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Down Memory Lane …
- Thread starter IdaGriz01
- Start date
IdaGriz01
Well-known member
More pump-priming. (For those new on this thread, do go back and browse … there are some great memories here.)
After free-associating a bit, I did come up with an odd memory -- more strange than “great” perhaps. Had to do with the 2001 NC under Joe Glenn.
I went looking for some numbers (yeah, I know) and was reminded of something weird from that season. For reasons that escape me now -- probably some kind of old contractural thing -- the Griz played Idaho after the regular season and before the first playoff game. At that point, the Spuds had been FBS for about five years (I think), but the 2001 team was terrible. The Griz won that game in double-OT when Yohance Humphery scored from way out after Idaho missed a FG. (I seem to recall it was a particularly bad, windy day … both kickers had trouble.)
After that, the Griz got to play at home all the way to the Nattie in Chattie. Looking at some old headlines, I’m reminded that the Griz got off to a rocky start against Northwestern State. But after that, they pounded people … including a 38-zip beatdown of Northern Iowa in the semi.
The opponent that year was a very good Furman team, which had just knocked off a very good Georgia Southern team. (The two were seeded #2 - #3, I think.) Anyway, the odd memory started with the fact that the Nattie was (should have been, anyway) a home game for them. Admittedly, the school is not that big, but it’s been around a looong time. Plenty of alumni around … right? Well, if there were, they were not great football fans.
In one sense, the crowd in Chattanooga was a major comedown for the Griz. WaGriz was close to, or over, capacity (18,800 … before the expansion) all through the playoffs. The crowd number for the championship was about 12,700. But here’s the weird memory: I swear, half the crowd were Griz fans. Of course, UM football was very popular in Chattanooga back then, so some of the folks in Griz colors might have been locals. But I found an old article from the Missoulian that said at least 5000 Griz fans flew or drove from -- literally -- all over the world. So our impression about the crowd being half Griz would not have been far off. Amazing!
After free-associating a bit, I did come up with an odd memory -- more strange than “great” perhaps. Had to do with the 2001 NC under Joe Glenn.
I went looking for some numbers (yeah, I know) and was reminded of something weird from that season. For reasons that escape me now -- probably some kind of old contractural thing -- the Griz played Idaho after the regular season and before the first playoff game. At that point, the Spuds had been FBS for about five years (I think), but the 2001 team was terrible. The Griz won that game in double-OT when Yohance Humphery scored from way out after Idaho missed a FG. (I seem to recall it was a particularly bad, windy day … both kickers had trouble.)
After that, the Griz got to play at home all the way to the Nattie in Chattie. Looking at some old headlines, I’m reminded that the Griz got off to a rocky start against Northwestern State. But after that, they pounded people … including a 38-zip beatdown of Northern Iowa in the semi.
The opponent that year was a very good Furman team, which had just knocked off a very good Georgia Southern team. (The two were seeded #2 - #3, I think.) Anyway, the odd memory started with the fact that the Nattie was (should have been, anyway) a home game for them. Admittedly, the school is not that big, but it’s been around a looong time. Plenty of alumni around … right? Well, if there were, they were not great football fans.
In one sense, the crowd in Chattanooga was a major comedown for the Griz. WaGriz was close to, or over, capacity (18,800 … before the expansion) all through the playoffs. The crowd number for the championship was about 12,700. But here’s the weird memory: I swear, half the crowd were Griz fans. Of course, UM football was very popular in Chattanooga back then, so some of the folks in Griz colors might have been locals. But I found an old article from the Missoulian that said at least 5000 Griz fans flew or drove from -- literally -- all over the world. So our impression about the crowd being half Griz would not have been far off. Amazing!
IdaGriz01 said:
IdaGriz, I appreciate you keeping this rolling and enjoy reading these.
You are correct that the Idaho game came after Griz-Cat but it was not contractual, the game had originally been scheduled for Sept 15 but was postponed - like the rest of the sporting world - the week of 9/11.
