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Football Notes - Playoff Edition
Jon Kasper
11/24/2009
PDF of Release
Top-seeded Montana, Weber State and Eastern Washington begin play in the Division I Playoffs this weekend. Prepare for Saturday's playoff games by checking out this week's notes.
This Week’s Sky Playoff Schedule
Saturday, Nov. 28...................................................... Time
South Dakota State at Montana............................ 12:05 MST
Location: Missoula, Mont.
Venue: Washington-Grizzly Stadium (25,203)
Last Meeting: Montana beat South Dakota State 36-7 in 2006.
Series: UM leads 6-0.
TV: TBA
Video Steam: TBA
Weber State at William & Mary................................. 1:05 EST
Location: Williamsburg, Va.
Venue: Zable Field (12,259)
Series: First Meeting
TV: TBA
Video Stream: TBA
Eastern Washington at Stephen F. Austin.................. 2:05 CST
Location: Nacogdoches, Texas
Venue: Homer Bryce Stadium (14,575)
Last Meeting: SFA won
Series: SFA leads 2-1.
TV: TBA
Video Stream: TBA
Big Sky Playoff Facts
The Big Sky Conference has advanced at least two teams to the playoffs in 24 of the last 26 years.
This is the first time since 2003 and the fifth time since 1988 that three Big Sky teams have qualified for the playoffs.
In 118 playoff games, the Big Sky has compiled a 64-54 record. Seven of those wins and seven losses occurred against fellow Big Sky teams. Against outside opponents, the Big Sky is 57-47.
Big Sky teams have won five national titles. Boise State won it all in 1980, followed by Idaho State in 1981, Montana State in 1984, and Montana in 1995 and 2001.
Six times Big Sky teams have lost in the national championship game. Nevada was a runner-up in 1990. Boise State finished second in 1994. Montana has been second four times: 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008.
Four times since 2003, a Big Sky team has knocked out the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the playoffs. In 2003, Northern Arizona upset No. 1 McNeese State 35-3 in Lake Charles, La., in a first-round game. In 2004, Eastern Washington upset Southern Illinois on the road 34-31 in a first-round game. In 2007, Eastern Washington beat No. 2 McNeese State 44-15 in Lake Charles in a first-round game. In 2008, Montana upset No. 1 James Madison 35-27 in a semifinal game on the road.
Montana has advanced to the playoffs 17 straight season, a record. The Grizzlies are making their 20th playoff appearance, and now stands alone in first place in overall appearances. Eastern Kentucky is second with 17. Montana’s 27 playoff victories ranks second all-time behind Georgia Southern (38).
Weber State is in the playoffs for the second straight season and the fourth time overall. The Wildcats beat Cal Poly 49-35 in a 2008 first-round game.
Eastern Washington is making their seventh overall playoff appearance, and sixth as a member of the Big Sky. The Eagles advanced to the 1997 semifinals, and notched upsets in the first round in 2004 (No. 1 Southern Illinois) and 2007 (No. 2 McNeese State)
Around the Big Sky
PERFECT, AGAIN: Montana capped its third undefeated Big Sky season in four years with a 33-19 win over Montana State in Bozeman on Saturday. Montana has won 31 of its last 32 Big Sky games. Montana also finished its second 11-0 regular-season in three years. It’s the fifth time in the history of the Montana program that the Grizzlies have gone undefeated during the regular season. Montana has finished 8-0 in Big Sky play in 2009, 2007, 2006, 2000 and 1996. Montana finished the decade 67-8 in Big Sky games with five outright conference titles and five co-championships. Montana has won or shared 12 straight Big Sky titles dating back to 1998, and 15 of the last 17 dating back to 1993. Montana has now beaten Montana State four straight seasons and 20 of the last 23.
CAUSE(WAY) FOR CELEBRATION: Sacramento State rallied from a 28-17 fourth-quarter deficit to beat arch-rival UC Davis 31-28 in the Causeway Classic in front of 17,127 at Hornet Stadium. Sacramento State’s Jake Croxdale scored on a 2-yard run with 7:36 remaining to cut the lead to 28-23. Junior Brandy Reed made a great catch in the back of the end zone with just 20 second remaining for the game-winning score. The catch capped a 10-play, 83-yard drive. Students and fans stormed the field as it marked the Hornets first back-to-back victories over the Aggies since 1990-91.It was the Hornets first win over the Aggies at Hornet Stadium since 1999. The crowd was the third-largest in stadium history.
