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The University of Montana's 2001 national champion football team will be inducted into the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame this fall. That record-setting squad is just the fourth team to join the most prestigious "club" in Grizzly Athletics.
The 2001 football team will be inducted at a banquet on Friday evening, Sept. 14 at the Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park. Players, coaches, and trainers attending the function will also be recognized at Washington-Grizzly Stadium at the Montana versus Liberty football game the following day, Sept. 15.
The other teams now in the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame are the 1995 football team which won a national title, and the 1969-70 (inducted as one unit) football teams, which went 10-0 during the regular-season and played for a pair of college division national championships; and the 1974-75 Griz men's basketball team, which won the Big Sky Conference regular-season crown and also won a first-round NCAA Tournament Game.
The other teams that have been inducted are the 1995 football team, the 1969-70 football teams (they were inducted as one group), and the 1974-75 men's basketball squad. Last year's inductees were former (1986-89) Lady Griz star Lisa (McLeod) Tinkle and football standout Joe Douglass. The 1995 football squad becomes the 53rd induction (athlete and teams) to be selected to the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame.
The 2001 Grizzlies were a record-setting group, winning a school-record 15 games en route to a 15-1 season, and also won 14 games in a row in the process, culminating with a dominating 13-6 win over Furman in the Division I-AA (now called the Football Championship Subdivision) championship game.
Obviously that team was comprised of several Grizzly greats on both sides of the football, and if you look at the current record book, many of the players from that team are the all-time stat leaders in school history. (The NCAA did not start including single-season and career player stats from playoff games until 2003).
Offensively, senior running back Yohance Humphery was a work-horse for head coach Joe Glenn's Griz that season and set many school records, including rushing attempts (303, since broken), rush yards (1,658 yards, still the school record) and rushing touchdowns (17, since broken). Junior quarterback John Edwards threw 13 touchdown passes and also rushed for five scores. Senior wide receiver Etu Molden had 14 touchdown catches, the second most ever (he ranks third now).
The O-line from that team was an impressive contingent as well, led by guards (senior All-American) Thatcher Szalay and sophomore Derek Decker; junior center Brian Pelc and talented sophomore tackles Dylan McFarland and Jon Skinner. Senior tight ends Spencer Frederick and John Fitzgerald were also key components to that group.
The defense was comprised of several standouts as well. Senior safety Vince Huntsberger had a team-high 113 regular-season tackles (playoff stats were not recognized by the NCAA until 2003, which makes the records from this team even more impressive), and he still holds the school standard with 393 career tackles.
Other leaders on the "D" were senior linebacker Matt Steinau (92 tackles and 12 stops for loss), junior strong safety Trey Young (76 TT, 12 TFLs), sophomore free safety Dave DeCoite (63 TT), along with sophomore ends Ciche Pitcher (17 TFLs and 11 sacks) and Tim Bush (13 TFLs and 8 sacks).
The special teams on Montana's 2001 national championship team were led by a couple of youngsters, sophomore kicker Chris Snyder and freshman punt returner Levander Segars, although both players had illustrious careers.
Snyder ended up establishing Griz and I-AA career records (all of which have since been broken) with 70 made field goals, 182 made PATs, and he scored 394 points. Segars set Montana and national records with 143 punt returns (still a FCS mark) for 1,441 yards (since broken), and a UM standard with 3 punt returns for TDs (which ties him with Marc Mariani, 3 TDs, 2006-09).
Tickets for the banquet will go on sale August 13 at all of UM's normal outlets.
A look at the 2001 season, game-by-game:
Game #1: Montana 31, at Cal Poly 17. Humphery rushed for 159 yards and a TD and Edwards scored twice via the run. Huntsberger, a Buck Buchanan Award candidate, had 9 tackles and returned a fumble for a score, while Young had 5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. The Griz rushed 53 times for 183 yards.
Game #2: Hawaii 30, Montana 12 (in Maui). Humphery rushed for 133 yards, and Molden had a career-high 11 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown, but the Grizzlies had a 10-game road winning streak snapped. UM's loss to the Division I-A Warriors, coached by June Jones, would be the Grizzlies' only loss of the season. 2001 FB add 1-1-1
Game #3: at Montana 30, Western Washington 0. Humphery went over 100 yards (105) for the third straight game, and UM defense had its first shutout since the 1996 season. The Griz "D" held WWU, a Division II team that was 7-3 the previous season, to 181 total yards (UM had 390), and had 11 tackles for loss. Montana was scheduled to play Idaho the week before, but the game was postponed because of the terrorists' attacks on Sept. 11, and thousands of Griz fans dressed in red, white, and blue for a ceremony prior to the game, which honored the nearly 3,000 victims of the 9/1/11 attack. The new sprinturf playing surface in Washington-Grizzly Stadium was dedicated to John C. Hoyt, a UM benefactor who died unexpectedly in March of 2001. It was the start of a record-setting 14-game winning streak by Montana.
