The Grizzoulian

Back in Chattanooga.

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:21:53 -0700

For the second year in a row, the Montana Grizzlies knocked off an East Coast power to advance to the FCS National Championship. Every year they're discredited. The strength of their conference is picked apart while another undefeated season is scoffed at. To many, the Big Sky is the Big 10 to the SoCon's SEC. There's still one left, but Montana has proven their schedule is irrelevant. They stack up with the best and they win the big games.

Montana's level of play was questioned throughout the year. As teams ahead of them lost, the Griz didn't move up from being the 2nd or 3rd ranked team. There were even weeks when they received the most first place votes yet still were held out of that #1 spot. Obviously, there were those who felt they didn't belong. If there's anyone out there who still believes that, they're ridiculous.

Obviously, there's one more to go. Last season, the Griz were favorites heading into Chattanooga. They had knocked off CAA champion and #1 seed James Madison; only Richmond, who lost to JMU earlier in the year and finished a lowly tie for third in the conference, remained.

This year, it's different. While the Griz hold the #1 seed this time, I think many favor Villanova. The Wildcats finished the season ahead in the rankings (despite having less first-place votes) and play in one of the East Coast power conferences. Sorry to go into minutiae, but this is important.

Last year I drove from Missoula to Chattanooga in hopes of seeing Montana win a National Championship my senior year. After the effort I put in to get to the game, I felt robbed when the Griz came out as flat as I've ever seen them play. Obviously, this year has to be different.

The Griz have faced adversity before, they've been questioned. In the first round they pulled off the biggest comeback in football this year. They blew out Stephen F. Austin before facing a tough App State team. The fact that they were unseeded is deceiving, they won ten straight coming into that game and the two early season losses were without Armanti Edwards. They're a very good team. And Montana beat them.

I have no doubt Montana has the talent and coaching it takes to win the National Championship. Much like last year, that isn't the issue. Montana must come with the level of play they've shown over the last 9 quarters of football. They need that desire, effort and enthusiasm. The difference between this year and last is that, this year, they'll be there. They will not come out flat this time.

Griz play like their hair is on fire, execute on offense, fly around on defense and win a close one. 28-24 Griz.

Note: I don't think I'll be able to make it out to Kirkland in time to get a spot (which I hear would be somewhere around 3:30) so I'll be at Sluggers Sports Bar in Pioneer Square (Seattle), where I hear there will be a few Griz fans. Hope to see a decent group there. Mention this post, and be one of the first people to do so, and I'll probably buy you a beer.

Photo credit: Becky Malewitz for MontanaGrizzlies.com

Resilience.

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:15:20 -0700

If you're Appalachian State, Richmond or anyone on this or the other side of your bracket, what transpired Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium was your worst-case scenario.

Montana couldn't be entering their second round game in a more optimal mental state. Against the Jackrabbits, they made mistake after mistake. If this was the "bend but don't break" strategy they were a piece of paper that had been folded in half. Pushed as far as any team could possibly be pushed, they didn't cave.

Going forward, is there any chance a team could push the Griz to a point where they're willing to pack it in, to think they can't win? Absolutely not. Last year, I drove thousands of miles in a shoddy camper to watch Montana fall behind early and never mount any kind of comeback. It felt like we showed up while the team stayed in Missoula.That shouldn't happen this year.

When they weren't tripping over themselves to hand SDSU the game, the Griz were unstoppable. Marc Mariani may be the most dangerous player in the FCS and a legit NFL prospect (see: Wes Welker). This team is every bit as dangerous as last year's impressive group and possibly even better.

But let's look at what could've happened this past weekend: The Giz could've come into Washington-Grizzly stadium clicking in every facet of the game and blown out the Jackrabbits by three scores. With the teams still alive on our side of the bracket, the Griz don't need a thick coating of overconfidence.

Then again, they could've played a low-scoring close game; one where the two teams exchanged mixtakes and it came down to a kick. And how does that look? It's very possible the Griz escape not believing they are truly deserving of their 1-seed.

So what do things look like now? They won't make the same mistakes. They're confident they can move the ball and win games but not so much that they aren't aware of the fact that any potential mistakes could cost them.

Idyllic.

Bobby Hauck does not deserve to be a head football coach

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:34:51 -0700

Bobby Hauck has grown too big for Missoula and the University of Montana. I'm sure this is what he envisioned all along. He'd steer the program to win after win as he transformed into this larger-than-life persona. He's close, but a bit off. Bobby Hauck has put himself above the University, the students and everything an upright program should stand for.

This recent spat with the editors of The Kaimin is just one more thing to add to his already damaging résumé. Hauck feels as though he doesn't need to comment on the fact that a few of his players may or may not have beat the hell out of a University of Montana student. Sure, that may be true, the case was never reported to authorities, but treat the students who cover you with a bit of respect and possibly even a shred of class. Reporters do not deserve to be ignored at press conferences and swore at when asking questions in other venues.

