It's Always Fun During Weber Week...

Well gang, it truly is always fun during Weber State week, and with the women's team in Ogden on Friday night and then the men hosting the Wildcats on Saturday, well...it's just a fun week for everyone involved.

Anyways, lots of little things going on, so here's a little rundown of the little things.

The Little Things...
Dan Angell has a nice story about the trails and tribulations of Rolando Little, who had to really work to get eligible, and then work hard to stay eligible, and then ended up having a major medical setback. Also, Tim Flagstad, who sadly is leaving town shortly for a new gig outside of the sports world in his home state, wrote a great piece on the Jared Allen Strength and Conditioning Center.

But Their Stories on the Official Site are Awesome
Well, the men's and women's tennis teams have not been overly successful in the past few years, much to the chagrin of Katie Zigars, our Asst. SID and tennis contact, who was a former player on the team (and she was pretty good...I watched her play like twice). Anyways, it must be getting old for her to see this come over the wire, but if you read the tennis stories...they are pretty in-depth, because of her knowledge of the sport.

Morgan to Be Honored
Prior to the starters on Saturday night, Amorrow Morgan will be presented with a commemorative ball for his breaking the 1,000-point barrier when he scored in the first half against Montana State. He is the third player in four years to break the 1,000-point mark with Matt Stucki last year and David Schroeder in 2006-07.

Diversity is synonymous with Nicholson....duh...
Idaho State University is celebrating Martin Luther King Day with 10 days worth of activities for ISU's Civil Rights Celebration. While the requisite marches are going on, along with various guest speakers...but apparently nothing says Civil Rights more than the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, where Jack Nicholson plays a statutory rapist who fakes being mentally ill in order to get transferred to an institution so he can have an easier time over the last few months of his sentence. Makes perfect sense to me.

Monday Morning Press Conference Notes
Alyssa Chin of Channel 8 did a nice job of summarizing Idaho State's Monday afternoon press conference with Joe O'Brien and Seton Sobolewski.

Blum Done
Kyle Blum, who was ISU's starting quarterback last year at the beginning of the season, will not be back in the fall for ISU football, as he is 13 credits from graduating, and he does not plan to attend graduate school at ISU. That leaves ISU in the spring with incumbent starter Russel Hill along with three freshmen in Kyle Morris, Jake Lammers, and Justin Level, a grayshirt who is now enrolled.

I Hope this Helps
This can't be bad news, although the number that really matter is full-time students, and we won't know that for a few weeks. Still...it sounds good, no?

Funny...Doesn't Look a Day Over 76...
The Idaho State school newspaper The Bengal turned 100 this week. I remember for a brief time when I got here that the paper changed their name to the eXtra, but by the time the paper snapped a shot of this adorable little kid, it was back to the Bengal.

Thoughts on the Hawk, McGwire, and Moronic Hall of Fame Voters (AKA, Seriously not ISU Related, but Just a Little Topic Near to Me):
I'm going to delve on this for a minute because since I'm actively involved with a very political group1, that being the ISU Sports Hall of Fame, I feel I can interject on a couple of things with the Baseball Hall of Fame, since I'm a pretty big baseball fan.

1If you don't think there is politics and stuff with the ISU Hall of Fame, talk to me whenever I'm officially not getting a paycheck from Idaho State. That being said it shouldn't be a surprise, as I'm sure all college hall of fames have some sort of politics behind them.

Point number one is personal...I'm happy to see Andre Dawson make it in...I remember him playing, and he was a feared hitter and fielder...one of the best of his era. You can't put his numbers into the steroid era and compare. Did I say steroid era? wait...I'll get to that.

