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Hornets at Montana

Here is the TSN post today by Haley.

By Craig Haley, FCS Executive Director

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - When the Montana Grizzlies' uniforms were redesigned this offseason, something basically was overlooked and left on the front of the jerseys.

First-year head coach Robin Pflugrad, his great program off to a 1-2 start for the first time since 1992, points out "we have the bull's-eye on us," and perhaps even tougher for the Griz, "we get everybody's best shot."

No doubt more than a few fans in Montana's rabid fan base have hit the panic button, and won't be leaving a seat open for Pflugrad at their next tailgate. But a closer look at the Griz' play and their upcoming schedule indicates they could get back on track rather quickly.

No panic seems necessary.

The 35-33 loss at Cal Poly was a result of Montana often struggling to defend an option offense as welll as two late turnovers offensively. The 36-27 loss at Eastern Washington - and it was 30-27 until a fumble return on one final untimed down provided another touchdown - came against a quality Big Sky Conference opponent that was playing on its most emotional night ever with the debut of a new red turf. The Griz also were undone by six turnovers.

But there were some encouraging signs. Against Cal Poly, the Griz saw the big- play ability of wide receiver Jabin Sambrano. Against Eastern Washington, Pflugrad made running back Chase Reynolds (22 carries for 114 yards) a factor in the game plan again and quarterback Andrew Selle's solid showing indicated that a shared role with Justin Roper may not be necessary anymore.

The Griz also have a chance to get back their swagger against the upcoming schedule. On Saturday, Sacramento State, though improved, visits Washington- Grizzly Stadium, and the Griz are 15-0 all-time against the Hornets. It gets even easier after that with a Oct. 2 visit to Northern Colorado, an Oct. 9 home game against Idaho State and an Oct. 16 trip to Portland State.

By the end of that run, the Griz should be 5-2 and won't find itself in last place - as they do now - and might even be back in first place with Big Sky teams likely to keep knocking each other off.

"We definitely have to look each other in the eye. We do that pre-game and we've got to do it post-game now," Pflugrad said. "There's kind of two ways to go right now. I like the character of our team, I like the attitude, I like the effort. We have a lot of new faces and I think we're still getting to know each other to a certain degree."

"I think you have to every week irregardless of the outcome because we have the bull's-eye on us, we get everybody's best shot. And that's a tribute to the program at Montana, the tradition, the foundation's that been there 20- plus years. Again, having a lot of new faces, some of those guys have never been in that process. That's part of education, that's part of teaching our players how to respond."

Makes it sound like they are counting the W already. I hope the boys read this and it fires them up even more.
 
Of course they are counting this is a W, they are 15-0 against the Hornets. Until the Hornets finally win in Mazzola the expectation is that they will be 16-0 against the Hornets.

This will be the hardest game in the history of the program.
 
I would love it and it would be great, but I just don't see it happening. Too many factors in their favor. It's a must win, their fans will be frothing at the mouth, we're off a big win.

Off course the law of averages could come in to play, meaning that one of these days we are due to beat them
 
This site has us as the 8th ranked team in the nation right now :o :

http://www.compughterratings.com/GetNCAAFootballRatings.php?Div=FCS
 
The Hornets have shown the ability to adapt to the team and situation they are playing this year. They were pretty straight forward and didn't show much in the win over Western Oregon, because they didn't have to. They showed a different look against Weber, based on what the coaches saw . When's the last time we did a no huddle early in the game? The coaches are getting it. The players are buying into it. This is not the same team from last year that was so predicatable.

Montana is in a little dissaray right now being in a place they haven't been for a lot of years. They have a new spread offense, a QB controversy, a different look on the defense (somewhat like ours), the line doesn't seem to want to block and they are turning the ball over like no Montana team in a long time. This is the perfect time to go in with a game plan that attacks their weaknesses, control the clock like we did against Weber, and put pressure on the QB. Montana will be trying to avoid 3 losses in a row and may well try too hard and really screw themselves...

Fleming is learning more each week and is a new dimension that the BSC has not seen from a Sac State team, a truly mobile QB. This is the perfect opportunity. As long as we believe we belong and don't get awed by the setting in Missuola, we know the coaches will do a great job of getting the players ready. This should be no different this week than it was for Weber. We won't have Shaw, but this team can do it without him. We'll have him ready for the next week with Montana State coming to town.
 
