Griz specialists and QBs ready to make impact in 2017

COMPLETE 2017 SPRING PROSPECTUS

By most accounts, the 2016 Montana Grizzlies were a young team, but in no group were they younger than on the special teams.

It's not often in the world of Division-I football that a pair of redshirt freshman kickers and a sophomore punter are given the task of performing under the watchful eye of 26,000 fans in the highest-pressure situations FCS football has to offer, but that's what Montana specialists Tim Semenza, Brandon Purdy and Eric Williams did.

The Grizzlies' young kickers were forced to come of age quickly in 2016, and despite the group's youthfulness, Montana's was the third-most accurate field goal unit in the Big Sky, connecting on an average of nearly 79 percent of UM's 19 attempts.

Despite suffering a cold spell late in the season, Semenza finished the season as the league's seventh-leading scorer amongst players in any position, slotting 13 field goals and 33 PATs for a personal haul of 72 points. Purdy, who saw action in five games, put up solid numbers of his own as well, going 2-3 on field goals and 12-13 on PATs.

Solid marks for a kicker whose last competitive kick was on the high school fields of San Diego before being thrown into the fire at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. But even with high percentages, the Grizzlies still struggled at times - especially in PATs, where the Griz missed 10 of 55 attempts in 2016.

Now with a season of the best learning experience possible under its belt, the Grizzly corps of specialists enters spring drills looking to increase those percentages. With two kickers who have proven they have the tools to do the job, UM's spring season will be used to see who is going to get it done on a constant basis.

"Obviously, we had some good stuff, and some bad stuff happen to us last year on special teams. Now we have to be a lot more consistent this year with the good stuff," said second-year Montana special teams coordinator Travis Niekamp.

"We are light years ahead right now compared to where we were last year at this time. Not just experience alone, but also from a developmental standpoint. Guys actually kicking in live games in front of 26,000 people, pressure situations, all the different stuff you can think of - we've got three guys that have been there and done that."

One veteran specialist who is absent from this season's roster is long snapper Aaron Held, who is set to graduate this spring and move on to grad school, before eventually entering med school.

Over the past four seasons, Held was one of Montana's most trusted performers, starting 49 consecutive games at a position that goes largely unnoticed.

"The thing with specialists is you don't realize how important they are until they leave. Aaron did a heck of a job for us for four years, did a phenomenal job last year – we didn't have one bad snap from him – so now we have big shoes to fill," said Niekamp.

Attempting to fill those shoes will be junior Gage Smith, who also suits up at linebacker for the Griz, seeing action in three games last year and posting one tackle. Two other Grizzlies will get a shot at a starting snapper position as well, with Caleb Mitchell and Matthew O'Donoghue each coming off a redshirt season,

"There'll be a lot of competition through spring and maybe into fall camp to see who rises to the top. I feel good about who we have, it's just a matter of getting them ready to play," Niekamp added.

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While Montana's long snappers joust for a starting spot, this spring, most eyes around Washington-Grizzly Stadium will be focused on Montana's trio of quarterbacks as the Griz look to fill the position vacated by NFL prospect Brady Gustafson.

Head coach and offensive coordinator Bob Stitt has made it clear each QB (senior Reese Phillips, junior Caleb Hill, and freshman Gresch Jensen) will be in the mix for a starting position in the fall, pending their form during spring ball.

But ever the pragmatist, Stitt is fully aware that only one quarterback on the roster has taken a snap in maroon and silver on game day.

"It's an open battle," Stitt said last month. "Reese will start out as the number one guy. Then you add guys like Caleb and Gresch who will really increase the competition and could see time.

"We've got to come out of spring with a quarterback that can run our offense, take care of the football, but also be very aggressive, take chances and make plays when we need them."

The quarterbacks themselves are well aware of the opportunity spring ball holds for them, and each has prepared in his own way to embrace the role of Montana's starting QB.

Phillips, who transferred to Montana from the SEC's University of Kentucky, is in the diver's seat to start, having played four games last season, completing eight passes for 50 yards in cleanup time.

