Grizzlies to host Cal Poly in I-AA playoffs
11/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
GRIZ HOST MUSTANGS:
The ninth-ranked Montana Grizzlies (8-3 overall/5-2 Big Sky) received an at-large berth into the I-AA playoffs, and will host the 10th-ranked Cal Poly Mustangs (8-3/4-1 Great West Football Conference) in a first-round game in UM??s Washington-Grizzly Stadium, with kickoff slated for 12:07 p.m. (Mtn.).
13TH NCAA BERTH IN A ROW!:
With its at-large bid this season, Montana has now extended its NCAA Divsion I-AA playoff appearance streak to 13 straight. (The previous record of 10 in a row was held by Eastern Kentucky from 1986-1995).
GRIZ WIN 8TH LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP IN A ROW!!
Montana??s win at Sac State guarantees the Grizzlies their eighth straight out-right (or share) Big Sky title. That streak of eight Griz titles is: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.
11 CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PAST 13 SEASONS:
The Griz have won or shared the league crown eight years in a row and 11 of the past 13 seasons, winning or sharing titles in 1993, 1995, 1996, and 1998-2005.
16th I-AA BERTH:
This is the Grizzlies 15th appearance in the I-AA playoffs. Montana??s 13-game streak is from 1993-2005, while its other I-AA berths came in 1982, 1988, and 1989.
20TH STRAIGHT WINNING SEASON:
The Griz?? victory over Portland State on October 29th gave Montana its 20th consecutive winning season, dating back to 1986.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME:
The Griz are 20-3 in the playoffs in games played in Washington-Grizzly Stadium and 126-17 (.881) in the stadium since mid-way of the 1986 season.
LAST WEEK: at Montana State 16, Montana 6:
The third-ranked Grizzlies lost to the 22nd-ranked Bobcats in their 105th meeting. MSU redshirt freshman halfback Evin Groves rushed for 143 yards and a TD. The Griz had 220 total yards and were 3-of-16 in third down conversions, while MSU had 370 yards and were good on 8-of-19 third down tries.
FIRST FOR FERRITER:
Montana??s only score at MSU was a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cole Bergquist to Mike Ferriter -- Mike??s first collegiate TD.
GRIZ CAPTAINS:
Montana??s season-long captains: #76-Brad Rhoades (OT), #20-JR Waller (RB), #47-Shane MacIntyre (LB) and #96-Lance Spencer (DE).
RADIO/TV:
The game will be broadcast on the Griz Radio Network with Mick Holien calling the play-by-play and Scott Gurnsey providing color commentary. TV coverage was still being negotiated at press time.
HILLIARD 2ND ON GRIZ CAREER RUSHING LIST:
Hilliard now has 2,790career rushing yards and remains second on UM??s career list. Lex is the fourth player in school history to rush for more than 2,000 career yards. Senior JR Waller has 1,727 yards and moved up to eighth on the career list.
TALMAGE 5TH ON LIST:
Senior wide receiver Jon Talmage stays fifth in career receiving yards with 2,511 and needs just 17 yards to move up to fourth.
TRIO ON SCORING LIST:
Hilliard remains sixth on UM??s career scoring list with 198 points, while Carpenter stays seventh,and senior receiver Jon Talmage is 18th.
SPENCER/MURPHY, ??MAC??, SAENZ ON CAREER LISTS:
Senior defensive end Lance Spencer and junior end Mike Murphy are among the career sacks and tackles for loss leaders, and senior linebacker Shane MacIntyre and senior defensive tackle Alan Saenz are both on the TFL list.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
CAL POLY LAST GAME:
Redshirt freshman running back James Noble (5-10, 205) broke a school record by rushing for five touchdowns and gained 248 yards on 27 carries as the host Mustangs defeated Idaho State (5-6) by a 35-10 margin. Noble scored on runs of 12, 10, 23, 35, and two yards. Cal Poly had 417 total yards, including 323 rushing, while ISU had 195 (56 yards rushing).
CAL POLY (8-3/4-1 *GWFC) GAME-BY-GAME THIS SEASON
9/3-Lost at Troy State, 27-10 10/22-Lost 36-27 at Montana
9/10-Beat Sac State, 37-13 10/29-Lost 20-13 at UC Davis
9/17-Beat Montana State, 38-10 11/5-Won 40-35 at E. Washington
9/24-Won at S. Dakota State*, 24-16 11/12-Beat Southern Utah 20-10
10/1-Won at N. Colorado*, 31-14 11/19-Beat Idaho State 35-10
10/8-Beat N. Dakota St.*, 37-6 11/26-at Montana
OFFENSIVE LEADERS:
Noble team-highs of 167 carries for 1,305 yards for a lofty 7.8-yard rushing average and 11 TDs, and his 145.0 yards a game rushing rank him fourth in the country. The Mustangs?? leading receivers are senior redshirt freshman wide out Ramses Barden (6-6, 220), Jonah Russell (5-11, 195), and senior wide receiver Jason Holmes (6-2, 203), who have combined for 80 catches, 1,218 yards and 10 TDs (Barden has eight of the team??s 10 receiving touchdowns).