Not only has this mistreatment of the local media been a staple of Bobby Hauck's tenure here at Montana, but so have these violent incidents. It isn't just here either. Bobby Hauck served as the recruiting coordinator at the University of Washington and played a hand in building one of the most purely evil teams in the history of football.

So let that be his legacy. Forget the wins, forget that mask. Yes, I know coaches are hired to win football games but it should not come at the cost of a university's pride and dignity. In my mind, the negativity, animosity and separatism that he has brought between the football program and the students who support it is not worth the wins.

When an athletic director is thinking about hiring him and decides to Google his name to see what people think of him, let them find this. When fans consider suggesting a new coach and want to see what's out there, do not think Bobby Hauck. He will win games, but at what cost? On the field, he is a good football coach. But to the media and in other areas off of it? Certainly not. Don't hire him.

Sidenote: Griz win.

Update: I've received a few comments on this post after the Griz beat App State to advance to Chattanooga. Before I move on, I have to say I'm impressed by anyone who has the confidence to fire off an anonymous comment two months after this was posted, and only after Bobby Hauck got the Griz to the National Championship game. Takes balls. Well done.

Let me state that I love what Hauck has done on the field. He wins games. Period. I'm a huge Montana fan and definitely a bigtime supporter of Griz football. I'm thrilled the Griz will play for a National Championship game for the second consecutive year and the only disappointment I have surrounding this week is that I won't make it to Chattanooga after I had the opportunity to make the 2,000 mile drive there from Missoula last year.

Nevertheless, I'd be extremely hesitant to hire Bobby Hauck if I were the AD of Pac 10/WAC/Big East/whatever school. Before you say "that's why you're not" let me state that it's a big risk at best and horrible disaster of "how did you not see this coming?!" proportions at worst. I've stated my opinion on the matter and this current run the Griz are on doesn't change anything. He wins games. We knew that. Some people won't agree with my opinion on things, I understand that, but I'll continue to state it. He'll get a job, I know that, and good for him when he does.

You can still see the comments for this post here and I've even posted the ones from people who actually left an email address, even though it's probably fake. At least they tried. As far as new comments, they're really not. I've heard it before and the conversation isn't changing.

Montana Grizzlies slip to 5th in latest FCS poll

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:50:12 -0700

I've always been a proponent of keeping an open mind of moving teams around in the rankings based on performance, not just wins. Sure Montana looked a little bit sluggish in the first half against Western State but I would have thought a 38-0 final result would've kept the Griz where they were in the rankings. Not so.

The Griz fell from third to fifth as Villanova, who rallied to beat Temple, and Northern Iowa, who was back-to-back blocked field goals away from beating Iowa, jumped ahead of them in the polls. Also, Richmond moved to the top spot after being Duke.

Anyway, here are the complete rankings, courtesy of The Sports Network.

Sports Network's FCS College Football Poll

Team (First-place votes)	Record	Points	Previous Rank
1. Richmond Spiders (103)	1-0	3,042	2
2. Appalachian State Mountaineers (10)	0-1	2,740	1
3. Villanova Wildcats (3)	1-0	2,705	5
4. Northern Iowa Panthers (3)	0-1	2,651	4
5. Montana Grizzlies	1-0	2,615	3
6. James Madison Dukes	0-0	2,235	6
7. William & Mary Tribe (3)	1-0	2,204	14
8. Southern Illinois Salukis	0-1	1,980	7
9. New Hampshire Wildcats	1-0	1,952	8
10. Elon Phoenix	1-0	1,846	11
11. Weber State Wildcats	0-1	1,826	9
12. Cal Poly Mustangs	0-0	1,453	12
13. Central Arkansas Bears	0-1	1,350	13
14. Wofford Terriers	0-1	1,262	10
15. South Carolina State Bulldogs (1)	1-0	1,229	16
16. McNeese State Cowboys	1-0	1,109	15
17. Massachusetts Minutemen	0-1	1,027	17
18. Eastern Washington Eagles	1-0	905	18
19. Texas State Bobcats	1-0	805	20
20. Maine Black Bears	1-0	709	19
21. South Dakota State Jackrabbits	0-0	475	22
22. Eastern Kentucky Colonels	0-1	467	23
23. Jacksonville State Gamecocks	0-1	430	21
24. Harvard Crimson	0-0	361	23
25. Holy Cross Crusaders	1-0	348	25