Point number two is the voting. Did you know that no one has ever been elected unanimously into the Baseball Hall of Fame? Tom Seaver got left off of five ballots when he got in...Nolan Ryan six, heck..Ty Cobb...TY FREAKIN' COBB wasn't unanimous...getting 222 of226 votes? Babe Ruth? Only 215 out of 226...thank you very much. Now, the reason for this is so moronic, but there are voters who feel that no one should ever get into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Really? Are sports writers THAT holier than thou? There isn't an argument on the planet that can back this up, but somehow, these writers insist that as the keeper of the keys to the Hall, they have that right to do that. However, this past year, do you know who got votes? Kevin Appier, Pat Hentgen, and David Segui each got one, and Ellis Burks and Eric Karros each got two!!! The full 2010 class vote is here.

But here's a good one for you...no one could have gotten all the votes this year because Jay Marriotti, formerly of the Chicago Sun-Times and a panelist on Around the Horn on ESPN, turned in a blank ballot as he felt there was no one deserving. This is after he voted for Andre Dawson and Bert Blyleven the year before, and Jim Rice on his 15th and final chance. Mariotti said that he voted for now one this year because "I didn’t vote for anybody in the Baseball Hall of Fame this year. You know why? To me, the first ballot is sacred. I think Roberto Alomar is an eventual Hall of Famer, not the first time. Edgar Martinez, designated hitter, eventually, but not the first time. And same goes for maybe Fred McGriff. As far as Blyleven and Dawson, if they haven’t gotten in for years and years I cannot vote them in now." This is pompous arrogance at it's best. He won't be on the ISU Sports Hall of Fame voting list, I can tell you that...of course, he wouldn't care anyways.

Lastly comes the steroid issue. How do you differentiate folks out of this era? Mark McGwire has gotten 128 votes in three of the four years he was eligible. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens will have their moments on the ballot in a few years. Will they get in? Should they get in? Bonds was a sure fire Hall of Famer before he got ... well, it hasn't been proven for him officially, correct? OK...before he got so big his head didn't fit inside his helmet anymore. That works. McGwire might or might not have gotten the home runs needed and he was very injury prone for a while, so he's a maybe. However, the issue I have again is the voters passing judgment for a player using performance enhancing drugs. Honestly, I sort of feel like this...I'm guessing that most sports writers have been inundated when watching sports programming with ads for Cialis2, (Viva) Viagra, and eXtenze ... who hasn't? So, have those reporters wondered about trying them? I mean I'm sure they don't need them...but hey, if it works, and no one has to know, would they try it? If they could get some (Viva) viagra, would they try it? My guess is yes, because I know this topic has come up before when watching games, and I'm saying right now, 90% of my friends and people who I have been around when this comes up have said they would try it ... and yes, I'm in the 90%. So, if a reporter would try a PED for that, can they really pass judgment on a baseball player for a PED to help him out on the field? Sadly, I don't have an answer to it, but I think it's a legitimate question.

I do realize that this has almost nothing to do with ISU athletics, but I thought it was interesting, and the topic has come up in my traveling circles...

Bengals Need a "Sudden Change" When it Comes to TOs

Every year, somebody in charge of all the football coaching clinics around the country gives out a sheet with new "catch phrases" that all the coaches are supposed to use during this particular season. (Okay, not really, but it seems that way.) A couple of years ago, one of the phrases on the sheet was "sudden change," as in, "we need our football team to respond better to sudden changes in momentum." In other words, when we turn the football over, we can't hang our heads and give up points.

As cliche as it might sound, then, Idaho State needs to do a much better job when it comes to responding to "sudden change." More to the point, the Bengals simply need to stop turning over the football. Idaho State, who was last in the Big Sky with a minus-12 turnover margin in 2008, is already minus-8 in that category after just three games this season. To make matters worse, the Bengals haven't responded very well after "sudden changes" -- ISU has not scored a point after the two turnovers they have created (both against Oklahoma), while the Bengals have given up 52 points after TOs to their opponents. Minus-52 on points after turnovers is a good way to get off to an 0-3 start.