KEY LOSS:
Anthony Garnett, who started the first six games for the Mustangs was lost for the season in the closing minutes of Cal Poly??s Oct. 22 loss at Montana. Garnett had passed for 1,028 yards and seven TDs and rushed for seven scores. Cal Poly??s starting quarterback now is redshirt freshman Matt Brennan (6-2, 205), who has completed 48-of-99-5 (48.5%) for 578 yards and three touchdowns and he??s rushed for 238 yards and three scores.
DEFENSIVE LEADERS:
Junior linebacker Kyle Shotwell (6-1, 235) has a team-high 127 tackles, including 12 for losses. Senior end Chris Cocong (6-3, 265), a finalist for the Buchanan Award, has 79 tackles, including 24 for losses, and 17.5 sacks.
TOUGH ??D??:
The Cal Poly defense is ranked eighth in the country against the rush (giving up 104.91 yards a game), 16th in scoring defense (17.91 ppg), and 22nd in total defense (allowing 311.0 yards per contest).
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Junior kicker Nick Coromelas had made 14-of-20 field goals and has a long of 49. Sophomore punter Tim Chicoine is third in the nation, averaging 43.23 yards per attempt.
CAL POLY HEAD COACH:
Rich Ellerson (Hawaii, 1977) is 33-22 in his fifth year at Cal Poly. He is 0-4 versus Montana (0-3 in Missoula and 0-1 in Cal Poly.)
THE SERIES:
Montana leads 10-0. A game-by-game breakdown:
1969: at Montana 14, Cal Poly 0
1971: Montana 38, at Cal Poly 14
1994: at Montana 45, Cal Poly 0
1996: at Montana 43, Cal Poly 0
1998: at Montana 37, Cal Poly 14
1999: Montana 28, at Cal Poly 14
2000: at Montana 53, Cal Poly 3
2001: Montana 31, at Cal Poly 17
2003: at Montana 17, Cal Poly 14
2004: at Montana 36, Cal Poly 27
The ninth-ranked Montana Grizzlies (8-3 overall/5-2 Big Sky) received an at-large berth into the I-AA playoffs, and will host the 10th-ranked Cal Poly Mustangs (8-3/4-1 Great West Football Conference) in a first-round game in UM??s Washington-Grizzly Stadium, with kickoff slated for 12:07 p.m. (Mtn.).
13TH NCAA BERTH IN A ROW!:
With its at-large bid this season, Montana has now extended its NCAA Divsion I-AA playoff appearance streak to 13 straight. (The previous record of 10 in a row was held by Eastern Kentucky from 1986-1995).
GRIZ WIN 8TH LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP IN A ROW!!
Montana??s win at Sac State guarantees the Grizzlies their eighth straight out-right (or share) Big Sky title. That streak of eight Griz titles is: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.
11 CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PAST 13 SEASONS:
The Griz have won or shared the league crown eight years in a row and 11 of the past 13 seasons, winning or sharing titles in 1993, 1995, 1996, and 1998-2005.
16th I-AA BERTH:
This is the Grizzlies 15th appearance in the I-AA playoffs. Montana??s 13-game streak is from 1993-2005, while its other I-AA berths came in 1982, 1988, and 1989.
20TH STRAIGHT WINNING SEASON:
The Griz?? victory over Portland State on October 29th gave Montana its 20th consecutive winning season, dating back to 1986.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME:
The Griz are 20-3 in the playoffs in games played in Washington-Grizzly Stadium and 126-17 (.881) in the stadium since mid-way of the 1986 season.
LAST WEEK: at Montana State 16, Montana 6:
The third-ranked Grizzlies lost to the 22nd-ranked Bobcats in their 105th meeting. MSU redshirt freshman halfback Evin Groves rushed for 143 yards and a TD. The Griz had 220 total yards and were 3-of-16 in third down conversions, while MSU had 370 yards and were good on 8-of-19 third down tries.
FIRST FOR FERRITER:
Montana??s only score at MSU was a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cole Bergquist to Mike Ferriter -- Mike??s first collegiate TD.
GRIZ CAPTAINS:
Montana??s season-long captains: #76-Brad Rhoades (OT), #20-JR Waller (RB), #47-Shane MacIntyre (LB) and #96-Lance Spencer (DE).
