At-large berths tough to come by for Big Sky

[Eastcoastgriz]

At-large berths tough to come by for Big Sky
By RIAL CUMMINGS of the Missoulian

With one month left in the regular season, Montana might be the only Big Sky Conference team with a realistic shot at an at-large selection to the Division I-AA playoffs.

Of course, the first-place Griz aren't thinking that way. The lone team with an unbeaten league record, and 5-1 overall, they have every chance of winning or sharing the Big Sky championship for a remarkable ninth straight season. After moving up to No. 2 in the Sports Network poll on Monday, they're also angling for one of the top two seeds from the selection committee, which would mean home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Among UM's five remaining opponents, Idaho State (Oct. 28) and Montana State (Nov. 18) are capable, but they have to come to Missoula, where the Griz have won 90 percent of the time over the past two decades. The same holds for non-league foe Cal Poly (Nov. 4).


Should the Griz lose two of those games, say to Cal Poly and MSU, they'd still almost surely make the field as an at-large team.

The other Big Sky contenders don't have any margin for error.

Montana State, 4-3 overall, could lose one of its remaining four games and still have seven victories over Division I opponents, which has been a standard cutoff for the committee. But it would also give the Cats four losses, and no team has earned an at-large bid with that many since Idaho in 1995.

Portland State (4-3) is in the same boat.

Northern Arizona (2-4) was essentially eliminated from at-large consideration last Saturday in a 24-21 loss at UM, as was Idaho State (2-4) in a 34-13 loss at PSU. Both teams could win out, but in addition to four losses they'd have only six Division I victories.

All of these teams are still mathematically in the hunt for the league's automatic bid, but only the Griz and Cats control their own destiny.

UM's other remaining games are at Weber State and Northern Colorado. MSU travels to ISU for a key game this Saturday, then hosts Weber and UNC before closing with the Griz.

Tale of two halves

Montana State dominated the first half, building a 21-0 lead, then held on for dear life to edge host Sacramento State 21-18 in a showdown for sole possession of second place.

“This is a den of hell for us to play in,” MSU coach Mike Kramer told the Sacramento (Calif.) Bee after bumping his record at Hornet Stadium to 3-5. “We were better in the first half. They were better in the second half.”

It was an up-and-down night for the Bobcats, who survived two blocked punts and three interceptions.

The blocked punts set up 10 points for Sac State in the third quarter. Sophomore quarterback Jack Rolovich threw for 302 yards and two TDs, but one of his interceptions was inside the MSU 5-yard line. Sac State took advantage to score a TD, then added a two-point conversion to pull within 21-18 with 3:39 left in the game.

A sack and a tackle for a loss put MSU in a third-and-19 hole on its next possession. But starting from his own 8, Rolovich scrambled to his left, eluded the rush, then whipped a 52-yard completion to receiver Donnell Wheaton, falling at the Sac State 40. Moments later, sophomore running back Isaiah Taito picked up 10 yards and a first down that basically sealed the victory.

“We made the big plays when we needed to,” said Rolovich, a transfer from Hawaii making his first start since high school in nearby Novato, Calif. “You can count the number of big plays you need (in a game) on one hand, and we made them.”

Wheaton, who had 132 receiving yards, said he came close to missing the ball on his clinching catch.

“I couldn't see it until I caught it,” he said. “It came out of the dark into the light. I didn't see it until right at the end.”

Cat scratch D

While offensive inconsistency and special teams errors almost torpedoed MSU in the second half, the Bobcats' defense bottled up Sac State all night long. The Hornets managed just five first downs and 117 yards of total offense - 47 in the second half.

MSU's defense notched nine plays for negative yardage, and the Hornets' scoring “drives” covered 2, 3 and 3 yards.

“The defensive coaches put together a superb plan,” Kramer said. “That plan was executed to near perfection.”

Thou shall not pass

Portland State coach Tim Walsh said pass defense was the key to his No. 25 Vikings' 34-13 victory over visiting Idaho State.

“We'd seen how effective they were throwing the ball, and we knew we couldn't let them do that and expect to win,” Walsh told Pocatello's Idaho State Journal.

Faced win an assortment of coverages and blitzes, quarterback Matt Gutierrez had his poorest effort as a Bengal, completing just 19-of-43 for 144 yards and a season-high three interceptions. Akilah Lacey, who came in averaging a league-best 106.4 receiving yards per game, had just one catch for 19 yards.

“They came after us a lot,” said ISU offensive coordinator Bruce Barnum. “They always bring pressure, but it was a lot more than I expected.”

Quick kicks

For those of you counting, three Northern Colorado players have been cited or arrested in the past month for assault or disorderly conduct. ... The Grizzlies slipped to 49th overall and second among I-AA teams in this week's Sargarin Ratings. ... Eastern Washington's 34-0 win over Northern Colorado marked its first shutout in 20 years, dating back to a 3-0 win over Stephen F. Austin in 1987. That's a span of 215 games. ... Montana State is 3-0 on the road for the first time since 1978. The Cats have 10 TDs in their past three games after scoring just five in their first four games.

Power poll

1 Montana (5-1): Defense, special teams are playoff caliber, but offense needs to get clicking.

2 Montana St. (4-3): MSU has given up just 117 and 135 yards in past two games.

3 Portland St. (4-3): Passing attack is back on track, but where's the ground game?

4 N. Arizona (2-4): It's official. Jacks are best line-drive and quick-kick punters in the nation.

5 Sac State (2-4): Tough loss to MSU ends slim postseason hopes.

6 Idaho St. (2-4): Griz fans will root hard for Bengals this weekend.

7 E. Wash (2-5): Eagles' defense posts first shutout in 20 years.

8 Weber St. (2-4): Quarterback merry-go-round keeps spinning.

9 N. Colorado (1-6): Duh, Bears. NCAA violation, player arrests and four-game losing streak.

Players of the week

Offense: Sawyer Smith, Portland State - The senior QB from Chehalis, Wash., completed 18-of-32 passes for a career-high 282 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Idaho State. Defense: David Eneberg, Eastern Washington, and Odell Jackson, Portland State - Eneberg, a senior LB from Mukilteo, Wash., had six tackles, an interception and forced a fumble in a win at Northern Colorado. Jackson, a senior CB from Long Beach, Calif., had seven tackles and an interception against ISU. Special teams: Brett Bergstrom, Eastern Washington - The senior PK from North Bend, Wash., booted field goals of 56 and 47 yards against UNC. The 56-yarder was a yard short of the school record.

Quote of the week

‘We made sure they weren't going to beat us with their passing game.'

- PSU coach Tim Walsh, after a 34-13 win over ISU

Game to watch

Montana State at Idaho State, Saturday: An ISU victory, coupled with a UM win at Weber State, would give the Grizzlies a two-game edge. If the Bobcats win, it's basically a two-team race heading into the final month. MSU's improving defense, which ranks among the best in the Big Sky, faces an ISU attack that averages a league-leading 404.8 yards per game.

[WalkOn79]

Nice job of reporting the facts. Does this guy want to move to Billings and write for the Gazzette?

[anacondagriz]

Nice job of reporting the facts. Does this guy want to move to Billings and write for the Gazzette?

A lot of people in Missoula don't like Rial because he doesn't pander to the football team or those w/maroon tinted glasses.

[GrizinWashington]

Rial is a terrific writer.

[PapaG]

2 Montana St. (4-3): MSU has given up just 117 and 135 yards in past two games.

Wow. I knew this, but seeing it in written form is even more impressive.

What a turnaround.

[Egg Salad]

3 Northern Colorado arrests in a month, plus leg stabber.....
Anyone have some orange prison jumpsuits for when they come to town?