said Miller, who, along with fellow lineman David Thompson, will start his school-record 49th straight game tonight. ?Honestly, we didn?t do a lot of conditioning late in the season this year. I?m sure the first couple of series we?ll get our breath adjusted, but I think we?re going to be all right.?
Sophomore quarterback Liam Coen likes the new environment.
?The air is definitely clearer,? he said. ?I didn?t notice much of a difference with us. Of course, it was a nice day out. I?m hoping for some nice, warm weather.
?There was no wind so I got some good spirals. I had no trouble throwing the ball at all.?
The third-seeded Minutemen (12-1) arrived for their game against the second-seeded Grizzlies (12-1) late Wednesday night on a charter flight from Westover Air Field in Chicopee. Brown is pleased with the trip so far.
?I told the guys we?re not playing until (tonight), so don?t put your game face on and go to a place emotionally that by (today) at noontime you?re going to be exhausted,? he said. ?(Yesterday) is the day where we?re going to get mentally ready to play the game in terms of cleaning up our game plan and so forth, but don?t start putting your game face on until we go to pregame meal (today).?
Montana has won 12 straight after opening its season with a 41-7 loss against Div. 1-A opponent Iowa. The Grizzlies have 12 wins for the sixth time in school history, and Brown has studied every game they?ve played on film.
?I really like what Cal-Poly did because they?re very similar to us,? Brown said. ?I thought (coach) Rich Ellison had his team really prepared. They lost 10-9 (in Missoula), but it was an excellent game plan, and we were able to give our guys a pretty good look.?
Montana?s biggest weapon on offense is senior quarterback Josh Swogger, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound transfer from Washington State. He has thrown for 2,492 yards and 17 touchdowns this season, and likes to spread the ball to receivers Ryan Bagley (53 catches), Eric Allen and Craig Chambers. The Grizzlies also have three running backs - Reggie Bradshaw, Brady Green and Thomas Brooks-Fletcher - with at least 400 rushing yards.?I think they?re a little bit more balanced,? Brown said. ?I think the (passing) game has come along. Usually, you would think (it would be tough) with a transfer quarterback just getting his feet wet and figuring out and trying to develop a relationship with his receivers, but he?s certainly in full swing now.?