Griz land 14 All-Big Sky selections
11/23/2022 10:12:00 AM | Football
With six first-team selections – tied for the most on the team since 2019 – the Montana Grizzlies had 14 players earn all-conference recognition at the conclusion of the regular season, the Big Sky announced Wednesday.
Of Montana's 14 picks, eight are repeat all-conference selections this year, with three players named to the first team for a second-straight season. More than half of the 14 also have eligibility remaining and are expected to return next season.
Safety Robby Hauck, who was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award on Tuesday, became a three-time All-Big Sky honoree and a repeat first-team selection. Hauck became Montana's all-time leading tackler this season and is just 15 stops shy from breaking the conference tackle record heading into the playoffs.
Linebacker Patrick O'Connell became a two-time first-team pick after leading the league in both sacks and tackles for loss despite missing the bulk of three games this season with injury. The NFL prospect from Kalispell is tied with Andy Petek for the seventh-most career tackles for loss in program history with 44 this week and is a half-sack behind Petek at No. 6 on the sack list.
Cornerback Justin Ford, the league's newcomer of the year in 2021, also repeated as a first-team selection in his senior season. A year after intercepting the most passes in all of college football, Ford had been paid the ultimate respect from opponents in 2022 by not throwing to his side of the field. Montana's opponents have completed 198 passes against the Grizzlies this season, and only 11 have been targeted in Ford's direction.
Junior tackle Alex Gubner also earned first-team All-Big Sky honors after being named to the second team as a sophomore. He's totaled Montana's third-most sacks this season with 3.5 and fourth-most TFLs with 6.5.
Gubner is the fourth Grizzly defender to earn a place on the first team and has been a key player in Montana's stifling defense this season. The Griz enter the postseason ranked in the top 10 nationally in six different defensive categories, including holding the fourth-most team TFLs in the FCS and the No. 8 scoring defense.
Offensively, junior guard Hunter Mayginnes landed on the All-Big Sky first team after helping Montana's run game explode toward the end of the season. Mayginnes was a third-team pick as a sophomore and earned Montana's Paul Weskamp Award for outstanding offensive lineman at this year's team awards banquet.
Rounding out UM's first-team picks is Patrick Rohrbach, who is currently having the best season by a punter in program history with an average of 46.2 yards per attempt. The native of Kalispell is also the only specialist named a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award that goes to the top freshman in the nation at any position.
He's been a catalyst for Montana's punt coverage team as well, with the Grizzlies leading FCS football in net punt average at 42.15 yards per attempt, meaning the average punt return for UM's opponents is a mere 4.05 yards.
His average of 46.2 yards is not only second-best in the FCS, it's also a top-five average at the FBS level as well. Only five punters in all of D-I football have a better average per punt, and Rohrbach is the only freshman among them. As a unit net put average is also a top-10 mark at the FBS level, with Michigan State leading the nation at 45 yards per attempt.
Montana's elite special teams units were recognized once again with a pair of second-team All-Big Sky picks.
Record-breaking kick returner Malik Flowers became a three-time all-conference selection after a top-five year in the FCS, despite opposing teams rarely aiming in his direction. Flowers' career average of 28.62 yards per kick return is a program record and one of the top-six averages in Big Sky history, and his career total of six kickoff return TDs is tied for the second-most in NCAA history.
Junior linebacker Tyler Flink made big play after big play on special teams this season to earn a place on the second team as well. Flink, from Missoula, totaled 30 tackles, two sacks, and 3.5 TFL on the year with a forced fumble, an interception, and two quarterback hurries. He also lived a highlight moment for any defender, recovering a blocked punt and returning it 32 yards for a touchdown against Northwestern State.
Center AJ Forbes picked up a spot on the third-team all-conference list in his second season as a starter on the Grizzly front. He's set to make his 17th start for the Griz this week when Montana faces SEMO in the playoffs. The junior has helped lead the Grizzlies to five different 200-plus yard rushing days this season, with UM blowing up for 749 yards over the course of two games against Cal Poly and EWU.