I bring all of this up not so I can steal Frank's idea of using a cherry turnover photo reference (although I did), but because Central Washington is coming to town on Saturday and the Wildcats are terrific at creating "sudden change." More specifically, CWU makes plays on defense. Last year, the Wildcats finished plus-15 in the turnover category and their defense sacked the quarterback 38 times (compared to just 18 by their opponents -- and just 18 by Idaho State's defense.) The Wildcats, under former Bengal defensive coordinator Joe Lorig, are continuing to make big plays this year, with a plus-5 turnover ratio and 8 sacks in their 4-0 start.

Turnovers killed Idaho State's chances to upset Weber State in Ogden Saturday. After ISU jumped off to a 14-7 lead, an interception by QB Kyle Blum led to one Wildcat score, and Stew Tracy's fumble in the second half led to another. The Bengals, meanwhile, failed to recover WSU quarterback Cameron Higgins' fumble when he was sacked, and that was as close as they could come to generating some "sudden change."

I've long maintained that the key to winning in the Big Sky Conference is making big plays on defense. Other than Montana, nobody's defense in this league has consistently shut down their opponents. So to survive in a high-scoring league, you have to make enough big plays on defense (defined as sacks and turnovers) to get your D off the field on occasion. Idaho State's defense -- with just 3 sacks and 2 turnovers so far -- is simply not getting it done.

CWU, who lost a lot of offensive firepower when quarterback Mike Reilly graduated and signed a free agent deal with Pittsburgh after last season, is living and dying right now off its defense. The Wildcat defense added D-1 drop-downs Prince Hall, a 260-pound linebacker who played at Alabama for three years, and linebacker Matt Ah You, a BYU veteran, to returning playmakers Jerome Woods, a safety, and leading tackler Buddy Wood, a linebacker. The Wildcats have held their first four opponents to an average of 7.5 points a game, 3.4 yards a rush and just 1 touchdown pass so far this season.

Offensively CWU is relying on all-American receiver and kick returner Johnny Spevak to continue to make plays. Spevak, who caught 91 passes and scored 20 touchdowns last season, has caught 25 balls for 5 TDS from redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Robertson. Robertson has thrown 9 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions so far. He's joined in the backfield by another transfer, running back Randall Eldredge, who has averaged almost 5 yards a carry after coming over when Western Washington dropped its program this year.

I said it this summer when I first previewed this game, and I'll say it again: this is the biggest game in the John Zamberlin coaching era at Idaho State. It's the home opener after three predictable losses on the road. It's against a D-II team, and yes, a very good D-II team, but nobody is going to give the Bengals style points for a close loss to CWU. And finally, it's the first game in a series of "winnable" games for Idaho State after a very difficult opening schedule. A win Saturday could finally gain some traction for a program badly in need of -- yes, "a sudden change."

Seen on E-Bay: One Cracked Crystal Ball

When I saw Portland State jump out to a 14-0 lead over Montana on Saturday, I thought to myself, "Crap, I should have followed my initial instinct and picked PSU for the upset." Thank heavens I didn't, or I would have been 0-3 on an abbreviated Big Sky slate last week. The Griz came back big, of course, to beat PSU in Missoula, while Northern Arizona barely held off Southern Utah in Flagstaff and Eastern Washington shut out Northern Colorado in Cheney. I picked two road dogs in the T-Birds and Bears, and they turned out to be dogs, all right.

So on to this week's misadventures in prognostication, or, as I like to call 'em, shots in the dark:

Weber State at Portland State: No easy pick, this one. Injuries keep piling up on the Wildcats, who lost all-Big Sky players Kevin Linehan and Cody Nakamura in the first half against Idaho State Saturday, after having to go to backups at both DTs and center to start the game. I don't know the availability of all those guys for PSU on Saturday, but the Vikings have competed well against WSU in Portland over the years, with an 8-6 mark. (Update: Weber State announced this week that Nakamura is out for the season with a knee injury, but Linehan (shoulder) is expected to play Saturday.) Still, I love the chemistry on this Weber State team and I'm going with the Wildcats in a shootout.

