Well I'm finally dried out and warmed back up from that cold and soggy game in Ogden. Much like everyone I'm bummed out the Griz lost, especially the way it went down because I think most all of us recognize that Weber was not a superior team to the Griz, it was the errors Montana made that lost them the game and spotted Weber all of their points. I'm glad I went to the game, regardless the outcome. At it I saw history be made by Dante Olson (tackles), Samori Toure (yards/catches), Brandon Purdy (career fieldgoal % so far), and Jerry Louie McGee (career catches).
I'm just sick for Dalton to have the final game that he did. I saw Bobby's comments a few of the picks came from a slick ball, but regardless to commit 5 turnovers that lead to the 10 total points the Weber offense scored is just brutal. We all know that this final game doesn't really symbolize Dalton's Griz career, I think many of us will remember his strong leadership, his passion for the game, and his much better days that helped get this team as far as it went.
Dante Olson is the best linebacker the Griz have ever had and he had yet another signature game. Some might also argue he's one of the best defensive players we've ever had too, I say he's certainly in the conversation and I'd imagine we'll see him drafted and playing on Sundays next year. Olson has been a defensive force and a dominant presence since he became a starter, he's a humble guy off the field, an incredible student, and a great person. I'll miss seeing him out there and I'll hold out hope that a certain team in Green Bay, Wisconsin locks in on him :thumb: .
Hats off to Weber State and I hope they represent the Big Sky well at JMU, a game that will be a monster of a task for them. They have a killer defense and made the right adjustments to attack and baffle the Grizzly offense. Their fans by in large were gracious and courteous after the game, I shook a lot of hands and gave a few fist-bumps. I don't know how their offense will do against JMU, but I'm thinking it'll be a tough day in the office, but who knows.
My bigger takeaway upon reflection of this game and this season is that Bobby's rally call and the team's buy-in to "RTD" is happening before our eyes and it's happening quickly. Consider this:
- Bobby came in to totally rebuild a program to reflect what he left in 2009. Over the course of the 8 years he was gone the Griz went through 3 head coaches, 3 totally different styles of offense, NCAA sanctions, a much publicized sexual assault scandal, and a rapid rise of the Bobcats to become a far more competitive force in the state. All of this has lead to massive upheaval in the once rock-solid foundation that this team was built upon and it's a long road back to full dominance.
- Hardly anyone predicted the Griz would do this well. Unranked or just inside the top-25 at the start of the season. Voted to finish 4th by the coaches, 5th by the media. And on egriz? Here's the thread: https://egriz.com/grizboard/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=82599 Most of us were looking at 7 or 8 wins, I said 7 or 8 myself but also teased I could see 9 wins in the regular season (nailed it, haha).
- Think about other current successful programs in our conference with sustained success. How many years did it take these other programs to get their programs to a dominant plane? Jay Hill didn't get to the playoffs until his 3rd season and didn't get to double digit wins and sustained playoff runs until his 4th season. Jeff Choate, currently in his 4th season as well, is on his first deep playoff run and double-digit win season. Beau Baldwin when previously at EWU won the national title in his 3rd season, but then missed the post-season the following year and then got back into regular post-season appearances and double-digit win seasons from his 5th year and on. Bobby Hauck himself before, one could argue, didn't really have his best successful brand on his teams until 2006. This team is in year 2 of this return and year 3 is looking damn good.
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This season was a success that did also come with some serious heartache that will hopefully fuel this team to keep building, keep getting better, and come into 2020 ready to take the next step.
The blowout loss to the cats hurts like hell. Losing on the road to upstart Sac needs to be redeemed next year. Losing to Weber where the Griz errors handed them all of their points, and knowing that without those errors the Griz would have another game to play is frustrating.
However put those dark marks aside. 10 wins, 4th toughest schedule in all of the FCS, a quarter-finals appearance, a bye week, a home playoff game, two wins against teams that were at that point ranked in the top 5, finally beating EWU again, seeing so many records fall this year, and hopefully seeing Dante win the Buchanan award.