Speaking of which, the Griz christened the new SprinTurf John Hoyt Field at Washington-Grizzly Stadium upon their return against Western Washington the following week. To say that the energy in that stadium during the national anthem was electric would be a vast understatement. That followed a moment of silence that was eerily, eerily quiet.
Here is the front page of The Missoulian from that Sunday after the WWU game.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/352363489/
That following a moment of silence before aIn addition to the Stein placement and the national championship, the 2001 season was memorable in many, many ways.
Furman upset Georgia Southern in the semis thanks to a balanced attack of Louis Ivory (who ended up getting injured), and a 100% accuracy rating by QB Billy Napier. As we all know, the Griz stifled that offense behind a brilliant performance from the likes of Huntsberger, DeCoite and Trey Young.
By the way, Billy Napier is now the HC at Louisville.
The crowd at the ‘09 Natty was even more skewed. ‘Nova brought/attracted about 1500 fans, while the Griz side was full. And yes, Griz were VERY popular in Chatty during that run, but a large percentage of those people came from far and wide to watch our beloved Griz play.
Talking about Joe Glenn made me recollect one of my favorite memories of him.
It was October 2002 and the defending national champs were set to play in the Kibbie Dobe against Idaho, the first visit back to the Dome since 1995.
My dad and I were staying in Lewiston, ID and decided to take in some Friday night high school football. It was Lewiston vs Clarkston (WA), which I am told is one of the most fierce HS rivalries in that area. In fact, there was a rope and security along the track at exactly the halfway point to keep the rival schools from interacting with one another.
Standing along the track we spot a maroon Griz windbreaker. It's Joe Glenn with his hands in his pockets, alone, taking in the game.
Naturally we went up to talk to him and, Joe being Joe, was as warm and excited to talk to us as ever. I can't remember all of the conversation but he was certainly in no hurry to leave. He just loved talking football. In fact, at halftime the Lewiston HS band played, and the big lumbering center from the Lewiston football team ran to get his tuba and join them, in full pads and uniform at mid-field. Joe got a major kick out of that. When I asked him what happened to RB Brandon Malcom (I think he'd been dismissed from the program), Joe said that Brandon "just couldn't get both oars in the water." I still use that analogy.
The next day, Montana used a strong second-half surge (as champions do) to beat the Vandals at the Kibbie Dome, 38-31.
It was October 2002 and the defending national champs were set to play in the Kibbie Dobe against Idaho, the first visit back to the Dome since 1995.
My dad and I were staying in Lewiston, ID and decided to take in some Friday night high school football. It was Lewiston vs Clarkston (WA), which I am told is one of the most fierce HS rivalries in that area. In fact, there was a rope and security along the track at exactly the halfway point to keep the rival schools from interacting with one another.
Standing along the track we spot a maroon Griz windbreaker. It's Joe Glenn with his hands in his pockets, alone, taking in the game.
Naturally we went up to talk to him and, Joe being Joe, was as warm and excited to talk to us as ever. I can't remember all of the conversation but he was certainly in no hurry to leave. He just loved talking football. In fact, at halftime the Lewiston HS band played, and the big lumbering center from the Lewiston football team ran to get his tuba and join them, in full pads and uniform at mid-field. Joe got a major kick out of that. When I asked him what happened to RB Brandon Malcom (I think he'd been dismissed from the program), Joe said that Brandon "just couldn't get both oars in the water." I still use that analogy.
The next day, Montana used a strong second-half surge (as champions do) to beat the Vandals at the Kibbie Dome, 38-31.
IdaGriz01
Well-known member
First, with the "makeup" coming so late, I totally forgot about the 9/11 connection. Thanks for that timely reminder. We must NEVER forget! (At the time, we were in Cali, closing out my mother's affairs.)503Griz said:
Aside from that ... it's my total pleasure to spark these memories. If I could figure a way to couple it with the "Classic Game Thread," I would. See the game video replay, and then read about memories of those games. Might allow us to limp through to spring (hopefully) football.