Montana State at Northern Colorado: The Bears have a history here, too, and shocked the Bobcats in Greeley in 2007. MSU is coming off a bye week after edging D-II Dixie at home, and getting shellacked by Michigan State. Northern Colorado, meanwhile, created a lot of doubt about their "improvement" after getting blanked in Cheney. Still, I like the combination of new Bears power runner Andre Harris and capable QB Bryan Waggener. Montana State certainly hasn't done much offensively to convince me they'll put up big numbers Saturday. I'll say Northern Colorado in a low-scoring affair.

Montana at Northern Arizona: NAU, which had the best running defense in Big Sky Conference history last year, has given up almost as many rushing yards in its first two games (625) this year as it did all last season (658). Interestingly, Montana star RB Chase Reynolds is coming off one of his least productive games in his career after gaining only 32 yards against PSU last week. Do you think he'll be fired up to see the Lumberjack run D? The Griz should make NAU Head Coach Jerome Souers 0-12 against his former employer.

Eastern Washington at Sacramento State: Was that suffocating defense by EWU on Saturday, or just Bad News Bears offense by Northern Colorado? I imagine it was a little of both, but you can't help but be impressed by the Eagles' shutout, nonetheless. Sac State is second to the last in the league in scoring and total offense, which doesn't inspire a lot of confidence against that EWU defense. The Hornets have one positive confidence factor in their favor: they beat the Eagles in Cheney last year. But I don't think they'll follow that up with a home win this year.

--Brad B.

And thanks for being a Bengal fan -- it ain't always easy, but it's always fun.

Another Local Icon Passes On

Before we get to Saturday night's ISU football game with Weber State, I have to pass on my thoughts and prayers to the family of Jim Garchow (right), the Idaho Falls radio broadcaster who passed away Sunday morning after a battle with leukemia. Jim was one of the truly professional sports announcers I have met on any level. He broadcast minor league baseball and high school football and basketball in this area for 38 years, and was the general manager at KUPI radio station for 37 years. He was also a great friend.

I got to know Jim through his friendship with my former broadcast partner, Jim Fox. Fox and Garchow were good friends in Flagstaff, where Fox succeeded Garchow as the voice of the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. Those two had some great stories to tell about those days together, and Fox later followed his good friend to Idaho when he purchased KWIK in Pocatello.

Garchow's daughter, Gina, was later my next door neighbor in Pocatello, after she married former Bengal linebacker Scott Berger. Berger, now the head football coach at Skyline High School, played on the Bengals' 1981 national championship team, and had a big interception against South Carolina State in the playoffs. Berger was an assistant coach at Poky when Fox and I broadcast the Indians' games in the 1980s, while Gina worked for Fox as traffic manager at his radio stations. Athletics frequently creates close-knit groups of friends, and we all enjoyed watching the Indians' play, then gathering together at a local watering hole to rehash the action. When the Indians were playing Skyline, Garchow was typically part of the conversation.

Garchow was also a close friend of country-western legend Waylon Jennings from their days working together in Arizona radio. It was not uncommon for Jennings to do a show in Jackson or Sun Valley, and then spend the weekend at the Garchow home in Idaho Falls. Finally, Garchow was also one of the longest surviving heart transplant patients in the country, having received a new heart back in the 1980s.

Despite losing a leg to the leukemia and seeing his health degenerate over the past several months, Garchow had a blessed ending to his life. He was able to complete broadcasting his last minor league season with the Idaho Falls Chukars on Labor Day, then listened as his grandson, quarterback Michael Berger, led the Grizzlies to a big win over Hillcrest Friday night before he passed away early Sunday morning. We'll miss you, Jim, the eastern Idaho sports scene won't be the same without you.

