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Football players across the Big Sky Conference will begin reporting for preseason camps within the coming days. It's hard to believe the first game is just one month away.
The 2010 season ended on the highest note possible for the Big Sky as Eastern Washington brought home the conference's sixth Division I national championship with a 20-19 win over Delaware.
The 2011 season looks very promising as Eastern Washington returns a plethora of talent, as does Montana State. Sacramento State might be the surprise team this year, and all eyes are on Montana to see if the Grizzlies can rebound from last year's 7-4 campaign.
Let's take a look at five burning questions I have as we get ready to kick off the 2011 season.
1. Is Eastern Washington still hungry?
On paper, Beau Baldwin's club appears to have the weapons to make a run at another national championship. Sure, the Eagles lost All-American running back Taiwan Jones and Buck Buchanan Award-winning linebacker J.C. Sherritt. But, the Eagles return the likes of QB Beau Levi Mitchell, All-American center Chris Powers, All-Conference wide receiver Brandon Kaufman, All-American DT Renard Williams, All-American safety Matt Johnson, as well as linebacker Zach Johnson.
But, do these guys have the drive to make a run again? How will they handle being the favorite? Did they get lazy and complacent during the off-season?
The schedule certainly isn't easy. EWU opens on the road at Washington, at South Dakota and at Montana. EWU finally returns home to "The Inferno" on Sept. 24 for a big showdown against Montana State, which beat the Eagles 30-7 in Bozeman in 2010.
Eastern Washington plays just four games at home and seven on the road. A very important non-conference game at Cal Poly looms on Nov. 12.
2. Will DeNarius McGhee have a sophomore slump?
The Montana State quarterback took the nation by storm as a freshman, sharing Co-Big Sky offensive MVP honors with Taiwan Jones. McGhee was sensational, finishing fourth in the nation with an efficiency rating of 153.8. He tossed 23 touchdowns and just six interceptions, throwing for 3,163 yards.
Can he improve on those numbers, or will he take a step back?
We've seen other quarterbacks play very well in their first season as a starter, and then struggle the following season. McGhee has a very talented group of receivers and a pretty solid starting offensive line. That should help. But, Montana State's running back remains a question because of the loss of Orenzo Davis.
3. Is Montana on the decline?
Many schools would be very happy with a 7-4 season. Montana isn't one of them. The Grizzlies failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1992, and they failed to win at least a share of the Big Sky championship for the first time since 1997.
So, was the 2010 season an anomaly under first-year head coach Robin Pflugrad, or is there reason for concern?
A lot of Montana's success will depend on the play at quarterback. UM enters the season without a proven commodity under center. Sophomore Jordan Johnson enters camp as the No. 1 guy, and he's got some good weapons like wide receivers Jabin Sambrano and Antwon Moutra. Montana, however, must replace three-year standout Chase Reynolds at running back.
With Trumaine Johnson leading the way on defense, we think Montana will be just fine on that side of the ball.
4. Is Sacramento State for real?
Marshall Sperback has done an outstanding job of building the Hornet program the right way. The Hornets are coming off a 6-5 campaign, 5-3 in conference. The offense rolled the second half of the season, averaging more than 40 points per game.
The Hornets return QB Jeff Fleming, RB Bryan Hilliard, WR Chase Deadder, WR Brandyn Reed, who missed last season, to the offenset. Zack Nash, a preseason candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award, lads the defense, which has some questions.
The schedule could also eat the Hornets alive. Sacramento State opens at Oregon State, and then travels to Southern Utah. Sacramento State opens conference play on the road at Weber State before playing Montana at home and Montana State on the road.
To be considered for real, the Hornets need to beat Montana at home. Sacramento State is 0-16 all-time against Montana.
5. What difference will Mike Kramer make at Idaho State this season?
Kramer, who guided Eastern Washington and Montana State to Big Sky championships, will try to resurrect the Bengals, who have won a total of three games the past three seasons.
Kramer likely won't go from worst to first this season. These things take time. Kramer was 0-11 his first season at Montana State in 2000, but had the Bobcats in the playoffs in 2002 and 2003.
We know Kramer is excited about being back in the game, and he will get Bengal fans across the state of Idaho excited about the program again.
The Bengals have three All-Americans on the team in linebacker A.J. Storms, return man Tavoy Moore and punter David Harrington. It's a nice trio to build around, but the Bengals need so much more.
Kramer promises a fast-paced, pass-always offense. But he needs a quarterback and receivers to make it work.
Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference
Football players across the Big Sky Conference will begin reporting for preseason camps within the coming days. It's hard to believe the first game is just one month away.
The 2010 season ended on the highest note possible for the Big Sky as Eastern Washington brought home the conference's sixth Division I national championship with a 20-19 win over Delaware.
The 2011 season looks very promising as Eastern Washington returns a plethora of talent, as does Montana State. Sacramento State might be the surprise team this year, and all eyes are on Montana to see if the Grizzlies can rebound from last year's 7-4 campaign.
Let's take a look at five burning questions I have as we get ready to kick off the 2011 season.
1. Is Eastern Washington still hungry?
On paper, Beau Baldwin's club appears to have the weapons to make a run at another national championship. Sure, the Eagles lost All-American running back Taiwan Jones and Buck Buchanan Award-winning linebacker J.C. Sherritt. But, the Eagles return the likes of QB Beau Levi Mitchell, All-American center Chris Powers, All-Conference wide receiver Brandon Kaufman, All-American DT Renard Williams, All-American safety Matt Johnson, as well as linebacker Zach Johnson.
But, do these guys have the drive to make a run again? How will they handle being the favorite? Did they get lazy and complacent during the off-season?
The schedule certainly isn't easy. EWU opens on the road at Washington, at South Dakota and at Montana. EWU finally returns home to "The Inferno" on Sept. 24 for a big showdown against Montana State, which beat the Eagles 30-7 in Bozeman in 2010.
Eastern Washington plays just four games at home and seven on the road. A very important non-conference game at Cal Poly looms on Nov. 12.
2. Will DeNarius McGhee have a sophomore slump?
The Montana State quarterback took the nation by storm as a freshman, sharing Co-Big Sky offensive MVP honors with Taiwan Jones. McGhee was sensational, finishing fourth in the nation with an efficiency rating of 153.8. He tossed 23 touchdowns and just six interceptions, throwing for 3,163 yards.
Can he improve on those numbers, or will he take a step back?
We've seen other quarterbacks play very well in their first season as a starter, and then struggle the following season. McGhee has a very talented group of receivers and a pretty solid starting offensive line. That should help. But, Montana State's running back remains a question because of the loss of Orenzo Davis.
3. Is Montana on the decline?
Many schools would be very happy with a 7-4 season. Montana isn't one of them. The Grizzlies failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1992, and they failed to win at least a share of the Big Sky championship for the first time since 1997.
So, was the 2010 season an anomaly under first-year head coach Robin Pflugrad, or is there reason for concern?
A lot of Montana's success will depend on the play at quarterback. UM enters the season without a proven commodity under center. Sophomore Jordan Johnson enters camp as the No. 1 guy, and he's got some good weapons like wide receivers Jabin Sambrano and Antwon Moutra. Montana, however, must replace three-year standout Chase Reynolds at running back.
With Trumaine Johnson leading the way on defense, we think Montana will be just fine on that side of the ball.
4. Is Sacramento State for real?
Marshall Sperback has done an outstanding job of building the Hornet program the right way. The Hornets are coming off a 6-5 campaign, 5-3 in conference. The offense rolled the second half of the season, averaging more than 40 points per game.
The Hornets return QB Jeff Fleming, RB Bryan Hilliard, WR Chase Deadder, WR Brandyn Reed, who missed last season, to the offenset. Zack Nash, a preseason candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award, lads the defense, which has some questions.
The schedule could also eat the Hornets alive. Sacramento State opens at Oregon State, and then travels to Southern Utah. Sacramento State opens conference play on the road at Weber State before playing Montana at home and Montana State on the road.
To be considered for real, the Hornets need to beat Montana at home. Sacramento State is 0-16 all-time against Montana.
5. What difference will Mike Kramer make at Idaho State this season?
Kramer, who guided Eastern Washington and Montana State to Big Sky championships, will try to resurrect the Bengals, who have won a total of three games the past three seasons.
Kramer likely won't go from worst to first this season. These things take time. Kramer was 0-11 his first season at Montana State in 2000, but had the Bobcats in the playoffs in 2002 and 2003.
We know Kramer is excited about being back in the game, and he will get Bengal fans across the state of Idaho excited about the program again.
The Bengals have three All-Americans on the team in linebacker A.J. Storms, return man Tavoy Moore and punter David Harrington. It's a nice trio to build around, but the Bengals need so much more.
Kramer promises a fast-paced, pass-always offense. But he needs a quarterback and receivers to make it work.
Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference
