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