Others receiving votes: Georgia Southern 212, Liberty 183, Eastern Illinois 167, Delaware 158, Florida A&M 158, Furman 146, Colgate 123, Tennessee-Martin 106, Grambling 103, Western Illinois 103, Samford 87, North Dakota State 71, Alabama A&M 61, Hofstra 50, Montana State 50, Penn 48, Northern Arizona 38, Prairie View 38, Rhode Island 37, Hampton 36, Brown 33, Murray State 24, Stephen F. Austin 20, Southern 18, Gardner-Webb 17, San Diego 16, Jacksonville 14, Youngstown State 14, Southeast Missouri State 13, Southern Utah 12, Norfolk State 11, South Dakota 10, Coastal Carolina 7, Southeastern Louisiana 7, Tennessee State 7, Towson 7, Yale 7, Lafayette 6, Virginia Military 6, Chattanooga 5, Stony Brook 4, UC Davis 4, Albany 3, Jackson State 3, Central Connecticut State 2, Duquesne 2, Tennessee Tech 2.

Montana Grizzlies beat Western State, set Wash-Griz record, continue to breath oxygen

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:48:54 -0700

If it weren't for the fact that this were the home opener, today would've been quite the ho-hum affair. The Griz seemed to treat it that way in the first half and after a series of mistakes led Western State—who I honestly didn't know which state they were in the western part of until the game started—only 10-0 at the half.

Of course, Montana managed to put things together and ended up thumping Western State (did you know that their home stadium is really high up? Wow, thanks Phil!) by the score of 38-0 despite the ongoing quarterback competition. Greg Rachac of the Billings Gazette openly wonders if Justin Roper managed to distance of himself from Andrew Selle.

It was great to see Selle get the start today. If nothing else it was a nod to Selle for all the work he has done in the last three years backing up Cole Bergquist.

But Selle obviously had some early jitters. He missed four of his first five passes, threw an interception and missed a wide-open Jabin Sambrano on third down that would have gone for a long touchdown in the first quarter.

By contrast, Roper -- aside from a fumble in the red zone that killed a scoring chance -- played better than Selle overall. Roper looked a bit more polished.

I tend to agree, but more than anything else just wish Hauck would pick a quarterback. As the old saying goes, "if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have any." Or something like that. Also, how illegitimate does a team look with two quarterbacks splitting time almost evenly? I mean, does a juggernaut title contender go with quarterback by committee strategy? I don't think so.

In other news, Chase Reynolds did his thing with 100 yards on 18 carries. None of the wide receivers stood out with Mr. Touchdown Marc Mariani (Sauce!!) getting just one grab for 26 yards. But hey, the defense pitched a shutout. That's...pretty good.

The real challenges start next week with UC Davis on the road. Looking forward to it.

Hope everyone in Missoula had fun.

Oh God, it's the return of Phil Buck

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 13:09:40 -0700

For out of state fans, Big Sky TV (at least since it's been free) has been a godsend. Last year was absolutely phenomenal. They used the cameras used at the stadium, the same shots they showed up on the big screens and instead of using the TV calls from Phil Buck, they pulled in the radio feed called by Mick Holien. Needless to say, it rocked. It rocked hard. As good as you could possibly expect from a broadcast of this level. It exceeded what KPAX was putting out by far. Honestly, this free broadcast that was probably quickly patched together beat the hell out of a full-time broadcast squad.

Well, it's a new year. Big Sky TV is brought to us out-of-state fans by something called 'B2 Networks'. Phil is back and I'm pretty sure they're grabbing the TV feed. Seriously, look at this quality:

If I had to guess whether they were paying more or less for this service, I'd probably guess more. The season starts with a slight disappointment.

Falcon PUNCH!

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:52:35 -0700

Say this kid were a junior. Would he be at Montana next season? Probably. At least I'd hope so.

Alright, I graduated but I'm going to do what I can to prevent this blog going completely extinct. Gameday tomorrow. Have fun. Pour a little out for me.

May do a live blog, we'll see. If not, check out Twitter. @colinokeefe.

Beware the hair, some Colt Anderson highlights for Minnesota Vikings fans

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:21:40 -0700

Your typical hype video, lots of highlights with music pulled from a Nike ad:

And a very insightful video from Draftguys.com highlighting the many positive attributes in Colt's game:

Colt Anderson to the Vikings, Colin Dow to the Bengals

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:50:21 -0700

Colt Anderson and Colin Dow are the first two Montana Grizzlies to join NFL Teams. Anderson to the Minnesota Vikings with a three year deal and Dow joins the Bengals with a two year contract. NFL deals don't make much sense as they can essentially be torn up at any point but it's exciting none-the-less.

Here's what Colt had to say, from The Missoulian:

“It was tough watching guys you felt you were better than getting picked up,” admitted Anderson, who walked on at UM and leaves as a Football Championship Subdivision All-American. “It was frustrating to watch teams who you thought were interested in you take another guy.

“But bottom line, when the draft got over and teams started calling you - that was pretty exciting. A lot of teams showed interest.” ...

