Here is the MTU placeholder.
Hope we can be competitive for 4 quarters. Regardless, I will be there. GO VALPO!
Quote from: VULB#62 on August 24, 2017, 09:03:29 PMHope we can be competitive for 4 quarters. Regardless, I will be there. GO VALPO!
I'd settle for being within 10 points with 2 minutes left in the first half. Keep the turnovers to a minimum. No long scoring plays given up on defense.
Montana 42
Valpo 17
Montana 54
Valpo 10
Soory co, Montana will score on long drives early and often.
Quote from: usc4valpo on August 25, 2017, 11:00:12 AM
Montana 54
Valpo 10
Soory co, Montana will score on long drives early and often.
Not worried about long drives, but several years ago (under the previous regime) we gave up scoring plays of 50 yards or more I'd say 16-18 times in the season.
I wouldn't be surprised by your score prediction, only hoping for better.
Quote from: covufan on August 25, 2017, 02:36:20 PM
Quote from: usc4valpo on August 25, 2017, 11:00:12 AM
Montana 54
Valpo 10
Soory co, Montana will score on long drives early and often.
Not worried about long drives, but several years ago (under the previous regime) we gave up scoring plays of 50 yards or more I'd say 16-18 times in the season.
I wouldn't be surprised by your score prediction, only hoping for better.
A very solid guess indeed! :clap: :clap: I counted 17!!
The combination of the writeup of our Grizz guest and the beatdown the secondary has undergone since the end of last season...that's two starting CBs and a starting safety lost plus some depth if your scoring....does not paint a pretty picture for me for early games and in particular vs a team that throws it around a lot with some quality at the WR position.
It may be a 50-10 game which is not as close as the score indicates.
We will see. I'm thinking 38-10 type of range. We do have very good WRs but our D should be our strong unit. We scored 42 in our final scrimmage yesterday so we are capable but... you never know. That's why we play the game
Quote from: vu72 on August 25, 2017, 02:49:48 PM
Quote from: covufan on August 25, 2017, 02:36:20 PM
Quote from: usc4valpo on August 25, 2017, 11:00:12 AM
Montana 54
Valpo 10
Soory co, Montana will score on long drives early and often.
Not worried about long drives, but several years ago (under the previous regime) we gave up scoring plays of 50 yards or more I'd say 16-18 times in the season.
I wouldn't be surprised by your score prediction, only hoping for better.
A very solid guess indeed! :clap: :clap: I counted 17!!
Just after that season I counted them and thought it was 17, but I wasn't going back to check. That 17 may have been from scrimmage, add a few more for punt, interception, and kickoff returns.
It is one thing to give up a high percentage of red zone touchdowns; quite another to be 30 yards beyond the red zone and give up that many.
So I'm wondering about how big this "pay" game will be? Is it a flat fee or based on attendance? Last year's pay game was against Illinois State and the attendance was just over 10,000. Our Montana friends are saying a sellout at just over 26,000. Just wondering... ???
I'd be ecstatic if we kept them in low 40s and Valpo scored around 20.
It would also be great if Valpo could score first so that Coach C can pull a Lee Corso: call time out and take a picture of the team under the scoreboard.
Temp will be in the low 80s, Sunny and light winds... so there goes THAT excuse. They are 3,209 feet above sea level. I have no expectations, just hope we have a full roster available for the Dukes next weekend.
If we get off the Black and Tan koolaid, the game is a major mismatch and will not be competitive. Montana is also high altitude and a difficult road trip.
Montana is pay valpo a flat fee around 200k I do believe. I think we encorperated travel and such into the deal.
Quote from: mtgrizfankb on August 25, 2017, 06:27:49 PM
Montana is pay valpo a flat fee around 200k I do believe. I think we encorperated travel and such into the deal.
Hmmmm...........where could we use $200,000 at this time?
Quote from: historyman on August 25, 2017, 06:41:06 PM
Quote from: mtgrizfankb on August 25, 2017, 06:27:49 PM
Montana is pay valpo a flat fee around 200k I do believe. I think we encorperated travel and such into the deal.
Hmmmm...........where could we use $200,000 at this time?
Wells, seeing that we average just slightly over 2000 per game, with five home games at $10 a seat, that's $100,000 in revenues (not counting the massive hotdog market). My guess is that every cent earned from getting our butts kicked will be needed to support the football team and coaches.
Quote from: VUOR63 on August 25, 2017, 04:19:34 PMI'd be ecstatic if we kept them in low 40s and Valpo scored around 20. It would also be great if Valpo could score first so that Coach C can pull a Lee Corso: call time out and take a picture of the team under the scoreboard.
LOL! That's awesome.
Quote from: talksalot on August 25, 2017, 04:23:57 PMTemp will be in the low 80s, Sunny and light winds... so there goes THAT excuse. They are 3,209 feet above sea level. I have no expectations, just hope we have a full roster available for the Dukes next weekend.
My thoughts exactly. Can't lose two starters in the first half for the year as we did last year.
Ok, it's my time to weigh in a full week prior to the game. I reserve the right to amend in the coming week. ;)
Valpo hangs tough for one quarter, scores a TD off a MTU turnover but then gives up a couple of Q2 TDs. We go into the half down 24-7. In Q3 MTU continues to exert their superior strength, skills and depth to increase their lead into Q4, but Valpo finds a way to get a FG in the final quarter.
Final score: Montana 45 - Valpo 10.
End of First Quarter Score: Montana 21 Valpo 3
Halftime Score: Montana 49 Valpo 3
Montana plays "pick the final score" and plays second and third string on second half. Final Score: Montana 63 Valpo 10
Quote from: vu84v2 on August 26, 2017, 04:33:41 PM
End of First Quarter Score: Montana 21 Valpo 3
Halftime Score: Montana 49 Valpo 3
Montana plays "pick the final score" and plays second and third string on second half. Final Score: Montana 63 Valpo 10
Wow! Aren't we negative! We aren't playing North Dakota State! Clearly we are better than last year and we lost to Illinois State ( a team who beat Northwestern the following week) by 37. I would expect a similar result. Say, 50-14.
At this point I don't know that we are better than last year and in particularly in any clear fashion. We may be but we may also not be.
It's also possible that we don't know the answer to whether we are any better until game 4.
Quote from: JD24 on August 26, 2017, 08:00:35 PM
At this point I don't know that we are better than last year and in particularly in any clear fashion. We may be but we may also not be.
It's also possible that we don't know the answer to whether we are any better until game 4.
Obviously you may be right but if you are then the coaching has to answer for that. We have more experience back than any year under Coach C. Those kids have been in the weight room under close supervision for another year. Sure seems logical that we would be bigger and more experienced. Does that equate to "better"? As you suggest, time will tell.
One experience that none of them have shared yet is playing before a packed house of 26,000 fans. Yes, we've played in some good sized stadiums like EKU and ISU recently but they weren't close in comparison to Washington-Grizzly in terms of crowd size and being literally surrounded by fans. When it is all said and done, these players will have a unique memory that will, in all likelihood, be the most memorable of their Valpo careers.
HOWEVER............
The intimidation factor will be very significant and it will take our kids at least a quarter to settle down. By then it could be all over. I hope we win the toss and defer so that our D plays first. You can have the jitters on D and it still won't impact execution as much as it would the O. That first series would also give the O some time to better adjust while the crowd settles down. Regardless, we will be playing in the most intense environment this program has ever experienced.
I'm glad I'll be there.
Quote from: vu72 on August 27, 2017, 06:05:24 AMObviously you may be right but if you are then the coaching has to answer for that.
