Injured Griz football heads for potato country
10/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
The Montana Grizzlies are bruised, battered and ready for Saturday's game against Idaho State.
The fifth-ranked Grizzlies limp into Pocatello, Idaho to take on the No. 21 Bengals. Defensive end Lance Spencer is out for the season while the status of defensive tackles Alan Saenz and Blake Horgan is questionable. A variety of other players are either getting over injuries or fighting off nagging pains.
"It's the mid-season blues," cornerback Vernon Smith said after Montana's win over Weber State. "We're all a little banged up."
Smith landed awkwardly on his shoulder two weeks ago in Montana's win over Cal Poly.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Hammerschmidt said he thinks he has enough talented players who can step up to make sure his defense doesn't miss a beat.
"We're being creative (with our line-up)," Hammerschmidt said. "We know the cupboard's not empty. It doesn't hurt us to have different guys in. We don't really lose too much when the first group isn't in there."
Hammerschmidt, despite his faith in whichever players he sends on the field, said a little more depth would be nice.
In his first game back since recovering from an ankle injury, defensive end Ciche Pitcher got one sack and two tackles-for-losses. Defensive tackles John Cahill and Kerry Mullan played well in the absence of Horgan and Saenz.
Despite the injuries, the 5-1 Grizzlies have played solid defense. After holding Cal Poly to 14 points, Montana nearly shutout Weber State in a 12-7 win last week in its first conference game of the season. The Grizzlies, however, aren't the only ones playing good defense as of late.
Idaho State, ranked 117th out of 121 teams in total defense in the nation, are coming off a strong defensive performance in a 23-17 victory over Montana State. The Bengals held the Bobcats to 307 total yards.
The Bengals allow 33.5 points per game and 481.2 yards per game, both last in the Big Sky. However, Montana offensive coordinator Rob Phenicie says those numbers don't mean much.
"(Idaho State) is the best defense we've faced," said offensive coordinator Rob Phenicie. "They're just now starting to live up to their billing at the beginning of the season."
Idaho State's defense returns eight starters from a squad that led the Big Sky last season in scoring defense. Among the returning starters is All-American defensive end Jared Allen. Allen, a Buck Buchanan Award candidate, leads the conference with nine sacks to go along with his 45 tackles.
While the Bengals' defense has been playing better recently, offense has predominantly carried them to a 4-2 record this year. The Bengals, 2-1 in conference play, are second in the Big Sky in pass offense and second in scoring offense. Junior quarterback Mark Hetherington is a big reason for their offensive success.
"He's a good quarterback," Hammerschmidt said. "He's a pocket passer who stands in there, takes hits and delivers the ball where it needs to go."
Idaho State's rushing game is led by senior running back Isaac Mitchell. Mitchell is tied with Montana kicker Chris Snyder as Big Sky's leading scorer, averaging 8.0 points per game.
"He's a hard-nosed, tough guy," Hammerschmidt said. "He's kind of the core of their offense. He pass protects, he runs hard and he can score from about anywhere."
Montana has its own tough running back in Justin Green. The junior transfer has averaged more than 100 yards the last three games. Green has not only been averaging more than 20 carries per game during this stretch, but also fumbled the ball three times this season.
While a combination of Green, freshman Lex Hilliard and sophomore JR Waller led to more of a run-based offense for the Grizzlies, Phenicie said that doesn't necessarily mean people can expect more running than passing against Idaho State.
"I think what's important in this offense is that we take what they give us," Phenicie said. "If that means pass 50 times, we pass 50 times. If that means run 50 times, then we do that. We're opportunistic."
Junior quarterback Craig Ochs will once again start for Montana. Ochs was an efficient 16-23 for 182 yards last week against Weber State. But he also threw one interception.
The Grizzlies, who didn't score a touchdown last week for the first time in 162 games, have averaged 14.5 points per game in their last two games, compared to their season average of 27 points per game.
Phenicie said that it's not important how many points his team scores this weekend.
