Thoughts of Portland State and Good Omens

If you're looking for good omens for Idaho State's football game with Portland State this Saturday at PGE Park, here are two: the Bengals' last win came against the Vikings last year in Pocatello; and when the Bengals owned the nation's longest losing streak, it broke that streak in 1980 against -- you got it -- Portland State. The Vikings were coached by Mouse Davis back then -- the same Mouse Davis who is now the PSU offensive coordinator, and he's still running the run-and-shoot (although he doesn't have Neil Lomax at QB this time around).

That 1980 game between the Bengals and Vikings not only broke the Bengals' 19-game losing streak, but it also officially signalled the beginning of a new era in the Big Sky. PSU had been throwing the football all over the place for a couple of years, but the Vikings were still a Division II program then. When Dave Kragthorpe came to Pocatello, he brought the BYU wide-open attack to the Big Sky. The league was never the same, and as we all know now in these days of the spread offense, even the "big boys" of college football are throwing the football.

There's another notable from that 59-33 ISU win in 1980 -- it forced Bengal officials to move up the starting time of football games. I was working the sports desk at the Idaho State Journal that night, and cursing as the game ran on and on, and our midnight copy deadline was fast approaching. I don't think the game was over until well after 11 p.m., and ISU officials realized they couldn't start games at 7 p.m. in the new "passing era" of Bengal football.

Saturday's game will match up two teams that either don't try to run the football, or haven't done it very effectively. The Vikings average less than 16 rushing yards per game and 1.0 yards per carry. Idaho State is only slightly more effective, with the Bengals putting up 70.4 yards per carry, a 2.4 yard per carry average. And yet, why do I think the team that has the most success running the football will win? Well, for starters we all know ISU has struggled defensively against the run this year, and the Vikings will be tempted to run those traps and draws at least a little bit more often against the Bengals. And the Vikings haven't exactly been stout against the run themselves, giving up almost 173 yards a game, a 4.3 yard per carry average. The Bengals certainly are more disposed mentally to try to take advantage of that opportunity.

One thing I'll be watching on Saturday is the play of true freshman DE Kevin Whimpey, who burned his redshirt last week against NAU, and got in on half-a-sack in his collegiate debut. Does anybody LOOK more like a football player than the 6-4, 235-pounder out of Lone Peak, Utah? Well, maybe his twin brother, Kyle, a 6-6, 260-pound offensive lineman who also saw his first action last Saturday. The Whimpeys are both departing for LDS missions in December, to different assignments in California. ISU Coach John Zamberlin is hoping they'll each get enough action in the remainder of this season to whet their appetites to return to the Bengal program in two years. Neither is listed as a starter for Saturday, but Kevin will definitely get plenty of opportunities to rush PSU QB Drew Hubel, who threw the football 73 times against Eastern Washington earlier this year.

I also expect to see plenty of Bengal DBs on the field Saturday. Think nickels (five DBs, two LBs) and dimes (six DBs and one LB), when you're thinking about what may constitute the Bengal "base defense" against the Vikings.

On to Basketball: I spent Friday night in Reed Gym, watching the Bengals' men's team in its first official basketball practice. JC transfer guard Kal Bay wasn't there, unfortunately, because a close friend of his passed away and he went to the funeral services. Our thoughts are with Kal and his friend's family. Even without Kal at the practice, the Bengals had a lot more healthy, athletic bodies than they've had in recent years. In fact, Coach Joe O'Brien's most difficult decisions are going to be 1) who to redshirt; and 2) who will constitute the eight- to nine-man rotation once Big Sky play begins.

It's funny, a lot of us sports fans obsess over the newcomers, because we're always intrigued by the possibilities. It's that "new kid in town" syndrome. But I'm here to tell you that if Idaho State is going to win the Big Sky Conference championship this year, it will be because of the returnees from last year. In watching practice, for example, you can't help but notice the leadership role of Matt Stucki. He virtually takes over practice at times, moving the newcomers around on offense, telling them to get back on defense, and just generally acting like a man who has been in the program for six years. Donnie Carson looks in great shape, down to 6 percent body fat, I'm told. Austin Kilpatrick, who got his vision problem corrected at the end of last season, nailed three straight 3-pointers from the longer line in practice on Friday. Even Lucas Steijn, who struggled mightily in his first season as a JC transfer last year, has put on some good weight.