If that were the case they should answer for it but they likely won't. Not their style.
QuoteWe have more experience back than any year under Coach C. Those kids have been in the weight room under close supervision for another year. Sure seems logical that we would be bigger and more experienced. Does that equate to "better"? As you suggest, time will tell.
There are other programs within the league and on Valpo's schedule which have more, as many and/or older experience back. I presume all of these teams have off season programs and will walk into the upcoming season full of optimism.
Offensively, they should be ok. The offense wasn't dynamic last year but it was workable and suffered from using two QBs including one who wasn't all that great. The biggest issue on offense is replacing two senior OLmen and who the QB is and remains throughout the season.
Defensively, much more up in the air. This unit kind of held the team in games last year if not being overwhelmingly good and allowed a workable offense to put up enough to win a few games. The unit has lost a starting safety who was HM all league, a starting CB, a 3 year starter at LBer, and a rotational LBer who may have stepped into the starting role for the 3 year starter if he was on the roster. That's just since the start of camp. Graduation cost them a starting CB, a starting Mike LBer and a starter at DT. Another starting DT is coming off an ACL injury and may or may not be participating in contact drills. Maybe those next in line fill in admirably but there are enough questions defensively amongst those who've never done anything because they weren't there, those who've never done anything because they haven't played and those that haven't done much when they have played to be some serious concern for the defense. This is before the inevitable injuries begin to affect depth issues for which there isn't much on paper.
As I said, hopefully by game 4 and the beginning of league play, at least some of these issues are resolved or proven not to exist.
Quote from: VULB#62 on August 27, 2017, 08:45:50 AM
One experience that none of them have shared yet is playing before a packed house of 26,000 fans. Yes, we've played in some good sized stadiums like EKU and ISU recently but they weren't close in comparison to Washington-Grizzly in terms of crowd size and being literally surrounded by fans. When it is all said and done, these players will have a unique memory that will, in all likelihood, be the most memorable of their Valpo careers.
HOWEVER............
The intimidation factor will be very significant and it will take our kids at least a quarter to settle down. By then it could be all over. I hope we win the toss and defer so that our D plays first. You can have the jitters on D and it still won't impact execution as much as it would the O. That first series would also give the O some time to better adjust while the crowd settles down. Regardless, we will be playing in the most intense environment this program has ever experienced.
I'm glad I'll be there.
It will certainly be the biggest crowd this group has played for and mostly likely the biggest crowd ever for a Valpo team. In a quick check I found 15,347 at YSU and 18,665 at North Dakota State. But then again, Appalachian State went into Michigan in 2007 and beat them befor 109,000!!! I was at the NDSU game which was played in the Fargo Dome. The Montana crowd won't be as loud, trust me.
Sagarin: 47 pt favorite, 97% chance of win
The spread and %age came from the eGriz site. I visted the Griz fan board and lurked a bit. 37 posts. Understandably no respect voiced there and a poster had pictures of Brown Field from our facilities section of the web site just to put the two programs in contrast. One guy wished they could play us in basketball and my first thought was " No, you really don't." Only "up" mentioned was our special teams.
Regarding how loud Griz stadium is, see below. Couldn't post the link. Lots of other quotes in the article too. Google "Montana football stadium noise".
"In an interview Tony Romo, according to FCS Football Fans Facebook, said After a victory over the Seahawks in Seattle when he was asked if he had ever experienced more noise in a stadium. His response was "Missoula Montana is way louder". "Todd Harris & Charles Arbuckle, ESPN announcers said it's the loudest too."
Some info.
Fires are burning, but smoke subsided about 4 days ago. Keeping fingers crossed. The closest fire is Lolo Peak fire. Google it.
Weather should be nice and warm, 80's or higher.
Press Box bar/restaurant is the closest hot spot, just north of stadium over the river. Big gathering spot before and after game. Food.
Other bars. Mo Club (great burgers, including on game morning), Stocks (Stockmans), and Red's. All downtown. Most people will be very friendly in the bars.
Very good breakfast places downtown, especially if you're traveling with women, are Catalyst and the Shack. Speaking of women, there is a great farmer's market downtown on Sat. morning, just north of the river under Higgins avenue/bridge.
Missoula has a lot of good restaurants.
If you have your Valpo gear on, every Griz tailgate will welcome you, be friendly and give you drink (and food if they have it). Just walk up and say hi. The tailgating is very good for a school/program of this size.
The stadium gets fairly empty at halftime, when people go back out to the tailgates. Some don't return until well into the third quarter.
You will love the stadium atmosphere. The seating starts about 8 yards from the sideline, and first row is high enough to look over heads of players. You will enjoy Missoula. Griz fans and townspeople go out of their way to make visitors feel very welcome.
UM fans will be excited to see the Griz play. UM collapsed at the end of last season, going 1-4 and losing 2 games to not so great teams--after starting season 5-1 with a great win at Northern Iowa. New qb. Transfer from Kentucky who grew up in Chattanooga. Lots of younger talent and fairly good athleticism and size.
Good luck to your team. They will never forget the experience. Your guys may draw a few boos coming onto the field (may also get some cheers), but if your guys avoid taunting the crowd, the crowd will generally respect your team, and some will likely give them a few cheers as they exit after the game.
Quote from: vu72 on August 25, 2017, 03:39:00 PMSo I'm wondering about how big this "pay" game will be? Is it a flat fee or based on attendance? Last year's pay game was against Illinois State and the attendance was just over 10,000. Our Montana friends are saying a sellout at just over 26,000. Just wondering... ???
Being this is the first game of the year and no smack but I highly doubt that this game will attract much more than 15, 000 fans. As for noise, that will be interesting since it is the first game and I don't think too many fans will be worried about the outcome, again no smack.
For those of you that are coming to the game I hope you have a great time and are able to visit Glacier or at least Flathead Lake which is only an hours drive North.
Quote from: MissoulaGrizFan on August 27, 2017, 08:04:42 PMSome info. Fires are burning, but smoke subsided about 4 days ago. Keeping fingers crossed. The closest fire is Lolo Peak fire. Google it. Weather should be nice and warm, 80's or higher. Press Box bar/restaurant is the closest hot spot, just north of stadium over the river. Big gathering spot before and after game. Food. Other bars. Mo Club (great burgers, including on game morning), Stocks (Stockmans), and Red's. All downtown. Most people will be very friendly in the bars. Very good breakfast places downtown, especially if you're traveling with women, are Catalyst and the Shack. Speaking of women, there is a great farmer's market downtown on Sat. morning, just north of the river under Higgins avenue/bridge. Missoula has a lot of good restaurants. If you have your Valpo gear on, every Griz tailgate will welcome you, be friendly and give you drink (and food if they have it). Just walk up and say hi. The tailgating is very good for a school/program of this size. The stadium gets fairly empty at halftime, when people go back out to the tailgates. Some don't return until well into the third quarter. You will love the stadium atmosphere. The seating starts about 8 yards from the sideline, and first row is high enough to look over heads of players. You will enjoy Missoula. Griz fans and townspeople go out of their way to make visitors feel very welcome. UM fans will be excited to see the Griz play. UM collapsed at the end of last season, going 1-4 and losing 2 games to not so great teams--after starting season 5-1 with a great win at Northern Iowa. New qb. Transfer from Kentucky who grew up in Chattanooga. Lots of younger talent and fairly good athleticism and size. Good luck to your team. They will never forget the experience. Your guys may draw a few boos coming onto the field (may also get some cheers), but if your guys avoid taunting the crowd, the crowd will generally respect your team, and some will likely give them a few cheers as they exit after the game.