Anderson said 10 teams had been in contact with him as the draft wound down.

“But it came down to just a couple,” said the hard-hitting safety. “I just felt Minnesota was the best opportunity for me. They thought I could have an impact for them.”

My advice to Colt (besides not trying in any game against the Packers): dye your hair blond in an effort to look Scandinavian and thus more like the Viking mascot. How could that possibly hurt your chances of sticking with the team?

And Dow's take on the whole ordeal:

“It was nerve-wracking,” said Dow, a two-time all-Big Sky guard who kept hearing positive comments on the phone, but seeing other players picked on ESPN. “They said, ‘Hold on and keep your head up.' Nothing came to fruition, in the draft anyway, but I have an opportunity in front of me either way, and I'm going to take advantage of it.” ...

“I had a choice between Chicago, San Diego and Cincinnati,” said Dow, who was flown in for interviews by both Chicago and Cincinnati.

The Bengals won out.

“I decided that was the place I had the best chance to come and maybe make a difference,” he said. “I used a lot of the same variables that I had to when I was choosing between Wyoming and Montana (for college). Hopefully it works out as well.”

Advice for Dow: Umm, keep Carson Palmer healthy, party with Chad Ocho Cinco while managing to not get arrested.

Have fun guys, looking forward to seeing who else will get picked up.

No Montana Grizzlies picked in NFL Draft

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:12:20 -0700

Having other things to do today, the only part of the day two of the NFL draft I managed to catch was the last 2-3 picks. I stopped by ESPN's 'Draftcast' to see if any Montana Grizzlies had been picked. Up to that point, nil. I wasn't really hoping for anything until it got to Kansas City and pick number 256, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Why? Because JD Quinn would've made the absolute best Mr. Irrelevant ever. Did you know Mr. Irrelevant gets an entire banquet/week dedicated to him? Oh, and on top of that, Mr. Irrelevant gets to visit the Playboy Mansion. Imagine, an entire week dedicated to JD Quinn, one in which he hangs out with Hef and the girls. Would've been great.

So, we'll wait and see who gets picked up as a free agent and then does what they can to make the team.

Oh, yeah, I'm going to try and write more. If you couldn't tell, things like driving 40 hours (both ways) to watch your football team lose a national championship and having the last Griz hoops game you attend be a heartbreaking loss to the Cats kind of takes their toll.

We're going live

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:59:35 -0700

Go to twitter.com/colinokeefe for some comments and pictures from the game and events before it. Or just read the flash thing below. Just have fun guys, just have fun.

follow colinokeefe at http://twitter.com

Gameday: Griz/Cat III & bringing back The Zoo, again.

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 14:10:39 -0700

As far as last game's go, I couldn't ask for much better than Montana State in the playoffs and the students sitting courtside again. Let's hope it goes a little better than my last football game.

This team has the potential, they have the players and now it comes down to putting things together and getting everything out of everyone, including Coach Tinkle. If I were him, here's what I'd have for everyone.

Jordan Hasquet, you announced your presence in this league with a dominant performance in this tournament your freshman year. Bring it back. Don't be selfish but leave your mark in the minds of the fans who get to see you one last time.
Jack McGillis, there was a lot of hype surrounding you heading into the season. In the minds of some, it hasn't quite been what some expected. Show the leadership, passion and athleticism that's come to be expected.
Anthony Johnson, don't be afraid to look for your shot. Continue to be aggressive, take it to the hoop while keeping the D honest with the midrange dagger. Get on the guys and keep them going, If necessary, throw the team in a backpack and carry them for stretches. You know winning isn't acceptable so don't let it happen. Bring that Kobe/MJ mentality. When you're at the off-guard, cut it loose.
Ceylon Elgin-Taylor, it's your last game at Dahlberg as well. You're the senior point guard. Take advantage of your minutes as the floor general. Go out there and be the creator, drop dimes like rappers pick them up.
Kyle Sharp, you've stuck it out and followed your role for four years. Cam, Graves, Dave and Stu are gone while you've keyed in and been great this year. Continue to be aggressive, busting your ass for rebounds and banging your way to some points.
Brian Qvale, dunk the damn basketball. Seriously. Get mean, get pissed. You're huge. You try to play with Andrew Strait's game, but he's like 6'8". Overpower people, don't kiss it off the glass. I want to see a earth-moving leg-kicking Oden-like beast of a dunk from you today.
Derek Selvig, just have fun. Play with confidence, relax. Get rebounds but don't worry about playing the big man's game. You're athletic and you know it. Knock down the outside shot if it's there. You did it in high school now have the attitude to do it here.
Ryan Staudacher, you're the marksman so knock it down when it's there. We need you to be the run-stopper and starter. Hustle off the screens and drill the shots with even when there's someone in your face.
Michael Taylor, same deal. You know when it's there and you know when it's not. You know when you're feeling it and when you can drill a trey early in the shot clock. Just keeping doing your thing and taking advantage of opportunities when they're there.
Vassy Banny, you kick ass. Seriously, you're Rodman. You're the spark off the bench. You play with your hair on fire. You better get some minutes tonight and against teams in the coming rounds.
Tyler Hurley, have fun man. If you get in there play your ass off and cherish it. We'll go wild if you're in there.

