New faces heading Big Sky programs

By: Roman Stubbs
Montana Kaimin

The Big Sky conference opened a new chapter in its storied football history this year, when four new head coaches took over at programs aiming to change conference hierarchy.
"It's exciting to be part of a transitional year in the Big Sky," said John Zamberlin, who replaced Larry Lewis at Idaho State.
Former NFL head coach Jerry Glanville took over at Portland State, while Marshall Sperbeck and Rob Ash made their debuts in the Big Sky for Sacramento State and Montana State.
Following the dismissal of head coach Mike Kramer in mid-May, Montana State introduced Ash on June 11, only 80 days before the Bobcats' season opener. Ash took over a program that went to the Division I-AA quarterfinals a year ago.
Ash led Drake to the quarterfinals in 2006. In 18 seasons there, he amassed a 125-63-2 record, earning Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year honors three times.
Zamberlin arrived at Idaho State with an impressive resume. His 10-year career at Central Washington yielded a record of 63-41, with 38 of those wins coming in the past five seasons. Zamberlin turned heads in 2002, when his program finished with a No. 5 nationwide ranking after going on the road to upset eventual Big Sky co-champion Montana State, as well as a convincing 38-14 win over UC Davis. In solidifying Central Washington into a consistent Division II program, he netted four Great Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year awards. Zamberlin, who played middle linebacker for six seasons in the NFL, also has had defensive coaching stints at Massachusetts, Richmond and Eastern Washington. He inherited an Idaho State program that has won just 10 games in three seasons.
"We're headed in the right direction in getting the program back in the Big Sky hunt," he said.
Also roaming the sidelines for the first time in Pocatello is former Montana State defensive coordinator Rob Christoff, who will assume linebacker-coaching duties for the departed Aaron Hineline.
Zamberlin made one of his first significant personnel decisions when he announced redshirt freshman Russell Hill would start the opener against Southern Oregon. Hill is the first Bengal freshman to start at the helm since 1997.
The Bengals return 15 starters from 2006, along with 40 letterwinners. Among the returnees is preseason All-American center George Yarno. While winning hasn't been a constant on campus in recent history, Zamberlin said he feels that hard work and leadership can make Idaho State a winner in the Big Sky.
"We feel good about our returnees," he said. "The key is for us to be committed to each other, and continue to improve on every rep. We're looking to win every game we play, regardless of who it's against, and if we have that attitude we can be a very competitive team."
New Sacramento State head coach Marshall Sperbeck is coming off of a very successful 15-year career at Foothills JC, which is a member of the Northern California Football Conference. He compiled a 109-53 record, including eight bowl wins and a JC national ranking in seven of the last eight seasons.
An offensive guru, Sperbeck has steadfastly applied his own stamp on the Sacramento State program, hiring five new coaches, recruiting and signing over 20 athletes, and also vowing to improve the strength and conditioning program. In addition, Sperbeck has implemented his own offense in his quest to turn around a program that has gone 11-33 the past four seasons.
"Our program is just trying to improve day by day. We have tremendous support from the community, and we want to make this program special for Sacramento," said Sperbeck, who also focuses his recruiting efforts in Northern California.
Sperbeck's Hornets lost to Fresno State, 24-3, last weekend.
Portland State's program has been perpetually swirling since Glanville's hiring on Feb. 28. While Glanville brings instant star credibility to the City of Roses, the former NFL head coach also has extensive coaching experience. He served as Hawaii's defensive coordinator the past two seasons, and prior to that was head coach of the Houston Oilers from 1986-89 and the Atlanta Falcons from 1990-93. In crafting his own staff, Glanville also convinced former Hawaii offensive coordinator Mouse Davis to accompany him to Portland Sate, which is Davis' alma mater. Glanville and Davis have sculpted a run-and-gun scheme for their offense, a similar system in which they utilized Heisman Trophy candidate Colt Brennan at Hawaii a year ago.
Glanville has publicly said that he plans to have the "hardest hitting team on the West Coast," and has vowed to turn the Vikings into city favorites. Portland State fell to McNeese State, 35-12, last weekend.