The newcomers, meanwhile, spent a lot of time Friday night just figuring out where to go in the offense. It generally takes JC kids the better part of their first season to get comfortable in a new program -- usually around the middle of conference season, the light starts to go on for them. That's not to say that kids like Felix Caspari and Davidas Busma won't be playing important roles early, but they will not be immune to the Juco adjustment period. They will have to learn the hard way that you have to play hard all the time, you have to play physically all the time, and you have to execute the offense -- all the time, at the D-1 level. Kids who "think" they played hard in junior college are going to find out what competing is really all about.

I don't think playing hard all the time is going to be a problem for Caspari, by the way. I'm told by Bengal coaches that the Brazilian import was recruited to be the "energy guy" to replace the spark that the departed Logan Kinghorn brought to the program. Much like Logan, they tell me, Caspari won't dazzle you with skills, but will quietly put up numbers every night. It will be fun to watch his development, as well as that of Busma, whose height and wing span allow him to block shots flat footed. It's hard to believe the first exhibition game is only 13 days away.

Just a reminder, Jerry and I will be on the air with the pregame show from Portland on Saturday at 1 p.m. MT, with kickoff at 2:05 p.m. Mountain Time. We hope you'll join us.

--Brad B.

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

Historic Axers

Northern Arizona's defense, which will be on full display in Holt Arena for Saturday night's homecoming contest with Idaho State, is on the brink of an historic season. The Axers have given up just 43 yards rushing in their first six games this season (7.2 yards per game), an average of .3 yards per carry. The FCS record for rushing defense was established by Alabama A&M in 2002, who gave up 39.7 yards per game. Marist, that reknown football powerhouse from Poughkeepsie, NY, holds the NCAA record for average yards per carry, at 1.3, set in 1997.

While NAU still has a gauntlet of Big Sky heavyweights coming up (Montana, Montana State, Weber State and Eastern Washington), the Axers still have a reasonable chance at destroying FCS records for rushing defense.

NAU leads the Big Sky in total, scoring and rushing defense. Yet the Axers have only one player in the top 50 in the league in tackles -- LB Anthony Llanos, who ranks No. 49. And the Axers have held four of their six opponents to negative rushing yards this season, yet they have no one in the top ten in the conference in tackles for a loss.

How to explain these statistical oddities? Well, for one thing NAU is shutting down opponents so thoroughly, they aren't getting enough plays for the Axers to record a lot of tackles. The Axers have run an average of 14 more plays a game than their opponents. But clearly, NAU's defense is the epitome of that tiresome but true coaching cliche -- "a team effort." The Lumberjacks list 16 players with 10 or more tackles; 14 players with at least half a sack; and 16 players with at least half a tackle for a loss.

There are some stars on this NAU defense: All-American defensive back KJ Gerard, who has added four interceptions to his career total of 18 this year; and defensive ends Mike Battisti (5 sacks, 6 tackles for a loss) and Kyle Rath (4.5 sacks, 3 pass breakups) will all get heavy post-season honors consideration. But the key to the success of NAU's unique double-flex defense, which features three down linemen, three linebackers and three safeties, has been the absolute unpredictability of who will be making the big play on any given down.

NAU defensive coordinator Corey Battoon, who has been on the Jerome Souers staff in some capacity since it formed in Flagstaff 11 years ago, should be able to parlay this defense's success into a head coaching job somewhere next year, if he so desires. Assuming, of course, that the tough closing schedule doesn't expose the Axer defense as a mirage. But when you consider that only two teams so far have rushed for positive yardage against NAU, and one of them was then 15th-ranked Arizona State who still was held under 100 yards, you have a tendency to take the Axer D seriously.