I would add the Rhino and Dram Shop for beers. Both have somewhere around fifty or so taps of really great beer. As for the Mo Club the burgers are great but that is all they serve, no fries. I would hit up the Ox dive bar, open 24/7, for a 1/2 lb burger, price $4.50. Also a great place for breakfast after drinking all night. If you are looking for something a little nicer then go the Iron Horse downtown.
Quote from: VULB#62 on August 25, 2017, 09:03:36 PM
Ok, it's my time to weigh in a full week prior to the game. I reserve the right to amend in the coming week. ;)
Valpo hangs tough for one quarter, scores a TD off an UMT turnover but then gives up a couple of quick Q2 TDs. We go into the half down 24-7. In Q3 MTU continues to exert their superior strength, skills, and depth to increase their lead into Q4, but Valpo finds a way to get a FG in the final quarter.
Final score: Montana 45 - Valpo 10.
Based on much reflection over many martinis and incorporating all of the great input from Valpo and Griz posters, I have to refine my prediction of Saturday's final score. I still think we will beat the early Sagarin spread, but in doing so I have to give the UMT an additional TD. Final: Griz 52 - Crusaders 10.
Quote from: PolsonGriz on August 27, 2017, 10:44:26 PM
Quote from: vu72 on August 25, 2017, 03:39:00 PMSo I'm wondering about how big this "pay" game will be? Is it a flat fee or based on attendance? Last year's pay game was against Illinois State and the attendance was just over 10,000. Our Montana friends are saying a sellout at just over 26,000. Just wondering... ???
Being this is the first game of the year and no smack but I highly doubt that this game will attract much more than 15, 000 fans. As for noise, that will be interesting since it is the first game and I don't think too many fans will be worried about the outcome, again no smack.
For those of you that are coming to the game I hope you have a great time and are able to visit Glacier or at least Flathead Lake which is only an hours drive North.
Hey Poison -- Just wondering....... Last year's season opener (won by UMT 41-31) against St. Francis (PA) of the NEC drew 26,002 fans according to the box score. Are you suggesting that a lot of season ticket holders skip the opener and that there really wasn't 26K at that game and more like 15-18K? Or is your reference to just the Valpo game?
Polson is not correct. UM always draws well for the first home game, which is usually the first game of the season, no matter who the opponent is. Don't recall any regular season attendance even close to 15,000 since the stadium was expanded in 2003. Playoff games over Thanksgiving weekend, when students are gone, are sometimes below 20,000 by a few thousand.
This game will draw very well. Griz fans are excited for this season and this team. Weather will be good. Smoke is okay now, so fingers crossed.
Here are the opening home game stats from 2015 going back to the stadium expansion in 2003. Note there was a later stadium expansion too. Opening game is almost always a sell out. So are the other games. Think official capacity is only about 25,500, but it can get to about 26,500, depending on extra seating and extra tickets being sold in the boxes.
North Dakota St -Date: Aug 29, 2015 • Site: Missoula, Mont. • Attendance: 26472
Central Washington - Date: Sep 06, 2014 • Site: Missoula, MT • Attendance: 24697
Appalachian St - Date: Aug 31, 2013 • Site: Missoula, MT • Attendance: 26293
South Dakota - Date: Sep 01, 2012 • Site: Missoula, MT • Attendance: 25126
Cal - Poly - Date: Sep 10, 2011 (2d weekend) • Site: Missoula, MT • Attendance: 25855
Western State - Date: Sep 04, 2010 • Site: Missoula, MT • Attendance: 25663
Western State - Date: Sep 05, 2009 • Site: Missoula, MT • Attendance: 25698
Southern Utah - Date: Sep 13, 2008 • Site: Missoula, MT • Attendance: 25056
2008 - Stadium size expanded
Southern Utah - Date: Sep 01, 2007 • Site: Missoula, MT • Attendance: 23599
South Dakota St -Date: Sep 09, 2006 • Site: Missoula, MT • Attendance: 23438
Fort Lewis - Date: Sep 03, 2005 • Site: Missoula, MT • Attendance: 23432
Maine (0-1) - Date: Sep 04, 2004 • Site: Missoula, MT • Attendance: 23228
North Dakota State - Date: Sept. 6 2003 (2d weekend) • Site: Missoula MT • Attendance: 23102
2003 - Stadium size expanded
Thanks for the update. Nice to know that there will be a few people there ::)
There will probably be 25K there for the game. it will not sell out I imagine but it is an FCS game and week 1 with an away game next week. I assume the stadium will be pretty packed everywhere other than the south endzone which will be more spaced out. So if thats where your seats are as Valpo fans or would like better seats than the visiting section. Also the south endzone might get some shade during the game so that might be nice too.
PS. if you would like to look at the ticket sales at this moment griztix.com lets you see all the seats available still. There is about 500 tickets give or take still for sale. I imagine that will probably be 200ish by gameday. so 25.5k or 25.3k could be pretty accurate
Is there anywhere good to smoke a pre-game cigar?
Hello Crusaders!
Happy to see an active board. Some of our Big Sky brethren...well, let's just say that there is a little left to be desired from some of those fan bases.
I'll be honest, I wish I was half as confident in the Griz as you all seem to be. I just honestly don't know what to think about this year's team. It's definitely not the Montana teams from 6 or 7 years ago when trips to the national championship were virtually a birthright, but I also think we have to be better than last year. Or maybe that's just blind hope.
In either event, I'm also happy to see many on here making the trip. You won't regret it. I live in Seattle now but still have season tickets, and love every weekend trip back to Missoula. It is truly an awesome town. And while in town, please fly your colors. If you're downtown (and avoid the student hangouts where you might hear it from some drunk A$$), you'll be treated like kings. Same thing at the tailgates near the stadium. Just go introduce yourselves, talk some football and you'll be eagerly welcomed.
Missoula -- and Montana in general -- has some GREAT breweries. Be sure to check them out while there. Also, I echo the comments about restaurants. Missoula is filled with them. So, I guess that's a very long way of saying: "Have a great time!".
Now, let's talk some X's and O's. Who should Griz fans look for on your team as standouts? Certainly we all know about Morgan, and have a ton of respect for him. Seewald is a huge drink of water, and the Griz sometimes struggle against big, tall QBs. Getting Nunez back may be huge in this game. Who else should we focus on?
And finally, yes, we actually DO wish we could play you in basketball, especially in a home-and-home. We have nothing but the absolute utmost respect for your BB program. But Montana's isn't exactly 3rd rate, either. But most importantly, this is just the type of home-and-home the better mid-majors should be scheduling.
Good luck Saturday. It's great to have college football back!
Thanks for joining and welcome. Good to see your interest.
Here's some additional info on some of our veteran players. On offense, Frank Catrine (#30, 6-1, 210 Sr.) and Griffin Norberg (#2, 6-3, 225 Jr.) and Jean Rene (#1, 5-10, 180, Jr) are the three receiving leaders. Catrine has been a starter since his sophomore year and Norberg started out as an H back/TE but has slimmed down a bit and is now out wide. At 6-3 he poses a problem for shorter DBs and at 225 he is hard to knock off the ball. Rene operated out of the slot mostly. We don't run too much but Cartales is a load (at least at the PFL level) at RB.
Defense is a big ?. We will really miss our free safety Kellan Hughes who went down in spring ball with a neck injury and is no longer on the roster. He was 6-2, 205 and a play maker. We have a pair of experienced LBs in the middle in Drew Snouffer (#24, 6-0, 230, Jr.) and Mike Wheeler (#18, 6-3, 220, Jr). And Joey Dias-Marinez always seems to be around the ball in the secondary.