Griz-Cat hoops: live blog

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:04:47 -0700

The Griz go for five in a row to stay in the thick of the conference race. The Cats try to pick up a game in the standings to pull even with the Griz. It's Montana, Montana State and all the Phil Buck you can handle. Awesome.

First Half

I think the camera is out of focus. Or really poor quality. Maybe both. 2-0 Griz two minutes in.
First AJ mid-range hanging dagger of the game. Kind of want to see him back at the off-guard, or at least taking more shots. He could be a Steph Curry type of point guard.
8-7 now, 15 minutes left. Why the hell do they not have both Griz-Cat games while the students are back? It's pretty damn ridiculous.
A lot of empty seats at the ends. Big Sky basketball or people not being allowed to sit there? I don't know.
McGillis playing hard early. Good to see. Once the winning starts it seems as though everyone starts to find their roles/not compete for shots. Kind of a chicken and the egg type situation though. 11-9, 13:30 left. And he just blocked some kid hard. It didn't even leave is hand. Two blocks so far.
CET checks in, AJ to the off guard. Misses a three. If he adds that to is game next year he may average 25+ in this conference.
Why don't they have Mick just do both TV and radio? Is there some kind of conflict I'm missing? I know it happens in other sports.
These games are much better on Big Sky TV. But I don't think it's working and I'd rather not listen to Montana State's broadcasters.
Now 17-17 with 7:24 left. Phil Buck stressing almost every word. Let's see if the radio is synced. It's not.
Now it's at 24-18 after a three by Hasquet. Well, 24-21 after a Cat three. It'd be nice to push this to the 7-10 range. Now a three by Staudacher.
Anthony Johnson kind of flops/gets fouled. Have you ever seen him get shaken up or upset over a call?
31-26 after AJ drives baseline and lays it in.
CET also showing some offensive prowess as he picks up an old-school three pointer.
36-30 at half.

Second half

Griz now up nine. Keep pushing it.
Just discussed the whole possession arrow concept with a friend. Why is that still in college basketball?
Lead still at nine. Same score actually. 17:22 left.
McGillis makes a three and now it's a ten point lead. I know I missed a score. McGillis having a big game.
Michael Taylor looks exactly like someone I despise. But he's cool though. Michael Taylor. Not the other kid.
43-37 after AJ jumps and makes an ill-advised pass that leads to a dunk.
These games on TV always seems dull. It could be that every play is called like it was extremely important so nothing stands out.
"SPLASH" Kyle Sharp nails a three at the end of the shot clock. 46-37.
Griz need to pull away a little. We don't need to have this be in question coming down the stretch. I'm a little more confident in this team pulling out close wins but why do it if you don't need to? We need this win on the road bad.
That may be the first time I've seen Byran Qvale dunk a basketball in a game.
50-46 now with 9:20 left. This is far too close. Kind of a sloppy game.
Wow, Ceylon Elgin-Taylor showing some game. Watch out.
Champ looks ridiculous.
Anthony Johnson's mid range fadeaway is unbelievable. Why wasn't he starting earlier in the season. Not gonna lie, I kind of called this.
Another one from AJ. Phil Buck says "string music."
Staudacher fouled out. 58-51 Griz.
Jesus. Anthony Johnson just made a circus reverse shot, after a bump. Yeah, give him all three.
Ceylon to Anthony on a fast break and now the lead is 11 with 3:30 to play. Cats make a three but it's still uphill for them.
Griz break the press on Hasquet's quarterback pass but Mcgillis gets fouled hard going up for a dunk. This is about over. Makes one, Griz get the rebound and now Anthony Johnson is going to the line after a block. These are almost automatic. Yep. 68-57.
Well, Cats then dunk over McGillis.
Back to 11 on Hasquet free throws. We've gotten pretty decent at icing games. Howard airballs a three. Let's wrap this up.
Griz fans holding up keys signifying "warm up the bus." This is a home game for the Cats. There is no bus.
The end of the game was far too long.
Griz win 78-63. Another double digit victory over the Cats. Five in a row and still in second place.

Griz upend Vikings, finally get that big win

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:35:52 -0700

It's been a long time since the Griz won a game like this. Over the past two seasons, the Griz have slipped from one of the conference's best teams, then to just a contender and finally to a mediocre squad stuck to the middle of the pack. With last night's 72-65 win over Portland State, a team some thought would go undefeated in conference play, the Griz may once again be one of the conference's elite.