Also earning a place on the third team as an all-purpose player is Junior Bergen, who has done a little bit of everything for the Griz in his two years in Missoula. The sophomore out of Billings has lined up at receiver, thrown a touchdown pass, and returned kicks and punts this season. Despite a hand injury Bergen still ranks third in the Big Sky in punt returns, averaging 13.3 yards per attempt on nine returns, with a long of 72 yards and a touchdown.
Picking up all-conference honorable mentions for a second-straight year were receiver Mitch Roberts and tight end Cole Grossman, as well as linebackers Levi Janacaro and Marcus Welnel.
2022 Big Sky Football Individual Award Winners
Offensive Player of the Year: Cameron Skattebo, RB (SAC)
Defensive Player of the Year: Marte Mapu, OLB/DB (SAC)
Newcomer of the Year: Sean Chambers, QB (MSU)
Freshman of the Year: Gevani McCoy, QB (UI)
Co-Coach of the Year: Troy Taylor (SAC)/Brent Vigen (MSU)
First Team All-Big Sky
QB: Miles Hastings (UCD)
RB: Cameron Skattebo (SAC), Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. (UCD)
FB: Derryk Snell (MSU)
WR: Hayden Hatten (UI), Pierre Williams (SAC), Jermaine Jackson (UI)
TE: Marshel Martin (SAC)
OL: Nick Amoah (UCD), Noah Atagi (WSU), Tyson Pauling (PSU), Jackson Slater (SAC), Brandon Weldon (SAC), Hunter Mayginnes (UM)
DT: Sebastian Valdez (MSU), Alex Gubner (UM)
DE: Brody Grebe (MSU), Zach Kennedy (UCD)
OLB: Marte Mapu (SAC), Patrick O'Connell (UM)
MLB: Armon Bailey (SAC), Callahan O'Reilly (MSU), Winston Reid (WSU)
DB: Eddie Heckard (WSU), Justin Ford (UM), Robby Hauck (UM), Maxwell Anderson (WSU), Rex Connors (UCD)
K: Kyle Sentkowski (SAC)
P: Patrick Rohrbach (UM)
KR: Abraham Williams (WSU)
PR: Jermaine Jackson (UI)
ST: Lan Larison (UCD)
AP: Asher O'Hara (SAC)
*Three MLBs on the 1st team due to a tie
Second Team All-Big Sky
QB: Tommy Mellott (MSU)
RB: Elijah Dotson (UNC), Anthony Woods (UI)
WR: Xavier Guillory (ISU), Ty MacPherson (WSU), Beau Kelly (PSU)
TE: McCallan Castles (UCD)
OL: Nathan Mejia (SAC), Rush Reimer (MSU), Connor Pettek (UCD), Jordan Lutui (WSU), Troy Stiefel (SAC), Jordan Ford (UCD)
DT: Jett Stanley (SAC), Kalisi Moli (WSU)
DE: Cosmas Kwete (NAU), Juliano Falaniko (UI)
OLB: Ty Okada (MSU), Paul Moala (UI)
MLB: Fa'Avae Fa'Avae (UI), Elijah Anderson-Taylor (UNC)
DB: Caleb Nelson (SAC), Desmond Williams (WSU), Morgan Vest (NAU), Devon King (UCD), Marcus Harris (UI)
K: Ricardo Chavez (UI)
P: Nick Kokich (EWU)
KR: Malik Flowers (UM)
PR: Haze Hadley (WSU)
ST: Tyler Flink (UM)
AP: Sean Chambers (MSU)
Third Team All-Big Sky
QB: Gevani McCoy (UI)/Jake Dunniway (SAC)
RB: Dontae McMillan (WSU), Marcus Fulcher (SAC)
WR: Coleman Owen (NAU), Efton Chism III (EWU), Willie Patterson (MSU), Freddie Roberson (EWU)
TE: Josh Cuevas (CP)
OL: Ethan Atagi (WSU), Logan Floyd (UI), AJ Forbes (UM), PJ Poutasi (NAU), JT Reed (MSU), Brady Odom (UNC)
DT: EJ Ane (PSU), Chubba Ma'ae (UCD)
DE: Killian Rosko (SAC), Eloi Kwete (NAU)
OLB: David Meyer (CP)
MLB: Teddye Buchanan (UCD), Charles Ike (ISU)
DB: Tommy McCormick (UI), Marlon Jones Jr. (EWU), Xavier Bell (PSU), Jehiel Budgett (UCD), Jordan Knapke (UNC)
K: Isaiah Gomez (UCD)