The Big Disappointment

For a game that started out so promising, there were so many disappointments in Idaho State's loss to Weber State in Ogden Saturday night: the lack of discipline that led to 15 Bengal penalties; the terrible special teams play that included another blocked punt, two long Weber State punt returns and no blocking to speak of for Bengal returners; and the key turnovers, especially Kyle Blum's interception and Stew Tracy's fumble, which led to key Wildcat scores.

Probably the biggest concern I left with Saturday night, however, was the continuing poor play of the Bengal offensive line, particularly in the running game. ISU came into the game averaging -13.5 yards per game in rushing, but we all knew a lot of that could be attributed to the competition in the first two games of the season: Arizona State and Oklahoma. Saturday night, however, ISU was lining up against a Weber State team that started two true freshmen at defensive tackle, then lost its best defensive end, Kevin Linehan, to injury in the second quarter. Ben Laporta was finally able to break off a couple of big runs during "garbage time" at the end of the game, but when Idaho State really needed to make Weber State honor the running game, they were unable to make it happen. ISU had just 29 yards rushing on 13 carries in the first half.

I'm frankly surprised by ISU's lack of production up front, because the Bengals return four starters from what was a serviceable offensive line last season. A lot of folks blamed ISU's poor run production last season on play calling or the lack of great speed in the backfield, and those certainly have to be considered factors. But the offensive coordinator is gone and the Bengals have added some weapons in the backfield, so those factors have been minimized. The offensive line is definitely going to have to pick up its play if Idaho State is going to be able to mount a consistent running threat.

Coaches Show Tonight

Jerry Miller and I will discuss the Weber game and the upcoming contest with Central Washington with ISU head coach John Zamberlin tonight at 6 p.m. on AM 930. Bengal kick returner JD Ponciano will also be our guest, and, as always, you can call in your questions to the coach during the show, or e-mail them to Jerry at milljerr@isu.edu. Hope to hear from you all tonight.

--Brad B.

And thanks for being a Bengal fan -- it ain't always easy, but it's always fun.

A Conversation with Brian Jensen

Brian Jensen (left) is in his first season as Idaho State's offensive coordinator, after serving as quarterbacks coach in the first two seasons of the John Zamberlin era at ISU. Jensen inherits the task of reviving the Bengals' running game after ISU finished second from the bottom in the Big Sky with an average of 2.6 yards per carry. He also has the responsibility of grooming Kyle Blum as the starter at quarterback.

On Saturday, Jensen's offense got off to a good start in the team's first scrimmage of the fall. Running backs Stew Tracy, Clint Knickrehm, and Ben LaPorta were particularly sharp carrying the football, and Blum and backup QB Russell Hill threw the ball well -- although Blum did cough up a couple of interceptions. Towering wide-out Kelvin Krosch made a couple of great catches in traffic, and freshman wideout Andrew Benavides served notice that he will be a factor in the offense. Here's my conversation with Jensen:

1. You've had a chance, spring football, and now all summer to prepare for fall, to develop your philosophy. What kind of changes have you made?

Jensen: That's a great question, and it's a fair question. I'll tell you what, you're going to see and I've said it before, and I know it's cliche, but we want to be as balanced as we can. If you watched the scrimmage today...as far as coming off the field, I felt like we were fairly balanced. We 've got some good backs, we've got a healthy Clint Knickhrem, we've got a lot of our offensive line back, so we ought to be able, and we have to be able to run the football. Easier said then done, I know, but that's going to be a point of emphasis is that we stay on the ground and run the football and then we can use our play action and other stuff off of that.

2.Obviously, you didn't have any depth at running back in the spring, but it looks like now you've got four or five kids who can carry the football for you. Who do you like in that role?

Jensen: I'll tell you what, you can't pinpoint a guy, obviously Clint Knickhrehm's kind of the mainstay there, but I'll tell you what, Coach Whit (ISU running backs coach Nick Whitworth) has done a great job with the backs and with recruiting some running backs, and we've got different styles of guys....you probably noticed that today where we can change pace with some kids and not miss a beat. And I'm not saying it's going to be running back by committee. We know it's Clint's job to lose. We know how hard a worker he is. But we've got a good complement of backs to go with Clint.