RADIO/TV:
The game will be broadcast on the Griz Radio Network with Mick Holien calling the play-by-play and Scott Gurnsey providing color commentary. TV coverage was still being negotiated at press time.
HILLIARD 2ND ON GRIZ CAREER RUSHING LIST:
Hilliard now has 2,790career rushing yards and remains second on UM??s career list. Lex is the fourth player in school history to rush for more than 2,000 career yards. Senior JR Waller has 1,727 yards and moved up to eighth on the career list.
TALMAGE 5TH ON LIST:
Senior wide receiver Jon Talmage stays fifth in career receiving yards with 2,511 and needs just 17 yards to move up to fourth.
TRIO ON SCORING LIST:
Hilliard remains sixth on UM??s career scoring list with 198 points, while Carpenter stays seventh,and senior receiver Jon Talmage is 18th.
SPENCER/MURPHY, ??MAC??, SAENZ ON CAREER LISTS:
Senior defensive end Lance Spencer and junior end Mike Murphy are among the career sacks and tackles for loss leaders, and senior linebacker Shane MacIntyre and senior defensive tackle Alan Saenz are both on the TFL list.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
CAL POLY LAST GAME:
Redshirt freshman running back James Noble (5-10, 205) broke a school record by rushing for five touchdowns and gained 248 yards on 27 carries as the host Mustangs defeated Idaho State (5-6) by a 35-10 margin. Noble scored on runs of 12, 10, 23, 35, and two yards. Cal Poly had 417 total yards, including 323 rushing, while ISU had 195 (56 yards rushing).
CAL POLY (8-3/4-1 *GWFC) GAME-BY-GAME THIS SEASON
9/3-Lost at Troy State, 27-10 10/22-Lost 36-27 at Montana
9/10-Beat Sac State, 37-13 10/29-Lost 20-13 at UC Davis
9/17-Beat Montana State, 38-10 11/5-Won 40-35 at E. Washington
9/24-Won at S. Dakota State*, 24-16 11/12-Beat Southern Utah 20-10
10/1-Won at N. Colorado*, 31-14 11/19-Beat Idaho State 35-10
10/8-Beat N. Dakota St.*, 37-6 11/26-at Montana
OFFENSIVE LEADERS:
Noble team-highs of 167 carries for 1,305 yards for a lofty 7.8-yard rushing average and 11 TDs, and his 145.0 yards a game rushing rank him fourth in the country. The Mustangs?? leading receivers are senior redshirt freshman wide out Ramses Barden (6-6, 220), Jonah Russell (5-11, 195), and senior wide receiver Jason Holmes (6-2, 203), who have combined for 80 catches, 1,218 yards and 10 TDs (Barden has eight of the team??s 10 receiving touchdowns).
KEY LOSS:
Anthony Garnett, who started the first six games for the Mustangs was lost for the season in the closing minutes of Cal Poly??s Oct. 22 loss at Montana. Garnett had passed for 1,028 yards and seven TDs and rushed for seven scores. Cal Poly??s starting quarterback now is redshirt freshman Matt Brennan (6-2, 205), who has completed 48-of-99-5 (48.5%) for 578 yards and three touchdowns and he??s rushed for 238 yards and three scores.
DEFENSIVE LEADERS:
Junior linebacker Kyle Shotwell (6-1, 235) has a team-high 127 tackles, including 12 for losses. Senior end Chris Cocong (6-3, 265), a finalist for the Buchanan Award, has 79 tackles, including 24 for losses, and 17.5 sacks.
TOUGH ??D??:
The Cal Poly defense is ranked eighth in the country against the rush (giving up 104.91 yards a game), 16th in scoring defense (17.91 ppg), and 22nd in total defense (allowing 311.0 yards per contest).
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Junior kicker Nick Coromelas had made 14-of-20 field goals and has a long of 49. Sophomore punter Tim Chicoine is third in the nation, averaging 43.23 yards per attempt.
CAL POLY HEAD COACH:
Rich Ellerson (Hawaii, 1977) is 33-22 in his fifth year at Cal Poly. He is 0-4 versus Montana (0-3 in Missoula and 0-1 in Cal Poly.)
THE SERIES:
Montana leads 10-0. A game-by-game breakdown:
1969: at Montana 14, Cal Poly 0
1971: Montana 38, at Cal Poly 14
1994: at Montana 45, Cal Poly 0
1996: at Montana 43, Cal Poly 0
1998: at Montana 37, Cal Poly 14
1999: Montana 28, at Cal Poly 14
2000: at Montana 53, Cal Poly 3
2001: Montana 31, at Cal Poly 17
2003: at Montana 17, Cal Poly 14
2004: at Montana 36, Cal Poly 27
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