"All we need is one more point than the other team," Phenicie said. "That's all we ever need."
The fifth-ranked Grizzlies limp into Pocatello, Idaho to take on the No. 21 Bengals. Defensive end Lance Spencer is out for the season while the status of defensive tackles Alan Saenz and Blake Horgan is questionable. A variety of other players are either getting over injuries or fighting off nagging pains.
"It's the mid-season blues," cornerback Vernon Smith said after Montana's win over Weber State. "We're all a little banged up."
Smith landed awkwardly on his shoulder two weeks ago in Montana's win over Cal Poly.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Hammerschmidt said he thinks he has enough talented players who can step up to make sure his defense doesn't miss a beat.
"We're being creative (with our line-up)," Hammerschmidt said. "We know the cupboard's not empty. It doesn't hurt us to have different guys in. We don't really lose too much when the first group isn't in there."
Hammerschmidt, despite his faith in whichever players he sends on the field, said a little more depth would be nice.
In his first game back since recovering from an ankle injury, defensive end Ciche Pitcher got one sack and two tackles-for-losses. Defensive tackles John Cahill and Kerry Mullan played well in the absence of Horgan and Saenz.
Despite the injuries, the 5-1 Grizzlies have played solid defense. After holding Cal Poly to 14 points, Montana nearly shutout Weber State in a 12-7 win last week in its first conference game of the season. The Grizzlies, however, aren't the only ones playing good defense as of late.
Idaho State, ranked 117th out of 121 teams in total defense in the nation, are coming off a strong defensive performance in a 23-17 victory over Montana State. The Bengals held the Bobcats to 307 total yards.
The Bengals allow 33.5 points per game and 481.2 yards per game, both last in the Big Sky. However, Montana offensive coordinator Rob Phenicie says those numbers don't mean much.
"(Idaho State) is the best defense we've faced," said offensive coordinator Rob Phenicie. "They're just now starting to live up to their billing at the beginning of the season."
Idaho State's defense returns eight starters from a squad that led the Big Sky last season in scoring defense. Among the returning starters is All-American defensive end Jared Allen. Allen, a Buck Buchanan Award candidate, leads the conference with nine sacks to go along with his 45 tackles.
While the Bengals' defense has been playing better recently, offense has predominantly carried them to a 4-2 record this year. The Bengals, 2-1 in conference play, are second in the Big Sky in pass offense and second in scoring offense. Junior quarterback Mark Hetherington is a big reason for their offensive success.
"He's a good quarterback," Hammerschmidt said. "He's a pocket passer who stands in there, takes hits and delivers the ball where it needs to go."
Idaho State's rushing game is led by senior running back Isaac Mitchell. Mitchell is tied with Montana kicker Chris Snyder as Big Sky's leading scorer, averaging 8.0 points per game.
"He's a hard-nosed, tough guy," Hammerschmidt said. "He's kind of the core of their offense. He pass protects, he runs hard and he can score from about anywhere."
Montana has its own tough running back in Justin Green. The junior transfer has averaged more than 100 yards the last three games. Green has not only been averaging more than 20 carries per game during this stretch, but also fumbled the ball three times this season.
While a combination of Green, freshman Lex Hilliard and sophomore JR Waller led to more of a run-based offense for the Grizzlies, Phenicie said that doesn't necessarily mean people can expect more running than passing against Idaho State.
"I think what's important in this offense is that we take what they give us," Phenicie said. "If that means pass 50 times, we pass 50 times. If that means run 50 times, then we do that. We're opportunistic."
Junior quarterback Craig Ochs will once again start for Montana. Ochs was an efficient 16-23 for 182 yards last week against Weber State. But he also threw one interception.
The Grizzlies, who didn't score a touchdown last week for the first time in 162 games, have averaged 14.5 points per game in their last two games, compared to their season average of 27 points per game.
Phenicie said that it's not important how many points his team scores this weekend.
"All we need is one more point than the other team," Phenicie said. "That's all we ever need."
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