Big Sky teams travel for openers

By: Amber Kuehn
GameDay Kaimin

Four other Big Sky Conference teams take to the gridiron today to kick off their seasons, and three of them are playing at Football Bowl Subdivision schools. The Griz are the only Big Sky team playing at home today. Here’s an outlook of the teams and what you can expect to see in each game:

Montana State at Texas A&M (6:05 p.m.)
The rival Bobcats head to College Station, Texas, to square off with the Aggies. The taste of sweet upset victory still lingers in many of their mouths, as MSU pulled off a season-opening win over I-A Colorado last year. But don’t expect to see too many surprises in this one.
After an 8-5, 6-2 BSC finish in 2006, the Cats began making headlines for more than their play on the football field. The legal troubles surrounding the team eventually led to the ousting of head coach Mike Kramer. Now, with new head coach Rob Ash taking over, the 2007 season should be one of transition for Montana State.
Jack Rolovich, who started the final seven games of last season after Cory Carpenter went down with an ankle injury, will finish where he left off. Ash named Rolovich the starting quarterback earlier this week.
Aaron Mason will likely dominate the running game again. Mason ran for 645 yards and had nine touchdowns last season.
“We’re looking really good right now,” Mason said. “I like the speed of our team.”
Quarterback Stephen McGee returns for the Big 12 Conference Aggies. McGee set a school record for passing last season, throwing for 2,295 yards and rushing for 665 yards.
If the A&M offense doesn’t give the Bobcat D enough trouble, the weather may factor in as a problem (it’s been hot and humid there all week), and playing in front of 80,000-some people isn’t something MSU is used to. But Mason said it’s still an experience just to be able to play them.
“It’s a dream,” he said. “I used to watch those games on TV when I was younger, and never could have imagined I’d get to play them. I’m sure playing in front of that many people will be like something I’ve never experienced.”
Carpenter may have received National Player of the Week honors last year when MSU upset Colorado, but if Rolovich can pull off a win over the Aggies, he’d be deserving of a National Player of the Decade award. But Mason says not to count the Cats out just yet.
“Any given Saturday,” he said. “It all depends on which team shows up.”

Northern Colorado at Hawaii (6:05 p.m.)
The Bears are entering just their second year in the Big Sky, and coming off a season where they only won a single game. Dominic Breazeale returns to take the snaps, and Andy Birkel, a Nebraska transfer, will make his Big Sky Conference debut after sitting out last season with an injury. Other than that, the Bears are lacking talent and plagued by new injuries.
The defense, on the other hand, should be strong. Northern Colorado returns six starters, and Aaron Henderson has been touted one of the top corners in the league.
The coaches and media chose the Bears to finish last, and they have to begin their season at Aloha Stadium. Hello big blowout. Last year may have been a transition season for the Bears, but they need to prove they can play with the boys in the Big Sky before I bet on them to beat a team in the Western Athletic Conference.
Hawaii is coming off one of the school’s most successful football seasons ever and returns plenty of talent. Heisman Trophy candidate Colt Brennan is a quarterback who easily could have forgone his senior season to play in the NFL. Hawaii finished last season second behind Boise State, and tied a school record for most victories in a season with 11 wins.

Sacramento State at Fresno State (7:05 p.m.)
What’s with all of the Big Sky teams playing WAC opponents? The Hornets haven’t beaten the Griz in 13 attempts, so I’m not counting on them to defeat the Bulldogs of Fresno State. Sac State struggled some last year, going 4-7,4-4 in the conference. The Hornets have a new coach in Marshall Sperbeck, and were picked to finish seventh by coaches and media.
Fresno State coach Pat Hill has a banged-up team, having lost key starters to injuries suffered in past scrimmages. Injuries and inexperience are coupled with off-the-field concerns. Linebacker Quaadir Brown was suspended for the season opener after being charged with vandalism and trespassing, and defensive end Chris Lewis was suspended for the semester, facing a possible probation violation after being arrested on suspicion of theft.
Last season, the Bulldogs posted a 4-8 record, their worst since 1978.

Portland State at McNeese State (7:05 p.m.)
I am choosing this as the game to watch today, as it likely could be a close one and features two key Football Championship Subdivision teams.
New coach Jerry Glanville is forced to replace eight starters on last year’s Portland State defense, which led the Big Sky in seven categories, including turnover margin and sacks per game. The Vikings were chosen to finish second behind the Griz.
McNeese State returns Southland Conference Player of the Year Steven Whitehead at running back, and SLC Freshman of the Year Derrick Forroux is back at quarterback. Whitehead enters the 2007 season with 3,154 all-purpose yards, but the Griz were able to stop him in the playoffs last season in a 31-6 thumping. Perhaps Portland State can find a solution for this team with a ton of talent.