A team that often times lacks intensity and heart finally showed the characteristics a decent team should.

Here's what Vikings coach Ken Bone had to say about the game, from the grizzlyjournal:

“They (Montana) hit some big shots, hit some big threes and... the crowd got into it, and I thought they just did a nice job of executing plays down the stretch and making baskets and we didn’t,” said Portland State Coach Ken Bone.

“I thought our guys played hard, but Montana just deserved to win,” said Bone.

It's odd hearing that quote coming from someone other than Wayne Tinkle. Rarely do we hit the big shots, make stops and end up being the team that deserved to win.

Here's Tinkle and AJ commenting on the team's character, which is no longer acidic and cancerous. From The Missoulian:

“I just think it says a lot about our character,” said Montana coach Wayne Tinkle, whose Griz had been outscored by the Vikings 180-101 in their previous two meetings. “It was a team that had stepped on us the last couple of times we played them. We challenged our guys to respond and show a little bit of Grizzly pride.”

“It's chemistry,” Johnson said. “We talk about potential a lot of the time. That's been the knock on us, when is our potential going to be realized. I think we saw it today, what we can do when we're firing on all cylinders. The chemistry was at a high.”

In conclusion, this victory and what it means for this program is almost bitter sweet. On the positive side, this was a much-needed win, one that thrusts this team and program back into the conference race. But when did beating a conference opponent constitute a signature victory? These are teams we're supposed to, at the very least, split the season series with and now it feels like a legit upset. I hope the next time we beat PSU, preferably in the tournament, it doesn't have close to the same feel.

Photo credit: Jerek Wolcott for Montanagrizzlies.com

Griz @ Weber State: live blog

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:11:18 -0700

First Half

We have our first ill advised Jordan Hasquet three point attempt of the game.
But still, this isn't that bad so far. 3-0 Griz 90 seconds in. So, these announces are far better than the Idaho State crew, no ridiculously huge bias so far.
Really slow start for WSU. We also have our first AJ fadeaway dagger. Put that on the list of things worth 1 drink in the Griz Hoops Drinking Game.
So WSU cuts the audio during breaks. Somewhat smart, but not entertaining.
Weber State looks horrible. We're up 9-2 early. Getting plenty of opportunities for open shots but they're not falling. If they do we could end this.
We've missed at least five three pointers so far. Depending on that a lot too much. There's another one.
And like that, on back-to-back threes, it's 9-8. No, 11-8. McGillis has 7. I'm somewhat shocked.
11-10 Griz, 11 left. Hasquet is struggling a bit early. Despite the lead, shots really aren't falling for the Griz. Missing lots of open looks. Sloppy ball all around.
Griz are now trailing 12-11.
Here's the thing. Selvig loves to play some Dirk ball but plays center in the practices I've seen. It's probably been since high school, almost two years, since he's played that kind of ball.
I'm watching the game with someone who doesn't understand/like sports. For those of you who've done this, you know it's bad. They resort to making fun of the whole situation. Annoying.
Time for AJ to take over. Starts with him trying to get to the rack, gets the call, nice.
I'm not sure Jordan Hasquet has made a shot yet.
You can usually tell when Anthony Johnson is about to turn it on. He was right before picking up his second foul. When the team is down more than they should be, he puts it on him.
If you were doing a drink for every three point miss from Jordan, you'd be about two beers in.
After a McGillis trey, it's 24-19 with 4:00 left. Great game from Jack so far.
Stockton is looking really shaky filling in for AJ at the point. It'll be interesting to see how things play out once CET gets back.
Half ends with a AJ turnover and Weber dunk.
Okay, I hate this in college hoops, but with a guy like Anthony Johnson why not just put everyone on the baseline? Is there anyone in this conference who can stop one-on-one him even three times out of ten?

Halftime

32-23 Weber at halftime. If this creeps into double digits I'm going to be upset. We'll see how we respond. It'll be Hasquet threes and McGillis fadeaways or penetration by Anthony Johnson. I vote for the last option, opens things up for everyone else.
If we lose this game, we're 3-3 in conference.
It's chili time.

