spokane paper: JJ healthy quarterback

[Proud Griz Man]

Healthy Jordan Johnson a handful for Eastern
Montana quarterback could be key to Saturday’s FCS playoff at Roos Field
Montana quarterback Jordan Johnson is healthy and ready for a rematch with Eastern on Saturday on Roos Field.

The quarterback is healthy now, more mobile and playing some of his best football when it matters most. And we’re not talking only about Vernon Adams Jr. of Eastern Washington. Perhaps the biggest key to Saturday’s FCS second-round playoff game at Roos Field is the re-emergence of Montana senior quarterback Jordan Johnson, who like Adams was less than 100 percent when the Grizzlies lost to Eastern 36-26 on Nov. 8.

After what Montana coach Mick Delaney described as “many hours in the weight room,” the ankle is fully healed – allowing Johnson to beat teams with his legs as well as his arm.
“That’s the biggest thing, to know down and distance, and to be able to contain him,” Eastern linebacker Miquiyah Zamora said after watching film of the Grizzlies’ last three games.

The biggest test was passed on Nov. 22, when the Griz nailed down a playoff berth with a dominating 34-7 win over Montana State. Johnson was at his best in that game, completing 22 of 36 passes for 213 yard and three scores. He also rushed for 90 yards on six carries, giving the fourth-ranked Eagles (10-2) a lot to think about.

Now there’s more: the 12th-ranked Grizzlies (9-4), who are coming off a 52-14 first-round win over San Diego, are leaning heavily on the zone-read offense; they’re going up-tempo as well.
“We’re not a helter-skelter team by any stretch, but we are moving a little quicker than we did earlier in the season,” Delaney said. The Griz went up-tempo in the second half last month’s game in Cheney, and got back in the game. “I think he looks healthy and they’re going to take advantage of him (Johnson) and throw it more,” EWU defensive coordinator John Graham said. In two meetings with the Eagles, Johnson has thrown for 796 yards and seven touchdowns, albeit while playing catch-up; nonetheless, the Griz hope to establish the run with Jordan Canada (205 carries for 1,116 yards and 10 TDs).

 

[Proud Griz Man]

Eagles running back appears zoned in for playoff push

The playoffs are here and Quincy Forte still has that look. That give-me-the-ball look, the one Forte has worn all season, through the highs and lows of his senior season at Eastern Washington.

Through the 190-yard effort in September at Montana State, where he injured his shoulder and didn’t play for a month. Through a heroic effort at Northern Arizona, where Forte rushed for a career-high 219 yards, and two weeks later against Montana, when he struggled to plant on a sprained ankle and left the game after eight carries. In short, a season of fireworks and frustration, sometimes on the same day. Forte is listed as questionable for Saturday’s second-round FCS game against the Grizzlies, when his speed and versatility could turn the game Eastern’s way.

“He’s the type of guy that can break a 70-yard run at any moment and break the game open,” Eastern running back coach Kiel McDonald said. “He’s the Energizer Bunny.” A fast motor. “I just want to compete,” said Forte, whose life has been all of that since he was the youngest of seven brothers in Fairfield, California.

“They challenged me all the time and built my competitive nature,” said Forte, who matured into an all-star running back and safety at Vacaville High School and was recruited in 2011 by Oregon, Nevada and San Diego State – as a defensive back. “But I’m a running back in my heart,” Forte said. Only Eastern coach Beau Baldwin agreed with that notion, and Forte caught a plane to Spokane for his official visit. Suddenly, it was Forte’s turn to look past the surface. “The first thing I saw when I got off the plane was snow,” Forte said. “But I liked the small-town feel, they all took care of me and I felt right at home.”

 

[Proud Griz Man]

Big Sky notes: Montana reshaped season after loss to EWU
Jim Allen The Spokesman-Review
Losing is no fun, but Montana’s loss to Eastern Washington four weeks ago came with a bonus.

“It’s brought us closer together,” All-American defensive end Zack Wagenmann said of a 36-26 defeat in Cheney on Nov. 8 that left the Grizzlies in must-win mode since. Now they’re coming back to Cheney, hoping for some revenge in Saturday’s second-round Football Championship Subdivision playoff game. Along the way, the Grizzlies (9-4) have taken three straight one-sided wins: over Southern Utah (35-17), Montana State (34-7) and San Diego (52-14) in a first-round playoff game last weekend.

“It’s a special feeling, having your back to the wall,” said Wagenmann, a senior captain. “We didn’t have a choice. … We’ve redefined our focus.” For coach Mick Delaney, that means moving quickly on to the next task. Against San Diego, Delaney said Wednesday the Griz probably played their best game of the season, “but it was gratifying that our guys put that to bed immediately.” At the same time, Delaney said the win over the Toreros didn’t raise false sense of accomplishment. “We know what a fine team (the Eagles) are, and our focus is to go to Cheney and play better than we did last time,” Delaney said.

. . . Slow starts have been a problem in Eastern’s recent playoff games, including two season-enders. In 2012, the Eagles fell behind Sam Houston State 35-0 before falling 45-42. A year later, they trailed Towson 21-0 at halftime en route to a 35-31 defeat. Film will take the Eagles only so far, since the Grizzlies are sure to make some changes on both sides of the ball to throw off Eastern’s timing. The Eagles’ offense expects to see some changes from the Montana defense, including what Baldwin calls “a few tweaks, more subtle things that we as coaches might notice more than fans.” “They’ll tweak a few things, as we will too,” he said. Reacting on to the fly will be crucial. Eastern center Jase Butorac expects to see some changes up front as he and his linemates try to keep quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. upright. “In the last game, he got hit a little more than we would have liked,” Butorac said.

Since beating Montana on Nov. 8, Eastern had a bye the following week before ending the regular season with a 56-34 win at Portland State on Nov. 21

 

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

After reading both of these articles, the thing I find most interesting is that Ewu actually has a defensive coordinator! John something or other...........really or are they just fu*king with us like some before game trickery?

 

[Proud Griz Man]

Eastern Washington football coach Beau Baldwin celebrates after beating the Oregon State Beavers in 2013.

Who will replace Mike Riley at Oregon State? Beavers fans like Beau Baldwin (poll)
Oregonian Sports By Oregonian Sports

As Oregon State Beavers athletic director Bob De Carolis scrambles to replace football coach Mike Riley, Beavers fans have made it pretty clear who they like as a front-runner:...

 

[kemajic]

Eastern Washington football coach Beau Baldwin celebrates after beating the Oregon State Beavers in 2013.

Who will replace Mike Riley at Oregon State? Beavers fans like Beau Baldwin (poll)
Oregonian Sports By Oregonian Sports

As Oregon State Beavers athletic director Bob De Carolis scrambles to replace football coach Mike Riley, Beavers fans have made it pretty clear who they like as a front-runner:...

They could do a lot worse. His offense fits the PAC-12 better than Riley's.

 

[Copper Griz]

Eastern Washington football coach Beau Baldwin celebrates after beating the Oregon State Beavers in 2013.

Who will replace Mike Riley at Oregon State? Beavers fans like Beau Baldwin (poll)
Oregonian Sports By Oregonian Sports

As Oregon State Beavers athletic director Bob De Carolis scrambles to replace football coach Mike Riley, Beavers fans have made it pretty clear who they like as a front-runner:...

They could do a lot worse. His offense fits the PAC-12 better than Riley's.

A hell of a lot better choice than Wyoming or UNLV.