2013 Big Sky Conference Football Preview

Last year was a season full of surprises and parity for the Big Sky Conference.  With a bigger league and more teams than the season before, competition for the league's automatic playoff berth and any additional berths were intense.  When the dust settled, the Eastern Washington Eagles, Montana State Bobcats, and newcomer Cal Poly Mustangs emerged as the conference's playoff representatives.  Northern Arizona barely missed an at-large bid for a playoff spot despite posting an 8-3 record, while perennial playoff participant Montana was practically invisible for much of the season, as they limped to their first losing season since 1985.  Here's a look heading into the 2013 season (in order of where they'll finish).

(EWU Athletics Photo)

1. EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES: Head coach Beau Baldwin is back for his sixth season at the helm in Cheney.  Three years removed from an FCS championship, the Eagles have remained regular contenders for the conference and national championships.  They went all the way to the FCS semifinals before falling in a close, high-scoring contest against Sam Houston State.  The team brings back starting quarterback Vernon Adams, Jr.  He is only a sophomore and could dominate the league guiding the Eagles' explosive passing attack in the years ahead.  But to do that, he'll have to do so with three new wide receivers this season, as all three starters at that position--Nicholas Edwards, Greg Herd, and Brandon Kaufman--graduated in the offseason and later signed NFL contracts.  On defense, the team's corps of linebackers is short on experience but long on potential.  They do have a veteran in senior Ronnie Hamlin, who recorded 136 tackles in 2012.  Three of the team's four starting defensive linemen graduated and the only starter returning is senior defensive tackle Andru Pulo, a transfer from Washington.  But the team's defensive strength should be in the secondary, as three seniors--T.J. Lee, Allen Brown, and Ronald Baines--will likely be joined by UCLA transfer Tevin McDonald, who played sparingly under Jim Mora in Westwood and should get more playing time in Cheney.

Bobcats DE Brad Daly (#41) (R.Dean Hendrickson photo)

2. MONTANA STATE BOBCATS: Montana State may have the best all-around offense in the conference.  Three key players in quarterback Denarius McGhee, running back Cody Kirk, and wide receiver Tanner Bleskin are all returning for their senior seasons under 7th-year coach Rob Ash.  The trio has a 2-1 lifetime record against intrastate rival Montana (more on the Grizzlies in a moment), but the team is looking for more than just another playoff appearance: a run for a national championship.  But for the second year in a row, the Bobcats fell to Sam Houston State, this time in Bozeman in a nationally-televised game under the lights.  On defense, the team will have to do without Alexei Grosulak, a standout linebacker who had to retire from football because of a rash of injuries.  This means younger standouts, like sophomore defensive lineman Taylor Sheridan and junior linebacker Alex Singleton, will have to step up significantly in Grosulak's place.  But the team does return 2nd team all-conference defensive end Brad Daly, who will be entering his senior season.

Montana QB Jordan Johnson (AP photo)

3. MONTANA GRIZZLIES: 2012 was certainly a season to forget in Missoula.  For the first time since Ronald Reagan was in the White House, the Grizzlies ended a season with a sub-.500 record, as they struggled to a 5-6 record under Mick Delaney, who was elevated to head coach after Robin Pflugrad was dismissed on March 29th, 2012.  The defense was young, and despite the return of linebacker Jordan Tripp to the lineup (after missing most of the 2011 season with a shoulder injury), it struggled as a unit and struggled to keep the lead in close games, as they lost close contests in the 4th quarter against Appalachian State, Eastern Washington, Southern Utah, and North Dakota--and nearly a 5th at Weber State.  Now, the defense is a year older, a year wiser, and very hungry to bounce back.  Along with Tripp, seniors Brock Coyle and John Kanongata'a will lead a more experienced (and hungrier) defense.  But perhaps the biggest return to the Grizzlies of all is that of starting quarterback Jordan Johnson, who missed all of 2012 as a result of a rape charge that he was eventually cleared of on March 1st.  In Johnson's absence, Trent McKinney and Shay Smithwick-Hann split the quarterbacking duties during the season, with Smithwick-Hann starting the team's final three games after McKinney had been inconsistent for much of the season.  Other offensive stars back for the Grizzlies include junior running back Jordan Canada, junior wide receiver Mitch Saylor, and sophomore wide receiver Ellis Henderson.

Cal Poly DT Sullivan Grosz (Cal Poly Athletics photo)

4. CAL POLY MUSTANGS: All it took was one season for the Cal Poly Mustangs to win at least a share of the Big Sky Conference title, thanks to a solid season in the team's first year as a football-only member.  But their playoff run was short-lived, as they lost a heartbreaker at Sam Houston State in the second round of the FCS playoffs, despite holding the eventual FCS runner-up to 18 points (the Bearkats' second-lowest total of the season).  Now the Mustangs' focus is on making it back to the playoffs, and with the departure starting quarterback Andre Broadous, fifth-year skipper Tim Walsh inherits four quarterbacks who have thrown a grand total of THREE passes in their collegiate careers.  But the team's strength in their triple option offense might be their offensive line, which allowed only 10 sacks all of last season.  It's a line that will be anchored by guards Kyle Zottneck and Lefi Letuligasenoa, along with tackle Giovanni Sani.  That line will open up holes for likely starting slotback Kristaan Ivory, who ran for 728 yards and 8 touchdowns as a sophomore, and should be able to run for more in 2013 after the graduation of leading rusher Deonte Williams.  Defensively, the Mustangs return a pair of second-team All-Big Sky nominees in senior defensive tackle Sullivan Grosz and senior linebacker Johnny Millard.  Grosz leads a defensive line that returns all four of their starters from last season, as he recorded 57 tackles and 6 quarterback sacks, while Millard recorded 72 tackles.

