It's GRIZ/cat week
Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 7:33 am
RIAL CUMMINGS: The question is posed: Cats or Griz?
By RIAL CUMMINGS of the Missoulian
The Montana Grizzlies? Or Montana State Bobcats? Griz or Cats? Cats or Griz?
You could debate something else this week, such as whether North Dakota State, which hammered Cal Poly 51-14, isn't actually the best Division I-AA football team in the nation. (Fortunately for the Griz, who scraped past Cal Poly 10-9, the Bison aren't playoff eligible.)
Instead, let's examine the 106th Brawl of the Wild. Let's get down to something truly quantifiable and compare the merits of the nationally ranked rivals, who square off this Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium to decide the Big Sky championship. Come out hurling, and may the best team win:
MSU: Strategic bye gives Bobcats two weeks to heal, prepare. Advantage Cats.
UM: Josh Swogger & Co. regain swagger against soft Northern Colorado defense. Advantage Griz.
MSU: Coach Mike Kramer nicknamed “Big Human.” Advantage Griz.
UM: Coach Bobby Hauck nicknamed “Bobby.” Advantage Cats.
MSU: Bobcat athletic director Peter Fields vows to beef up security after irate fans, upset by a controversial fourth-quarter call, rock the referee's car, throw food at it and stick a potato up the tailpipe. Advantage Cats.
UM: Missoula County residents vote to make adult marijuana offenses the lowest priority for law enforcement officers, thus guaranteeing that future blown calls by the officials will be MUCH, MUCH EASIER to accept. Dude, pass the Doritos and bean dip. Advantage Griz.
UM: Gutty Griz overwhelmed back in September by Big 10 member Iowa. Advantage Cats.
MSU: Gutted Bobcats overwhelmed back in September by Division II Chadron State. Advantage Griz.
MSU: Graduation finally puts former Bobcat quarterback Travis Lulay, a/k/a “The Griz Killer,” where UM can successfully defend him: The sidelines. Advantage Griz.
UM: In moving tribute to Lulay, Griz punter Dan Carpenter perfects ambidextrous rugby-style punts. Advantage Cats.
MSU: Chanting obscenities in unison considered the height of creativity by Cat fans. Advantage Griz.
UM: Griz fans respond by vomiting Trout Slayer all over themselves. Advantage Cats.
MSU: Hawaii transfer Jack Rolovich reputedly homesick for grass skirts, sandy beaches and gnarly waves. Advantage Griz.
UM: Most prolific passing stats in Montana belong not to Josh Swogger, UM's Pac-10 drop-down, but Kalispell sophomore Brock Osweiler, a Gonzaga basketball recruit. Advantage Cats.
MSU: Keeping a slim hold on the Moo School's traditional roots, defensive lineman Dylan Kinkelaar (animal science) actually majors in something related to ranching. Advantage Aggies, er, Cats.
UM: Amid all the business majors, here's to the liberal arts. Josh Swogger, Eric Michel and Matt Troxel are history majors, while Ryan Wells majors in English. Advantage Griz.
UM: Booing a 9-1 team, even when it's directed at coaching strategy, suggests some Griz fans have finally gone around the bend. Advantage Cats.
MSU: The last time the Cats were 9-1? The Bicentennial year of 1976. Advantage Griz.
MSU: Bozeman makes the dishonorable mention list in the new book “The Absolutely Worst Places to Live in America,” which accuses the town of squandering its once beautiful environment to make room for subdivisions, strip malls and SUVs. “It's so disgusting, it might be off the scales of the crap-o-meter,” reads the conclusion. Advantage Griz.
UM: Two words: North Reserve. Advantage Cats.
MSU: Cats last in the Big Sky in net punting. Advantage Griz.
UM: After four years of sometimes questionable, often frustrating, hit-and-miss offensive strategy, debate rages anew in Griz Nation: Stay the course, or cut and run? Advantage Cats.
MSU: Former walk-ons Ryan Force and Bobby Daly are defense's top players, suggesting lapses in recruiting. Advantage Griz.
UM: Griz still recovering from Joe Glenn's “Lost Class” of 2002, which produced four notable players - Dustin Dlouhy, Jeff Marshall, Ryan Wells and Kerry Mullan - out of 18 signees. Advantage Cats.
UM: Coaches savvy, good looking, often capable of plugging in headphones. Advantage Griz.
MSU: No coaches arrested this year in drug scams. Advantage Cats.
MSU: Norwegian ski import Jan Stenerud winds up as Hall of Fame kicker. Advantage Cats.
UM: Foreign recruits limited to Butte, America. Advantage Griz.
MSU: Montana State has defeated Montana in three of the past four Brawls, prompting Coach Kramer to insist “They're the ones chasing us.” Advantage Cats.
UM: Cats have won exactly once in the past 10 visits to Missoula, where Kramer's quote, blown up to 72-point type, is now pasted inside every UM player's locker. Game, set and match, Griz.
