Griz begin spring drills Saturday, March 15
3/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 7, 2014
Spring Practice Calendar 
Griz 2013 Wrap-up
The University of Montana Grizzly football team will begin preparation for the 2014 season next week, as spring drills begin Saturday, March 15.
Spring drills will run from March 15-28, and April 7-17. The first of three scrimmages is Saturday, March 22, and starts around 10:00 a.m. UM's annual spring game is Saturday, April 12th in Washington-Grizzly Stadium, and will begin about 6:00 p.m. The final scrimmage of spring drills is Thursday, April 17, and will start at around 7:30 p.m.
The team will take seven days off from March 29 to April 6 for spring break. Practices times will vary.
Third-year Griz head coach Mick Delaney and his staff will welcome back 14 starters from a team that went 10-3 overall and was 6-2 (third) in the Big Conference last year. Montana, which won seven of its final eight regular-season games, was ranked eighth in the nation in the Sports Network's final regular-season poll.
Along with those 14 starters (seven on offense, five on defense, and a punter and a kicker), the Griz return 44 lettermen, 15 redshirts, and 13 squad members. Twenty-four players from the high school ranks will join the team when fall drills begin in early August.
Montana's returning starters on offense are senior halfback Jordan Canada, junior wide receivers Ellis Henderson and Jamaal Jones, senior quarterback Jordan Johnson, senior tackle Trevor Poole, junior tackle John Schmaing, and junior fullback Jamal Wilson.
Last season Canada led Montana in rushing, gaining 1,062 yards and scoring 14 TDs. Henderson and Jones combined for 85 receptions for 1,768 yards and 17 touchdowns (Henderson had 14 TD grabs). Johnson passed for 3,387 yards and 32 touchdowns.
A year ago, Henderson was a second team All-Big Sky selection, while Johnson, Poole, and Wilson were third team picks. Canada and Schmaing were named honorable mention all-league.
Starters back on "D" are junior cornerback Nate Harris, senior free safety Matt Hermanson, junior end Tyrone Holmes, senior tackle Tonga Takai, and senior end Zach Wagenmann. Also back are junior punter Stephen Shaw and sophomore kicker Ben Worst.
Hermanson was second on the team with 107 total tackles, while Wagenmann had team-highs of 16.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, along with 64 tackles.
Wagenmann was tabbed first team all-league for the second year in a row in 2013, while Hermanson was named to the second team. Harris and Holmes were honorable mention selections, as were Shaw and Worst.
The Griz open their season August 30th at Wyoming.