Hopefully, these guys will have enough maturity to not succumb to the jitters in front of a big, boisterous crowd and provide the leadership we need to try to stay with your guys for 60 minutes.
Thanks for the insight, 62. I noticed that you guys have a pretty seasoned crew, and that certainly worries me as the Griz are young and untested at many positions.
Regarding the crowd, the key is to weather the storm. As much as teams attempt to prepare for the noise and the atmosphere, it's cannot be done, and even the NDSUs and App States of the world struggled to deal with it. But if you can get through the first 8 or 10 minutes, everything will slow down a bit. What the Crusaders need to avoid is getting backed up against the north end zone in WA-Griz, especially early in the game. Those are the "North End Zone Crazies", and on that end of the field, communication is impossible.
Just a couple of further notes on Valpo's offense. Last year Valpo ran the ball as often (actually slightly more) than they passed it but passed it better than they ran it. Jarrett Morgan was the leading rusher by about a 3 to 1 margin over the next guy. He's back (all of the backs are returners...no backs were lost) and should be the main ball carrier throughout the season although they will spread it around.
For our Grizz friends, I think it appropriate to give some background to the Valpo football program lest you think less of our players. First, understand that Valpo plays non-scholarship football. As a result, Valpo players love the game but are at Valpo for academic reasons first. Understand that we haven't had a winning record or won a conference title since 2003.
I have no idea where Montana gets their players but Valpo has players from 15 states including 16 from Florida and 5 from California. Trust me, they aren't at Valpo for the balmy Midwestern winters! They are there for the engineering, business and even nursing schools (Tristan DeLaRosa Sr. Starting DL at 6'1" 305#)
Having said this, I expect a hard fought effort by our guys, just not quite able to keep up with Montana's bigger, more talented players.
Well said 72. And our kids practice and will play at the same intensity level of any college FB team. It will just come down to size, speed and talent differentials. And a few breaks.
After Season Preview here is where we stand
Offense
QB 1. #9 Jimmy Seewald SO. 6-5 220
2. #14 Chris Duncan RSFR. 6-4 190
3. #4 Joe Mullen RSSO. 6-4 215 or #11 Trey Bilinski FR. 6-2 215 or #13 Ryan Markoff FR. 6-2 190
RB 1. #10 Jarrett Morgan SR. 5-11 195
2. #44 Kyle Cartales SO. 6-2 220
3. #32 Cody Boxrucker SO. 6-0 200 or #21 Elias Earley RSSO. 5-6 175
4. #15 Doug Haugh FR. 6-1 205
FB 1. #40 Brannen Martin RSFR. 6-1 230
TE 1. #84 Mason Sutter JR. 6-5 240
2. #16 Ryan Clarke SR. 6-5 245
3. #87 Martin Petruf 6-5 220
4. #31 Alex Kluck FR. 6-5 220 or #80 Brett Bittner 6-5 205
WR 1. #30 Frank Catrine SR. 6-0 210
2 #82 Deuce Larose FR. 6-0 205 or #3 Parker Fox RSSO. 5-11 175
WR 1. #2 Griffin Norberg JR. 6-3 225
2. #12 JD Koehler RSSO. 6-0 210
WR #1 Jean Rene JR. 5-10 180 (INJ)
2. #23 Bailey Gessinger SO. 5-10 165 or #26 Donny Navarro FR. 5-9 180
Recievers Not Mentioned #19 Trey Stablein FR. 5-11 160 #85 TJ Weinzimmer FR. 6-2 170
#33 Connor Beer FR. 5-9 155 #86 Kevin Wright FR. 5-11 170
#83 Brent Brimmage FR 5-11 180
Offensive Tackle 1. #75 Shannon Taliaferro JR. 6-1 295 or #76 Alex Cotton RSSO. 6-4 280
Guard 1. #73 Tom Schofield JR. 6-3 285
2. #72 Solomon Kamara RSFR. 6-2 295
Center 1. #65 Jack Jarnigan RSSO. 6-2 285
2. #66 Sam Vas FR. 6-0 305
Guard 1. #67 Eric Rentschler JR. 6-2 285
2. #70 Brady Sullivan RSSO. 6-4 280
Offensive Tackle 1. #60 Andrew Lundber 6-5 275
2. #77 Terrance Roberts RSSO. 6-5 335
O-Line Not Mentioned #50 John Horan RSSO. 6-2 315 #51 Nick Antonacci FR. 5-11 255
#61 Sean Pierce SO. 6-4 310 #64 Sean Stephens RSFR. 6-2 305
#69 Alex Helander RSSO. 6-1 270 #71 Bryce Biggs RSFR. 6-4 240
#74 James Zajac RSFR. 6-6 270 #78 Ronald Williams RSFR. 6-1 365
#79 Thomas Walsh FR. 6-3 315
Defensive End 1. #34 Jay Slone RSSR. 6-3 215
2. #54 Jesse Studyvin JR. 6-4 270
Defensive Tackle 1. #99 Jakob Trumpower RSSO. 6-4 260
2.#91 Jordan Goebel RSFR. 6-3 265
Nose Tackle 1. #56 Tristan De LaRosa SR. 6-1 305 (INJ)
2. #93 James Reed SO. 6-1 300
3. #97 Jeremiah Olojo FR. 6-4 280 or #62 Nathan Orlandini FR. 6-0 255
D-Line Not Mentioned #42 Jake Iery JR. 6-2 250 #44 Connor Sperling RSFR. 6-2 245
#58 David Mason III FR. 5-7 270 #92 Drew Gerdys FR. 6-3 260
#95 Murphy Osmond SO. 6-5 230 #96 Cameron Germain 6-245 FR.
OLB 1. #18 Mike Wheeler JR. 6-3 220
2. #46 Josh Baker FR. 6-1 225
3. #33 Gowan Baldwin JR. 6-3 240
ILB 1.#24 Drew Snouffer JR. 6-0 230
2. #43 John Regan SR. 6-0 215 or #37 Laddie Skarecky FR. 6-0 210
ILB 1. #49 Nick Turner JR. 6-1 225
2. #47 Matthew Messler RSSO. 6-0 230 or #9 Tyler Newkirk SO. 6-1 200 or #6 Logan Pfizenmayer FR. 6-2 210
OLB 1. #36 Austin Petrie SO. 5-10 220
2. #35 Gavin Twigg FR. 6-1 215 or #38 Joey Poloskey FR. 6-2 180
Linebackers Not Mentioned #39 Jack Buckey SO. 6-1 210 (INJ) #89 Cade Bishop FR. 6-1 225
Cornerback 1. #5 Jalin Leandre JR. 6-0 190
2. #25 Dilan Scargle FR. 5-11 190
Safety 1. #4 JJ Nunes RSSR. 5-10 195
2. #20 Jamari Booker SO. 6-0 185
Safety 1. #28 Josmar Diaz-Martinez JR. 5-11 180
2. #15 Isaac Lane RSSO. 5-10 195 (INJ)(OFY)
3. #22 Tramone Duncan FR. 5-11 200 or #29 Julian Benavides FR. 6-0 185
Cornerback 1. #17 Brandon Riley SR. 5-10 150
2. #14 Cam Kelly FR. 5-11 175
DBs not Mentioned #19 Bryce Leach FR. 6-2 180 #41 Henry Hebda FR. 6-0 160
#45 David Hebda FR. 6-0 160
The two starters listed as injured...are they not expected to play at Montana?