Northern Arizona RB Zach Bauman (NAU Athletics photo)

5. NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS: Oh, they came so close.  2012 was one the best seasons in Flagstaff in years, as the NAU Lumberjacks finished with a solid 8-3 record, their best season since 2003.  However, they were left on the outside of the FCS playoffs looking in, and should be motivated to be one of those teams playing in the postseason this year.  The team is coached by the elder statesman of the conference in Jerome Souers, who is entering his 16th season at the helm.  Offensively, the team is led by senior running back Zach Bauman, who ran for 1,182 yards in 2012 and is on the watch list for the Walter Payton Award.  Other returning assets on the offensive side of the ball include junior tight end R.J. Rickert, who caught 27 passes for 272 yards, and senior wide receivers Ify Umodu and Dejzon Walker, who combined for 985 yards on 71 catches last season.  Rickert, Umodu, and Walker will be catching their passes from a new quarterback this season, as starter Cary Grossart graduated.  On defense, the stars are safety Lucky Dozier and defensive tackle Tim Wilkinson, who led a defensive unit that was 2nd in the conference in total defense.  Dozier is a preseason All-American who recorded 57 tackles last season and led the team in interceptions with four.  Despite missing one game, Wilkinson is the top returning sack master of the defense, as he recorded 6.5 sacks in 2012.

North Dakota WR Greg Hardin (Adam Stainiger photo)

6. NORTH DAKOTA: Sixth-year head coach Chris Mussman's team experienced somewhat of a fall-off last year, dropping from 8-3 in 2011 (in the final season of Great West football) to 5-6 in 2012 (in their inaugural season in the Big Sky).  But one of the bright spots of North Dakota's first season in the Big Sky was a wild 40-34 win at home over Montana on October 20.  On offense, the team will enter the season with a quarterback that has never thrown a pass at the collegiate level.   Braden Hanson, Marcus Hendrickson, and their combined 3,268 passing yards graduated in the offseason.  The good news is 3,008 of the team's receiving yards will be back, led by senior wide receiver Greg Hardin, who caught 65 passes for 1,145 yards.  At the running back position, senior Jake Miller is back after leading the team with 543 rushing yards and splitting the rushing duties with the now-departed Mitch Sutton.  The defense, which gave up over 235 rushing yards/game in 2012 will look inexperienced up front as all three starters on the defensive line graduated.  They do return three of their four starting linebackers in seniors Cordero Finley and Garrison Goodman, along with junior Ben Peters.  Those three combined for 142 total tackles.  Perhaps the biggest star of North Dakota's defense is senior safety Baylee Carr, who is the team's returning tackle leader with 57 tackles as well as starts at both safety positions last season.

Sacramento State QB Garrett Safron (CSU Sacramento photo)

7. SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS: Once again, the Hornets are knocking on the door and on the verge of becoming one of the Big Sky's top teams under head coach Marshall Sperbeck.  But once again, they're a team that's sitting in the middle of the pack.  The good news is the Hornets return nine of their starters on offense, which include junior quarterback Garrett Safron, who threw for 2,450 yards and 22 touchdowns in a 6-5 campaign.  Another star back for Sacramento State is senior running back Ezekiel Graham, who amassed 1,267 total offensive yards (861 rushing and 406 receiving).  All three starting receivers for the Hornets are back, as Blake Robertson, DeAndre Carter, and Morris Norrise combined to catch 112 passes for 1265 yards (just over half of Safron's passing yards for the season).  The defensive unit brings back seven of their starters from 2012, starting with senior linebacker Todd Davis, who led the team in tackles (105) and tackles for loss (13.5).  Also back on defense is senior defensive back Osagie Odiase, who led the team in interceptions with 3 and pass breakups with 8.

Northern Colorado LB Clarence Bumpas (Northern Colorado athletics photo)

8. NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS: It was a tale of two seasons in Greeley.  One year removed from a dismal 0-11 campaign in 2011, it appeared the Bears were more than on their way towards staying in the Big Sky's basement with a 1-5 start.  But Earnest Cooper, Jr.'s team started turning it around afterward, as they won 4 of their last 5 games to finish 2012 with a more respectable 5-6 mark.  Now the Bears have two intangibles they never head entering last season: confidence and momentum.  And they'll be riding off a lot of both as their offense returns their starting quarterback, leading rusher, and leader in pass receptions.  Starting at quarterback is senior Seth Lobato, who has improved his numbers every year since walking on campus in Greeley.  He threw for 2,797 yards and 19 touchdowns, including a five-touchdown performance against Idaho State.  Senior running back Tromaine Dennis finished the 2012 season only 47 yards shy of 1,000, yet he scored 10 touchdowns on the ground (and one more in the air) in his first season with the Bears program.  Senior wide receiver Jace Davis led the team with 50 receptions and finished second in receiving yards at 642 in his first season back with the team; he sat out the 2011 season because of academic issues.  On the defensive side of the football, the Bears bring back senior linebacker Clarence Bumpas, who was bound for a solid campaign until he was injured against Montana and was lost for the season.  Despite that setback he still finished 4th on the team in tackles with 48.  Joining Bumpas as returning starters are senior defensive end Gavin Miller (led the team in tackles for loss at 8.5) and junior defensive tackle Lexington Smith (started every game but did not record a sack).