ChiCity said:
The Hornets have shown the ability to adapt to the team and situation they are playing this year. They were pretty straight forward and didn't show much in the win over Western Oregon, because they didn't have to. They showed a different look against Weber, based on what the coaches saw . When's the last time we did a no huddle early in the game? The coaches are getting it. The players are buying into it. This is not the same team from last year that was so predicatable.

Montana is in a little dissaray right now being in a place they haven't been for a lot of years. They have a new spread offense, a QB controversy, a different look on the defense (somewhat like ours), the line doesn't seem to want to block and they are turning the ball over like no Montana team in a long time. This is the perfect time to go in with a game plan that attacks their weaknesses, control the clock like we did against Weber, and put pressure on the QB. Montana will be trying to avoid 3 losses in a row and may well try too hard and really screw themselves...

Fleming is learning more each week and is a new dimension that the BSC has not seen from a Sac State team, a truly mobile QB. This is the perfect opportunity. As long as we believe we belong and don't get awed by the setting in Missuola, we know the coaches will do a great job of getting the players ready. This should be no different this week than it was for Weber. We won't have Shaw, but this team can do it without him. We'll have him ready for the next week with Montana State coming to town.

You know, considering that Stanford is REALLY good, and WOU is also a great D2 right now (684 yards on Sat), I'd say were a pretty good looking football team at this point. We have played good, quality opponents so far to set up this run. The real key is how will we respond in Missoula on Saturday. If its the team that has shown up the first 3 weeks, this could be the start of something very special.
 
One thing to consider that I just found out from Facebook: we are Montana's Homecoming "patsy." A loss to the Hornets would be just short on the panic scale of a loss to the Kitties. It's compounded by two previous losses.

Given this, the Griz are going to come out loaded for bear (so to speak). Can we stand up? That's the question.
 
Super Hornet said:
One thing to consider that I just found out from Facebook: we are Montana's Homecoming "patsy." A loss to the Hornets would be just short on the panic scale of a loss to the Kitties. It's compounded by two previous losses.

Given this, the Griz are going to come out loaded for bear (so to speak). Can we stand up? That's the question.

I was just over looking at the Griz board, and about half the folks their seem to think it is possible that they could be in a bad situation in the 4th qtr- read losing. The coach said on his Sunday night show that he hopes the fans come and are real loud, because that helps the players and coaches make better decisions. HUH?

I liked what Belichek said when he was Cleveland coach, "if you listen to the fans you will soon be sitting where they are"- would be poetic justice for the girlzzies.
 
Preview

The Hornets are going to be in for a tough, physical game this week when they head to Missoula to face the Griz. It’s their homecoming game and they are coming off of two tough losses on the road. I can’t imagine how intense the atmosphere will be at Washington-Grizzly Stadium as the crowd is sure to be out for blood. The Hornets will be in for one hell of a challenge as Sac State has never beaten the Griz. It’s going to take a flawless effort to pull this off, fortunately they are coming in on a wave of momentum having shutdown one of the better offenses on the Big Sky as well as having much success moving the ball. The stage is set for an absolutely amazing game.

Offense:
UM runs out of the spread offense so the defense will be stretched all game long. The Grizzlies have playmakers in WR Sambrano and RB Reynolds who are capable of racking up big yards. UM platoons two QB’s, Roper and Selle. Word on the message boards is that both have had their own set of problems so far, but that still doesn’t detract from the fact that the Hornet defense will have to prepare for both guys. UM’s passing attack ranks first (294.0 ypg) in the BSC but their rushing attack is ranked last (112.7 ypg). They are still transitioning into a new system under first year head coach Robin Pflugrad who has opted to go with an aerial spread attack.

This offense is capable of making the big play so the Hornet defense will have its hands full again this week. The UM OL hasn’t been its best so far and they have allowed 5 sacks. If the Hornet DL can be as aggressive and tenacious as they were against WSU, they could very well cause some fits for the UM offense. The key for this defense will be to keep the UM offense contained and to not let them get on a roll. The Hornets will need to make open field tackles and swarm to the ball as they did this past week. Another must for the defense to force some turnovers. UM has thrown 6 INT’s and lost 5 fumbles so they have had plenty of issues controlling the ball. If the defense can force some turnovers, they will keep the Hornets in this game.