How Bout them Wildcats: Weber State won last week, despite terrible field conditions and being on the road. What is really remarkable, though, is that the Wildcats won the week after beating Montana. Prior to the WSU-MSU game in a Bozeman blizzard Saturday, six of the last eight Big Sky teams to beat Montana lost the following week. Weber was one of the exceptions to that rule -- the last time Weber beat the Griz, in 1998, they won the following week. Then, they lost five in a row. The fact that the Wildcats have at least temporarily avoided the post-Griz hangover should really legitimize them as a Big Sky contender. We'll certainly find out more when NAU and Weber get together next week.

Finally....What a Dope I Was. Rule No. 1: When Montana loses, it bounces back. Rule No. 2: When picking the winner of the Montana-EWU game, refer back to Rule 1. Instead, I looked at how the Griz had given up 78 points the previous two weeks and went with the Eagles at home. Silly me. There is a reason they call them "dynasties." When a "dynasty" team loses, it bounces back, and sure enough, when I looked up the word "dynasty" in the dictionary this week, there was that damn Grizzly bear grinning back at me.

--Brad B.

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

Traveling Blues

I have to tell you, for those of you that think traveling is fun....this weekend wasn't. I probably need to do some sort of photo essay so folks can see exactly how ISU football travels, but there is only one 5 o'clock that I recognize, and it isn't the one at 5 am, which I saw Friday and Sunday. Yes, the team had to leave Holt Arena at 5:30 am to get to Salt Lake City to fly to Denver, and we had to leave Greeley at the same ungodly hour to get to Denver on Sunday to get home. That officially sucks, but you know what....you do what you gotta do.

I will say this...the team represents very well. I can't tell you how many compliments I get from random airport people and passengers about how courteous the players are, and how they look (all are in a tie and collared shirt). They might be struggling on the field right now, but they are doing the right things...

Also, basketball starts on Friday night at 7:00 pm at Reed Gym, as the men's team has a pair of open practices (they also have one on Saturday at 1:00 pm). Some folks might want to catch their first glimpse of a team that Street & Smith picked to finish second (that would be a first in my 11 years here....)

Also, undoubtedly, you saw the disciplinary action that coach Z took today with regards to Rashaad Richards and Demetrius Amos. What the fans should get out of that is is doesn't matter if you are a senior, freshman, starter, whatever ... there are certain ways you conduct yourself, and if you don't want to do things the right way, well...you see the answer. I can also use this as a cautionary tale about the Bengal Den Message Board. Someone yesterday mentioned this in their post around 3:30 .... "With the recent dismissal of Demi and Rashaad, this will again put pressure on other players to fill in." Obviously, Demitrius was not dismissed from the team. Just remember that is a fan board, and while many, many, many people post on there as if they truly know everything that is going on, they aren't always quite in the loop.

Onto the links....

HOMECOMING FOOTBALL
Idaho State's release is here, Northern Arizona's is here, and the Big Sky's is here. With the late kickoff, fans have TONS of time to tailgate after the parade, so make sure if you plan on tailgating that you sign up for the Terrific Tailgate IV contest (the form is with the link above).

Tim Flagstad came to the press conference, and covered it in his Monday notebook, and the extra stuff that didn't fit went into the blog. Jayson Bird by the way had his MRI this morning, but the results aren't in yet.

Also, Jon Kasper got stuck in Bozeman (talk about traveling nightmares), so he blogged from the Best Western.

GREEN DAY IS NOT OUR OFFICIAL BAND
The inter-office SID joke was that Green Day was going to be the official house band for ISU, and they could only sing "Wake Me Up When September Ends", as it just wasn't a good month. Soccer and football both went winless in the month (soccer went 0-6-2, football 0-3), and volleyball was just 3-8 in the month. However, things are looking up, at least for the cross country team, as the women snagged themselves a title down in Cedar City.

Remember, volleyball tonight against Utah Valley at 7:00 pm, and football Saturday at 6:35 pm (go hunting and then come to the game) ...