Bonus coverage (story posted a long, long time ago): For the '95 championship, Griz fans had to stay in Charleston because Huntington couldn't handle the crowds. (Don't get me started on the Charleston airport.) My wife and I took a walk to relax after our charter flight landed. We ended up with a mid-evening dinner in the little hotel dining room. We happened to get a table near the lounge, in the adjacent room.
We ordered and then, while we were waiting, I overheard the bar manager (he had apparently been called in by the bartender) on the phone. I have no idea who he was calling, but I distinctly heard him say (in more or less these words), "I don't give a damn! Beer, wine, moonshine ... as long as its got alcohol in it. Make it fast, these people are cleaning me out. We'll straighten out the bill later."
IdaGriz01
Well-known member
Sitting here still trying to digest an over-abundance of food. That got me to thinking about previous games played after Thanksgiving … that is, some memorable first round playoff games. While I was looking for something exciting, I came across something interesting: In 2008, the Griz hosted Texas State three years before they went FBS (Independent). I had totally forgotten that little historical fact.
Turns out the game was both interesting and memorable. Memorable partly because – late in November, two days after Thanksgiving – it rained like the dickens. Made for a tough day passing: Bergquist was 13 of 23 for 177 yards (not terrible, but not his best day) … and two interceptions. On the other hand, Chase Reynolds had a career-high 233 yards rushing. And, after a rough start, the defense shut those other Bobcats down in the second half.
Turns out the game was both interesting and memorable. Memorable partly because – late in November, two days after Thanksgiving – it rained like the dickens. Made for a tough day passing: Bergquist was 13 of 23 for 177 yards (not terrible, but not his best day) … and two interceptions. On the other hand, Chase Reynolds had a career-high 233 yards rushing. And, after a rough start, the defense shut those other Bobcats down in the second half.
I remember the last touchdown in a 35-17 Griz win. I reviewed a couple of sources to refresh my memory. So here goes.
The place was Cedar City on November 15, 2014. Fair weather and 3,079 socially distanced fans. The game was closer than I expected, 14-14 at the half. SUU went up 17-14 in the third quarter, but did not score again. The Griz took a 28-17 lead on two Jordan Canada touchdown runs, the last with 33 seconds gone in the fourth quarter. Could breathe easier.
The last Griz drive was a long one, seven plays for 87 yards of turf to the SUU one. There was a player on the field that had laid it on the line all year long. We did not know it at the time, but he would do the same thing on the other side of the ball his senior year. I wanted him to run the ball and he did. Jamal Wilson broke the goal line with 4:22 left.
Jamal’s stats for 2014. He had 3 rushes for 1 yard and 1 touchdown in 14 games. One could look at those stats and conclude he played a minor role on the team. But those stats do not capture the tough, dirty work he had to do to help his team succeed. His teammates knew what he brought everyday as proven by their joyous celebration of his one and only TD. Oh, Jordan Canada had 211 on 29 carries and John Nguyen had 93 on 9. Fullback Jamal likely laid a block or two to help those boys run through the SUU defense.
Name drop. I do not know him, but I did see Marc M with his family. He was wearing a Titan’s ball cap. If PR was there, I did not see him.
I do not know if any of you were in Cedar City that day as I was. It was and is a great day to be a Griz.
The place was Cedar City on November 15, 2014. Fair weather and 3,079 socially distanced fans. The game was closer than I expected, 14-14 at the half. SUU went up 17-14 in the third quarter, but did not score again. The Griz took a 28-17 lead on two Jordan Canada touchdown runs, the last with 33 seconds gone in the fourth quarter. Could breathe easier.
The last Griz drive was a long one, seven plays for 87 yards of turf to the SUU one. There was a player on the field that had laid it on the line all year long. We did not know it at the time, but he would do the same thing on the other side of the ball his senior year. I wanted him to run the ball and he did. Jamal Wilson broke the goal line with 4:22 left.