P: Cal McGough (SAC)
KR: Marqui Johnson (MSU)
PR: Marcus Fulcher (SAC)
ST: Sean McCormick (UI)
AP: Junior Bergen (UM)
*Two QBs on the 3rd team due to a tie
*Four WRs on the 3rd team due to a tie
Honorable Mention
QB: Gunner Talkington (EWU), Dylan McCaffrey (UNC)
RB: Damon Bankston (WSU)
WR: Chris Coleman (CP), Mitch Roberts (UM), Hendrix Johnson (NAU), Mataio Talalemotu (PSU)
TE: Cole Grossman (UM), Justin Malone (WSU), Anthony Rodriguez (PSU)
OL: Wyatt Hansen (EWU), Justus Perkins (MSU), Beau St. John (UI), Ayden Knapik (UI)
DE: Joshua Jerome (EWU), Elijah Ponder (CP), Leo Tamba (UI), VJ Malo (PSU), Mitchell Johnson (EWU)
MLB: Levi Janacaro (UM), Marcus Welnel (UM), Nolan Askelson (MSU)
DB: Kamden Garrett (WSU)
K: Blake Glessner (MSU)
P: Devin Bale (UNC)
AP: Elijah Dotson (UNC), Draycen Hall (NAU), Emmanuel Daigbe (PSU)
KR: Lan Larison (UCD), Elijah Dotson (UNC)
PR: Elijah Dotson (UNC)
ST: Kurt Gallup (UNC)
Of Montana's 14 picks, eight are repeat all-conference selections this year, with three players named to the first team for a second-straight season. More than half of the 14 also have eligibility remaining and are expected to return next season.
Safety Robby Hauck, who was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award on Tuesday, became a three-time All-Big Sky honoree and a repeat first-team selection. Hauck became Montana's all-time leading tackler this season and is just 15 stops shy from breaking the conference tackle record heading into the playoffs.
Linebacker Patrick O'Connell became a two-time first-team pick after leading the league in both sacks and tackles for loss despite missing the bulk of three games this season with injury. The NFL prospect from Kalispell is tied with Andy Petek for the seventh-most career tackles for loss in program history with 44 this week and is a half-sack behind Petek at No. 6 on the sack list.
Cornerback Justin Ford, the league's newcomer of the year in 2021, also repeated as a first-team selection in his senior season. A year after intercepting the most passes in all of college football, Ford had been paid the ultimate respect from opponents in 2022 by not throwing to his side of the field. Montana's opponents have completed 198 passes against the Grizzlies this season, and only 11 have been targeted in Ford's direction.
Junior tackle Alex Gubner also earned first-team All-Big Sky honors after being named to the second team as a sophomore. He's totaled Montana's third-most sacks this season with 3.5 and fourth-most TFLs with 6.5.
Gubner is the fourth Grizzly defender to earn a place on the first team and has been a key player in Montana's stifling defense this season. The Griz enter the postseason ranked in the top 10 nationally in six different defensive categories, including holding the fourth-most team TFLs in the FCS and the No. 8 scoring defense.
Offensively, junior guard Hunter Mayginnes landed on the All-Big Sky first team after helping Montana's run game explode toward the end of the season. Mayginnes was a third-team pick as a sophomore and earned Montana's Paul Weskamp Award for outstanding offensive lineman at this year's team awards banquet.