SHERRITT SETS TACKLE MARK: Eastern Washington linebacker J.C. Sherritt, a Buck Buchanan Award Candidate, amassed 15 tackles in a loss to Northern Arizona. Sherritt now has 154 total tackles this season, a Big Sky single-season record. The record dates back to 2000 when the NCAA began keeping statistics as an official statistic. Eastern Washington’s Greg Belzer held the previous record with 151 total tackles in 2000. Belzer had 45 solo stops and 106 assisted stops in 11 games. Sherritt has 65 solo tackles and 89 assisted stops. Sherritt leads the nation with an average of 14 tackles per game. Sherritt has 11.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.
GLANVILLE, PORTLAND STATE PART WAYS: Jerry Glanville announced his resignation last Tuesday, ending his three-year run as the Portland State head coach. Glanville, the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Oilers, compiled a 9-24 record, including a 7-17 mark in Big Sky Conference play. Portland State finished the 2009 season 2-9, the program’s worst season since 1982.
SKY IN THE SAGARIN: The Big Sky finished the regular season ranked second among the FCS conferences in the Sagarin Ratings. The Big Sky is behind only the CAA, which has four teams in the playoffs. Five Big Sky teams are ranked among the top 21 FCS teams. Montana is fourth among FCS teams and 75th among all teams. EWU is eighth and WSU is 12th. MSU is 17th and NAU is 21st.
HERRICK’S DAY FOURTH: Northern Arizona junior quarterback Michael Herrick threw for 574 yards in the Lumberjacks’ 49-45 loss to Eastern Washington. It was the fourth-most passing yards in Big Sky history. Weber State’s Jamie Martin threw for 624 yards in a 1991 win over Idaho State. Portland State’s Drew Hubel threw for 623 yards in 2008 against Eastern Washington. Idaho State’s Vern Harris threw for 589 yards against Montana in 1985. The 574 yards ranks 11th in FCS history. Herrick completed 47-of-of-65 passes. The 47 completions tied Martin’s single-game league record. Northern Arizona rolled up 747 yards of total offense and 38 first downs - 31 via the pass. Herrick threw four touchdowns, but was intercepted twice. Eastern Washington QB Matt Nichols threw for 408 yards and five touchdowns in the win. Combined, the quarterbacks completed 69-of-98 passes for 982 yards and nine touchdowns with two interceptions.
NICHOLS ON VERGE OF TOP SPOT: Eastern Washington QB Matt Nichols, a leading candidate for the Walter Payton Award, led his team to a playoff berth and will not get a chance to become the Big Sky’s all-time leading passer. Nichols threw for 408 yards in the Eagles’ wild 49-45 win over Northern Arizona, hiking his career total to 12,155. He needs just 53 yards to overtake Weber State’s Jamie Martin as the Big Sky’s all-time leader. Just two weeks ago, Nichols became the Big Sky’s all-time leader in total offense. He now has 12,830 career yards of total offense, which ranks sixth all-time in FCS history. Nichols fired five more touchdown passes last week, hiking his career total to 93, just three behind all-time conference leader Dave Dickenson of Montana. Nichols ranks second in that category, having moved past UM’s Brian Ah Yat (89) and Idaho’s Doug Nussmeier (91) last week. In his last five games, Nichols has completed 68 percent of his passes for 1,840 yards (368.0 per game) with 20 touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s now gone 180 attempts without an interception.