Defense:
UM’s defense has allowed 312.3 ypg and ranks 4th overall in the BSC. The rush defense has allowed 156.7 ypg and their pass defense has allowed a stingy 173.7 ypg. They have make 6 INT’s and are a very aggressive unit. They have some solid defensive weapons in DL Duncan who has 2 sacks so far, DB’s Johnson and Stoll who have 2 INT’s each as well as LB McSurdy who leads the team in tackles.

The Hornet OL is going to have to be at its best if they want to open up room for Hilliard this week. It’s going to be tough to get much by this stout defense. Fleming is also going to have to be on his game as this secondary is prone to make plays. The biggest concern I have is the communication of the offense. It’s going to be very noisy and chaotic and will test the poise of Fleming and this Hornet offense. It will be vital for the entire offense to be on the same page and that they are prepared as best as they can for the brutal atmosphere they will be playing in. I think the Hornets are going to need a well balanced offense to pull this one off. I feel that if the Hornets go with a heavy run scheme similar to last week, the UM defense will key into it and lay the hurt. The Hornets are going to have to keep this defense honest with some shots down the field and hopefully they can open up the UM defense with some movement through the air.

Special Teams:
UM’s punting has been suspect. Their punter really struggled at CP and they allowed a crucial punt block in the EWU game that really turned the tide against them. UM’s kicker, McKnight, has turned it around from last season and has posted a solid 5/6 in FG’s. The Hornets will also have another dangerous returner they will need to contain. Nguyen has some solid return numbers (he averages 25.5 yards per kick return and 17.7 yards per punt return) but he has also had some big turnovers during some returns that have really hurt UM. The Hornets need to have a solid performance in the coverage game to keep UM from breaking a big return. If the Hornet kickoff coverage struggles again this week, they better be sure to kick it away from Nguyen.

Intangibles:
UM has displayed some terrible discipline thus far. They have been heavily penalized (28 penalties for 243 yards on the season) and have had ball control issues (6 INT’s & 5 fumbles lost). The Hornets will have a good chance if UM doesn’t clean up their act this week. Comparatively, the Hornets have been penalized 26 times but for only 196 yards and has lost 2 fumbles and thrown 2 INT’s. Turnovers have probably been the single reason why UM has 2 losses. The Hornets will need to minimize their mistakes and play as close to flawless as possible to have a shot in Missoula.

I am skeptically optimistic about this week’s game at UM. The Hornets have never won against UM let alone in Missoula so the odds are stacked against them. Another scary statistic is that UM has not lost a homecoming game in 17 years. Is this the year the law of averages finally catches up to the Griz? We shall see. UM has its first two game losing streak in quite some time so they will undoubtedly be fully focused on the Hornets this week. This should be a good one as the Hornets will be making the trip with a full head of steam and some confidence.

GO HORNETS!!!
 
I know that it is supposed to be a really hostile environment at Missoula which favors the Griz, and it probably does, but lets look at it from a little different angle. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose, the Montana, players and coaches on the other hand are really the ones on the hot plate with all of the pressure to prove themselves. Few expect us to win, all the pressure is on Montana to prove themselves. Are they really up to it? They may have overlooked Cal Poly a team that finished 4-7 last year but don't you think that they were pumped up for the EWU game especially after the year long build up?
Look at e-griz, after the two losses they are in a state of panic, critical of the players and the new coaching staff.
They look like their ready to kill each other and run the coach out of town with pitch forks!