Second half

The lead is 11 after a couple free throws. Second half starts a little like the first. Pretty sloppy. It's now 14. Timeout and a technical. Keep it up Wayne.
This needs to go under 15 quick. Yeah, I'm looking at you Anthony. The announcer said he's a "guy who looks for his own shot most of the time." Nay.
Staudacher is getting a lot of wide open looks. And missing them. He's ice cold.
38-25. 16:25. No hill for a climber. Right?
And we let the shot clock expire. AWESOME.
39-27 as the annoucer says "I'm not sure how they beat Montana State, other than that the game was in Missoula." We're that team, the team that surprises people when we beat mediocre teams.
Here's a hypothetical. Say Wayne Tinkle picks up his second technical only to have the Griz storm back and win with him watching in the locker room. What are his odds of coaching here next season?
42-27. 13:24 left.
Anthony Johnson has three fouls. You have to leave him in.
AJ gives up a one-on-one chance at the hoop to have Staudacher fake a three then get a closer jumpshot swatted. Well, then he makes one. Now we're only down 14.
Lead is back to 16 on a pair of free throws. 49-32. 11:30 left.
48-36 after three by Stads. 10:30 left.
McGillis picks up his fourth foul because he didn't box out. 53-40 with 9:25 left.
Why the f*ck did Kyle Sharp take a three? The lead is now 15 after a turnover by Anthony Johnson. YEA GRIZ.
Anthony Johnson made a long two to have Weber make a three. 58-42 with 6:46 left.
We're going to lose by twenty. Probably. The lead is now 17. Nope, 19.
The lead is 11 after an AJ three. Please, don't tease. Gave up an offensive rebound, let the other team wind down the shot clock then fouled. They made both. That's the Griz basketball I know.
Final score is 71-55.

Postgame

People can argue all they want about whether it's coaching, talent or whatever but one thing is for sure: this team is very very bad. They don't play with any heart. They either win or get beat by double figures because most games, they just don't give a shit.
It's getting to the point where something really drastic needs to be done.

Griz @ Idaho State: Live blog

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:20:16 -0700

First Half

"He raped the arm with his arm." Actual call from your Idaho State radio guys. Yea, just put Mick on whenever the Griz are playing. Are there more than ten Bengal fans watching this game? Is their guy half as good as Mick? I don't think so.
So far, Anthony Johnson is not getting the calls he gets at home. Not that surprising but some of them are pretty blatant. He got mauled on a "block" early.
In low resolution (Big Sky Tv) Matt Stucki looks just like Michael Cera.
No one complains about calls like Idaho State fans. Idaho State broadcasters are close, but the fans win.
Hasquet should have a limit on his three-point attempts. Two per half, maybe. Never on back-to-back possessions.
I should probably drop in a score. 12-9 Bengals at the moment. There's no ticker and no word from the broadcasters on time.
Just realized Coach Tinkle is on the frontside of the quarter. Watch him for a couple possessions. For some reason it's extra hysterical when you can just see a giant black shadow.
17-12 now. Probably around 11:00 left.
Michael Taylor's going to get more and more minutes as time goes in. Can he play point while we cut AJ loose? Or maybe he's the three threat you don't get from AJ.
Anthony Johnson is just getting mauled on some plays. Maybe the refs saw how much he was going to the line and decided to make a point out of making sure every time he went it was for something legit. But this is kind of odd. Oh well.
26-22 with 2:15 left.

Halftime

33-26 at half. Kind of a sloppy end to the period.
We have to win this. It's Idaho State. Maybe it's my disrespect for their fans, but a loss here is completely unacceptable. Lets do this.
No, they don't take halftime off on Big Sky TV. Unfortunately.
Okay, so AJ isn't doing great up to this point. Focusing a little more on distributing because he's not getting the calls going at the rack. However, anyone else find it somewhat incredible we actually have someone the opposing team needs to key in on because if he doesn't, he's gonna drop 25?

Second Half

Refs are kind of clogging this whole thing up. Not for one team in particular.
Griz down 7 after cutting it from 9. Just let AJ take over. Iso that up.
Yeah. Three point play from AJ.
41-33 about four minutes in. Come on Griz.
Okay. I just noticed this. Forgive me. They call Austin Kilpatrick 'AK-47.' He's number 23.
Sharpie with a board, putback and going to the line. Forced in part by AJ driving to the rack. Seriously, someone buy a Witness shirt so I can wear one without feeling creepy.
That was a bad charge. But here we go "That was a HORRIBLE CALL."..."I have to give Anthony Johnson a acting award for that."..."There's nothing borderline about that!" They're yelling so loud the audio is actually muffled. Imagine Mick doing that. Seriously. Just try.
45-44 Bengals. 12:00 left.
Anthony Johnson is our Kobe. Unstoppable. 11 in this half.
48-45 now. 10:43 left. Now pull away Grizzlies.
Wow. They call 'illegal dribbling' on AJ. Hmmm. Do what you have to I guess.
7:10 to go. Bengals up 4 and going to the line.
60-54 with about 6:00 left as Stockton is getting some big crunchtime minutes.
Alright. Audio is going off. Can't really put up with this.
Griz really choking down the stretch with a travel on Jordan.
Jordan coughs it up. Lead is 13. Now 14.
Now AJ turns it over in the backcourt. Well done guys.
Three point shooting has been very inconsistent. But what can you do? We're an inconsistent team.
AJ should've finished but that was a back court violation.
Griz cut it to 9 before the guy with the hideous and oh-so-original mohawk makes a jumper in the corner.
Final score: 77-67

Postgame

Well, that sucked. Things really went downhill after the "illegal dribbling" call. I get a feeling Anthony Johnson isn't going to get a whole lot of slack on the road, not that he needed any for a hesitation dribble.
We should've won this. We'll get them at home. Face them in the playoffs. Same crap. God I hate this team.
A win today would've put the Grizzlies in first place. You had to figure they were going to lost. So, yeah, that's right, we get Weber after a loss. They'll be ready to go.