I'm thankful for all of these Griz seniors, the effort and dedication they've given to this program, to their teammates, to their school, and for us the fans. The road of the return to dominance started with the 2018 class of seniors and took a huge push forward on the backs of the 2019 senior class. Their efforts will not be forgotten. Thank you to all of the Griz for the 2019 season and for the 2020 Griz... let's get this rolling!
GO GRIZ!
I'm just sick for Dalton to have the final game that he did. I saw Bobby's comments a few of the picks came from a slick ball, but regardless to commit 5 turnovers that lead to the 10 total points the Weber offense scored is just brutal. We all know that this final game doesn't really symbolize Dalton's Griz career, I think many of us will remember his strong leadership, his passion for the game, and his much better days that helped get this team as far as it went.
Dante Olson is the best linebacker the Griz have ever had and he had yet another signature game. Some might also argue he's one of the best defensive players we've ever had too, I say he's certainly in the conversation and I'd imagine we'll see him drafted and playing on Sundays next year. Olson has been a defensive force and a dominant presence since he became a starter, he's a humble guy off the field, an incredible student, and a great person. I'll miss seeing him out there and I'll hold out hope that a certain team in Green Bay, Wisconsin locks in on him :thumb: .
Hats off to Weber State and I hope they represent the Big Sky well at JMU, a game that will be a monster of a task for them. They have a killer defense and made the right adjustments to attack and baffle the Grizzly offense. Their fans by in large were gracious and courteous after the game, I shook a lot of hands and gave a few fist-bumps. I don't know how their offense will do against JMU, but I'm thinking it'll be a tough day in the office, but who knows.
My bigger takeaway upon reflection of this game and this season is that Bobby's rally call and the team's buy-in to "RTD" is happening before our eyes and it's happening quickly. Consider this:
- Bobby came in to totally rebuild a program to reflect what he left in 2009. Over the course of the 8 years he was gone the Griz went through 3 head coaches, 3 totally different styles of offense, NCAA sanctions, a much publicized sexual assault scandal, and a rapid rise of the Bobcats to become a far more competitive force in the state. All of this has lead to massive upheaval in the once rock-solid foundation that this team was built upon and it's a long road back to full dominance.
- Hardly anyone predicted the Griz would do this well. Unranked or just inside the top-25 at the start of the season. Voted to finish 4th by the coaches, 5th by the media. And on egriz? Here's the thread: https://egriz.com/grizboard/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=82599 Most of us were looking at 7 or 8 wins, I said 7 or 8 myself but also teased I could see 9 wins in the regular season (nailed it, haha).
- Think about other current successful programs in our conference with sustained success. How many years did it take these other programs to get their programs to a dominant plane? Jay Hill didn't get to the playoffs until his 3rd season and didn't get to double digit wins and sustained playoff runs until his 4th season. Jeff Choate, currently in his 4th season as well, is on his first deep playoff run and double-digit win season. Beau Baldwin when previously at EWU won the national title in his 3rd season, but then missed the post-season the following year and then got back into regular post-season appearances and double-digit win seasons from his 5th year and on. Bobby Hauck himself before, one could argue, didn't really have his best successful brand on his teams until 2006. This team is in year 2 of this return and year 3 is looking damn good.
-----
This season was a success that did also come with some serious heartache that will hopefully fuel this team to keep building, keep getting better, and come into 2020 ready to take the next step.
The blowout loss to the cats hurts like hell. Losing on the road to upstart Sac needs to be redeemed next year. Losing to Weber where the Griz errors handed them all of their points, and knowing that without those errors the Griz would have another game to play is frustrating.
However put those dark marks aside. 10 wins, 4th toughest schedule in all of the FCS, a quarter-finals appearance, a bye week, a home playoff game, two wins against teams that were at that point ranked in the top 5, finally beating EWU again, seeing so many records fall this year, and hopefully seeing Dante win the Buchanan award.
I'm thankful for all of these Griz seniors, the effort and dedication they've given to this program, to their teammates, to their school, and for us the fans. The road of the return to dominance started with the 2018 class of seniors and took a huge push forward on the backs of the 2019 senior class. Their efforts will not be forgotten. Thank you to all of the Griz for the 2019 season and for the 2020 Griz... let's get this rolling!
GO GRIZ!
