Bob Ford has a history of training great coaches

By: Bill Oram
GameDay Kaimin

Up and down the East Coast, one finds an astonishing number of football coaches with roots in one unlikely program: the University at Albany.
Head coaches at Elon University, the University of Pennsylvania, Hofstra, Yale and Johns Hopkins – and the list goes on – all spent time early in their careers with the Great Danes. So did New York Jets assistant Tony Wise and former Dallas Cowboys head coach Dave Campo, now an assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But while young coaches have taken elsewhere the lessons they learned at Albany, their mentor never left.
Bob Ford has been at the helm for the Great Danes since 1970, when he helped reinstate football after a 46-year hiatus.
“When I first came here I thought I was going to stay three years, use it for a professional stepping stone and move on,” Ford said.
Montana coach Bobby Hauck, whose second-ranked Grizzlies host Albany Saturday, compared Ford to local coaching legend Hal Sherbeck. Sherbeck was a four-sport star at UM before coaching at Fullerton College in California for 31 years.
“Bob Ford is similar to that,” Hauck said. “He’s won a whole bunch of games, he’s had people go on … But it’s pretty obvious (Ford) has really enjoyed being at Albany. It ßmust be a good place to live, a good place to work.”
Like many of his protégés, Ford, who turned 70 this month, had opportunities to take higher profile jobs, but he said he never wanted to leave Albany.
“I started the program from scratch,” Ford said. “As other opportunities came up to go other places that paid more money, it was sort of my baby, I guess, and I just didn’t want to walk.”
Former Montana quarterbacks’ coach and current Idaho offensive coordinator Steve Axman is one of the only Albany products to make a name for himself in the West, Ford said.
Axman coached Northern Arizona in the 1990s, before stints as an assistant at Washington and UCLA, and most recently Montana in 2006.
“Basically he’s developed a tremendous program that has really put an awful lot of people into coaching,” Axman said.
Part of the reason Ford never felt compelled to take over another program, Ford said, was that Albany offered a community where he felt at home.
After a nomadic childhood in which he lived in all six New England states and in 14 different towns in Maine alone, the now silver-haired Ford had little interest in moving around.
“Dad moved virtually every spring trying to find the job, and God bless him he never found it,” Ford said in his thicker-than-New England-clam-chowder accent. “And I found the job right out of college, coaching college football.”
A former starting quarterback at Springfield College in Massachusetts, Ford was an assistant at St. Lawrence University, Albright College and his alma mater before settling down in Albany.
Ford guided the Great Danes’ program from a club sport in 1970 to Division III, then Division II and finally Division I-AA (now the Football Championship Subdivision) in 1999. Over the years, he compiled the second-highest number of wins among active FCS coaches with a 218-160-1 record.
Axman spent only one year in the mid-1970s under Ford, but said he understands how Ford inspired so many people to become coaches.
“He had a tremendous ability to deal with young people and correct them, and help them to understand what they needed to correct as coaches,” Axman said. “But he always made them feel positive that they were going in the right direction.”
The direction in which Ford’s 2007 Great Danes are headed is up for debate. The team is 1-2 after last week’s loss to Hofstra, yet Ford maintains that the team may be among the best he’s coached at Albany.
It’s something of which Hauck will be wary entering Saturday’s tilt at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, because he knows Albany’s biggest not-so-secret weapon will be patrolling its sideline.
“I think our team’s at a distinct disadvantage,” Hauck said, “because Bob Ford’s forgotten more football than I know.”