Quote from: JD24 on August 28, 2017, 09:34:43 PM
The two starters listed as injured...are they not expected to play at Montana?
Rene and De LaRossa. Both are essential. BUT.... if it comes to a game time decision....... sit them for more competitive games in the next weeks.
Quote from: VULB#62 on August 28, 2017, 07:24:33 AMQuote from: PolsonGriz on August 27, 2017, 10:44:26 PMQuote from: vu72 on August 25, 2017, 03:39:00 PMSo I'm wondering about how big this "pay" game will be? Is it a flat fee or based on attendance? Last year's pay game was against Illinois State and the attendance was just over 10,000. Our Montana friends are saying a sellout at just over 26,000. Just wondering... ???
Being this is the first game of the year and no smack but I highly doubt that this game will attract much more than 15, 000 fans. As for noise, that will be interesting since it is the first game and I don't think too many fans will be worried about the outcome, again no smack. For those of you that are coming to the game I hope you have a great time and are able to visit Glacier or at least Flathead Lake which is only an hours drive North.
Hey Poison -- Just wondering....... Last year's season opener (won by UMT 41-31) against St. Francis (PA) of the NEC drew 26,002 fans according to the box score. Are you suggesting that a lot of season ticket holders skip the opener and that there really wasn't 26K at that game and more like 15-18K? Or is your reference to just the Valpo game?
A fair amount of Season ticket holders will skip this game.
The school for years have reported the attendance on tickets sold not used. Every yer when they annouced the number for said games everyone around me just laughed while looking at all the empty seats, and no not at the end of the game. Now maybe in the last couple of years that will change with the scanning of said tickets. That being said I guarantee there will be numerous tickets being sold for way under face value and just as many being given away. BTW, I haven't missed a home game since I moved back home in "94" after being in the Marines. I have seen more than a few first games. Either way have fun. I shall be over at your teams hotel trying to buy your QB as many drinks as he would like as Chris and I did for another visiting team... :thumbsup:
Quote from: VUOR63 on August 28, 2017, 01:12:45 PMIs there anywhere good to smoke a pre-game cigar?
As far as a smoke shop there are a couple right down town but you cannot smoke indoors in Mt or anywhere on campus. I hear these two places are decent. Bell Pipe & Tobacco (https://search.yahoo.com/local/s;_ylt=AwrT6V1mjaVZ7fIAOQ0nnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=smoke+shops&addr=Missoula%2C+MT&loc=woeid%3A2452373&selectedId=17118683&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001) and Piece of Mind (https://search.yahoo.com/local/s;_ylt=AwrT6V1mjaVZ7fIAOA0nnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=smoke+shops&addr=Missoula%2C+MT&loc=woeid%3A2452373&selectedId=78659423&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001).
Here's the game preview article and PDF with the 2-Deep.
http://www.valpoathletics.com/football/news/2017-18/17522/valpo-heads-to-montana-for-season-opener/#.WaWU1K2ZMo9
Curious thing on the 2-Deep: Catrine is listed as WR#1 and Norberg is UNDER him at #2. ??? Other #1 WRs are Jean Rene and Parker Fox. TEs are Sutter and Petruf (Clarke is only listed as the long snapper). On D, Tristan is not listed. :(
Waiting for the interview with Todd.
Oh, one other thing -- on the Defense 2-deep there are 7 (SEVEN!) true freshmen listed as backups.
A couple thoughts
1) the Valpo 2-deep has never been accurate in the 7 years i've been around the program
2) Smart sitting De La Rosa a 300lb person with a lower body injury is always frightening, he will be more useful in conference play
3) The 7 true freshman are not entirely shocking we lost a Starting DT, LB, both CBs, a starting S,a backup LB. and a backup S is out for the season with injury, that is 7 slots that needed filled. I am surprised how many upper classmen got beat out even with Coach Ceccs initial camp report.
4) This will be a very very lopsided game. Montana is an outstanding program. Don't be surprised if Rene and Seewald are pulled from the game very early with their camp injuries.
5) I am stoked for football to start again, My initial prediction was 6-5 but with schedule, attrition, and injuries its looking like a 5 win season would be acceptable
From Egriz.com:
Smoke is bad in Missoula today and getting worse. The count was 165 at noon, and has been trending up since 9am (and before). At 150, high school games are cancelled or relocated, according to the school website. The university doesn't adhere to those rules.
The peak has been around 2/3 the past 3 days.
Quote from: VULB#62 on August 29, 2017, 11:27:59 AMHere's the game preview article and PDF with the 2-Deep. http://www.valpoathletics.com/football/news/2017-18/17522/valpo-heads-to-montana-for-season-opener/#.WaWU1K2ZMo9 Curious thing on the 2-Deep: Catrine is listed as WR#1 and Norberg is UNDER him at #2. ??? Other #1 WRs are Jean Rene and Parker Fox. TEs are Sutter and Petruf (Clarke is only listed as the long snapper). On D, Tristan is not listed. :( Waiting for the interview with Todd. Oh, one other thing -- on the Defense 2-deep there are 7 (SEVEN!) true freshmen listed as backups.
WR's are listed down in order of depth chart for some odd reason. Catrine and Norberg are the x and z receivers (starters). Rene and Gessinger are the slot guys for 3 and 4 WR sets. Fox and Koehler are the x and z backups. Even allowing for 3 WRs they still don't get it right. It was wrong all last year as well based on who actually started, played and when.
The TE depth chart may very well be correct with Sutter and Petruf being the main guys.
Last year's offense played with a FB/HB a fair amount of time. I can't imagine that they'd abandon that much of the offense and thus we may see Brannen Martin, who's not even mentioned in the game day depth chart at all, on the field nearly as much as Rene or one of the TEs.
The number of freshman providing what would be significant depth on defense may be a problem. Unfortunately injuries in sport seem to have a way of occurring at just the position(s) you can least afford them and it is unrealistic to think the squad will go through the season without a bump or two.
Tristan is hopefully only out short term if he is out.
Quote from: MissoulaGrizFan on August 29, 2017, 01:45:33 PMFrom Egriz.com: Smoke is bad in Missoula today and getting worse. The count was 165 at noon, and has been trending up since 9am (and before). At 150, high school games are cancelled or relocated, according to the school website. The university doesn't adhere to those rules. The peak has been around 2/3 the past 3 days.
Smoke is down right miserable. I live between two mountain ranges West of town and neither side is all that visible. On the way into town the mountains that are NE, E and SW are visible at all.
I'll never forgive Montana for getting a 13 seed in the 2013 tournament. Still hard to get over that.
Air Quality and Fire information.
Missoula, MT AQI (https://www.wunderground.com/us/mt/missoula/zmw:59801.1.99999/health?hdf=1&MR=1)
EPA AIRNow (https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_city&cityid=808)
Montana Department of Environmental Quality (http://svc.mt.gov/deq/todaysair/smokereport/mostRecentUpdate.aspx)
Montana Fire Map (https://maps.nwcg.gov/sa/#/%3F/46.0085/-114.8436/8)
What are the odds the smoke/fires affect the playability of the game? If I remember correctly, there was an NDSU-Montana game that aired on ESPN a couple years ago (Brent Musberger called the game) and there was a significant smoky haze. Is the current condition similar to or worse than that?
The smoke has been bad in Missoula for the past 5 or so days, after a brief reprieve. The smoke conditions were worse at the time of the NDSU game. The chances of the game getting impacted are almost zero. I suppose individual players or coaches with respiratory issues may have to be careful. The smoke is unpleasant, and the views of the beautiful surrounding area are impacted. The beer remains cold. All will be fine, or even good.
Quote from: a3uge on August 29, 2017, 10:13:02 PMI'll never forgive Montana for getting a 13 seed in the 2013 tournament. Still hard to get over that.
I'm curious why? I think you could have thrown SDSU, Montana, New Mexico State, Valpo, NWSU, and Harvard into a bucket and pulled them out at random and the seeding would have been just fine. And besides, it's not as if Montana chose their seed. Besides, the committee certainy didn't do the Griz any favors pitting them against the 'Cuse in the first round.
Quote from: PolsonGriz on August 29, 2017, 08:41:15 PM
Quote from: MissoulaGrizFan on August 29, 2017, 01:45:33 PMFrom Egriz.com: Smoke is bad in Missoula today and getting worse. The count was 165 at noon, and has been trending up since 9am (and before). At 150, high school games are cancelled or relocated, according to the school website. The university doesn't adhere to those rules. The peak has been around 2/3 the past 3 days.
Smoke is down right miserable. I live between two mountain ranges West of town and neither side is all that visible. On the way into town the mountains that are NE, E and SW are visible at all.
Where are you in Polson? My family has owned property in Polson since the late 1940's, when my great-grandfather used $5 from the GI bill, to get several acres of land on Finley Point. I have visited just about every summer since my birth in 1981 :). My grandfather owned what was known as the First Resort clothing store until around 1990, but is now called Two Nineteen Main.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2di83WAOhU
Let's hope we upset the Griz and Trump turns his back on us while congratulating us on a "Great win in Montana."
(http://brightcove.vo.llnwd.net/e1/pd/5107476400001/5107476400001_5449589208001_5449572833001-vs.jpg?pubId=5107476400001&videoId=5449572833001)
I enjoyed the pregame interview with Todd. Clearly Coach C is taking responsibility for success or the lack thereof. Both he and Todd acknowledge that this is year 4 and that all the players were brought in by this staff. They also acknowledge the experience level which has been lacking in previous years. Time to succeed.
I do not believe we will get a good assessment of this Valpo team after facing a Div. I-AA team. This game will not be competitive, nor should one expect it to be. Results in garbage time will also not be a good indicator.
Again, I expect 5-6.
#42 Jake Iery out for season with undisclosed injury
Just looked at the Montana team photo. They have 14 coaches. We have 9. Interestingly though, they have 20 players 270# or more, we also have 20!!!
Quote from: valpotx on August 31, 2017, 01:47:53 AMQuote from: PolsonGriz on August 29, 2017, 08:41:15 PMQuote from: MissoulaGrizFan on August 29, 2017, 01:45:33 PMFrom Egriz.com: Smoke is bad in Missoula today and getting worse. The count was 165 at noon, and has been trending up since 9am (and before). At 150, high school games are cancelled or relocated, according to the school website. The university doesn't adhere to those rules. The peak has been around 2/3 the past 3 days.
Smoke is down right miserable. I live between two mountain ranges West of town and neither side is all that visible. On the way into town the mountains that are NE, E and SW are visible at all.
Where are you in Polson? My family has owned property in Polson since the late 1940's, when my great-grandfather used $5 from the GI bill, to get several acres of land on Finley Point. I have visited just about every summer since my birth in 1981 :). My grandfather owned what was known as the First Resort clothing store until around 1990, but is now called Two Nineteen Main.
The above is related to the place we have in Frenchtown. I moved to Polson in "93." I know the place well and I have met whom I assume is grandfather or great grandfather and i think a lady called Tawney or something?
Regarding Polson area, my aunt and uncle founded the Ranch supper/night club on the river in Polson in 1948 and owned/ran it for decades. I am on my deck at Finley Pt right now. My uncle was just back and recuperating from the war then.
Smoke is better in Missoula today. AQI is 87, Moderate. Let's hope it continues at that relatively low rate.
I can't imagine the Valpo o-line will be able to handle UM's front 4 and front 7, but who knows. Looks like Valpo has some skill players, on both sides of the ball. Griz have starting safety and linebacker out. Otherwise, seem to be fairly healthy. It should be a nice hard fought game. Good luck to Valpo. Hope their team and fans enjoy the experience. I bet they do.
why? their OL is around 300 pound average. (don't have the exact number just looking at the roster) I think all of griz nation is taking this team for granted.They still play football the same way...just like us. They have all the ability in the world to come shock us. If the team is taking this game like our fans...we could see a close game. That being said, I know first hand that they are not and that the players are itching to erase that last game form their mind. Its almost gameday! Hope everyone made the trip safe and hope to see a bunch of you valpo fans in the tailgates!
It's the quality and ability of the 2 lines, not the weight. I think the Griz d-line is very talented, and very deep at tackle in particular.
Weight is not the only determinant of lineplay. Athletic ability plays at least as much of a factor. Typically scholarship programs will have far better interior lines than the PFL teams would have and Valpo's interior lines have struggled vs. PFL teams.
Last night a mid conference Mercer team shut down a PFL Jacksonville team which is probably mid to maybe top 3rd conference PFL and it was the interior lines which were the difference. Night and day.
Quote from: PolsonGriz on August 31, 2017, 10:53:58 PM
Quote from: valpotx on August 31, 2017, 01:47:53 AMQuote from: PolsonGriz on August 29, 2017, 08:41:15 PMQuote from: MissoulaGrizFan on August 29, 2017, 01:45:33 PMFrom Egriz.com: Smoke is bad in Missoula today and getting worse. The count was 165 at noon, and has been trending up since 9am (and before). At 150, high school games are cancelled or relocated, according to the school website. The university doesn't adhere to those rules. The peak has been around 2/3 the past 3 days.
Smoke is down right miserable. I live between two mountain ranges West of town and neither side is all that visible. On the way into town the mountains that are NE, E and SW are visible at all.
Where are you in Polson? My family has owned property in Polson since the late 1940's, when my great-grandfather used $5 from the GI bill, to get several acres of land on Finley Point. I have visited just about every summer since my birth in 1981 :). My grandfather owned what was known as the First Resort clothing store until around 1990, but is now called Two Nineteen Main.
The above is related to the place we have in Frenchtown. I moved to Polson in "93." I know the place well and I have met whom I assume is grandfather or great grandfather and i think a lady called Tawney or something?
Very cool. The current owners were partners with my grandparents, who sold their half to them around 1990, when my grandparents retired. I believe that the older guy that was a partner is named Jim, and that is his daughter that now runs the store. If you know of the Port Polson Princess ship that goes around Flathead Lake, my grandparents also owned that boat, before I believe they sold it to the city or some tour company. It used to be the only tour boat on the lake for a few decades. They were heavily involved in working with tribal leaders, in order to get the KwaTaqNuk Resort built in Polson, as well.
I very much love Montana, and look forward to my trip each year. My father's cousins also have a few properties on Finley Point, so we have several relatives in that area now. I wouldn't be surprised if you have run into a Wollin, Wickersham, or Christopherson :).
Sorry to ramble about my Montana connection. We are going to get killed tomorrow, but I look forward to it! I predict 56-10, in favor of the Grizz.
Pregame tidbits
Qb: wonder how long they keep Seewald in can't see them burning any redshirt
Rb: expect heavy for same trio from last year mop up duty for Early
Te: three upper class men only wonder is if Clarke runs some h back
Ol: vas should be only freshman to play, see if we close strength gap
Dl: probably large gap, a few freshman Orlandini and Olojo will debut today
Wr: expect Larose and Navarro to see limited snaps, Rene only deep threat against this team
LB: Experienced group on defense likely Skarecky and Baker burning rs
DB: No injuries please, only fr backups sans Booker
Final Score Prediction:62-6
Is the game going to be streamed anywhere?
