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http://missoulian.com/divisions/gri...cle_4dc2004a-2d16-11e3-ab5c-001a4bcf887a.html
GRIZ SPOTLIGHT: Tackling the issues
If there is one thing that Caleb Kidder does not kid about, it’s probably football.
His mom’s meatloaf might be a close second though.
Kidder, the University of Montana football team’s 260-pound backup defensive tackle, is as serious as they come when he says the Grizzlies will be ready for Saturday’s homecoming foe, Portland State, on the heels of last week’s disappointing loss to Northern Arizona.
The 19-year-old business finance major believes Montana is still in a good position to win the Big Sky Conference, but that chore begins in earnest this weekend against a talented Vikings squad that is also hungry for its first league win.
Despite a busy UM homecoming schedule, Kidder was kind enough to field some serious questions from the Game Day staff about loaves of savory meat, his high school alma mater Helena Capital and perhaps his favorite topic – winning football games.
Q: I mean this in the most analytical way, but what the hell happened last week at NAU?
A: Well, we look at it like we beat ourselves. They are a good team, (Zach) Bauman is a great running back, they had a great game plan, and they competed really hard. But we were just flat. We weren’t ready, and we’re a lot better than we showed, I know that for sure.
Q: Does the defense take any comfort in the fact that it only surrendered two field goals from the middle of the first quarter on?
A: Yeah, coach has talked about that this week and it’s something that kind of caught my ear, they scored those first two touchdowns and then we didn’t let them score another touchdown. He was saying we were a ‘bend-but-don’t-break (defense),’ but that’s a bunch of crap. He hates that term. He felt we did a lot of bending, but didn’t break. We played well enough to win, but it’s a team game, and we weren’t doing enough to get the ball back for our offense and get them fired up to go do that. And that’s our bad. We need to do better.
Q: Moving on, how important is it to get a win over Portland State this weekend for homecoming?
A: It’s really important. We started conference off 0-1. The coaches told us that was our one game; we can’t lose another. This is a red letter game. It’s a must-win and that’s all they pretty much said about Portland State. Every game from here on out is a must-win. Looking back on it, (the NAU loss) might be a blessing in disguise. We need to show up and compete. We can’t just show up and expect to win.
Q: On a totally unrelated note but still within the construct of homecoming, do you think people should be allowed to throw candy overhand from their parade floats or should they stick with the underhand slide-it-on-the-asphalt method that’s prevalent today?
A: Ummm, (laughs) so are you saying they can’t throw it overhand now?
Q: Yeah, I think the fear is that someone – little kids – will get injured.
A: So, the politically correct answer is to say keep it underhand. I grew up in Helena and we had the Vigilante parade and we always threw it overhand. I don’t know, I guess it’s all the liberal people in Missoula.
Q: Your mom’s name is Kathy and my mom’s name is Kathy. I propose a quick challenge. Who do you think makes the better meatloaf, my mom or yours?
A: Oh, my mom – for sure. My mom actually, last home game, brought me two pans of meatloaf and left them in my fridge for me. (Laughs) That’s funny you asked that, because against Oklahoma Panhandle State she brought me two pans of meatloaf because she knows how much I love it. I just have to open it up and re-heat it. That’s funny.
Q: Well, I’m glad you feel that way about your mom’s meatloaf, but just so you know, Kathy Lockridge makes one hellavu meatloaf.
A: Oh, I bet they’re both really good.
Q: Do people ever kid you about your last name, Kidder?
A: Ahh, just here and there. It’s all fun and games now. I got it more in high school and middle school, but if anyone kids me on the name thing it’s probably within the D-line, because we’re all really close, but that’s about it.
Q: You also played basketball in high school, so what’s your favorite coach Guy Almquist story?
A: Oooh, Guy Almquist story? I can’t … I’ll have to think back, because that was a while ago. Shoot, there was one, but it’s not necessarily a story about Coach Almquist. We were playing in Missoula, actually, and my teammate, AJ Wilson, was dribbling the ball up court and Hellgate’s student section – there was like 30 seconds left before half – started yelling “3 … 2 … 1 …” and AJ threw up like a three-quarter of the court shot all the way to the other end of the court and he missed. Guy has a hot head and he would normally get mad and blow up, but even he couldn’t help but crack up. Everyone thought it was pretty funny.
Q: I actually covered that game for the Missoulian, so I remember that play, too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that trick work to that degree.
A: Yeah, it was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.
Q: Well, in full disclosure, I’m a Hellgate grad – from a long time ago – and I was going to ask you an embarrassing question about the Knights beating the Bruins last year, but you’ve been a great sport, so I won’t do that.
A: What do you mean, in soccer?
Q: No, in boys’ basketball. Hellgate beat Capital for the state championship.
A: Oh, oh, oh. Yeah, well there’s still some controversy over that.
Q: Oh, like the Tinkle play?
A: You mean the Tinkle travel.
Q: The Griz football team has a key stretch here with three out of its next four games being at home. How are you guys treating these next four games?
A: Like I said before, all of us have that mentality of must-win. Everybody is pretty upset and pretty pissed off about NAU. Everybody is ready to work hard, everybody is back and ready to go and we want to get this conference season under way. We’re ready to hit it hard.