Jamal’s stats for 2014. He had 3 rushes for 1 yard and 1 touchdown in 14 games. One could look at those stats and conclude he played a minor role on the team. But those stats do not capture the tough, dirty work he had to do to help his team succeed. His teammates knew what he brought everyday as proven by their joyous celebration of his one and only TD. Oh, Jordan Canada had 211 on 29 carries and John Nguyen had 93 on 9. Fullback Jamal likely laid a block or two to help those boys run through the SUU defense.
Name drop. I do not know him, but I did see Marc M with his family. He was wearing a Titan’s ball cap. If PR was there, I did not see him.
I do not know if any of you were in Cedar City that day as I was. It was and is a great day to be a Griz.
I remember the last touchdown in a 35-17 Griz win. I reviewed a couple of sources to refresh my memory. So here goes.
The place was Cedar City on November 15, 2014. Fair weather and 3,079 socially distanced fans. The game was closer than I expected, 14-14 at the half. SUU went up 17-14 in the third quarter, but did not score again. The Griz took a 28-17 lead on two Jordan Canada touchdown runs, the last with 33 seconds gone in the fourth quarter. Could breathe easier.
The last Griz drive was a long one, seven plays for 87 yards of turf to the SUU one. There was a player on the field that had laid it on the line all year long. We did not know it at the time, but he would do the same thing on the other side of the ball his senior year. I wanted him to run the ball and he did. Jamal Wilson broke the goal line with 4:22 left.
Jamal’s stats for 2014. He had 3 rushes for 1 yard and 1 touchdown in 14 games. One could look at those stats and conclude he played a minor role on the team. But those stats do not capture the tough, dirty work he had to do to help his team succeed. His teammates knew what he brought everyday as proven by their joyous celebration of his one and only TD. Oh, Jordan Canada had 211 on 29 carries and John Nguyen had 93 on 9. Fullback Jamal likely laid a block or two to help those boys run through the SUU defense.
Name drop. I do not know him, but I did see Marc M with his family. He was wearing a Titan’s ball cap. If PR was there, I did not see him.
I do not know if any of you were in Cedar City that day as I was. It was and is a great day to be a Griz.
The place was Cedar City on November 15, 2014. Fair weather and 3,079 socially distanced fans. The game was closer than I expected, 14-14 at the half. SUU went up 17-14 in the third quarter, but did not score again. The Griz took a 28-17 lead on two Jordan Canada touchdown runs, the last with 33 seconds gone in the fourth quarter. Could breathe easier.
The last Griz drive was a long one, seven plays for 87 yards of turf to the SUU one. There was a player on the field that had laid it on the line all year long. We did not know it at the time, but he would do the same thing on the other side of the ball his senior year. I wanted him to run the ball and he did. Jamal Wilson broke the goal line with 4:22 left.
Jamal’s stats for 2014. He had 3 rushes for 1 yard and 1 touchdown in 14 games. One could look at those stats and conclude he played a minor role on the team. But those stats do not capture the tough, dirty work he had to do to help his team succeed. His teammates knew what he brought everyday as proven by their joyous celebration of his one and only TD. Oh, Jordan Canada had 211 on 29 carries and John Nguyen had 93 on 9. Fullback Jamal likely laid a block or two to help those boys run through the SUU defense.
Name drop. I do not know him, but I did see Marc M with his family. He was wearing a Titan’s ball cap. If PR was there, I did not see him.
I do not know if any of you were in Cedar City that day as I was. It was and is a great day to be a Griz.
IdaGriz01
Well-known member
I was still on the Thanksgiving kick and snooping through old schedules. I discovered another somewhat surprising (to me) point. For some reason, I had thought the Griz had played Central Arkansas several times. But there has only been one matchup … in the second round of the 2011 playoffs.
That year, the Griz had a first-round bye -- seeded 4th -- and didn’t play right after Thanksgiving. The Bears pounded Tennessee Tech, 34-14, in the opening round (Nov 26) and came into Mizzou on an eight-game winning streak. Also, one of their losses was to FBS Louisiana Tech in double-OT. Then, in their last regular-season game, they won a squeaker against Texas State (which was FBS by then).