Game #4: at Montana 29, Eastern Washington 26 (2 OTs). Edwards connected with Molden on a 20-yard touchdown pass in the second overtime for the win. EWU running back Jesse Chatman rushed for two fourth-quarter scores to knot the game up at 23-23 and force the overtime. It was deja vu for Griz fans, as Montana won five games in the closing minutes the previous season. Humphery continued his stellar play, rushing a career-high 201 yards and two scores, while Molden had 2 TD grabs including the game-winner. Young had 8 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, a sack, and 3 pass deflections.
Game #5: Montana 42, at Sacramento State 7. The Griz tied a Big Sky 15th consecutive league win, and set a record with their eighth straight conference road victory. Edwards threw two TD passes and rushed for another, but left the game with an injury. Molden once again had two scores twice on receptions, while Humphery scored a pair of rushing TDs too, but was held to 75 yards. Junior safety Joel Rosenberg had a career-high 13 tackles. It was a far cry from the game the teams played the year before, when Griz cornerback Damon Parker picked off an errant Sac State lateral to score the game-winner in a 41-38 double overtime contest over the visiting Hornets.
Game #6: at Montana 49, St. Mary's 19. The Griz scored on eight of their first nine possessions to take a 49-0 lead at halftime, and cruised the rest of the way. Junior quarterback Brandon Neill, subbing for the injured Edwards, passed for five touchdowns in just three quarters to lead the offense. Molden continued his torrid pace with 151 receiving yards and scored three times - giving him seven TD grabs in his last three games. Humphery went over 100 yards for the fifth time of the season with 114, and scored twice rushing and once on a reception.
Game #7: Montana 38, at Northern Arizona 27. It was a tale of two halves, as the Griz took a commanding 38-0 lead early in the third quarter, but the Lumberjacks scored 27 unanswered points, thanks in a large part to UM turnovers. Humphery picked up several key first downs in the closing minutes to preserve the win, and gained 127 yards on 29 carries. Molden added another receiving TD, giving him nine on the season.
Game #8: at Montana 33, Portland State 13. The big three rolled again on offense, as Humphery rushed for 153 yards and one score; Molden caught 10 passes for 142 yards and a score and also tallied his first rushing TD; while Edwards completed 23-of-32 (72%) of his passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns. Pitcher had a pick and a sack, while Bush had three sacks. Sophomore linebacker Joel Robinson had a team-high 8 tackles.
Game #9: Montana 32, at Idaho State 28. The Griz had moved up to No. 1 in the rankings, as Georgia Southern had lost (19-16) at home the previous week to East Tennessee State, and UM had to overcome a 28-18 third quarter lead by the Bengals. Montana regained momentum with 13:02 left to play when senior cornerback Calvin Coleman picked off an ISU pass and returned it 53 yards for a TD. Then Neill, a transfer from Wyoming and native of Great Falls, who was subbing for an injured Edwards, came to the rescue again. Neill engineered a five-minute drive and scored the game-winner on a 5-yard run with 6:06 left to play. Humphery rushed for 112 yards, while Molden had a TD catch in the sixth game in a row, and Neill also had two touchdown passes. Huntsberger and Steinau had 10 and 9 tackles, respectively, and Young had 8 stops and 2 sacks.
Game #10: at Montana 38, Weber State 23. Humphery set school records with 38 (ties the school record) rushes for 265 yards (still UM's single-game mark) for four TDs (ties him with three players for the UM standard). "Yo" had now rushed for 1,444 yards in just 10 games, shattering the record of 1,277 that he had set in 1999. Neill, starting for the injured Edwards, rushed for 102 yards - the first time a Griz QB rushed for more than 100 yards since Rocky Klever gained 108 yards in a 24-8 win over Montana State in 1978. UM rushed 54 times for 377 yards. Young had 13 tackles and 2 sacks. The victory gave Montana a record fourth Big Sky title in a row. It was the top-ranked Grizzlies' 19th straight conference win.
Game #11: Montana 38, at Montana State 27. The Griz extended their streak to 16 in a row (it ended in 2002) in this 101st game against their intrastate rival. Holding a slim four-point (31-27) lead, Edwards scored on a 1-yard run for UM's final touchdown with 9:10 remaining in the contest. Humphery picked up a hard-earned 101 yards on 35 rushes for two TDs. Senior receiver T.J. Oelkers, who was also UM's holder, scored on a 19-yard run on a fake field goal in the second quarter. MSU, which had gone 0-11 the previous season, battled the No. 1-ranked Griz to a 17-17 tie at halftime. Senior punter Mark Spencer nailed a 77-yarder - the third longest in school history.