By RIAL CUMMINGS of the Missoulian
The Montana Grizzlies? Or Montana State Bobcats? Griz or Cats? Cats or Griz?
You could debate something else this week, such as whether North Dakota State, which hammered Cal Poly 51-14, isn't actually the best Division I-AA football team in the nation. (Fortunately for the Griz, who scraped past Cal Poly 10-9, the Bison aren't playoff eligible.)
Instead, let's examine the 106th Brawl of the Wild. Let's get down to something truly quantifiable and compare the merits of the nationally ranked rivals, who square off this Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium to decide the Big Sky championship. Come out hurling, and may the best team win:
MSU: Strategic bye gives Bobcats two weeks to heal, prepare. Advantage Cats.
UM: Josh Swogger & Co. regain swagger against soft Northern Colorado defense. Advantage Griz.
MSU: Coach Mike Kramer nicknamed “Big Human.” Advantage Griz.
UM: Coach Bobby Hauck nicknamed “Bobby.” Advantage Cats.
MSU: Bobcat athletic director Peter Fields vows to beef up security after irate fans, upset by a controversial fourth-quarter call, rock the referee's car, throw food at it and stick a potato up the tailpipe. Advantage Cats.
UM: Missoula County residents vote to make adult marijuana offenses the lowest priority for law enforcement officers, thus guaranteeing that future blown calls by the officials will be MUCH, MUCH EASIER to accept. Dude, pass the Doritos and bean dip. Advantage Griz.
UM: Gutty Griz overwhelmed back in September by Big 10 member Iowa. Advantage Cats.
MSU: Gutted Bobcats overwhelmed back in September by Division II Chadron State. Advantage Griz.
MSU: Graduation finally puts former Bobcat quarterback Travis Lulay, a/k/a “The Griz Killer,” where UM can successfully defend him: The sidelines. Advantage Griz.
UM: In moving tribute to Lulay, Griz punter Dan Carpenter perfects ambidextrous rugby-style punts. Advantage Cats.
MSU: Chanting obscenities in unison considered the height of creativity by Cat fans. Advantage Griz.
UM: Griz fans respond by vomiting Trout Slayer all over themselves. Advantage Cats.
MSU: Hawaii transfer Jack Rolovich reputedly homesick for grass skirts, sandy beaches and gnarly waves. Advantage Griz.
UM: Most prolific passing stats in Montana belong not to Josh Swogger, UM's Pac-10 drop-down, but Kalispell sophomore Brock Osweiler, a Gonzaga basketball recruit. Advantage Cats.
MSU: Keeping a slim hold on the Moo School's traditional roots, defensive lineman Dylan Kinkelaar (animal science) actually majors in something related to ranching. Advantage Aggies, er, Cats.
UM: Amid all the business majors, here's to the liberal arts. Josh Swogger, Eric Michel and Matt Troxel are history majors, while Ryan Wells majors in English. Advantage Griz.
UM: Booing a 9-1 team, even when it's directed at coaching strategy, suggests some Griz fans have finally gone around the bend. Advantage Cats.
MSU: The last time the Cats were 9-1? The Bicentennial year of 1976. Advantage Griz.
MSU: Bozeman makes the dishonorable mention list in the new book “The Absolutely Worst Places to Live in America,” which accuses the town of squandering its once beautiful environment to make room for subdivisions, strip malls and SUVs. “It's so disgusting, it might be off the scales of the crap-o-meter,” reads the conclusion. Advantage Griz.
UM: Two words: North Reserve. Advantage Cats.
MSU: Cats last in the Big Sky in net punting. Advantage Griz.
UM: After four years of sometimes questionable, often frustrating, hit-and-miss offensive strategy, debate rages anew in Griz Nation: Stay the course, or cut and run? Advantage Cats.
MSU: Former walk-ons Ryan Force and Bobby Daly are defense's top players, suggesting lapses in recruiting. Advantage Griz.
UM: Griz still recovering from Joe Glenn's “Lost Class” of 2002, which produced four notable players - Dustin Dlouhy, Jeff Marshall, Ryan Wells and Kerry Mullan - out of 18 signees. Advantage Cats.
UM: Coaches savvy, good looking, often capable of plugging in headphones. Advantage Griz.
MSU: No coaches arrested this year in drug scams. Advantage Cats.
MSU: Norwegian ski import Jan Stenerud winds up as Hall of Fame kicker. Advantage Cats.
UM: Foreign recruits limited to Butte, America. Advantage Griz.
MSU: Montana State has defeated Montana in three of the past four Brawls, prompting Coach Kramer to insist “They're the ones chasing us.” Advantage Cats.
UM: Cats have won exactly once in the past 10 visits to Missoula, where Kramer's quote, blown up to 72-point type, is now pasted inside every UM player's locker. Game, set and match, Griz.