Coaches prepare for strong competition

By: Bill Oram
GameDay Kaimin

If the coaches in today’s contest are proven correct, the game will be won by one team’s big guys doing the little things.
Bob Ford, head coach of the University at Albany since 1970, is concerned about Montana’s offensive line. After watching film this week, Griz head coach Bobby Hauck was impressed by the Great Danes’ defense.
When the teams meet today, one side will have to give.
“The offensive line is just, oh it’s huge,” Ford said. “They’re just very talented. It’s easier to say the running backs or the receivers (make the difference) ... but it’s won or lost down there in the trenches.”
Hauck sounded just as impressed by the group that will be facing off against the Grizzlies’ veteran line.
“Last year they were in the top five in the nation in scoring defense, rushing defense, I think total defense,” Hauck said. “They’re definitely talented, in particular in their front seven. They’ve got really good players.”
Montana (2-0) is Albany’s (1-2) highest-ranked opponent this season. The team lost to No. 19 Hofstra last weekend and fell 11-13 against Colgate two weeks prior in a game Ford said the Great Danes “pissed it away, just flat out pissed away.” The losses sandwiched their lone win against Fordham.
The Griz, conversely, are coming off a bye week, but in their first two games Montana outscored Southern Utah and Fort Lewis College by a combined score of 86-17.
Albany’s offensive line is another position Hauck will be watching closely. The unit’s average weight is just less than 300 pounds and is more than any other line the Montana defense has matched up against all season. However, defensive tackle Kelly Kain isn’t worried.
“I think I play against the biggest O-line and I think the most talented O-line every day in practice,” he said. “It will be nothing new. I line up against 330-pound guys every day in practice.”
The Albany offense is led by quarterback Vinny Esposito, who threw for 173 yards without any interceptions in the win against Fordham.
Hauck said he wasn’t sure what to expect from Albany because the Great Danes have used different game plans in each contest this season.
“They do a nice job of emphasizing what they think they have an advantage at, and it will be interesting to see what they decide to run against us,” Hauck said.
However, early this week, even Ford didn’t sound convinced he knew what might help his team beat the Griz.
“If you look at Montana ... you’re trying to find a weakness,” Ford said. “Something that you say, ‘OK, in this match-up we’re going to be able to do certain things.’ There doesn’t seem to be any apparent weaknesses. They have the most impressive team I think we’ve ever seen.”

Big Sky teams face off after breaking records last weekend

By: Amber Kuehn
GameDay Kaimin

Three Big Sky Conference teams take on non-conference opponents. The other six play each other. Here is a look at all you need to know about the league’s match-ups taking place today outside of Griz Nation, and who I predict will come away with a win.

No. 25 Eastern Washington at Idaho State (3:05 p.m.)
The Eagles kick off their 2007 conference campaign undefeated as they head to Holt Arena in Pocatello, Idaho. to take on a familiar foe.
A win over ISU would already give Eastern Washington the same number of victories as they had in all of 2006 (three).
“We’re an improved football team from a year ago,” said EWU head coach Paul Wulff. “We’ve done a nice job, I can sleep a little better. But we’ve got a lot more to prove and we’ve got a whole season in front of us.”
EWU broke into the Sports Network FCS poll this week at No. 25 after a 41-31 victory over UC Davis last Saturday.
If it’s true what they say about history repeating itself, the past doesn’t bode well for the Eagles. Eastern has lost its league opener three times in the past five years, and two of those defeats came to Idaho State.
“We’ve always struggled in Pocatello,” Wulff said. “Most teams do.”
The Bengals are also trying to match their win total from a year ago. In 2006, ISU went 2-9 overall, and a dismal 1-7 in conference play.
Idaho State is 1-1 this season, coming off a 61-10 loss to Oregon State.
The last time these two teams took the field against each other, EWU defeated ISU 40-6.
The Eagles’ high-powered offense should continue. They had 567 yards of total offense against Montana-Western and followed up with a 478-yard performance last weekend. EWU ranks third nationally in yards of total offense.
As for their opponents offensive force, ISU receiver Eddie Thompson had 12 catches for 174 yards in the game against Oregon State. Quarterback Russel Hill also had a stellar performance with 23-of-38 passing for 295 yards.
Wulff said ISU has a veteran team on offense as well as on defense, where seven starters are seniors.
“Defensively, they’ve got some weapons to score points on you,” Wulff said. “They have some very explosive weapons offensively also, and Eddie Thompson is one of the best receivers in the league right now.”
I’m highlighting this as the game to watch, as I think it will be a close one. It could go either way, but I’ll call Eastern Washington with the win.
You can catch these two teams in action on www.bigskytv.org after the Griz game.

Montana State at Weber State (1:35 p.m.)
The Bobcats’ record of 1-1 is what most people expected at this point in the season after games against Texas A&M and Dixie State. But the Weber State record of 0-2 can be somewhat deceiving. The Wildcats losses have come from Boise State and perennial powerhouse Cal Poly.
Although they haven’t won a game yet in 2007, the Wildcats have a strong quarterback in Jimmy Barnes and a solid offensive line anchored by All-America candidate David Hale.
MSU cornerback Kory Austin was Big Sky Player of the Week for his touchdown-scoring punt return against Dixie State, the sixth-longest in school history. He also had the longest blocked field goal return ever at MSU.
Weber State should look out for running back Demetrius Crawford, who played a stellar game his first time wearing the blue and gold. He rushed for 128 yards against Dixie State.
The Bobcats have won six straight games against the Wildcats. I expect MSU to finish on top again. You can catch it on TV on Altitude.