3. Give me your assessment of your quarterback play today.

Jensen: You know I thought overall it was good. We're probably at about a 60 percent clip today, which is good. We need to continue to be smarter with the ball. I just talked to the kids about if it's not there, we throw it away, we burn the down and you get the call from Coach (Drew) Miller on the sideline and we go again. It's playing a mature style of football. But overall I was really pleased, and I want to note I was really pleased with the two freshmen kids -- Kyle Morris and Jake Lammers -- they did a real good job too.

4. Talk about the new kids that we're seeing, the Benavides kid (wideout Andrew) certainly impresses you off the top. Is he going to play this year?

Jensen: Well, I'll tell you what he's got a great role model in (J.D.) Ponciano. Ponce has done a great job taking him under his wing. Benavides, to his credit, has been a sponge and has accepted that and learned from Ponce. Benavides is an explosive kid and you saw it today. We saw it on film and I know Coach Miller is really excited about him and if the role presents itself and he needs to contribute, he'll be ready.

5. I don't want to start a quarterback controversy, but is it set -- is Kyle your No. 1 guy?

Jensen: Well, yeah, as of right now he is. They all have things to work on. Kyle was sharp today at times, and Russell was sharp, and that's a great thing...that's a good thing. There's no controversy there. We're just so fortunate to have both of those guys and you know when quarterbacks go down around the league, and in the NFL and in high school, boy some teams are scrambling and we hope that doesn't happen, but if it does we're in real good shape.

Farewell to a True Bengal Fan

My best wishes and prayers go out to the family of Bernie Schroeder, a true Bengal fan in every sense of the word, who passed away on Friday, Aug. 14. Bernie, games at Holt Arena just won't be the same without you.

--Brad B.

And thanks for being a Bengal fan -- it ain't always easy, but it's always fun.

Looking Ahead No. 10: Montana

One of the more common questions I hear as I travel around the Big Sky Conference is, "Why has Montana become so dominant in football?" Here's my theory: the Grizzlies were just another competitive program until Nevada, Boise State and Idaho, the three best programs in the league, all moved up to Division-I (now FBS). Montana was the best positioned program to take advantage of their departures, and they have done so with gusto.

The Griz, as anyone who has followed the Big Sky for any length of time knows, have won or tied for 11 straight BSC titles. They've been in the FCS playoffs for 16 consecutive seasons, and they've had a winning record 23 straight seasons. But the Montana dominance really began in 1996, the year after BSU and Idaho left the league, and three years after Nevada departed. The numbers tell a pretty simple story:

Until last season, Nevada (71 percent), Boise State (65 percent) and Idaho (63 percent) had the all-time winningest records in Big Sky Conference football competition. Montana edged past the Vandals last season, on the basis of a 7-1 record, which gave the Griz a 64 percent winning percentage all-time in league play. Before 1996, when BSU and Idaho left the league, Montana had just a 52 percent winning percentage. Since 1996, Montana has gone 86-13 -- 87 percent.

Montana already had a number of advantages in place when that triumverate left the league -- a new stadium, an excellent coach in Don Read with an exciting system, a good recruiting platform and an emerging fan base. When the opportunity to dominate the league arrived, then, the Griz were more than poised to pounce.

Even though the Griz have had some of the best offensive teams in Big Sky history during that run, it's always been my contention that their dominance has been based on solid defense more than anything. In a league where there are always two or three teams that put a lot of points on the board, consistent defense has been a discriminator for Montana. Again, that distinction has been much more pointed in the post-1996 period. To wit: In the first 32 years of Big Sky play, the Grizzlies led the league in scoring defense five times. Not bad, but certainly not distinctive. Since 1996, however, UM has led the BSC in scoring defense nine out of 13 seasons. No other school has held that honor more than once.