Big Sky’s Career Total Offense Yardage Leaders
Player, School Years Games Yards
1. Matt Nichols, Eastern Washington 2006-09 46 12,830
2. Jamie Martin, Weber State 1988-1992 41 12,287
3. Travis Lulay, Montana State 2002-2005 47 12,205
4. Doug Nussmeier, Idaho 1990-1993 39 12,027
5. Dave Dickenson, Montana 1992-95 35 11,513
Big Sky’s Career Passing Yardage Leaders
Player, School Years Games Yards
1. Jamie Martin, Weber State 1988-1992 41 12,207
2. Matt Nichols, Eastern Washington 2006-09 46 12,155
3. Travis Brown, Northern Arizona 1996-99 41 11,400
4. Dave Dickenson, Montana 1992-95 35 11,080
5. Doug Nussmeier, Idaho 1990-93 39 10,824
200 FOR TOONE: Weber State’s Tim Toone became the 10th player in league history to amass 200 career catches last Saturday. Toone caught 11 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns in Weber State’s win 49-17 win over Cal Poly. Toone enters the playoff with 200 career catches for 3,556 yards. His 200 catches rank 10th in league history. He needs two to move ahead of Shawn Collins, and seven to because the school’s all-time leader. Trevor Shaw caught 206 passes for the Wildcats from 1989-93. Toone’s 3,556 receiving yards ranks fourth in league history. He needs 292 more yards to move into third place.
SMITH FOURTH IN ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Weber State senior running back Trevyn Smith has moved into fourth place in the Big Sky’s all-time list with 6,376 yards. Smith surpassed the 5,000 career rushing mark in last week’s win over Cal Poly. Smith enters Saturday’s playoff game with 5,007 career rushing yards, which ranks third in league history. Smith needs 156 more all-purpose yards to move into third place, ahead of Portland State’s Ryan Fuqua. Smith needs 21 yards on Saturday against the nation’s top-ranked rushing defense to gain 1,000 yards for the fourth straight season.
Extra points: UM’s Chase Reynolds has 2,562 rushing yards and 34 rushing touchdowns in his last 25 games...NAU’s Alex Henderson finished his career 11th on the Big Sky’s all-time rushing list with 3,642 rushing yards...NAU finished with four straight losses for the second straight season...Road teams won 19 of the 36 conference games this season, up from 15 in 2008...Weber State scored 31 second-quarter points in its win over Cal Poly...Montana finished the regular season No. 1 in the Coaches’ Poll. The Griz are No. 3 in the Sports Network Poll.
Football Notes - Playoff Edition
Jon Kasper
11/24/2009
PDF of Release
Top-seeded Montana, Weber State and Eastern Washington begin play in the Division I Playoffs this weekend. Prepare for Saturday's playoff games by checking out this week's notes.
This Week’s Sky Playoff Schedule
Saturday, Nov. 28...................................................... Time
South Dakota State at Montana............................ 12:05 MST
Location: Missoula, Mont.
Venue: Washington-Grizzly Stadium (25,203)
Last Meeting: Montana beat South Dakota State 36-7 in 2006.
Series: UM leads 6-0.
TV: TBA
Video Steam: TBA
Weber State at William & Mary................................. 1:05 EST
Location: Williamsburg, Va.
Venue: Zable Field (12,259)
Series: First Meeting
TV: TBA
Video Stream: TBA
Eastern Washington at Stephen F. Austin.................. 2:05 CST
Location: Nacogdoches, Texas
Venue: Homer Bryce Stadium (14,575)
Last Meeting: SFA won
Series: SFA leads 2-1.
TV: TBA
Video Stream: TBA
Big Sky Playoff Facts
The Big Sky Conference has advanced at least two teams to the playoffs in 24 of the last 26 years.
This is the first time since 2003 and the fifth time since 1988 that three Big Sky teams have qualified for the playoffs.
In 118 playoff games, the Big Sky has compiled a 64-54 record. Seven of those wins and seven losses occurred against fellow Big Sky teams. Against outside opponents, the Big Sky is 57-47.
Big Sky teams have won five national titles. Boise State won it all in 1980, followed by Idaho State in 1981, Montana State in 1984, and Montana in 1995 and 2001.
Six times Big Sky teams have lost in the national championship game. Nevada was a runner-up in 1990. Boise State finished second in 1994. Montana has been second four times: 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008.