The Hornets present the most balanced team and talented team they have faced. EWU has a great running back in Jones but their passing game is not the same since Nichols left. Last year we played Montana basically even and at times controlled the game despite them pulling off a surprise on side kick in the second quarter to try and recapture the momentum. We also had a touchdown pass that would have tied the game just before the half called back by a totally BS call. After we lost Terrance Dalily ( who had rushed something like 80 yards on them) in the third and had to rely on the pass they closed us down, kept us on defense and won by about 15. It was clear that there was not much difference in athletic talent between the two teams. This year with Hilliard back, McCowan up to speed and with a quick mobile QB like Fleming we present a lot of problems on the ground. Like the Weber game we should be able to eat up yardage and the clock and wear out their supposedly small defense mixing in the pass with our stable of talented receivers. Fleming has looked more comfortable and settled and has passed better every time he goes out there. Also having played in the WAC against Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, Hawaii etc. he has experience playing before large and hostile crowds. . Realize that Fleming started 9 and played in all 13 games last season for New Mexico Sate last season as a sophomore. He was starter at road games at Boise State, Hawaii and Ohio State . Fleming came into Stanford game with confidence and played well despite only three practices with the team. Do you really think a guy that can lead a team into Ohio Stadium packed with 95,000 fanatical fans to battle the Buckeyes is going to be intimidated in Missoula Montana?
On defense : Our defensive backs are far faster and better this year than last. They played great against Higgins and company last week when they played man to man and had some good breakups and stayed close enough to force some drops and the int. I believe we had 4 sacks against Montana last year. Apparently they are having problems with their young O Line, we should have success getting to their QBs again. When we played Stanford we played the best team we will play this year. Watching Stanford dismantle UCLA and Wake Forest, Stanford is the real deal. No FCS team is even close to Stanford in terms of talent, especially not Montana. I was proud that despite the speed and athletic disadvantage and the score that the Hornets were still going after Stanford like the game was on the line until the final gun. The Hornets played that entire game with a lot of pride and poise.
I just don’t think that playing before 25,000 drunken delusional hillbillies is going to be that big a deal for these guys. In fact if the tide shifts toward the Hornets watch for the crowd to turn on the Griz.
.

To Win:

A heavy dose of powerful Hilliard.
A splash of speedy Mc Cowan
A flash of Fleming taking off and moving the markers when necessary
Burn them with the pass using a wide variety of receivers

Heavy pressure on their QB. Apparently they have been having problems protecting their QBs and with their performance. Some of their fans even want them to throw Roper and Selle aside and use their freshman!

Keep the DBs close and play physical. It worked vs Weber, some of those passes could have been caught but there wasn't the extra effort from the receivers after they got smacked around a few times. Please limit the zone defense!

Hornets 31
Griz 24



Enjoy the win and a fun flight home!
 
Well stated GL. I agree Fleming should have some experience playing in some hostile environments. For some reason his past experience didn’t register when I was drafting my preview.
 
Green Laser said:
I know that it is supposed to be a really hostile environment at Missoula which favors the Griz, and it probably does, but lets look at it from a little different angle. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose, the Montana, players and coaches on the other hand are really the ones on the hot plate with all of the pressure to prove themselves. Few expect us to win, all the pressure is on Montana to prove themselves. Are they really up to it? They may have overlooked Cal Poly a team that finished 4-7 last year but don't you think that they were pumped up for the EWU game especially after the year long build up?
Look at e-griz, after the two losses they are in a state of panic, critical of the players and the new coaching staff.
They look like their ready to kill each other and run the coach out of town with pitch forks!

The Hornets present the most balanced team and talented team they have faced. EWU has a great running back in Jones but their passing game is not the same since Nichols left. Last year we played Montana basically even and at times controlled the game despite them pulling off a surprise on side kick in the second quarter to try and recapture the momentum. We also had a touchdown pass that would have tied the game just before the half called back by a totally BS call. After we lost Terrance Dalily ( who had rushed something like 80 yards on them) in the third and had to rely on the pass they closed us down, kept us on defense and won by about 15. It was clear that there was not much difference in athletic talent between the two teams. This year with Hilliard back, McCowan up to speed and with a quick mobile QB like Fleming we present a lot of problems on the ground. Like the Weber game we should be able to eat up yardage and the clock and wear out their supposedly small defense mixing in the pass with our stable of talented receivers. Fleming has looked more comfortable and settled and has passed better every time he goes out there. Also having played in the WAC against Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, Hawaii etc. he has experience playing before large and hostile crowds. . Realize that Fleming started 9 and played in all 13 games last season for New Mexico Sate last season as a sophomore. He was starter at road games at Boise State, Hawaii and Ohio State . Fleming came into Stanford game with confidence and played well despite only three practices with the team. Do you really think a guy that can lead a team into Ohio Stadium packed with 95,000 fanatical fans to battle the Buckeyes is going to be intimidated in Missoula Montana?
On defense : Our defensive backs are far faster and better this year than last. They played great against Higgins and company last week when they played man to man and had some good breakups and stayed close enough to force some drops and the int. I believe we had 4 sacks against Montana last year. Apparently they are having problems with their young O Line, we should have success getting to their QBs again. When we played Stanford we played the best team we will play this year. Watching Stanford dismantle UCLA and Wake Forest, Stanford is the real deal. No FCS team is even close to Stanford in terms of talent, especially not Montana. I was proud that despite the speed and athletic disadvantage and the score that the Hornets were still going after Stanford like the game was on the line until the final gun. The Hornets played that entire game with a lot of pride and poise.
I just don’t think that playing before 25,000 drunken delusional hillbillies is going to be that big a deal for these guys. In fact if the tide shifts toward the Hornets watch for the crowd to turn on the Griz.
.