Quote from: VU2014 on September 02, 2017, 01:50:02 PMIs the game going to be streamed anywhere?
Yep. For $6.95 behind their paywall.
Quote from: valpofb16 on September 02, 2017, 12:50:40 PMPregame tidbits Qb: wonder how long they keep Seewald in can't see them burning any redshirt Rb: expect heavy for same trio from last year mop up duty for Early Te: three upper class men only wonder is if Clarke runs some h back Ol: vas should be only freshman to play, see if we close strength gap Dl: probably large gap, a few freshman Orlandini and Olojo will debut today Wr: expect Larose and Navarro to see limited snaps, Rene only deep threat against this team LB: Experienced group on defense likely Skarecky and Baker burning rs DB: No injuries please, only fr backups sans Booker Final Score Prediction:62-6
Did all of the end of the gameday depth chart guys travel? Typically plane rides limit the travel team but they may have made an exception for this particular game.
No box Rucker out also my stream is not starting
True Frosh #26 Navarro 60 yd reception first play of career
My over/under on time till first Griz touchdown was 3 minutes. I had over. Wouldn't you know it the Griz score in less than 2 minutes. 7-0 Montana.
The announcers are very excited. I wonder what the over/under is on the time of game the announcers lose that enthusiasm.
Lookin pretty good so far.
I'm not getting the stream! >:(
Me Neither what I'm gathering from listening and stats, our defense may be young in some spots but our vets are really solid players
Quote from: vu72 on September 02, 2017, 02:46:22 PM
I'm not getting the stream! >:(
You have to pay the $6.95 and download the Sidearm Sports app to get the video which is typical for many Learfield Sports broadcasts.
Unfortunately this European pirate OleOleTV broadcast is not on. http://www.alantv.net/oleoletvcom_page001/watch/live/stream/valparaiso/vs/montana/online/free/wwwoleoletvcomeNozNDDWN7KwMDU00i_JT0ms1C9LzClILErMLM7XLSvWzc3PK0nMSwQA3icM4A,,.html
Paid the money, didn't know about the app. Thanks!
Quote from: bbtds on September 02, 2017, 02:21:42 PM
My over/under on time till first Griz touchdown was 3 minutes. I had over. Wouldn't you know it the Griz score in less than 2 minutes. 7-0 Montana.
The announcers are very excited. I wonder what the over/under is on the time of game the announcers lose that enthusiasm.
Just wondering what your over/under was on Valpo taking the lead!!
Navarro and Duncan are BALLERS
I've been waiting to see Duncan in a game. Gives the offense a completely different look.
Quote from: valpofb16 on September 02, 2017, 03:12:17 PMNavarro and Duncan are BALLERS
An accurate pass earlier and Navarro would have two TDs
I think the real question is does Dave get his extension at halftime or do they wait until they return to Indiana?
Quote from: vu72 on September 02, 2017, 03:10:05 PM
Quote from: bbtds on September 02, 2017, 02:21:42 PM
My over/under on time till first Griz touchdown was 3 minutes. I had over. Wouldn't you know it the Griz score in less than 2 minutes. 7-0 Montana.
The announcers are very excited. I wonder what the over/under is on the time of game the announcers lose that enthusiasm.
Just wondering what your over/under was on Valpo taking the lead!!
I'll admit that I had "never" on the when will Valpo take the lead question. Anyone see a Ohio State/Indiana finish to this game? I'm afraid my confidence in Valpo is only as long as Montana straightens out their issues at halftime.
Valpo Football is showing some heart in that 1st half. Well prepared & motivated for this game. Credit to the coaches and players.
I played for Dave, if they win this game id sign him this week with a crazy out clause
Quote from: valpofb16 on September 02, 2017, 12:50:40 PM
Pregame tidbits
Qb: wonder how long they keep Seewald in can't see them burning any redshirt
Rb: expect heavy for same trio from last year mop up duty for Early
Te: three upper class men only wonder is if Clarke runs some h back
Ol: vas should be only freshman to play, see if we close strength gap
Dl: probably large gap, a few freshman Orlandini and Olojo will debut today
Wr: expect Larose and Navarro to see limited snaps, Rene only deep threat against this team
LB: Experienced group on defense likely Skarecky and Baker burning rs
DB: No injuries please, only fr backups sans Booker
Final Score Prediction:62-6
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
Quote from: bbtds on September 02, 2017, 03:26:20 PM
Quote from: vu72 on September 02, 2017, 03:10:05 PM
Quote from: bbtds on September 02, 2017, 02:21:42 PM
My over/under on time till first Griz touchdown was 3 minutes. I had over. Wouldn't you know it the Griz score in less than 2 minutes. 7-0 Montana.
The announcers are very excited. I wonder what the over/under is on the time of game the announcers lose that enthusiasm.
Just wondering what your over/under was on Valpo taking the lead!!
I'll admit that I had "never" on the when will Valpo take the lead question. Anyone see a Ohio State/Indiana finish to this game? I'm afraid my confidence in Valpo is only as long as Montana straightens out their issues at halftime.
A legit concern for sure. The Montana faithful are about to slit their wrists. I do expect Montana to dominate the second half but Valpo does have experience and so far at least haven't let the big crowd get to them. Fingers crossed !
Montana is a consistent top program in fcs we lost to San Diego 49-6 last year. I'm more excited than anyone for this.
Montana has not solved their issues at halftime. Not going to be an Ohio St/Indiana second half. Valpo does have some good players making good plays. Need a few more big plays to win.
Seewald needs to improve on his internal clock but he really has an excuse for not having his head in the game. Maybe should only go with Duncan.
Valpo's not getting dominated with the interior lines....at least not completely....which is what you'd expect vs a quality FCS opponent. Altitude could come into play as the game moves on.
Does bode well for PFL schedule and maybe even vs. the Dukes next week.
Tough on that fumble for a guy trying to get future playing time.
Dave has to find the right "people" to visit the replay official before these games.
Offense went completely away from Navarro, Duncan. Throwing Earley in there with 10 career carries entering the redzone. Still very proud
Quote from: valpofb16 on September 02, 2017, 04:44:56 PMOffense went completely away from Navarro, Duncan. Throwing Earley in there with 10 career carries entering the redzone. Still very proud
The OL got a little leakey as well. Just may be worn a bit.
Can't say enough about the effort. Our best DL did not play. We had 450 yards of offense. The heat and altitude no doubt had an effect as the game wore on. Very solid. :cheers: :clap: :clap: I'm sure 62 will give us a full report.
Quote from: VUOR63 on August 25, 2017, 04:19:34 PMI'd be ecstatic if we kept them in low 40s and Valpo scored around 20. It would also be great if Valpo could score first so that Coach C can pull a Lee Corso: call time out and take a picture of the team under the scoreboard.
Well..?
I am happy to say that I was completely wrong about this one. We did not look overmatched at all, especially as we have in previous FCS scholarship games. We usually get run over by halftime, and outside of a few quick drives, we looked like we belonged. It got very quiet in the stadium several times, and a lot of griping from Grizz fans around me, and rightfully so, as they are a class and a half above us in football (not other sports). Hopefully a good sign as we get to play against our conference. Well done guys, great effort!
We were all wrong about this game, and Valpo has a lot to be proud us of. Great job guys.