Southern Utah head coach Ed Lamb (SUU Media Relations)

9. SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS: After a 5-6 season in 2012, younger players will be called upon to step up at most of the skill positions on offense in Cedar City this season, primarily at quarterback and running back.  Head coach Ed Lamb graduated starting quarterback Brad Sorensen and running back Brian Wilson, and now he has holes to fill at those positions heading into this season.  Since no other quarterback threw a pass in 2012, Sorensen's 3,139 yards and 23 touchdown passes will be missed.  The most likely player to succeed Sorensen might be junior college transfer Aaron Cantu, who threw for 3,358 yards and 32 touchdowns at East Los Angeles College, which led all of NJCAA.  As for the running back position, a host of players will be called on to carry the load.  But at wide receiver, the newcomer Cantu has a host of options coming back this season, including senior Fatu Moala, who led the Thunderbirds in receptions (65) and yards (810).  The defense is young but very good.  Only a sophomore, linebacker Zak Browning led all freshmen in FCS football with 115 total tackles, while defensive end James Cowser recorded 7.5 sacks during his freshman season.  In the secondary, the Thunderbirds bring all their starters back, including senior free safety Tommy Collet, Jr. and sophomore cornerback LeShaun Sims, who shared the team lead in interceptions with three each.

Portland State RB DJ Adams (Steve Brenner photo)

10. PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS: After a solid 7-4 season in 2011, the Vikings struggled for much of the 2012 season and finished with a record of 3-8.  Not exactly how head coach Nigel Burton would have envisioned his third season at the helm in Portland.  While their offense put up solid numbers, the Vikings' defense was one of the worst in the conference.  Despite finishing 3rd against the run (allowing 126.2 ypg), their pass defense was next-to-last in the league, as they coughed up 275.3 ypg in the air.  As a result, Burton dismissed Eric Jackson from his responsibilities as defensive coordinator and replaced him with former BYU defensive coordinator Jamie Hill.  Only one returning starter in the secondary is senior cornerback Dennis Fite, who recorded 42 tackles during the season.  One player to watch on the Vikings defense is senior linebacker Jaycob Shoemaker, who had an outstanding 2012 with 79 tackles, 12 of them for loss of yardage.  Offensively, the Vikings averaged more than 200 yards/game both in the air and on the ground; proof positive the Pistol offense will always give opposing defenses headaches.  That offense was led by quarterback Kieran McDonaugh, who threw for 2,187 yards and had 23 total touchdowns (threw for 14 and ran for nine more) as a freshman.  McDonaugh will be throwing his passes to a mostly young corps of receivers, led by sophomore Thomas Carter, who caught 32 passes for 313 yards.  In regards to their running game, almost all of their run production is back with senior running back DJ Adams as their feature back.  Adams ran for 967 yards and 12 touchdowns, while junior Shaq Richard added 524 rushing yards of his own.

11. UC DAVIS AGGIES: New head coach Ron Gould has some very big shoes to fill heading into

UC Davis head coach Ron Gould (UC Davis photo)

this season, after the retirement of long-time coach Bob Biggs.  While the Aggies' season-ending win over their Causeway rivals in Sacramento sent Biggs out in style, it was an otherwise tough season in Davis with a 4-7 campaign.  On both sides of the football, the Aggies mostly sat in the middle of the pack on all fronts, with pass defense as their strength (6th in the league).  Among two defensive standouts coming back this season are senior defensive end Nick King and senior free safety Aarynn Jones.  King really was the "King of Sack" in Davis, as he led the team with 6.5 quarterback sacks and 14 tackles for loss of yardage.  Jones is the team's top returning tackler with 52, which ranked third on the team.  On offense, the Aggies bring back their leaders in passing, rushing, and receiving.  Senior quarterback Randy Wright is a four-year starter heading into this season, and ranks 4th in school history in passing yards at 7,092, and should he stay healthy this season, will set the school records for pass attempts and completions.  Junior running back Colton Silveria has led the team in rushing in both years he's started at the position, as he racked up 590 yards on the ground, but only found the end zone three times in 2012.  The top two receivers in 2012 were junior receiver Corey Galindo and senior tight end Taylor Sloat.  Galindo had 33 catches for 598 yards during his sophomore season, while Sloat established himself as one of the top tight ends in the Big Sky with 30 catches for 428 yards, and is starting the season on the national watch list for FCS football's top tight end award.