Four times since 2003, a Big Sky team has knocked out the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the playoffs. In 2003, Northern Arizona upset No. 1 McNeese State 35-3 in Lake Charles, La., in a first-round game. In 2004, Eastern Washington upset Southern Illinois on the road 34-31 in a first-round game. In 2007, Eastern Washington beat No. 2 McNeese State 44-15 in Lake Charles in a first-round game. In 2008, Montana upset No. 1 James Madison 35-27 in a semifinal game on the road.
Montana has advanced to the playoffs 17 straight season, a record. The Grizzlies are making their 20th playoff appearance, and now stands alone in first place in overall appearances. Eastern Kentucky is second with 17. Montana’s 27 playoff victories ranks second all-time behind Georgia Southern (38).
Weber State is in the playoffs for the second straight season and the fourth time overall. The Wildcats beat Cal Poly 49-35 in a 2008 first-round game.
Eastern Washington is making their seventh overall playoff appearance, and sixth as a member of the Big Sky. The Eagles advanced to the 1997 semifinals, and notched upsets in the first round in 2004 (No. 1 Southern Illinois) and 2007 (No. 2 McNeese State)
Around the Big Sky
PERFECT, AGAIN: Montana capped its third undefeated Big Sky season in four years with a 33-19 win over Montana State in Bozeman on Saturday. Montana has won 31 of its last 32 Big Sky games. Montana also finished its second 11-0 regular-season in three years. It’s the fifth time in the history of the Montana program that the Grizzlies have gone undefeated during the regular season. Montana has finished 8-0 in Big Sky play in 2009, 2007, 2006, 2000 and 1996. Montana finished the decade 67-8 in Big Sky games with five outright conference titles and five co-championships. Montana has won or shared 12 straight Big Sky titles dating back to 1998, and 15 of the last 17 dating back to 1993. Montana has now beaten Montana State four straight seasons and 20 of the last 23.
CAUSE(WAY) FOR CELEBRATION: Sacramento State rallied from a 28-17 fourth-quarter deficit to beat arch-rival UC Davis 31-28 in the Causeway Classic in front of 17,127 at Hornet Stadium. Sacramento State’s Jake Croxdale scored on a 2-yard run with 7:36 remaining to cut the lead to 28-23. Junior Brandy Reed made a great catch in the back of the end zone with just 20 second remaining for the game-winning score. The catch capped a 10-play, 83-yard drive. Students and fans stormed the field as it marked the Hornets first back-to-back victories over the Aggies since 1990-91.It was the Hornets first win over the Aggies at Hornet Stadium since 1999. The crowd was the third-largest in stadium history.
SHERRITT SETS TACKLE MARK: Eastern Washington linebacker J.C. Sherritt, a Buck Buchanan Award Candidate, amassed 15 tackles in a loss to Northern Arizona. Sherritt now has 154 total tackles this season, a Big Sky single-season record. The record dates back to 2000 when the NCAA began keeping statistics as an official statistic. Eastern Washington’s Greg Belzer held the previous record with 151 total tackles in 2000. Belzer had 45 solo stops and 106 assisted stops in 11 games. Sherritt has 65 solo tackles and 89 assisted stops. Sherritt leads the nation with an average of 14 tackles per game. Sherritt has 11.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.
GLANVILLE, PORTLAND STATE PART WAYS: Jerry Glanville announced his resignation last Tuesday, ending his three-year run as the Portland State head coach. Glanville, the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Oilers, compiled a 9-24 record, including a 7-17 mark in Big Sky Conference play. Portland State finished the 2009 season 2-9, the program’s worst season since 1982.
SKY IN THE SAGARIN: The Big Sky finished the regular season ranked second among the FCS conferences in the Sagarin Ratings. The Big Sky is behind only the CAA, which has four teams in the playoffs. Five Big Sky teams are ranked among the top 21 FCS teams. Montana is fourth among FCS teams and 75th among all teams. EWU is eighth and WSU is 12th. MSU is 17th and NAU is 21st.