Looking back there was a good deal of concern on eGriz because of those two games and more. The Bears could light it up, and their QB, a dropdown from Arkansas, had played in crazy venues … including a start at LSU where they won an upset. For him, the raucous WaGriz would not be a factor. Besides a solid QB and corps of receivers, UCA were proven ball-hawks … with a bunch of forced turnovers.
Then the Bears had three turnovers of their own, right out of the gate … giving the Griz a 17-0 lead. But people were reminded: “Not so fast. Southland team. They have the game to come back. Guy hit like 80% of his passes last week and put up over 300 yards. Something like six receivers had multiple catches.”
As I recall, most of us didn’t really start to breath until the defense showed they could handle the Bear’s passing attack in the second quarter. I just looked at the game stats, and see that UCA had virtually no running game (26 yards net). Which reminded me that their fifth-year senior QB -- Nathan Dick, which was good for endless “humor” on here -- spent most of the game ducking pass rushers. (He still hit two of three, just nothing big.)
That year, the Griz had a first-round bye -- seeded 4th -- and didn’t play right after Thanksgiving. The Bears pounded Tennessee Tech, 34-14, in the opening round (Nov 26) and came into Mizzou on an eight-game winning streak. Also, one of their losses was to FBS Louisiana Tech in double-OT. Then, in their last regular-season game, they won a squeaker against Texas State (which was FBS by then).
Looking back there was a good deal of concern on eGriz because of those two games and more. The Bears could light it up, and their QB, a dropdown from Arkansas, had played in crazy venues … including a start at LSU where they won an upset. For him, the raucous WaGriz would not be a factor. Besides a solid QB and corps of receivers, UCA were proven ball-hawks … with a bunch of forced turnovers.
Then the Bears had three turnovers of their own, right out of the gate … giving the Griz a 17-0 lead. But people were reminded: “Not so fast. Southland team. They have the game to come back. Guy hit like 80% of his passes last week and put up over 300 yards. Something like six receivers had multiple catches.”
As I recall, most of us didn’t really start to breath until the defense showed they could handle the Bear’s passing attack in the second quarter. I just looked at the game stats, and see that UCA had virtually no running game (26 yards net). Which reminded me that their fifth-year senior QB -- Nathan Dick, which was good for endless “humor” on here -- spent most of the game ducking pass rushers. (He still hit two of three, just nothing big.)
IdaGriz01
Well-known member
I went down a convoluted path on memory lane after last night’s win by Coastal Carolina over BYU. (Good find PR, for the link in your thread.) We normally root for the “western” team in these kinds of matchups … but this was BYU.
To make a long story short, my path ended with the 2013 season, when the Griz played two overtime games during the regular season. Both were memorable in their own way: At Sac State, the Hornets had a long drive to force OT with just 23 sec left in regulation. The Griz won by holding Sac to a field goal in the first OT, and then scoring with a TD pass from JJ to Ellis Henderson.
For the nail biter at WaGriz against Cal Poly, the shoe was on the other foot. That was a mediocre year (6-6) for the Mustangs, but they were definitely up for the Griz game. They totally shut down UM’s running game (73 yards total). And, before the OT, they held Johnson more than 40 yards below his season average for passing. They did that in their usual (back then) way: They ran the ball for over 300 yards, and won the TOP battle 36:33 to 23:27.
The ‘Stangs lined up for a chip-shot FG with a bit over 2 min left in the game. That would have given them a 10 point lead and effectively iced the game. Some people were even filing for the exits, hoping to get a head start on the traffic. (The crowd was huge … almost 26 thousand).
But wait: Jordan Tripp knifed in from the end and blocked the try … Griz ball. But they had 88 yards to go. Plenty of time, but until then, the Griz had had only one drive over 70 yards and that turned over on downs. No problem … JJ marched the team down the field, completing pass after pass. Then, just to make it more exciting, he waited until 4th and goal to tie the score with 12 sec left. And the rest is history: Griz win 21-14.
There are those who consider this game one of the top three or four comebacks in Griz football history.