Weber State head coach Jody Sears (Deseret News photo)

12. WEBER STATE WILDCATS: 2012 was not very kind to Weber State in more ways than one.  The Wildcats were to enter the season with John L. Smith as its head coach, but after Bobby Petrino lost his head coaching job at Arkansas, the Razorbacks plucked Smith away and Jody Sears was elevated to replace him.  As a result, the Wildcats just weren't the same team they were in seasons past under Ron McBride and fell to a 2-9 record.  One of the bright spots coming back is senior linebacker Anthony Morales, who finished third in all of FCS football in tackles with 108 (48 unassisted) and earned 2nd-team All-Big Sky honors in the process.  The highlight game of his season was recording a career-high 23 tackles in a losing cause at home against Montana.  The 2013 season will mark the return of junior running back Bo Bolen, who had taken two years off to serve an LDS Church mission in The Philippines.  In the season before leaving for his church mission, he amassed 1,802 total yards during the 2010 season, the majority of those yards gained in special teams duty.  Also making a return from a long hiatus is junior wide receiver Shaydon Kehano, who was a medical redshirt in 2012 as a result of a knee injury he sustained just three games into the season.  Before his injury, Kehano had a breakthrough sophomore season in 2011, catching 43 passes for 883 yards and eight touchdowns, so it remains to be seen if Kehano will be back to his 2011 form.

Idaho State RB Xavier Finney (Karsen Welch King photo)

13. IDAHO STATE BENGALS: If there is one team in the Big Sky that could use a serious jolt to get better, it's those boys in black & orange down in Pocatello.  The Bengals had the worst overall defense in the entire league in 2012, and while they weren't bad against the pass, they coughed up a league-high 362 yards/game against the run, as well as surrendering nearly 54 points/game in a 1-10 season.  Head coach Mike Kramer declared his team's motto for 2013 as "Can Do," and it will certainly take a "Can Do" attitude to erase any chance his team performs that poorly again this season.  The good news for Idaho State is many of their top tacklers are back this season.  That group of tacklers is led by senior linebacker Trevor Spence, who led the Bengals in both tackles (90), quarterback sacks (3), and tackles for loss (6).  There was one other category the Bengals were ranked dead last in--run offense.  As a team, the Bengals ran for only 46.5 yards/game, compared to throwing for 351.5 yards/game.  Starting quarterback Kevin Yost is gone due to graduation, but the Bengals do bring back their two leading rushers in Xavier Finney and Aaron Prier (only combined for 523 yards over the season).  The top returning receiver is senior Cameron Richmond, who caught 67 passes for 739 yards.

2013 Stanley Cup Finals: Why Chicago is the lesser of two evils

It isn't much of a secret that Canucks fans like myself aren't real fond of this year's Stanley Cup Finalists: the Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins.

Now I for one have no problem with an Original Six final.  In fact, there hasn't been one since 1979, when the Montreal Canadiens beat the New York Rangers in five games for their fourth straight championship.

But there's something about this Original Six final that has me less than excited for it, and it largely has to do with those very two teams meeting in the finals that Canucks fans love to hate.

Let's start with the Chicago Blackhawks.  They had the NHL's best regular season record, as they started their lockout-shortened season with a 24-game unbeaten streak (no regulation losses).  They're led by captain Jonathan Toews (left), sharpshooting winger Patrick Kane, and hard-hitting defenseman Duncan Keith.  All three played key roles in the team's 2010 Stanley Cup victory, the franchise's first since 1961.  Chicago is a team that will dominate their opponents with their great skill up front with Toews, Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Viktor Stalberg, and Bryan Bickell.

Then there's the Boston Bruins, a team that is known for dominating opponents not just with skill, but they are also a team that will intimidate at will with their physical play.  The big, bad Bruins are led by skyscraper defenseman Zdeno Chara (right), who captained the Bruins to the end of a Cup drought of their own in 2011, beating (and to an extent, battering) Vancouver in seven games for their first championship since 1972.  Other key players for the Bruins include veteran winger Jaromir Jagr (who last won a championship with Pittsburgh in 1992--which ironically was against the Blackhawks), center Tyler Seguin (who was drafted second overall in the 2010 Entry Draft by the Bruins), and super-pest Brad Marchand (who has a penchant for stirring up stuff to agitate his opponents, primarily behind plays or after whistles).


THOUGHTS: While I respect the history of both teams and the legends that have played for them in the past (most notably Bobby Hull & Stan Mikita with the Blackhawks, and Bobby Orr & Phil Esposito with the Bruins), I really don't like either team at all.  My resentment towards the Blackhawks has worn off some over the past couple of years (they knocked out the Canucks in the second round of the playoffs in 2009 and 2010, but the Canucks ended their Stanley Cup defense in 2011 in a tough seven-game, 1st round series), but my resentment towards the Bruins is a different story.

As I alluded to earlier, the Bruins are a big, bruising team that will play their opponents with a mentality equal to the school bully stealing the geek's lunch money--and that's beyond the physicality.  Most of their dirty acts that typically go uncalled by officials include hooking, face-washing, jabbing, holding--which usually happens behind plays or after whistles when the play is blown dead.  And Brad Marchand is the resident pest of the team that loves to get under the skin of his opponents.  Other big bruisers on the team include forwards Milan Lucic & Shawn Thornton, and defenseman Adam McQuaid.  The team's rep as bullies began to take wing during their 2011 Stanley Cup run, as a result of this hit by then-Canucks d-man Aaron Rome:

The truth is, it was actually a clean hit because Rome's skates were actually on the ice as he drove into Horton's chest.  But the officials saw it the other way, and Rome was ejected from the game and suspended for the rest of the series, as Horton was knocked out cold with a series-ending concussion.  Rome's hit on Horton got the ball rolling for the Bruins to build their reputation as bullies during the postseason.  Boston dominated Vancouver in the three games played at TD Garden, outscoring the Canucks 17-3 and battering Vancouver so badly from a physical standpoint, they shut out the Canucks in Vancouver in the 7th & deciding game 4-0 to put the icing on the cake.

