What Could Have Been…

[jodcon]

Thanks for the great year boys, this team never wavered despite all the pitfalls they encountered.

But I can’t help thinking what might have been…with Knight…Ostmo…Sulser… And even tonight with Sammy and Cam…would it have made the difference…maybe, maybe not…but would have made it interesting as tight as it was the first half without them.

Injuries are a part of football and ‘next man up’ is always the way to look at it rather than crying about them, but it’s hard not to at least think how this year could have gone with the defense and special teams we had, a little more offense could have made this team very special.

We’ll be back.

 

[kemajic]

Thanks for the great year boys, this team never wavered despite all the pitfalls they encountered.

But I can’t help thinking what might have been…with Knight…Ostmo…Sulser… And even tonight with Sammy and Cam…would it have made the difference…maybe, maybe not…but would have made it interesting as tight as it was the first half without them.

Injuries are a part of football and ‘next man up’ is always the way to look at it rather than crying about them, but it’s hard not to at least think how this year could have gone with the defense and special teams we had, a little more offense could have made this team very special.

We’ll be back.

Don't forget not having Onu; cost us dearly.

 

[uofmman1122]

I mean, if we're gonna really wallow is self-pity, just imagine what this offense would've looked like had Toure not left.

The fact of the matter is, for everything we went though this season, there's no shame in going out in the quarters against a very good JMU team.

I'd say there's a good chance at least half of the playoff teams don't even make the playoffs if they had lost what we lost this season.

That will unfortunately be how this season is remembered in the short term, but boy were there some amazing, fun moments. We should be excited for the future, too. :thumb:

 

[TheGrizManFan]

We’ll be back

 

[jodcon]

I mean, if we're gonna really wallow is self-pity

No wallowing here, just some pondering and speculating.

I actually feel pretty good about how the season turned out. We were on the ropes the middle of the year and it became clear the cavalry was not going to be riding in at the last minute to help, they never wavered and went on a streak to secure a seed and made it this far on hardnosed play and determination. Good bunch of kids this endeavor.

 

[EverettGriz]

It’s a testament to the expectations of the Montana Grizzlies that a fan base would disappointed after a quarter final loss to the #3 seed on the road. Just a stepping stone tonight, and damn proud of the program.

 

[AZGrizFan]

Thanks for the great year boys, this team never wavered despite all the pitfalls they encountered.

But I can’t help thinking what might have been…with Knight…Ostmo…Sulser… And even tonight with Sammy and Cam…would it have made the difference…maybe, maybe not…but would have made it interesting as tight as it was the first half without them.

Injuries are a part of football and ‘next man up’ is always the way to look at it rather than crying about them, but it’s hard not to at least think how this year could have gone with the defense and special teams we had, a little more offense could have made this team very special.

We’ll be back.

Don't forget not having Onu; cost us dearly.

Where was Onu?

 

[uofmman1122]

Don't forget not having Onu; cost us dearly.

Where was Onu?

Hurt from the EWU game and didn't play.

 

[Wolf777]

I mean, if we're gonna really wallow is self-pity

No wallowing here, just some pondering and speculating.

I actually feel pretty good about how the season turned out. We were on the ropes the middle of the year and it became clear the cavalry was not going to be riding in at the last minute to help, they never wavered and went on a streak to secure a seed and made it this far on hardnosed play and determination. Good bunch of kids this endeavor.

At the end of the day this team provided some all-time great moments. Beating UW, MSU, and EWU. Ford and OConnell with ridiculous seasons, Junior’s emergence. Akem with his record breaking performance. Boomschini making the punt so exciting again. Flowers electricity with the ball in his hands. The long stretches without a TD that happened multiple times. And many, many more!

They did it with a next man up mentality all year. Our young guys got invaluable experience and it’s clear that the culture is night and day different than it was when Hauck took over. The fans are back and Washington-Grizzly was absolutely rocking those last two games. Expectations are now higher once again, and that is a testament to what we’ve seen the last decade. The recruiting is starting to pay dividends and now we can focus on one or two areas with deficiencies and correct them as opposed to a huge program rebuild from top to bottom like was needed. The injuries were the worst I’ve seen for a team I’ve followed this closely at least consistently at key positions. Running back will be a huge difference maker next year and go a long ways to curing some of the offensive woes, and we will get to see a good qb competition in the spring and fall camps. I expect some big drop down transfers for this team given the landscape, and that’s where we relied heavily as part of the rebuild, but moving forward that Montana grit and backbone that makes up a huge part of our teams historical success has been restored.

What could’ve been is a dangerous mentality. Now that the season is over it’s time to give them all the credit that is due.

 

[NorthernCat]

That was a big time team you guys lost to last night, and you were punching with them with your first-string QB. No shame in losing that game even with a full complement, much less what you had to deal with. Good season and an impressive team.

 

[Dillon]

That was a big time team you guys lost to last night, and you were punching with them with your first-string QB. No shame in losing that game even with a full complement, much less what you had to deal with. Good season and an impressive team.

Well said cat! Good Luck tonight!

 

[UMAlum]

... If we had lost to Southern Utah which we came within an eyelash of doing at home. The pitch forks would have been polished and ready for slaying long ago. Personally, this seasons "could have been" actually was and was a blessing and joy to watch for me. Thank you Griz players and coaches !

 

[GrizSpartan]

No wallowing here, just some pondering and speculating.

I actually feel pretty good about how the season turned out. We were on the ropes the middle of the year and it became clear the cavalry was not going to be riding in at the last minute to help, they never wavered and went on a streak to secure a seed and made it this far on hardnosed play and determination. Good bunch of kids this endeavor.

At the end of the day this team provided some all-time great moments. Beating UW, MSU, and EWU. Ford and OConnell with ridiculous seasons, Junior’s emergence. Akem with his record breaking performance. Boomschini making the punt so exciting again. Flowers electricity with the ball in his hands. The long stretches without a TD that happened multiple times. And many, many more!

They did it with a next man up mentality all year. Our young guys got invaluable experience and it’s clear that the culture is night and day different than it was when Hauck took over. The fans are back and Washington-Grizzly was absolutely rocking those last two games. Expectations are now higher once again, and that is a testament to what we’ve seen the last decade. The recruiting is starting to pay dividends and now we can focus on one or two areas with deficiencies and correct them as opposed to a huge program rebuild from top to bottom like was needed. The injuries were the worst I’ve seen for a team I’ve followed this closely at least consistently at key positions. Running back will be a huge difference maker next year and go a long ways to curing some of the offensive woes, and we will get to see a good qb competition in the spring and fall camps. I expect some big drop down transfers for this team given the landscape, and that’s where we relied heavily as part of the rebuild, but moving forward that Montana grit and backbone that makes up a huge part of our teams historical success has been restored.

What could’ve been is a dangerous mentality. Now that the season is over it’s time to give them all the credit that is due.

This is great posting. Thanks so much. I agreeing 100%!!