GRIZ SPOTLIGHT: Tackling the issues
If there is one thing that Caleb Kidder does not kid about, it’s probably football.
His mom’s meatloaf might be a close second though.
Kidder, the University of Montana football team’s 260-pound backup defensive tackle, is as serious as they come when he says the Grizzlies will be ready for Saturday’s homecoming foe, Portland State, on the heels of last week’s disappointing loss to Northern Arizona.
The 19-year-old business finance major believes Montana is still in a good position to win the Big Sky Conference, but that chore begins in earnest this weekend against a talented Vikings squad that is also hungry for its first league win.
Despite a busy UM homecoming schedule, Kidder was kind enough to field some serious questions from the Game Day staff about loaves of savory meat, his high school alma mater Helena Capital and perhaps his favorite topic – winning football games.
Q: I mean this in the most analytical way, but what the hell happened last week at NAU?
A: Well, we look at it like we beat ourselves. They are a good team, (Zach) Bauman is a great running back, they had a great game plan, and they competed really hard. But we were just flat. We weren’t ready, and we’re a lot better than we showed, I know that for sure.
Q: Does the defense take any comfort in the fact that it only surrendered two field goals from the middle of the first quarter on?
A: Yeah, coach has talked about that this week and it’s something that kind of caught my ear, they scored those first two touchdowns and then we didn’t let them score another touchdown. He was saying we were a ‘bend-but-don’t-break (defense),’ but that’s a bunch of crap. He hates that term. He felt we did a lot of bending, but didn’t break. We played well enough to win, but it’s a team game, and we weren’t doing enough to get the ball back for our offense and get them fired up to go do that. And that’s our bad. We need to do better.
Q: Moving on, how important is it to get a win over Portland State this weekend for homecoming?
A: It’s really important. We started conference off 0-1. The coaches told us that was our one game; we can’t lose another. This is a red letter game. It’s a must-win and that’s all they pretty much said about Portland State. Every game from here on out is a must-win. Looking back on it, (the NAU loss) might be a blessing in disguise. We need to show up and compete. We can’t just show up and expect to win.
Q: On a totally unrelated note but still within the construct of homecoming, do you think people should be allowed to throw candy overhand from their parade floats or should they stick with the underhand slide-it-on-the-asphalt method that’s prevalent today?
A: Ummm, (laughs) so are you saying they can’t throw it overhand now?
Q: Yeah, I think the fear is that someone – little kids – will get injured.
A: So, the politically correct answer is to say keep it underhand. I grew up in Helena and we had the Vigilante parade and we always threw it overhand. I don’t know, I guess it’s all the liberal people in Missoula.
Q: Your mom’s name is Kathy and my mom’s name is Kathy. I propose a quick challenge. Who do you think makes the better meatloaf, my mom or yours?
A: Oh, my mom – for sure. My mom actually, last home game, brought me two pans of meatloaf and left them in my fridge for me. (Laughs) That’s funny you asked that, because against Oklahoma Panhandle State she brought me two pans of meatloaf because she knows how much I love it. I just have to open it up and re-heat it. That’s funny.
Q: Well, I’m glad you feel that way about your mom’s meatloaf, but just so you know, Kathy Lockridge makes one hellavu meatloaf.
A: Oh, I bet they’re both really good.
Q: Do people ever kid you about your last name, Kidder?
A: Ahh, just here and there. It’s all fun and games now. I got it more in high school and middle school, but if anyone kids me on the name thing it’s probably within the D-line, because we’re all really close, but that’s about it.
Q: You also played basketball in high school, so what’s your favorite coach Guy Almquist story?
A: Oooh, Guy Almquist story? I can’t … I’ll have to think back, because that was a while ago. Shoot, there was one, but it’s not necessarily a story about Coach Almquist. We were playing in Missoula, actually, and my teammate, AJ Wilson, was dribbling the ball up court and Hellgate’s student section – there was like 30 seconds left before half – started yelling “3 … 2 … 1 …” and AJ threw up like a three-quarter of the court shot all the way to the other end of the court and he missed. Guy has a hot head and he would normally get mad and blow up, but even he couldn’t help but crack up. Everyone thought it was pretty funny.
Q: I actually covered that game for the Missoulian, so I remember that play, too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that trick work to that degree.
A: Yeah, it was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.
Q: Well, in full disclosure, I’m a Hellgate grad – from a long time ago – and I was going to ask you an embarrassing question about the Knights beating the Bruins last year, but you’ve been a great sport, so I won’t do that.
A: What do you mean, in soccer?
Q: No, in boys’ basketball. Hellgate beat Capital for the state championship.
A: Oh, oh, oh. Yeah, well there’s still some controversy over that.
Q: Oh, like the Tinkle play?
A: You mean the Tinkle travel.
Q: The Griz football team has a key stretch here with three out of its next four games being at home. How are you guys treating these next four games?
A: Like I said before, all of us have that mentality of must-win. Everybody is pretty upset and pretty pissed off about NAU. Everybody is ready to work hard, everybody is back and ready to go and we want to get this conference season under way. We’re ready to hit it hard.