The following season, my resentment towards the Bruins got even higher when Milan Lucic made this beeline towards Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller (which did not result in supplemental discipline from the NHL):

But there is, however, a nice silver lining to this finals matchup.  It is essentially a matchup between two of the NHL's best anthem singers: Chicago's Jim Cornelison and Boston's Rene Rancourt.

PREDICTION: From a personal standpoint, I'd like nothing more than to see the Chicago Blackhawks, the lesser of these two evils, get out their brooms and sweep the Bruins away for their second Stanley Cup in four years (and no need for Chicago fans to wait another 49 years for their next title).  But the game of hockey doesn't exactly work that way because the Bruins are a team that you can't count out because of their bully-ish style of play.

In reality, Chicago wins the series in seven games, with Jonathan Toews winning the playoff MVP award.

The 1983 NFL Draft: 30 Years Later

This week is the NFL Draft, where the lives of young men that have played football at the collegiate level are about to change forever.  Everybody that's declared for the draft--from quarterbacks to defensive ends to tight ends to placekickers are anxious to hear if their name will be called starting Thursday night.  But 30 years ago, the 1983 NFL Draft forever sparked debates of a whole lot of "what-ifs," which center mostly around two highly coveted quarterbacks: John Elway and Dan Marino.

On April 26, 1983, the NFL's 28 teams convened at the New York Sheraton Hotel, hoping to decide the future of their teams, with the Baltimore Colts holding the first overall pick in the draft.
Elway, who was a standout quarterback at Stanford, was obviously the primary choice of the Colts, and Elway steadfastly refused to play in Baltimore if the Colts drafted him and wanted to play baseball for the New York Yankees system instead if this happened.  But the team drafted him anyway, hoping he would change the path of a franchise that had not been to the NFL postseason since 1977 and had gone through five straight losing seasons, including a winless 1982 season where the team went 0-8-1 during the strike-shortened season.

As the Elway saga was beginning to take off, the draft had to continue.  Six picks later, the Kansas City Chiefs had their turn to make a draft pick.  The team was on the fence between Marino, who starred with his hometown Pittsburgh Panthers, and Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge, who had led the Nittany Lions to the national championship in 1982, along with running back Curt Warner, who had been drafted earlier by the division-rival Seattle Seahawks.  In astounding fashion, the Chiefs selected Blackledge over Marino.  Blackledge proceeded to struggle throughout his NFL career and was never a consistent starter in the league before leaving the league in 1989.

While Marino was still available, let's transition to another quarterback on the table: Jim Kelly of the Miami Hurricanes.  He had a list of teams that he did not want to play for largely because they played in cold weather: the Green Bay Packers (who hosted the famed "Ice Bowl" for the 1967 NFL Championship against the Dallas Cowboys), the Minnesota Vikings (they actually started playing their home games in the climate-controlled Metrodome during the 1982 season, after spending their entire existence beforehand at The Met in Bloomington), and the Buffalo Bills (who always play in unpredictable weather).  After the team selected tight end Tony Hunter with the 12th overall pick,  they selected Kelly two picks later.  But instead of playing for the Bills right away, Kelly took his talents to the USFL and thrived in Mouse Davis' run & shoot offense with the Houston Gamblers, winning league MVP honors in 1984.  When the USFL folded, Kelly eventually did come to Buffalo, and had a Hall of Fame career, guiding the Bills to four straight Super Bowls (all losses).

The next pick after Kelly belonged to the Bills' AFC East rival, the New England Patriots.  The Pats took their chances with undersized Illinois quarterback Tony Eason (likely a backup to veteran Steve Grogan).  Eason would lead the Patriots on an improbable run to Super Bowl XX, which included three road playoff wins (Jets in the Wild Card, Raiders in the Divisional game, and Miami in the conference championship) before getting crushed by the Chicago Bears and their powerful 46 Defense, and thus sending Eason to the bench in the second quarter of the game after getting to an 0-for-6 start.

There was still the possibility that Marino's hometown Steelers would select him, likely as the heir apparent to veteran quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who was entering the twilight of his career.  Steelers owner Art Rooney loved watching Marino play in the Steelers' backyard, as the Pitt Panthers played their home games at Three Rivers Stadium much like the Steelers did.  However, Steelers coach Chuck Noll wanted to build for the future with defense, and passed on Marino.  The team selected defensive tackle Gabriel Riviera out of Texas A&M instead.  Riviera was beginning to hit his stride in the league until an automobile accident during the 1983 season rendered him paralyzed for life from the chest down.

Then came the New York Jets.  Their fans were hoping the team would draft a quarterback, and thought Marino would be the answer, even though the Jets already had Richard Todd.  But the team pulled a rabbit out of its hat, and went with Ken O'Brien, who starred at UC Davis, a Division II power at the time.  Jets fans, like they always are on Draft Day, were far from pleased.  Yet the Jets fans shouldn't have had anything to be ashamed of with O'Brien, who was regarded as one of the league's most underrated quarterbacks in the 1980s, and had two games where he recorded a perfect passer rating during his career.

