2008 Griz football camp: Report No. 2
8/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
HEAD COACH BOBBY HAUCK COMMENTS: "One of the things that grabs me right now is that we are giving up too many big plays on defense. We are lacking consistency at a lot of positions right now, and hopefully that will improve with reps. We are practicing different game situations every day during our team periods.
"Our emphasis right now for the first seven or eight days of fall camp is the installation of our schemes on both sides of the football and our technical development, and we are making strides in both of those areas."
SPECIALISTS LAUDED: Hauck said that he was pleased with the kicking and punting of a trio of players.
"It looks like Ken Wood worked hard on his punting this past summer and it shows. He has really improved from the spring," Hauck said.
"Brody McKnight is doing a good job kicking the ball, as is Russell Schey (pronounced shy). Both of them are also hitting the ball deep on kickoffs, which was a real concern for us going into fall camp. We still have a long way to go in our kicking game, but we are making progress."
Wood is a 5-10, 181-pound redshirt freshman from Spokane, Wash. (University High School). He was at UM last season.
McKnight is a 6-0, 190-pound transfer from Purdue where he was a walk-on.
Schey is a true freshman from Billings West High School where the 6-2, 180-pounder was not just a kicker but earned first team all-state honors at safety last season.
GIVE HIM ANOTHER SEASON: McKnight was a redshirt freshman at Purdue last season, therefore he has four years of eligibility left, not three as originally reported.
ROSTER UPDATE: There are no roster changes right now, but another junior college cornerback transfer is expected to begin practicing soon.
POSITION CHANGE: Coach Hauck said that Tim Anderson, a 6-0, 213-pound sophomore from local Loyola High School, was moved from strong safety to linebacker recently. Anderson was an all-state athlete in three sports as a prep.
THREE FORMER PLAYERS JOIN COACHING RANKS: Former Griz football players Karl Pitcher, Matt Troxel, and Clint Stapp have hung up their cleats and are currently serving as student assistant coaches at Montana. Both Pitcher, a defensive end from Anaconda, and Troxel, a wide receiver from Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, decided to forgo their senior seasons due to persistent injuries. Stapp, a quarterback from Niwot, Colo., had two seasons of eligibility remaining, but is graduating from UM this year and wanted to focus on school but also wanted to contribute to the Grizzly football program.
NEWCOMER BIO: As noted earlier, Andrew Swink, a 5-9, 175-pound junior cornerback from Rowland Heights, Calif. (Mount San Antonio College) is in fall camp and vying for a starting job.
SWINK BIO: A two-year starter for the Mounties, who went 20-5 the last two seasons en route to two league championships ... First team all-state and All-Mission Conference as a sophomore for his 11-3 JC team ... Sophomore year he had 50 tackles, 10 pass break-ups and four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown ... Freshman JC team was 9-2 ... His junior college coach was Rob Jastrab ... Prepped at Rowland Heights (Calif.) High School, where he lettered in football, basketball and track ... All-conference selection in football and track (long jump and triple jump) ... Team captain in football and track as a senior. Personal: Andrew's mom is Anita Furmon of La Quinta, Calif. Major: Business. Birth date: July 10, 1987.
CAMP NOTES: Temperatures near 100 degrees are expected this weekend, and UM's first two-a-day practice is tomorrow (Saturday, Aug. 16) ... Sophomore linebacker Andy Gonzales, a walk-on from Portland, Ore., did not report for fall camp ... The Griz had four players named to the Big Sky Conference's preseason all-league team: senior offensive linemen Colin Dow, J.D. Quinn and Brent Russum and senior strong safety Colt Anderson ... The team consisted of 29 players, and 16 of them were first team all-conference picks in 2007 ... Dow, from Billings, and Anderson, from Butte, were unanimous selections to the preseason squad.
"Our emphasis right now for the first seven or eight days of fall camp is the installation of our schemes on both sides of the football and our technical development, and we are making strides in both of those areas."
SPECIALISTS LAUDED: Hauck said that he was pleased with the kicking and punting of a trio of players.
"It looks like Ken Wood worked hard on his punting this past summer and it shows. He has really improved from the spring," Hauck said.
"Brody McKnight is doing a good job kicking the ball, as is Russell Schey (pronounced shy). Both of them are also hitting the ball deep on kickoffs, which was a real concern for us going into fall camp. We still have a long way to go in our kicking game, but we are making progress."
Wood is a 5-10, 181-pound redshirt freshman from Spokane, Wash. (University High School). He was at UM last season.
McKnight is a 6-0, 190-pound transfer from Purdue where he was a walk-on.
Schey is a true freshman from Billings West High School where the 6-2, 180-pounder was not just a kicker but earned first team all-state honors at safety last season.
GIVE HIM ANOTHER SEASON: McKnight was a redshirt freshman at Purdue last season, therefore he has four years of eligibility left, not three as originally reported.
ROSTER UPDATE: There are no roster changes right now, but another junior college cornerback transfer is expected to begin practicing soon.
POSITION CHANGE: Coach Hauck said that Tim Anderson, a 6-0, 213-pound sophomore from local Loyola High School, was moved from strong safety to linebacker recently. Anderson was an all-state athlete in three sports as a prep.
THREE FORMER PLAYERS JOIN COACHING RANKS: Former Griz football players Karl Pitcher, Matt Troxel, and Clint Stapp have hung up their cleats and are currently serving as student assistant coaches at Montana. Both Pitcher, a defensive end from Anaconda, and Troxel, a wide receiver from Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, decided to forgo their senior seasons due to persistent injuries. Stapp, a quarterback from Niwot, Colo., had two seasons of eligibility remaining, but is graduating from UM this year and wanted to focus on school but also wanted to contribute to the Grizzly football program.
NEWCOMER BIO: As noted earlier, Andrew Swink, a 5-9, 175-pound junior cornerback from Rowland Heights, Calif. (Mount San Antonio College) is in fall camp and vying for a starting job.
SWINK BIO: A two-year starter for the Mounties, who went 20-5 the last two seasons en route to two league championships ... First team all-state and All-Mission Conference as a sophomore for his 11-3 JC team ... Sophomore year he had 50 tackles, 10 pass break-ups and four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown ... Freshman JC team was 9-2 ... His junior college coach was Rob Jastrab ... Prepped at Rowland Heights (Calif.) High School, where he lettered in football, basketball and track ... All-conference selection in football and track (long jump and triple jump) ... Team captain in football and track as a senior. Personal: Andrew's mom is Anita Furmon of La Quinta, Calif. Major: Business. Birth date: July 10, 1987.
CAMP NOTES: Temperatures near 100 degrees are expected this weekend, and UM's first two-a-day practice is tomorrow (Saturday, Aug. 16) ... Sophomore linebacker Andy Gonzales, a walk-on from Portland, Ore., did not report for fall camp ... The Griz had four players named to the Big Sky Conference's preseason all-league team: senior offensive linemen Colin Dow, J.D. Quinn and Brent Russum and senior strong safety Colt Anderson ... The team consisted of 29 players, and 16 of them were first team all-conference picks in 2007 ... Dow, from Billings, and Anderson, from Butte, were unanimous selections to the preseason squad.
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