To make a long story short, my path ended with the 2013 season, when the Griz played two overtime games during the regular season. Both were memorable in their own way: At Sac State, the Hornets had a long drive to force OT with just 23 sec left in regulation. The Griz won by holding Sac to a field goal in the first OT, and then scoring with a TD pass from JJ to Ellis Henderson.
For the nail biter at WaGriz against Cal Poly, the shoe was on the other foot. That was a mediocre year (6-6) for the Mustangs, but they were definitely up for the Griz game. They totally shut down UM’s running game (73 yards total). And, before the OT, they held Johnson more than 40 yards below his season average for passing. They did that in their usual (back then) way: They ran the ball for over 300 yards, and won the TOP battle 36:33 to 23:27.
The ‘Stangs lined up for a chip-shot FG with a bit over 2 min left in the game. That would have given them a 10 point lead and effectively iced the game. Some people were even filing for the exits, hoping to get a head start on the traffic. (The crowd was huge … almost 26 thousand).
But wait: Jordan Tripp knifed in from the end and blocked the try … Griz ball. But they had 88 yards to go. Plenty of time, but until then, the Griz had had only one drive over 70 yards and that turned over on downs. No problem … JJ marched the team down the field, completing pass after pass. Then, just to make it more exciting, he waited until 4th and goal to tie the score with 12 sec left. And the rest is history: Griz win 21-14.
There are those who consider this game one of the top three or four comebacks in Griz football history.
IdaGriz01
Well-known member
Right now, the leading topic(s) here on eGriz is(are) not very inspiring. (Personally, I see, maybe, a 50-50 chance that there will be a spring football season … but that’s for elsewhere.) So I decided to resurrect this topic, hoping that more people would contribute good stuff.
Looking back over close games, I came across one from the 2017 season: The 17-15 win at WaGriz over Northern Arizona brought back an odd mix of memories.
At the time, the Lumberjacks were on a six-game winning streak, while the Griz were hurting, particularly at quarterback. You may recall that UM had played up at Pac-12 Washington for their second game. In their next game, the Griz got Savannah State in Missoula. In a sad irony, the UM starting quarterback, Reese Phillips, was badly injured in what amounted to a “play down” game. (Sav State was then a bad FCS team, and they’ve since dropped back to D-II.)
No doubt many of you recall Reese’s monster injury, where his foot stuck out an an impossible angle compared to his leg. FYI: If I’m reading it right, Phillips is currently working for an outfit in Nashville that provides IT professionals for financial services companies … basically a high tech “head hunter.”
Gresch Jensen took over at QB and performed well for the next few games. However, the week before the NAU game, Jensen got his bell rung on the “concrete like” surface at Weber State. The concussion protocol kept him out of practice, so #3 Caleb Hill got the reps.
Four things stand out from the NAU game. Who ever heard of a quarterback getting tossed for a targeting call? Well, how about a stadium full of Griz and a scattering of Lumberjack fans? The offender was NAU QB Case Cookus, not known for his, shall we say, “level-headed” behavior. So the ‘Jacks had to go to their backup QB.
Second: The inexperienced Caleb Hill started for the Griz and looked lost. (He was later drafted as a baseball player and may still be playing, at least in the minor leagues.) So “#4 QB” Makena Simis took over the offense. He had been recruited as a QB, played well, but was then switched to receiver. In the interim, he apparently took snaps in some kind of “wildcat” formation. With over a hundred yards on the ground, Simis kept the Griz in the game. That was important because UM was also on its backup running back.
Third: In such a close game, every play is crucial, of course. But the game highlight had to be the long punt return for a touchdown by Jerry Louie-McGee.
Finally, the game ball had to go to the Griz defense. The offense depended upon Makena’s legs and a backup RB. Probably the best they could hope for was to hold the ball – keeping NAU’s offense off the field – and score just enough points. They did, and the D did the rest.
Looking back over close games, I came across one from the 2017 season: The 17-15 win at WaGriz over Northern Arizona brought back an odd mix of memories.