Rounding out UM's first-team picks is Patrick Rohrbach, who is currently having the best season by a punter in program history with an average of 46.2 yards per attempt. The native of Kalispell is also the only specialist named a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award that goes to the top freshman in the nation at any position.
He's been a catalyst for Montana's punt coverage team as well, with the Grizzlies leading FCS football in net punt average at 42.15 yards per attempt, meaning the average punt return for UM's opponents is a mere 4.05 yards.
His average of 46.2 yards is not only second-best in the FCS, it's also a top-five average at the FBS level as well. Only five punters in all of D-I football have a better average per punt, and Rohrbach is the only freshman among them. As a unit net put average is also a top-10 mark at the FBS level, with Michigan State leading the nation at 45 yards per attempt.
Montana's elite special teams units were recognized once again with a pair of second-team All-Big Sky picks.
Record-breaking kick returner Malik Flowers became a three-time all-conference selection after a top-five year in the FCS, despite opposing teams rarely aiming in his direction. Flowers' career average of 28.62 yards per kick return is a program record and one of the top-six averages in Big Sky history, and his career total of six kickoff return TDs is tied for the second-most in NCAA history.
Junior linebacker Tyler Flink made big play after big play on special teams this season to earn a place on the second team as well. Flink, from Missoula, totaled 30 tackles, two sacks, and 3.5 TFL on the year with a forced fumble, an interception, and two quarterback hurries. He also lived a highlight moment for any defender, recovering a blocked punt and returning it 32 yards for a touchdown against Northwestern State.
Center AJ Forbes picked up a spot on the third-team all-conference list in his second season as a starter on the Grizzly front. He's set to make his 17th start for the Griz this week when Montana faces SEMO in the playoffs. The junior has helped lead the Grizzlies to five different 200-plus yard rushing days this season, with UM blowing up for 749 yards over the course of two games against Cal Poly and EWU.
Also earning a place on the third team as an all-purpose player is Junior Bergen, who has done a little bit of everything for the Griz in his two years in Missoula. The sophomore out of Billings has lined up at receiver, thrown a touchdown pass, and returned kicks and punts this season. Despite a hand injury Bergen still ranks third in the Big Sky in punt returns, averaging 13.3 yards per attempt on nine returns, with a long of 72 yards and a touchdown.
Picking up all-conference honorable mentions for a second-straight year were receiver Mitch Roberts and tight end Cole Grossman, as well as linebackers Levi Janacaro and Marcus Welnel.
2022 Big Sky Football Individual Award Winners
Offensive Player of the Year: Cameron Skattebo, RB (SAC)
Defensive Player of the Year: Marte Mapu, OLB/DB (SAC)
Newcomer of the Year: Sean Chambers, QB (MSU)
Freshman of the Year: Gevani McCoy, QB (UI)
Co-Coach of the Year: Troy Taylor (SAC)/Brent Vigen (MSU)