The former Wildcat had offers out of high school to play for notable programs like Mississippi State (where 2016 NFL Rookie of the Year Dak Prescott was just starting to make a name for himself), Vanderbilt, and Memphis.

Since arriving in Missoula, Phillips has gone to work developing relationships with his teammates and coaches, while learning ins and outs of Montana's spread offense, a system similar to what he ran at Kentucky.

He says those experiences combined have made him confident he will be able to apply it toward creating success on the field this year at UM.

"When I came back from Christmas break, I just had a different feeling, being a senior. My teammates and coaches have allowed me to step into that leadership role, and I've taken it and run with it," said Phillips.

"I'm comfortable because I'm in the position I've always wanted to be in, and it's a lot of fun. It's a lot of fun to kind of be 'the guy.' That hasn't been announced, but that's just how I feel. I'm excited, not really nervous, just excited to get the keys and run with it."

Caleb Hill enters his first spring at UM after transferring from Blinn College in Texas where he was a two-year starter at quarterback.

He's now hoping to work his way into a starting position as a Griz after falling in love with the environment at Washington-Grizzly Stadium during an official visit last season.

"Everybody knows - or they should know - that Texas football is just a level above everything else. There's something about it. I mean, I played in a state championship with 40 thousand people in Dallas Cowboys Stadium - for a high school game!" said Hill.

"Coming up here and seeing the fans, and the atmosphere from the Griz walk, team meetings, and the tailgate, it had a good Texas feel to it. These people are Griz nation, they bleed maroon, and this is their team.

"I had a good feeling just knowing that, hey, I'm going somewhere they love football, and they have pride in their program."

Hill, who had only seen snow once in his life before coming to Montana in January, was also highly touted out of high school, getting looks from programs like Texas, Houston and Iowa State, but deciding on the junior college route when none pulled the trigger.

After one injury-shortened, but two overly successful years at a strong JC program at Blinn (which also produced NFL quarterback Cam Newton), he feels like he can make an impact in a short time for the Griz.

"I know what kind of competition I played against in both JC and high school. I mean, the defense on my team at Blinn had eight players go to the Pac-12, SEC or Big 10," said Hill.

"So, I'm just looking forward to going out and playing. The good thing is I'm familiar with this offense. It's almost the exact same thing we ran at Blinn."

While Hill, who will be a junior in the fall, is confident in his ability, he knows a starting job won't be easy to earn.

"We're, all three, very good quarterbacks, so it's going to come down to doing the small things right on and off the field. All I can do is just go out and make sure I do my job right and encourage and push my teammates when I'm in there taking the snaps, and whatever happens, happens," Hill added.

Jensen enters the competition for starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman, coming off a season leading the Griz scout team during practice.

Even though he hasn't seen any time suited up on the field yet at the collegiate level, he's no stranger to life as a student-athlete at Montana.

You might say being a Griz is a family tradition for Jensen. His mom and dad met at UM while his mother threw the discus for the Griz, and his Grandparents (who currently live in Helena) went to school at UM as well.

"I've been watching the Griz since I was little. My family is all huge fans," said Jensen, who came to UM from Auburn, Wash.

"I'd always come through Missoula when I was young, stop in at practices and sit out there and watch for hours. I mean, our family email, like, starts with "Go Griz" or something like that!"

With that rich family history behind his fledgling career at UM, Jensen is also confident ins his ability to earn a starting job, while understanding what he needs to do to make it a reality.

"My expectation is to come in every day and just get better. Whether its film, lifting or throwing, just try to get better each day at each practice. Then, let things fall where they may, and just get better every day."

Montana will conclude spring drills with the annual spring game, this year held at historic Naranche Stadium in Butte on April 22. Tickets for the spring game are available at the Adams Center Box Office and online at GrizTix.com.

University of Montana Athletics

Griz specialists and QBs ready to make impact in 2017

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Players Mentioned

Brady Gustafson

Aaron Held

Caleb Hill

Gresch Jensen

Caleb Mitchell

Matthew O'Donoghue

Reese Phillips

Brandon Purdy

Tim Semenza

Gage Smith

Eric Williams

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