Game #12: at Montana 33, Idaho 27 (2 OTs). The game that had been postponed because of 9/11/01, is the second oldest rivalry for both schools. The Vandals, now I-A team, failed to score in the second overtime, and fittingly, Humphery scored on UM's first play - going 25 yards for the game-winner. "Yo" surpassed the century mark for the 11th time of the season with 113 yards and scored twice. Molden added two scoring catches to his resume, giving him 17 for the season. Edwards passed for a career-high 304 two yards for two scores. Humphery set numerous records and still holds the school mark with 4,070 rushing yards. (Chase Reynolds had 4,067 career rushing yards in only three seasons, but those totals include playoff games, while Humphery's do not). Huntsberger had 16 tackles, Steinau added 13 and 3 TFLs, senior linebacker Dan Orizotti tallied 12 tackles, and Bush contributed 11 stops and 2 sacks. It was just the second time in school history a team had won 11 regular-season games (the 1996 team went a perfect 11-0).
THE ROAD TO THE TITLE
Game #13 (First Round NCAA playoff game): at Montana 28, Northwestern State (LA) 19. The Griz trailed 13-0 at intermission and advanced to their sixth I-AA quarterfinal game. Humphery studded up again, rushing for 120 yards and a score and also had a touchdown on a 44-yard pass from Edwards. Pitcher had an outstanding game and a key play late when he recovered a Demon fumble (forced by Steinau) in the end zone to give UM some breathing room - a 28-19 lead with 2:23 left to play. Segars and true freshman wide receiver Jefferson Heidelberger both had key returns in the second half to set up good field position for UM, which led to touchdowns. Pitcher had 9 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, while Huntsberger had a game-high 11 stops.
Game #14 (NCAA Quarterfinal game): at Montana 49, Sam Houston State 24. Edwards had a dynamite first half, completing 16-of-19 (84.1%) passes for 270 yards and rushing for a TD, as the Griz took a commanding 35-10 halftime lead. Humphery added two scoring runs, but was held to a season low 39 yards rushing. Molden grabbed a pair of scoring passes. Montana picked off five passes in the second half - two each my Huntsberger and junior cornerback Johnnie Peoples, and one by Coleman. Bearkat quarterback Josh McCown, who is in his 10th season in the NFL (currently with the Bears), was 30-of-50-4 for 344 yards and two TDs.
Game #15: (NCAA Semifinal game): at Montana 38, Northern Iowa 0. The Griz had a field goal from Snyder and rushed for four first-half touchdowns (two by Edwards, and one by Oelkers and Humphery) to take a commanding 31-0 lead at intermission. Montana made its second straight trip to Chattanooga, Tenn., and the I-AA title game (UM lost 27-25 to Georgia Southern the previous season) in 2001, and it was the Grizzlies' registered its second shutout in 27 playoff games. Humphery rushed for 142 yards and Edwards had 111, and each scored two rushing TDs. Steinau had 10 tackles, a forced fumble and fumble recovery, while Pitcher had two forced fumbles and a pair of sacks.
Game #16: (NCAA Championship game): Montana 13, Furman 6. Humphery rushed for 142 yards and scored the game's only touchdown on a 2-yard run. Snyder, booted two field goals, and the defense was one play away from a shutout. Edwards led the Griz on a 99-yard, 16-play scoring drive in the second quarter for all of the points UM would need. It was the 14th game that Humphery eclipsed the 100-yard mark in 2001. The Griz defense forced three turnovers and held the Paladins to 121 yards rushing, 124 under their season average. On the last play of the game Huntsberger, who had 10 tackles, a fumble recovery and a pick in the game, batted down a pass which bounced to a Furman player who scored as time expired for the Paladins' only points.
OF NOTE: As mentioned in the text earlier, individual and team stats from playoff games were not recognized by the NCAA until the 2003 season. If they did, Humphery would hold UM's single-game records in touchdown runs (23), points (158) all-purpose yards (2,642), all-purpose yards per game (165.1), and his current single-season rushing standard would go up to 2,101. It should also be noted that "Yo" was second on the team with 53 catches for 541 yards his senior year, and he scored at least one touchdown in 15 of 16 games, and tallied two or more scores in nine contests.
In 16 games, Molden had 102 receptions. (Joe Douglass would have had 123 catches for 1,966 yards and 21 TDs if his stats from four playoff games were included in his totals in 1996).
Huntsberger had 145 total tackles that season (Tim Hauck had 129 tackles in 11 regular-season games in 1989). As a team the Griz rushed for 39 touchdowns in 2001. Coach Glenn would spend one more season with the Griz, and his three-year record of 39-6 gives him a winning percentage of 86.7% - the best in Big Sky history.