At the time, the Lumberjacks were on a six-game winning streak, while the Griz were hurting, particularly at quarterback. You may recall that UM had played up at Pac-12 Washington for their second game. In their next game, the Griz got Savannah State in Missoula. In a sad irony, the UM starting quarterback, Reese Phillips, was badly injured in what amounted to a “play down” game. (Sav State was then a bad FCS team, and they’ve since dropped back to D-II.)
No doubt many of you recall Reese’s monster injury, where his foot stuck out an an impossible angle compared to his leg. FYI: If I’m reading it right, Phillips is currently working for an outfit in Nashville that provides IT professionals for financial services companies … basically a high tech “head hunter.”
Gresch Jensen took over at QB and performed well for the next few games. However, the week before the NAU game, Jensen got his bell rung on the “concrete like” surface at Weber State. The concussion protocol kept him out of practice, so #3 Caleb Hill got the reps.
Four things stand out from the NAU game. Who ever heard of a quarterback getting tossed for a targeting call? Well, how about a stadium full of Griz and a scattering of Lumberjack fans? The offender was NAU QB Case Cookus, not known for his, shall we say, “level-headed” behavior. So the ‘Jacks had to go to their backup QB.
Second: The inexperienced Caleb Hill started for the Griz and looked lost. (He was later drafted as a baseball player and may still be playing, at least in the minor leagues.) So “#4 QB” Makena Simis took over the offense. He had been recruited as a QB, played well, but was then switched to receiver. In the interim, he apparently took snaps in some kind of “wildcat” formation. With over a hundred yards on the ground, Simis kept the Griz in the game. That was important because UM was also on its backup running back.
Third: In such a close game, every play is crucial, of course. But the game highlight had to be the long punt return for a touchdown by Jerry Louie-McGee.
Finally, the game ball had to go to the Griz defense. The offense depended upon Makena’s legs and a backup RB. Probably the best they could hope for was to hold the ball – keeping NAU’s offense off the field – and score just enough points. They did, and the D did the rest.
MissoulaMarinerFan
Well-known member
The above mentioned NAU game was something else. It seemed like every other play was just QB power or something. I was pretty impressed that Stitt ditched his offensive philosophy to just "do what worked" (though he was forced into it due to injury) to win the game.
My favorite NAU game was probably the 2010 game where the Griz WR caught a 1 yard TD pass on a fade type play. It was a bonkers catch as he caught the ball mostly with his helmet/facemask with a defender draped all over him.
https://billingsgazette.com/sports/...cle_b1acbc36-df11-11df-b0e7-001cc4c002e0.html
My favorite NAU game was probably the 2010 game where the Griz WR caught a 1 yard TD pass on a fade type play. It was a bonkers catch as he caught the ball mostly with his helmet/facemask with a defender draped all over him.
https://billingsgazette.com/sports/...cle_b1acbc36-df11-11df-b0e7-001cc4c002e0.html
IdaGriz01
Well-known member
The numbers for the game were definitely strange. NAU won just about every stat except the final score. More first downs, more yards passing, more yards rushing (and, obviously, more total yards), plays, and time-of-possession. (FWIW: They also had more penalties and penalty yards.MissoulaMarinerFan said:
) UM would have eked out a slight lead in rushing, except that Hill lost 11 yards in his one series in the game (a losing run attempt, and a sack). Luckily, Jerry Louie-McGee won the punt return stat, 62-38, including his 48-yard return for a TD.For those who don’t remember, NAU scored a touchdown with less than a minute left in the game but missed their two-point conversion attempt. Couldn’t breath until the Griz recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt.
But to your point, the Griz ran 60 plays, 45 (three-quarters) of them being rushes. Simis had 19 of the 45 runs (42%), averaging 5.3 yards per carry. (He completed only 6 of his 15 passes for just 44 yards.) Jerry L-M averaged about 9 yards for his four carries … so he and Simis accounted for nearly 80% of the Griz running gains.
As for the 2010 catch: That was beyond amazing. Pretty sure it made Sports Center as a “play of the day.”