The first round of the draft was winding down, and the Miami Dolphins had the 27th pick of the round.  The team had just played in Super Bowl XVII, losing to the Washington Redskins on the running of John Riggins.  They drafted Marino anyway, and the opinions were mixed since the Dolphins already had a young quarterback in David Woodley.

Marino would come in handy for the team just five games into the season.  Woodley, who was having a decent start to the 1983 season, struggled mightily during the team's game against the New Orleans Saints and was benched in favor of the rookie.  The Dolphins lost the game 17-7, but the following week, head coach Don Shula decided to insert Marino as the starting quarterback, and the rest they say, is history.  Marino would have a breakthrough season in 1984 that would forever cement him as an elite quarterback in the NFL, as he threw for a record-setting 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns (those records have since fallen).

There's a whole lot of what-ifs about Elway and Marino and how the fortunes of many franchises would have changed for the better, but that's a story for another blog post.

Previewing the 112th Brawl of the Wild

It's almost that time.  The 112th Brawl of the Wid between the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats is just around the corner.  Tomorrow, Montana's equal to the Super Bowl will be played in Missoula, and both teams will be playing with totally different mindsets.

Last year, the Bobcats entered their big battle with the Grizzlies with the #1 ranking in the nation and home field advantage.  The ingredients were there for the Bobcats to enter the FCS playoffs as the top seed.  Instead, the Grizzlies spoiled the party, as Montana (literally) ran away with the game and cruised to a share of the Big Sky title with the Bobcats.

But things will be different this year.  The Bobcats have all but wrapped up a spot in this season's FCS playoffs, as they enter tomorrow's contest ranked 2nd in the nation behind defending national champion North Dakota State.  Montana, on the other hand, has struggled for much of the season (mostly with late game leads), and their defensive bugaboos have all but knocked them out of the playoff picture.

The Bobcats to watch on Saturday: The Bobcats have played to their expectations this season.  The great play of fleet-footed quarterback Denarius McGee and the running back tandem of Cody Kirk and Orenzo Davis have made Montana State's running game one of the best in all of FCS football this season.  Also, wide recever Tanner Bleskin has had a great season as well, as he leads the Bobcats in receptions (54) and receiving yards 693).

But their defense hasn't been too shabby, either.  Among their defensive stars this season is senior defensive end Caleb Schreibeis (pictured right, #49), who leads the FCS in forced fumbles (7, a Montana State school record) and is the Big Sky's leader in quarterback sacks (11) entering the Brawl.  Another star worth mentioning is senior linebacker Jody Owens, who is leading the team in total tackles (70) for the second year in a row, while senior defensive back Darius Jones leads the teams in interceptions with four.

Head coach Rob Ash recently became Montana State's all-time winningest head coach, after the Bobcats mauled Portland State 65-30.  With that win, Ash passed Sonny Holland with his 48th victory at the helm of the Bobcats' football program.  And a win on Saturday would mark his second career win against the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies to watch on Saturday: The 2012 season has been nothing more than a disappointment for the Grizzlies, as number of factors, including inconsistency on defense and giveaways have led to the team missing the postseason for the second time in three years.  Ever since the Grizzlies installed Shay Smithwick-Hann at quarterback, the fortunes of their passing offense have made a turn for the better.  Unlike the Bobcats, the Grizzlies use a three-headed monster with their running game.

Among that trio of talented running backs is senior Peter Nguyen, who leads the Grizzlies in net rushing yards with 812 (needs 188 to reach 1,000 on the season) is also one of the Big Sky's top return specialists.  The team's second-leading rusher is sophomore Jordan Canada with 550 yards.  But bruising senior Dan Moore is expected to play on Saturday, and could give the Bobcat defense problems much like he and Nguyen did last season in Bozeman (the duo combined for 239 rushing yards against the Bobcats defense, with 116 of those yards coming from Moore).

After taking over the football program on an interim basis on March 30 and assuming the full position on July 29, head coach Mick Delaney has had a pretty eventful year after beginning the 2012 calendar year as a retiree from the coaching ranks.  But now he has a chance to beat his former employer on Saturday, as he served as an assistant coach at Montana State from 1976 to 1980.  And a win for Montana will have the Grizzlies entering the 2013 season with some confidence for the returning players, as well as a three-game winning streak.

Photo credits: Bozeman Daily Chronicle/AP

2012-13 Big Sky Conference Basketball Countdown: Montana

It's time to conclude the countdown by taking a look at the Grizzlies and Lady Griz of Montana.  The Grizzlies enter this season as the reigning Big Sky Conference champions and are the prohibitive favorites to win the conference again.  The Lady Griz on the other hand, are looking for their 20th NCAA Tournament appearance over the last 31 years, after finishing the 2011-12 season with a 16-14 record.

MBB: What a spectacular 2011-12 season the Montana Grizzlies had.  They set a conference record for wins in a season by winning 15 of 16 league games last season, and before falling to Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament, they had a 14-game win streak at one point.  Their 25 overall wins was the third-highest mark in program history.  Only the 1949-50 and 1991-92 seasons were better, as both those squads went 27-4.