So in a year when Weber State, the other defending co-champion, returns a ton of offensive weapons, the Griz will once again rely on their five returning all-league defenders -- and the home field advantage when the Cats and Montana meet on Halloween in Missoula -- as the difference-makers.

That's not to say Montana doesn't have some offensive playmakers of their own. Running back Chase Reynolds (above) emerged last year to rush for 1,583 yards and a school record 22 touchdowns as just a sophomore. Wide receiver-kick returner Marc Mariani, meanwhile, caught 69 passes for 1,308 yards and 15 touchdowns, and also returned two punts (including a back-breaker against Idaho State) for scores. Reynolds and Mariani are poster boys for home-grown, small-town Montana talent. Reynolds is from the tiny town of Drummond (population 318), and got only a partial scholarship when he first signed with the Griz; Mariani, from Havre (pop. 9,621) walked on initially.

To make best use of those playmakers, however, the Griz are going to have to identify a new starting quarterback and shore up an offensive line that gave up a whopping 55 sacks in 16 games last year. The Griz return three offensive linemen who earned at least honorable mention all-league notice last year, and tackle Levi Horn is a pre-season all-Big Sky selection this year. But it seems like some of the Grizzlies' honor winners may have been riding the coattails of the program's success. Even Idaho State, which had trouble generating any kind of pass rush all season, sacked Grizzly quarterback Cole Berquist four times in Montana's 29-10 win in Missoula last year.

Replacing Berquist is not going to be an any easy job. Even though he played poorly against ISU last year, he was exceedingly efficient throughout most of the season, completing almost 61 percent of his passes and throwing 28 touchdowns to only eight interceptions. In fact, when you look at Montana's 2008 season, when they finished second to Richmond for the national championship, "efficiency" is the word that really stands out. The Griz were second in the league in scoring, first in scoring defense, first in net punting, second in pass efficiency, second in pass defense efficiency, and second in total defense. And in the stat that literally defines efficiency, the Griz were first in turnover margin, with a plus-16 mark -- more than doubling No. 2-ranked Weber State (plus 7).

Finding a new quarterback who can match Berquist's execution, then, becomes the top priority for UM Coach Bobby Hauck. Andrew Selle, who played in seven games last year, emerged from spring ball as the heir apparent, but the Griz took a flyer on Oregon transfer Justin Roper this summer, which tells you they may not be entirely sold on Selle. Neither Selle nor Roper's limited experiences so far indicate they are ready to operate at the same high level as Berquist did last year. Selle completed only 51 percent of his throws last year, with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Roper, meanwhile, has completed only 53 percent of his tosses in 11 games at Oregon, with nine touchdowns and six interceptions. Those aren't bad numbers against PAC-10 competition, but I don't think anybody in Missoula is ready to cede the starting job to Roper just yet.

As I noted above, the Griz return five all-league players on the defensive side of the ball, including end Jace Palmer, who led the team with 8.5 sacks; second-leading tackler Shane Schillinger, who had four picks from his safety position; linebackers Shawn Lebsock and Brandon Fisher; and cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who earned all-league recognition as a freshman. The Griz will have to find a secondary pass rusher or two, having lost second-leading sack man Mike Stadnyk to graduation. The Griz really did not excel at pressuring the quarterback last year, registering only 32 sacks in 16 games.

Last year's loss in Missoula was the coming out party for Bengal quarterback Kyle Blum, who thew for 246 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions in his first starting assignment. He showed good mobility and a penchant for making plays against the Griz, but his decision-making also demonstrated his inexperience. Now that Idaho State head coach John Zamberlin has named Blum as his starter going into the season, the ISU-Montana game scheduled for Nov. 7 in Holt Arena should provide a good benchmark on how much Blum's grown in a year's time in that position.

--Brad B.

And thanks for being a Bengal fan -- it ain't always easy, but it's always fun.