Damn you guys have a scrappy team. #2 is legit
I'd put money on you guys finishing near the top of your conference.
Good game.
(https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100560884879409&l=c21e41d30c)Very pleased with what I saw out of our team today. The deficit was 22 pts. I figure the first two red zone appearances should be TDs. That's 8 points. Two of the Grizz's TDs were mental errors/blown coverages. That's 14 pts and 22 total.
Obviously, fatigue played a role. But that's the depth difference between the two programs.
I think this group will have a lot of success this season.
Great to run into VULB62 and put a face to the name.
I have a pic of the 13-10 score but have to figure out how to share it.
Well...I was the leader in predicting this game incorrectly. I did not see the game, but looking at the summary and box score it looks like Valpo hung tough for the entire game against a quality D-1AA opponent. Nice effort!
Where to begin ::)
The setting was electric and the announced attendance of 22,260 was really into the game from the get-go. Large video scoreboard with instant replay, marching band, big cheering squad, incredible tailgating all contributed to one of the best college atmospheres I can remember. AND.. the nicest fans I have ever come across. Welcomes and greetings everywhere we went. Very complimentary of our play calling, execution and grit. A number of fans were very knowledgeable and shared some great assessments of what we were doing and how we beat their secondary with a number of big plays.
The Valpo fan turnout was also beyond my expectations -- and we got pretty loud too. Great meeting OR63 and was looking for Tex but couldn't find him. But then, the kids gave us things to cheer about throughout the game (so refreshing!).
VERY proud of how well the players and coaches handled the pressure, incredible heat (over 100* on the field), adversity and the size of both Griz fronts. We really looked small in comparison on both sides of the ball. At no time could I see any of our kids going into that loser's funk we often have seen in the past. Our kids were into the game throughout and did not let things like a downed punt on the ½ yard line, or an int, lessen their determination. I didn't see any major injuries, but I did notice Navarro grabbing his hamstring in the second half and then noticed he wasn't on the field for the rest of the game. Hope it was cramps and not a pull.
Commented to MLB at the half that, in light of our performance, there is one point of perspective that, to me is astounding: not one kid in a brown jersey today was "worthy" of an FCS football scholarship, yet you could not tell that by watching that game today.
Local news segment with game footage:
http://www.montanasports.com/2017/09/02/montana-grizzlies-pull-away-late-in-opening-win-over-valparaiso-45-23/
Solid game overall by Valpo. Quality QB play means so much.
This all considering the opponent and really more with an eye towards league opponents:
Run defense I thought very solid considering the line play was always going to work against Valpo. Concerned about the pass defense a bit.
Offense was good if not a little too dependent upon the big play. Duncan gives them an attribute they haven't had in a while. He'll only get better and could be the guy at some point this season.
STs: Not going to run kicks back every week and the only place Valpo came out a loser was in punting yardage. There is no other punter on the roster however the team can't lose 20 yards per punt and not have it bite them in the butt at some point.
Other PFL opponents didn't appear to put up any overwhelmingly good performance. Dayton lost to Robert Morris who they beat last year. Stetson got run over by Sacred Heart who had to come from behind last year to beat Stetson. Stetson's had a rough week however with an on the field death of a player and that has to be factored in. The rest of the games I thought the pummelings were a bit more one sided than you'd expect. Morehead St. whipped a team slightly better than College of Faith and Campbell sledgehammered Div III Methodist.
Great game yesterday. Your team should definitely be proud of the effort. I hope all of the fans who showed up had an awesome time. Good luck the rest of the year. :clap: :clap: :clap:
Sounds like a GREAT performance!!
Let's see how they do against the U. of Washington next week and we can calculate a hypothetical score for Valpo vs. UW. The Grizzlies might hang tough.
http://www.gogriz.com/boxscore.aspx?id=2028&path=football
Per Montana's box score we played a whole bunch of people on Saturday including a bunch of true freshmen.
As far as I can tell only Valpo doesn't publish a participation chart. Each week I go to the opponents site to see who played.
Quote from: IndyValpo on September 04, 2017, 06:50:02 PMhttp://www.gogriz.com/boxscore.aspx?id=2028&path=football Per Montana's box score we played a whole bunch of people on Saturday including a bunch of true freshmen. As far as I can tell only Valpo doesn't publish a participation chart. Each week I go to the opponents site to see who played.
They definitely traveled with more than the usual number of players....particularly for flights. I don't know whether they chartered a flight which may have allowed for a larger crew. Todd and Brandon mentioned this during their broadcast (the bigger game roster). They also played freshmen and played them early rather than introducing them more slowly which was good and, obviously, some stepped up. Seemed like the defensive freshmen came in late when the game was out of hand.
I've noticed the lack of a participation chart as well. It may be a function of the game tracker site that Valpo uses. LiveStats doesn't seem to have a participation section while I have seen it with other game tracker sites.
With apologies to Ms. Franklin:
R E S P E C T!!
Congratulations on a great game Saturday. We've had a few teams from the Pioneer play in Wa-Griz in the past, and the Crusaders were head and shoulders above any of them, including playoff teams like SD. Griz fans have NOTHING but respect for your program, your players and your staff.
I hope that anyone attended had a good time in Missoula and that you were treated well. Good luck the rest of the way. I'll be watching your season and rooting for you. Go Crusaders, Go GRIZ.
I thought this was a significant excerpt from the Duquesne preview regarding our previous performances (or lack thereof) against scholarship FCS programs (CLICK TO ENLARGE). It really puts the way the kids played into some perspective.
Quote from: VULB#62 on September 07, 2017, 08:00:24 AMIt really puts the way the kids played into some perspective.
Yes it does! Hard to know how Montana would stack up against those other teams, but the difference from previous performances is really eye-popping. Football is such a game of confidence and emotion that I can't help but hope this performance can help set the stage for positive change in this program and a great season.
Quote from: FWalum on September 07, 2017, 09:10:12 AM
Quote from: VULB#62 on September 07, 2017, 08:00:24 AMIt really puts the way the kids played into some perspective.
Yes it does! Hard to know how Montana would stack up against those other teams, but the difference from previous performances is really eye-popping. Football is such a game of confidence and emotion that I can't help but hope this performance can help set the stage for positive change in this program and a great season.
That is so true. Look at Drake this past weekend. Home opener in DesMoines. Coming off a 7-4 2016 season (6-2 PFL). What do they do in front of their own fans? They got blown up by South Dakota (not SDSU) 77-7 :o . 77-7? This is Drake, a perennial PFL top half team, not at all like Davidson (or Valpo for that matter).
PFL scores in other games against scholarship programs:
Bucknell 45 - Marist 6
Sacred Heart 42 - Stetson 3
Robert Morris 13 - Dayton 10
Illinois State 45 - Butler 0
Valpo scored more points against the Griz than the entire rest of the PFL scored against their FCS opposition.
;D Gotta chuckle at the following quote I cut from the Griz forum post game critiques (lots of fans were not pleased that we gave them a game) ;D :
"Agreed there's things to clean up. There's always things to clean up. I think that Valpo team beats ISU, Sac St, UC-Davis & maybe even CP the way they're playing currently."
Nice to hear that, of course, but I think the Griz poster gave us a little too much credit. We will have to play our hinders off just to be competitive with Duquesne on Saturday, much less line up against full scholarship Big Sky teams.
The Griz got killed by the University of Washington yesterday 63-7 :(
I was hoping they'd give a better showing. Griz fans must be really fretful today after allowing us to stay in the game last week and then getting crushed yesterday. I hope they pull it together.