Northern Colorado at Northern Arizona (3:05 p.m.)
The Bears head to Flagstaff hoping to snap their current 11 game losing streak. They have yet to win a conference match since joining the Big Sky in 2006. Northern Colorado is 2-5 all-time against NAU.
The Lumberjacks have dropped their last two against Arizona and Appalachian State.
The Bears have yet to prove they can contend in the Big Sky. For that reason, I’m taking the Lumberjacks, whose only losses have come at the hands of extremely tough opponents.
This game is also being televised on www.bigskytv.org.

Portland State at San Diego State (3:35 p.m.)
This is the first-ever meeting for these two teams on the football field.
San Diego State has yet to win a game this season.
Vikings quarterback Brian White and linebacker Jordan Senn both received Big Sky Player of the Week honors for last Saturday’s performances. White completed 26 of 37 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns, including his own 2-yard rushing score.
The Aztecs were 3-9 in 2006, and despite their winless record are averaging 361 yards per game on offense. They have allowed 566.5 yards on defense. The shaky defensive core allowed Washington State quarterbacks to pass for 469 yards and five touchdowns in the opening game.
I’m tempted to go with Jerry Glanville and the Vikings for the upset. After all, PSU pulled off a 17-6 upset over a Mountain West opponent (New Mexico) last season.

Sacramento State at New Mexico (6:05 p.m.)
The Lobos are 2-1, and Sac State is still searching for a win. This is the second FBS team the Hornets will play, the first season they’ve ever played more than one.
Sac State leads the FCS in sacks, averaging six per game.
Those same sack leaders will have to find an answer for Lobos QB Donovan Porterie. He threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns against Arizona as New Mexico beat a Pac-10 team for the second time in school history. Running back Rodney Ferguson may also give the Hornets some trouble, as he is averaging 114.7 rushing yards per game.
New Mexico is too good of a team to ignore. Sorry, Sac State, I don’t see your first victory of the season coming this weekend.

Where Are They Now: Adam Boomer

By: Bill Oram
GameDay Kaimin

The only time a “boom” is heard in Washington-Grizzly Stadium these days is when the cannon is fired in celebration of a Montana score. But it wasn’t that far back when a “boom” meant much more to Grizzly football fans.
From 1997 to 2000, a high energy linebacker consistently brought the cacophonous crowd to its feet with every tackle, each one prompting from 19,000 pairs of Griz-loving lungs a low, appreciative chant of his oh-so-appropriate surname: Boomer.
“It was more like a ‘boo,’ then with a (soft) ‘er’, Adam Boomer recalls. “Everyone was like ‘Why are they booing that kid?’”
But any neophyte who thought the Montana faithful were jeering No. 42 would have been helplessly mistaken. His hard hits, which surely reverberated through the bones of countless offensive offenders, also sent jolts through the raucous crowds.
“They’d start chanting ‘Boomer! Boomer! Boomer!’ Then if he made a play, they really got into it,” said Grizzly assistant coach Tom Hauck, who joined the program in 2000 and is the uncle of head coach Bobby Hauck. “It wasn’t that he was playing to the crowd or anything, but they really got into him.”
A four-year starter, Boomer racked up 268 tackles – including 32 for loss – in his career at Montana. He was named first team All-Big Sky Conference his final two seasons.
“He was one of those guys, played with a high motor, he practiced with a high motor,” said Grizzly defensive coordinator Kraig Paulson, one of the few current Griz coaches who was around during Boomer’s playing days. “He’d give you everything he could.”
After leaving the University of Montana, Boomer did a two-year spell in the Canadian Football League with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but in 2002, a torn ACL in his left knee – the same injury from his right leg that sidelined Boomer his freshman year – abruptly halted that pursuit.
“I sat down (on the field) and told the trainer I had a torn ACL and they helped me off,” he said.
That’s how his football career ended.
In the ensuing handful of years he moved back to Missoula, spent some time visiting churches across the country as a motivational speaker and then happened into a sales career.
Boomer isn’t particularly inclined to gush about what he does these days. True to the humble reputation he owned as a Grizzly star, he brushes off an inquiry of what he’s up to.
“Well I’m watching a little Yankees baseball right now,” he said.
And why not? Boomer and his wife – they’ve been married four years – are now proud residents of Manhattan, N.Y. He sells screws and rods used in spinal surgeries. He works with nurses and neurologists and trains residents to properly use the equipment. His wife is in her third year of medical school at New York Medical College. Last month, Boomer started pursuing his MBA at Pace University in New York.
It’s a long way from Boomer’s hometown of American Falls, Idaho, population 4,000. The East Coast was not a place he ever saw himself, especially after he first visited shortly after his CFL career was cut short.
“When I first came out here and visited, the smell of urine and garbage wasn’t very enticing for Manhattan,” Boomer said, “but you get used to it and you pay extra for it now.”
While the big city certainly has its detractions, according to Boomer, he’s grown to appreciate some of the most essential amenities.
“The food’s just the most amazing food you’ve ever had in your life and it’s right around the corner. And it’s all open until midnight. There’s a place down the street that doesn’t even open until 5 o’clock,” he marvels.
But don’t think for a second that Boomer has stopped caring about Montana, the Grizzlies, or football.
“I still read the Missoulian to see what the weather’s like,” he said. He said a week doesn’t go by in which he doesn’t talk to a former coach or teammate.
Paulson said he expects Boomer to be successful in business; it was his way as a Grizzly, too. He went all out.
“The beauty of it is when you got to know him off the field he was very likeable,” Paulson said.
Boomer hasn’t attended a Griz game in years, but hopes that changes this season.
“Hopefully we can get out to Tennessee this fall,” he said.
The Football Championship Subdivision national championship game is held annually in Chattanooga, Tenn. Boomer was there twice as a player: as a redshirt freshman in 1996 and as a senior in 2000. The Griz lost both title games.
Boomer’s father-in-law recently asked him what he missed most about playing football.
“I was like, the violence,” Boomer said.
That shouldn’t suggest he yearned for bloodlust, Paulson said, rather that he desired to be in on every play, that he loved the action.
He took a great deal of pride in every hit, every opportunity to make a sound that was, for a while, a Griz Nation favorite.
Boom.