HERRICK’S DAY FOURTH: Northern Arizona junior quarterback Michael Herrick threw for 574 yards in the Lumberjacks’ 49-45 loss to Eastern Washington. It was the fourth-most passing yards in Big Sky history. Weber State’s Jamie Martin threw for 624 yards in a 1991 win over Idaho State. Portland State’s Drew Hubel threw for 623 yards in 2008 against Eastern Washington. Idaho State’s Vern Harris threw for 589 yards against Montana in 1985. The 574 yards ranks 11th in FCS history. Herrick completed 47-of-of-65 passes. The 47 completions tied Martin’s single-game league record. Northern Arizona rolled up 747 yards of total offense and 38 first downs - 31 via the pass. Herrick threw four touchdowns, but was intercepted twice. Eastern Washington QB Matt Nichols threw for 408 yards and five touchdowns in the win. Combined, the quarterbacks completed 69-of-98 passes for 982 yards and nine touchdowns with two interceptions.
NICHOLS ON VERGE OF TOP SPOT: Eastern Washington QB Matt Nichols, a leading candidate for the Walter Payton Award, led his team to a playoff berth and will not get a chance to become the Big Sky’s all-time leading passer. Nichols threw for 408 yards in the Eagles’ wild 49-45 win over Northern Arizona, hiking his career total to 12,155. He needs just 53 yards to overtake Weber State’s Jamie Martin as the Big Sky’s all-time leader. Just two weeks ago, Nichols became the Big Sky’s all-time leader in total offense. He now has 12,830 career yards of total offense, which ranks sixth all-time in FCS history. Nichols fired five more touchdown passes last week, hiking his career total to 93, just three behind all-time conference leader Dave Dickenson of Montana. Nichols ranks second in that category, having moved past UM’s Brian Ah Yat (89) and Idaho’s Doug Nussmeier (91) last week. In his last five games, Nichols has completed 68 percent of his passes for 1,840 yards (368.0 per game) with 20 touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s now gone 180 attempts without an interception.
Big Sky’s Career Total Offense Yardage Leaders
Player, School Years Games Yards
1. Matt Nichols, Eastern Washington 2006-09 46 12,830
2. Jamie Martin, Weber State 1988-1992 41 12,287
3. Travis Lulay, Montana State 2002-2005 47 12,205
4. Doug Nussmeier, Idaho 1990-1993 39 12,027
5. Dave Dickenson, Montana 1992-95 35 11,513
Big Sky’s Career Passing Yardage Leaders
Player, School Years Games Yards
1. Jamie Martin, Weber State 1988-1992 41 12,207
2. Matt Nichols, Eastern Washington 2006-09 46 12,155
3. Travis Brown, Northern Arizona 1996-99 41 11,400
4. Dave Dickenson, Montana 1992-95 35 11,080
5. Doug Nussmeier, Idaho 1990-93 39 10,824
200 FOR TOONE: Weber State’s Tim Toone became the 10th player in league history to amass 200 career catches last Saturday. Toone caught 11 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns in Weber State’s win 49-17 win over Cal Poly. Toone enters the playoff with 200 career catches for 3,556 yards. His 200 catches rank 10th in league history. He needs two to move ahead of Shawn Collins, and seven to because the school’s all-time leader. Trevor Shaw caught 206 passes for the Wildcats from 1989-93. Toone’s 3,556 receiving yards ranks fourth in league history. He needs 292 more yards to move into third place.
SMITH FOURTH IN ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Weber State senior running back Trevyn Smith has moved into fourth place in the Big Sky’s all-time list with 6,376 yards. Smith surpassed the 5,000 career rushing mark in last week’s win over Cal Poly. Smith enters Saturday’s playoff game with 5,007 career rushing yards, which ranks third in league history. Smith needs 156 more all-purpose yards to move into third place, ahead of Portland State’s Ryan Fuqua. Smith needs 21 yards on Saturday against the nation’s top-ranked rushing defense to gain 1,000 yards for the fourth straight season.
Extra points: UM’s Chase Reynolds has 2,562 rushing yards and 34 rushing touchdowns in his last 25 games...NAU’s Alex Henderson finished his career 11th on the Big Sky’s all-time rushing list with 3,642 rushing yards...NAU finished with four straight losses for the second straight season...Road teams won 19 of the 36 conference games this season, up from 15 in 2008...Weber State scored 31 second-quarter points in its win over Cal Poly...Montana finished the regular season No. 1 in the Coaches’ Poll. The Griz are No. 3 in the Sports Network Poll.