Montana faces familiar playoff foe
Montana playing in the I-AA football playoffs is old news.
So is playing Northwestern State.
The Grizzlies, making their record 12th straight appearance in the playoffs and 15th overall, face the Demons out of Natchitoches, La., for the second time in three years.
Northwestern State (8-3), champions of the Southland Conference, lost in Missoula 28-19 in the first round in 2001 when the Grizzlies went on to win the national championship and 45-14 in the first round in 2002.
Kickoff at Washington-Grizzly Stadium is at 12:05 p.m. on Saturday.
To win the Southland, Northwestern State beat Sam Houston State 45-27. Sam Houston beat Montana 41-29 early in the season.
The Grizzlies (9-2) were expecting to play Cal Poly but the Mustangs were left out of the playoff field.
At least they didn’t have to scramble as much to learn something about their opponent, which is what Eastern Washington had to do when the Eagles were sent to top-ranked Southern Illinois.
Scott Stoker was in his first season at Northwestern State when the teams last met.
The Demons lead I-AA in rush and total defense. They only allow 2.3 yards per rushing attempt and just 20 points a game.
Tough sledding
Eastern and Montana appear to be in the bracket with the toughest road to the championship game in Chattanooga, Ten., on Friday, Dec. 17.
Eight of the top 12 teams, including six of the top nine, are on the upper half.
Two top five teams, Western Kentucky and New Hampshire, both have road games.
Throughout much of the season, Southern Illinois and Georgia Southern were ranked 1-2, and they could meet in the semifinals. They are the only teams to rank in the top five nationally in both total offense and defense.
Notable numbers
Eastern stars Erik Meyer and Eric Kimble closed the season with unbelievable back-to-back games that, unbelievably, weren’t the best back-to-back performances in school history.
In a 38-21 romp past No. 11 Cal Poly, Meyer threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns, with Kimble catching nine passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns.
In the amazing 51-44 comeback win in overtime at No. 24 Montana State, Meyer threw for 372 yards and five TDs, with Kimble hauling in 10 passes for 196 yards and three more scores.
Despite 789 yards in two games, Meyer fell short of the 829 Todd Bernett had in 1994 against Cal Poly and Montana that included a school record 486 yards against the Griz.
Kimble’s 19 catches for 347 yards fell short of the 21 for 436 that Jason Anderson hauled in from Bernett.
The difference is in the results.
In 1994 the Eagles whipped Cal Poly 61-7 in the season opener, the Mustangs’ first game as a I-AA team, and lost to the Griz 49-29.
Long overdue
It might be a first for the position, but Montana State long snapper Dusty Daws was chosen the Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week after being perfect on 11 snaps in the Bobcats’ 28-22 loss to Montana.
According to MSU, Daws hasn’t had a bad snap in 114 punts, field goals and PAT’s. The senior played in 47 of 48 games in his career and executed all 488 of his long or short snaps without one resulting in a mixed opportunity for a punt or placement. It’s estimated Daws threw for 5,721 yards between his legs.
Quick kicks
Meyer, Montana QB Craig Ochs and MSU QB Travis Lulay are among the final 16 on the ballot for the Walter Payton Award as the I-AA top offensive player. Weber DE Brady Forsmark is the only BSC defender for the Buck Buchanan Award. … Montana set a record with 23,867 fans for the rivalry game last weekend. … This is the sixth straight season the Big Sky has sent at least two teams to the playoffs. Only once since 1981 did just one team go and that was in 1988. … Only Eastern Kentucky, with 17, has made more playoff appearances than Montana. … The Griz are 19-12 in the playoffs and 17-3 at home. All three homes losses came in the first round, including a 43-40 defeat in double overtime to Western Illinois last year. … Eastern is 3-3 in playoff appearances in 1985, 1992 and 1997. … The Eagles are 1-6 against teams from the Gateway Conference. … With a 7-0 home record this year, Montana is 117-16 at Washington-Grizzly. … Montana will be without a trio of all-league performers. Sophomore defensive end Lance Spencer broke his right ankle and senior center Jay Green tore up a knee against the Bobcats. Honorable mention defensive tackle Jonny Varona from Medical Lake, hurt a knee four weeks ago at Portland State and hasn’t played, although it is apparently a bad back keeping him out. … Weber State wide receiver Wiley King will miss the first half of next year’s season opener because he was ejected for fighting in the Wildcats’ season finale.