Was that finally the win the Griz needed?

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:07:49 -0700

When the Griz went down big early, like they have frequently before, I was already beginning to conjure up titles for this post. Griz are not one of Big Sky's elite stood out more than other options. This team had already gotten trounced by Portland State and looked like it was going to roll over just the same against NAU, who took those Vikings quadruple to (!!) overtime on Sunday.

It's too often that they go down early. Just as frequently, they make a run to get in the game but can't quite get all the way back. Honestly, how rare is it that Griz radio guy Mick Holien doesn't say "no hill for a climber" during a broadcast? For the first time since I can remember, the Griz actually climbed that hill.

The reason? Anthony Johnson picked up this half-assed team and threw them over his shoulder, scoring 32 after dropping 31 on Montana State. Like Tebow in last night's National Championship game, he simply said "there's no effing way we're losing this game," hitting mid-range jumpers and putting himself on the line. In the process, he fired up others, forcing them to bring their game to where he was. McGillis' late no-hesitation 3-point dagger is a prime example.

But why this game? Why did wait until now to show the potential and resilience of a decent team? Glenn Junkert of grizzlyjournal has a quote from Coach Tinkle on the rally:

“But, our rally at halftime was... let’s throw caution to the wind, in not so many words. And our guys responded. It was nice to fight all that way, and get over the top and pull out the win. So many times we’ve fought, fought, fought, fell up short. It was great. And I think that’s what you saw as the horn went off, was the excitement of coming from that much of a deficit and closing it out.”

This team played loose, they played with confidence. They looked like they were having fun. Who knew that was possible? It'll be interesting to see if they take this approach with the offense, possibly moving Johnson back to the off-guard and cutting him loose while CET or Stockton man the point.

I thought these Grizzlies had turned the corner once this season with a win over Texas-Arlington, but that wasn't the case. Maybe this win is finally it, maybe this is a major turning point for this team and Coach Tinkle. Maybe not. But we have Sac State on Saturday. I don't know what the single game scoring record is, but someone may want to check.

Witness.

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:46:32 -0700

Available for purchase here. Also available, for a little cheaper, in white.

Just one more

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:54:21 -0700

That's it. The team that was expected to lose somewhere around three games is 60 minutes from the U's third National Championship. The CAA and whoever can talk themselves up all they want. The truth is, Appalachian State is the only team that can come close to making the argument that they're more of an FCS powerhouse. After tonight, Montana Grizzlies will have appeared in six of the past fourteen FCS National Championship games.

Now there's just one more. That's it. I'm not sure what I can say. At this point, it's on the players. We'll be bringing thousands of Griz fans, because let's face it, we're as good as they come. We're 2,100 miles away and sold out all our tickets. Richmond had to send some back. We can yell but it's on the guys now.

To conclude, this is ridiculous. I am in Chattanooga, Tennessee, it was close to a 40 hour drive from the zoo. Now let's do this. Just a single game. Let's go Cole. Chase, carry em. Mr Touchdown has this. And Colt 'The Hair' Anderson will be knocking down anyone that makes it to the secondary. I honestly don't know how to wrap this up. It's completely unbelievable. The last Griz game I attend as a student will be a National Championship game.

Ironically, the first Griz game I ever watched was a title game. As a senior in high school, shortly after deciding I'd be going to the University of Montana for school, I watched our Griz get beat on that torn up field. Today will be different. We'll be driving out of this town with championship #4.

28-17 Griz.

Follow twitter.com/colinokeefe for comments and pictures from the game and tailgates.

From Missoula to the final whistle and back to Missoula again

colinokeefe@gmail.com (Colin) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:35:46 -0700

It was a long an winding road before the Montana Grizzlies made it to the National Championship game. However, once they made it there, they got to take a chartered flight. Not me, it'll be 2,100 miles and 31 hours in a van. Awesome.

You can follow the entire trip—with pictures and comments live from wherever their taken or written—from the point we leave Missoula, to the tailgates, to the actual game, to celebrating or mourning at the bars and then finally the return on twitter.com/colinokeefe. Or here, but then the links to images won't work.

follow colinokeefe at http://twitter.com