Looking Ahead No. 6: Sac State

Despite the horrorific early season schedule Idaho State faces in the upcoming football season, you can actually construct a scenario where the Bengals could realistically be 3-3 after the first half of the season. It requires a lot of assumptions and leaps of faith, but it is not out of the question that Idaho State could beat a very good Division II Central Washington team in their home opener, ride that momentum to an upset of a probation bitten Eastern Washington team in the conference home opener and then beat what looks like a very average Sacramento State team on the road in week 6.

Likely? No, but not out of the question. Ironically, beating Sac State, one of the annual cellar-dwellars in the Big Sky Conference, may be the most unlikely piece in that "best of all worlds" scenario. The Bengals have never played well in California's capital, going just 1-5 at Hornet Stadium. Their only win came in 2005, and that's the only time in the last 10 years the Bengals have been closer than 11 points to the Hornets on the road.

A cursory look at the Sac State spring prospectus suggests this may be the year to steal a win in Sacramento. While the Hornets are coming off a 6-6 season (which included a loss to Idaho State, the Bengals' only win of the year) and they return 17 at least part-time starters, they are missing their two biggest "impact" players: All-Americans Tony Washington, a wide receiver; and linebacker Cyrus Mulitalo. Washington, who caught 83 passes for 1,276 yards last year, signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks. Mulitalo, the second-leader tackler in Sac State history, went to mini-camp with Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh.

Mulitalo is one of three starting linebackers who ran out of eligibility for the Hornets, leaving a significant gap in their 4-3 defense. They represented three of the top five Sac State tacklers, a significant force on a defense that held opponents to just 3.2 yards per rush; and 11 of the team's 31 total sacks. Meanwhile Washington, No. 2 receiver Kyle Hill and Dylan Lane, who was fourth in catches last year, all depart, leaving QB Jason Smith (above) with only one experienced target -- sophomore Chase Deader, who caught 21 balls for an average of 17 yards per catch last season.

That lack of receiving depth will be amplified by the fact the Hornets' two best running backs, Bryan Hilliard and Evander Wilkins, missed spring ball with injuries and Hilliard, who gained over 1,000 yards and had 12 touchdowns, will miss this season following shoulder surgery. Sophomore Jake Croxdale (347 yards, 3.7 ypc) will likely split time with JC transfer Kenslow Smith and redshirt freshman Anthony Biasi at running back until Wilkins shows he's healthy.

Keeping Jason Smith, who missed two games last season with injuries, healthy will be a key to Sac State's season. The senior-to-be completed 56 percent of his passes last year for 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. Senior John Loeliger took most of the snaps in spring practice this year, but he threw only one pass in three appearances last fall.

You know Marshall Sperbeck's club will be fired up for the Bengals' arrival after Idaho State put a damper on the best Sacramento State season in eight years. The Hornets came into Holt Arena with the chance to post seven wins for the first time since 2000, but the Bengals won a dramatic 36-33 overtime contest to avoid the worst season in Idaho State history. ISU senior Kenyon Blue moved to the running back spot after playing slot receiver most of his career, and put up 111 yards rushing and two touchdowns. ISU QB Kyle Blum, in only his second start, threw for 342 yards and no picks in the game.

Idaho State's defenders certainly won't miss Hilliard at all this season. Last year, the Hornet workhorse rambled for 271 yards and four touchdowns on 40 carries, giving him a total of 511 yards and seven touchdowns against the Bengals over the last two seasons.

While the Sac State matchup comes in week six for Idaho State, it will be only the fifth game of the year for the Hornets, who open the season at UNLV and Cal Poly, then have a bye week before hosting Eastern Washington, a team they beat on the road last year, and travelling to Portland State. The ISU-Sac State matchup very well could set the tone for both of these ballclubs.

--Brad B.

And thanks for being a Bengal fan -- it ain't always easy, but it's always fun.