First Team All-Big Sky
QB: Miles Hastings (UCD)
RB: Cameron Skattebo (SAC), Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. (UCD)
FB: Derryk Snell (MSU)
WR: Hayden Hatten (UI), Pierre Williams (SAC), Jermaine Jackson (UI)
TE: Marshel Martin (SAC)
OL: Nick Amoah (UCD), Noah Atagi (WSU), Tyson Pauling (PSU), Jackson Slater (SAC), Brandon Weldon (SAC), Hunter Mayginnes (UM)
DT: Sebastian Valdez (MSU), Alex Gubner (UM)
DE: Brody Grebe (MSU), Zach Kennedy (UCD)
OLB: Marte Mapu (SAC), Patrick O'Connell (UM)
MLB: Armon Bailey (SAC), Callahan O'Reilly (MSU), Winston Reid (WSU)
DB: Eddie Heckard (WSU), Justin Ford (UM), Robby Hauck (UM), Maxwell Anderson (WSU), Rex Connors (UCD)
K: Kyle Sentkowski (SAC)
P: Patrick Rohrbach (UM)
KR: Abraham Williams (WSU)
PR: Jermaine Jackson (UI)
ST: Lan Larison (UCD)
AP: Asher O'Hara (SAC)
*Three MLBs on the 1st team due to a tie
Second Team All-Big Sky
QB: Tommy Mellott (MSU)
RB: Elijah Dotson (UNC), Anthony Woods (UI)
WR: Xavier Guillory (ISU), Ty MacPherson (WSU), Beau Kelly (PSU)
TE: McCallan Castles (UCD)
OL: Nathan Mejia (SAC), Rush Reimer (MSU), Connor Pettek (UCD), Jordan Lutui (WSU), Troy Stiefel (SAC), Jordan Ford (UCD)
DT: Jett Stanley (SAC), Kalisi Moli (WSU)
DE: Cosmas Kwete (NAU), Juliano Falaniko (UI)
OLB: Ty Okada (MSU), Paul Moala (UI)
MLB: Fa'Avae Fa'Avae (UI), Elijah Anderson-Taylor (UNC)
DB: Caleb Nelson (SAC), Desmond Williams (WSU), Morgan Vest (NAU), Devon King (UCD), Marcus Harris (UI)
K: Ricardo Chavez (UI)
P: Nick Kokich (EWU)
KR: Malik Flowers (UM)
PR: Haze Hadley (WSU)
ST: Tyler Flink (UM)
AP: Sean Chambers (MSU)
Third Team All-Big Sky
QB: Gevani McCoy (UI)/Jake Dunniway (SAC)
RB: Dontae McMillan (WSU), Marcus Fulcher (SAC)
WR: Coleman Owen (NAU), Efton Chism III (EWU), Willie Patterson (MSU), Freddie Roberson (EWU)
TE: Josh Cuevas (CP)
OL: Ethan Atagi (WSU), Logan Floyd (UI), AJ Forbes (UM), PJ Poutasi (NAU), JT Reed (MSU), Brady Odom (UNC)
DT: EJ Ane (PSU), Chubba Ma'ae (UCD)
DE: Killian Rosko (SAC), Eloi Kwete (NAU)
OLB: David Meyer (CP)
MLB: Teddye Buchanan (UCD), Charles Ike (ISU)
DB: Tommy McCormick (UI), Marlon Jones Jr. (EWU), Xavier Bell (PSU), Jehiel Budgett (UCD), Jordan Knapke (UNC)
K: Isaiah Gomez (UCD)
P: Cal McGough (SAC)
KR: Marqui Johnson (MSU)
PR: Marcus Fulcher (SAC)
ST: Sean McCormick (UI)
AP: Junior Bergen (UM)
*Two QBs on the 3rd team due to a tie
*Four WRs on the 3rd team due to a tie
Honorable Mention
QB: Gunner Talkington (EWU), Dylan McCaffrey (UNC)
RB: Damon Bankston (WSU)
WR: Chris Coleman (CP), Mitch Roberts (UM), Hendrix Johnson (NAU), Mataio Talalemotu (PSU)
TE: Cole Grossman (UM), Justin Malone (WSU), Anthony Rodriguez (PSU)
OL: Wyatt Hansen (EWU), Justus Perkins (MSU), Beau St. John (UI), Ayden Knapik (UI)
DE: Joshua Jerome (EWU), Elijah Ponder (CP), Leo Tamba (UI), VJ Malo (PSU), Mitchell Johnson (EWU)
MLB: Levi Janacaro (UM), Marcus Welnel (UM), Nolan Askelson (MSU)
DB: Kamden Garrett (WSU)
K: Blake Glessner (MSU)
P: Devin Bale (UNC)
AP: Elijah Dotson (UNC), Draycen Hall (NAU), Emmanuel Daigbe (PSU)
KR: Lan Larison (UCD), Elijah Dotson (UNC)
PR: Elijah Dotson (UNC)
ST: Kurt Gallup (UNC)
Players Mentioned
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