To Win:

A heavy dose of powerful Hilliard.
A splash of speedy Mc Cowan
A flash of Fleming taking off and moving the markers when necessary
Burn them with the pass using a wide variety of receivers

Heavy pressure on their QB. Apparently they have been having problems protecting their QBs and with their performance. Some of their fans even want them to throw Roper and Selle aside and use their freshman!

Keep the DBs close and play physical. It worked vs Weber, some of those passes could have been caught but there wasn't the extra effort from the receivers after they got smacked around a few times. Please limit the zone defense!

Hornets 31
Griz 24



Enjoy the win and a fun flight home!

Good Points GL...

I hope we receive and take the ball down for an opening score!
 
Wow, the weather forecast for Missoula on Saturday is 78 degrees and clear skies! Perfect weather for the Hornets to pull off an upset. I think the planets are aligned for us to go up and hunt for some bear in Montana.
 
SactoHornetAlum said:
Just like last week, Im really nervous about this game. I also remember 10 years ago, we are up 20-0 and then Ray fumbles the ball :oops:

I'm also really uneasy about this game. Montana has really beaten themselves with the turnovers, I believe 7 in the two L's. When was the last time you can remember people actually saying we could win in Montana? We would have to play a flawless game - I'm hopefull but I think we catch a wounded and angry Montana team.
 
Goto: http://www.bigskyconf.com

Look to the right and the YouTube video of the Players of the Week.

You'll get a brief preview of Montana.

EWU (Jones) and that ISU kick returner look scary dangerous.

Remember, delay draw to Jones.
 
Articles for the game from Thursday's papers:

From the Bee: Sac State QB Fleming learns quickly
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/09/23/3050117/sac-state-qb-fleming-learns-quickly.html

From the Missoulian: Sac State to face Griz, hopes to build on last year’s finish
http://missoulian.com/sports/college/montana/football/article_8785f4fe-c6d4-11df-a440-001cc4c002e0.html
 
SactoHornetAlum said:
Articles for the game from Thursday's papers:

From the Bee: Sac State QB Fleming learns quickly
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/09/23/3050117/sac-state-qb-fleming-learns-quickly.html

From the Missoulian: Sac State to face Griz, hopes to build on last year’s finish
http://missoulian.com/sports/college/montana/football/article_8785f4fe-c6d4-11df-a440-001cc4c002e0.html


SHA - nice finds. Thanks for posting those. There are also some incredible pics up from the Weber game on Hornetsports.com
 
You don't stand a snowball's change in hell. Hey, it's the Griz and it's WaGriz. Are you nuts?!?!

Ok, that said, playing you at Homecoming is going to make or break this team, I think. Even a close win for us would be devastating in many ways. With that statement I'm not focusing on the talents and abilities of SAC, and I apologize for the superior nature of this post. I'm of course focusing on what happens to a fairly new team with a first time head coach, teetering on the brink of tarnishing the pride and prestige of the Griz program. Harsh? Overblown? You ought to listen to the talk on the street in the Zoo!

My wife, who goes toe-to-toe in any football debate, says we ought to make sure to lose to every Big Sky team this year, let everyone celebrate their huge and overdue victory, and then hit the reset button - for the next 20 years. I've never head such pessimism about a football season.

And THAT said, we will beat you. You know that, right?
 

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