Head coach Wayne Tinkle is back for his 7th season at his alma mater, and he returns three starters--also his top three scorers--as they make a run for another conference championship.  Tinkle also returns two of his assistant coaches in Freddie Owens and Jono Metzger-Jones, but lost top assistant Bill Evans to Idaho State, as he was named the head coach in Pocatello.  Replacing Evans is Kerry Rupp, who had previously served as head coach at Louisiana Tech and recently served as director of basketball operations at Hawaii.

One of those three starters back in the fold is senior guard Will Cherry (above left), who led the team in scoring last season at just under 16 points/game.  However, Cherry won't be back in the lineup until December at the latest, as he's out with a foot injury he sustained playing a pick-up game in late September.  In his abscence, a trio of sophomore guards (Keron Deshields, Jordan Gregory, and Kevin Henderson) are expected to pick up the slack in Cherry's place.

The other starters back are senior forward Mathias Ward and junior guard Kareem Jamar.  Ward was the team's third-leading scorer last season as he averaged just under 11 points/game, while Jamar was second on the team in both scoring (13.6 points/game) and rebounding (5.6 boards/game).  Jamar also recorded a triple-double (to match his jersey number, ironically) in the Grizzlies' Bracket-Buster game against Hawaii on February 18 (21 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists).

The starters lost to graduation were center Derek Selvig, who led the Grizzlies in rebounding (at 6.1/game) and blocks (35), and forward Art Steward, who led the team in field goal percentage (61%) in league games.  Junior center Eric Hutchison appears to be the favorite to replace Selvig at center, while junior Spencer Coleman (a JC transfer) or sophomore Mike Weisner will compete to take the place of Steward in the starting lineup.  Also back for the Grizzlies are redshirt freshmen Nick Emerson and Morgan Young (both of whom were walk-ons last season, with Emerson now on scholarship), while true freshmen Andy Martin (center) and Jake Wiley (forward) round out the roster.

Center Billy Reader is no longer on the team, as he transferred to College of Southern Idaho after academic issues caused him to miss the second half of the 2011-12 season.  Guard Riley Bradshaw will join the team at the beginning of spring semester after he transfers from Utah State (where he originally committed) at the end of fall semester.  Bradshaw can practice with the team, but he will not be eligible to play until the second half of the 2013-14 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

VERDICT: Despite losing two starters to graduation, the Grizzlies are still very dangerous with their three main scorers coming back.  But with the additions of North Dakota and Southern Utah to the conference this season, it makes the conference race more interesting.  Still, the Grizzlies and Weber State are the class of the league, and the conference title will once again have to go through either Missoula or Ogden.

WBB: The Montana Lady Griz are the only team in the Big Sky Conference--men's or women's--to bring back all five of the team's starters.  The team also has the elder statesman of all league coaches in Robin Selvig, who is entering his 35th season as the Lady Griz skipper.  Selvig also has the luxury of having the most experienced assistant coaching staff in the nation, all consisting of former players that played under him.

Senior center Katie Baker (right) is regarded as the team's best player, as she led Montana in both scoring (15 points/game) and rebounding (7.2 boards/game).  The 2011-12 season was the first time she played (and started) in all of the team's games, as a knee injury caused her to miss the second half of her freshman season and an appendectomy forced her to 6th man duty midway through her sophomore season.  Baker is one of the conference's top inside threats, and she should be in the mix for Big Sky MVP at season's end.

The two other senior starters are guard Kenzie DeBoer and forward Alyssa Smith.  DeBoer was second on the team in scoring at 10.8 points/game, but is regarded more for her defense, as she led the team in steals with 72.  Smith was third on the team in rebounding at 6.1 boards/game despite scoring only 4.9 points/game.

There are two junior starters that are back this season: forward Jordan Sullivan and guard Torry Hill.  Sullivan was second on the team in rebounding at 6.6 boards/game and was the 4th leading scorer at 7 points/game.  Hill is the team's top deep threat, as she led the team in three-pointers with 53, and with her great range behind the arc, she could be in for a huge junior season.

With all that talent in the starting lineup, there's plenty of it on the bench as well.  Top bench players for the Lady Griz include senior Alexandra Hurley and three sophomores: guard Kellie Cole and forwards Carly Selvig and Maggie Rickman.  Redshirt freshman Hannah Doran will see some playing time this season, as will a pair of true freshmen in guard McCalle Feller and forward Shenae Gilham.

Rounding out the roster are sophomore guard Haley Vining and three more true freshmen: forward Molly Klinker (who won three Class B titles at Fairfield High School), forward Rachel Staudacher (who is the cousin of former Griz guard Ryan Staudacher), and guard DJ Reinhardt (who chose to stay in Missoula and play for the Lady Griz).

VERDICT: With five starters coming back and Robin Selvig as head coach, the Lady Griz are a team that should not be counted out of the race for the conference title.  But their bugaboo in the past couple of seasons has been shooting the ball, while at the same time defense has been the team's best strength.  With an experienced team and plenty of threats off the bench, Montana is a serious threat to unseat Idaho State as conference champion.

And that concludes the basketball version of the Big Sky Conference Countdown.  It should be a great season with two new teams and an expanded conference tournament.  Enjoy the season everybody!

Photo credits: Missoulian

2012-13 Big Sky Conference Basketball Countdown: Montana State

Moving ahead with the countdown, it's time to take a look at the Montana State Bobcats.  Both teams experienced very different campaigns last season, as the women's team recorded a 19-11 record and an appearance in the conference semifinals against conference runner-up Northern Colorado.  The men's team, on the other hand, struggled during their season, which included an eight-game losing streak in the middle of conference play, and an offseason that included two players having a brush with the law.

WBB: Ever since Tricia Binford took over the women's basketball program prior to the 2005-06 season, the Lady Bobcats have gone from conference bottom-feeder to regular conference contender.  They just haven't won a conference tournament under Binford--yet.  But with four starters coming back from last year, their chances of finally getting over the hump look promising, despite losing top scorer Katie Bussey to graduation.  The Bobcats' top returning scorer is senior forward Rachel Semansky (right), who was second on last season's team at 13.8 points/game and led the team in rebounding at 8.8/game.  Another starter coming back for Montana State is junior forward Ashley (Albert) Brumwell, who is the only other top scorer to average double figures per game.  Senior guard Latisha Adams and junior center Chelsea Banis round out the returning starters for the Bobcats.

VERDICT: Tricia Binford enters her eighth season as the winningest head coach in program history.  Her teams have gotten progressively better throughout her tenure in Bozeman, and with the talent she's assembled this year, the Bobcats will definitely be in the mix with Idaho State, Montana, and Northern Colorado for the conference crown.  If the Bobcats win the Big Sky championship, it will only be their second in program history (1993 was their only conference championship).

MBB: The 2011-12 season was a disappointment for the men's basketball squad, as they finished the season 12-16 overall (7-9 in conference) and failed to make the conference tournament.  Then their offseason was marred by turmoil, as forwards Tre Johnson and Jeff Budinich were both arrested & charged with two counts of criminal trespass to vehicles and theft, respectively.  Head coach Brad Huse (left) dismissed Johnson (who started 20 of the Bobcats' 26 games last season and led the team in rebounding) from the team while Budinich, who was mostly used off of the bench, was suspended.  Outside of the turmoil, Huse brings in four junior college transfers (Paul Egwuonwu, Antonio Biglow, Flavien Davis, and Calen Coleman) and five freshmen (one redshirt), but does bring back leading scorer from last season in senior guard Xavier Blount (11.7 ppg).  Other key players returning for Montana State include senior guards Jamie Stewart and Christian Moon, who both made spot starts in the Bobcats' starting five.

VERDICT: While they're no where close to being a top-tier team like Montana or Weber State, making the tournament shouldn't be a big surprise as long as the Bobcats play well in league play.

UP NEXT: Montana

Photo credits: Bozeman Daily Chronicle

2012-13 Big Sky Conference Basketball Countdown: Eastern Washington

The 2011-12 seasons for the Eastern Washington basketball teams would be considered average by most people's standards, as the men's team went 15-17 and hosted a conference tournament game against Idaho State before falling in the semifinals to eventual conference champion Montana.  The women's team, on the other hand, went 16-14 and lost in the first round of the tournament to Sacramento State.  One team is hoping to continue to build on the success they found last year with a second-year head coach, and the other is having to establish a new identity after losing two key players to graduation.

MBB: 2011-12 was a far better campaign for the Eagles' men's basketball program than past campaigns under former head coach Kirk Earlywine.  Jim Hayford is entering his second season at the helm, and his team is beginning to emerge as a team to watch this season that keeps getting better.  The team returns two senior starters in forward Collin Chiverton (pictured left) and guard Jeffrey Forbes.  Chiverton is the team's top returning scorer, as he recorded just under 14 points/game after coming to the Eagles last season from City College of San Francisco.  But the team lost most of their rebounding punch as top rebounders Cliff Ederaine and Laron Griffin graduated over the offseason, so outside of Chiverton, the Eagles' frontcourt will be short on experience when the regular season starts.

VERDICT: Combining an experienced backcourt with an inexperienced frontcourt could make for an interesting 2012-13 season, which could explain why the Eagles were voted to finish anywhere from 3rd (media) to 6th (coaches).  Still, this is a very good basketball team that could very much be in the hunt for a conference championship.

WBB: The women's basketball team is in need of a new identity this coming season, as they lost reigning conference MVP and top scorer Brianne Ryan, as well as starting point guard Chene Cooper in the offseason to graduation. Wendy Schuller enters her 12th season at the helm, which is the second-longest tenure in the Big Sky for a current women's coach, and her squad will have their work cut out for them with the losses of Ryan and Cooper.  Three starters from last season are back, among them senior forward Carrie Ojeda (right), who led the team in rebounding last season and is also the top returning scorer.  The two other starters returning this season are junior guard Aubrey Ashenfelter and sophomore forward Melissa Williams.

VERDICT: The road back to the Big Sky Tournament may be tougher than it has been in past seasons for the Eagles, as both the coaches and media picked the Eagles to finish 8th, which means if they do finish there they would be the first team on the outside looking in.  The losses of Ryan and Cooper will hurt, as younger players will have to step up.  But the Eagles are a competitive team, and it would be no big surprise if they overachieve this season, much like defending conference champion Idaho State did last season.

UP NEXT: Montana State

Photo credits: Eastern Washington athletics