‘You get the glory when you get it’

Senior offensive tackle Cody Balogh blocks Southern Utahdefensive tackle Aaron
Fernandez from getting to Jeff Larson last Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Tim Kupsick/GameDay Kaimin

By: Jake Grilley
GameDay Kaimin

Playing offensive line can be humbling.
Each game day, fans pack Washington-Grizzly Stadium to cheer on their beloved Montana Grizzlies. Whenever the Griz make a big play, the decibel level inside the stadium increases exponentially as 23,000-plus fans collectively cheer. The definition of a big play is a rather broad one to most fans. A long run will get fans on their feet. An acrobatic reception will surely get people to put their hands together.
How about a well-executed base block?
Colin Dow, Cody Balogh, Eric Michel, Terran Hillesland and Brent Russum, the starting offensive line for the Montana Grizzlies, don't expect much of a reaction - and they are OK with that.
"No one notices us," senior left tackle Balogh said. "That's why we are the offensive line."
Junior center Dow echoed the sentiment.
"Sometimes it can be a pain in the ass," he said. "You want to be recognized, but you are conditioned to appreciate the recognition you get from other players and coaches."
The five starters on the offensive line agree that you don't play offensive line for the praises.
"We do it for the team," Balogh said. "You do it for the guy next to you."
The group, as Balogh put it, "is a team within a team."
The offensive line started an annual summer camping trip to bring the offensive linemen closer together off the field. They also have a weekly dinner and an occasional poker night.
"If you don't like the guy next to you, you won't work as hard," Dow said. "We love being around each other and love playing for each other."
The offensive line epitomizes its "team-within-a-team" mentality. It has its own separate meeting area and its own section of the locker room.
"We are a unit," said junior right tackle Russum. "As our coaches tell us, everything starts with the front five."
The offensive line finds that when things go right it doesn't see much of the credit, but when things go south it often has to shoulder much of the blame.
"We try not to worry about how other people think about our play," said senior left guard Michel. "It is lose-lose at times."
•••
According to stats from last season, fans have a reason to direct criticism toward the offensive line.
In 2006, the Grizzlies were last in the Big Sky Conference for giving up sacks. The team surrendered 49 sacks for 290 yards.
"We want to move to first in the conference," said sophomore right guard Hillesland. "It is something we worked on during spring and fall camps."
Russum agrees with Hillesland and noted sacks are a fair way to judge the offensive line.
But Russum and the rest of the offensive line believe other factors such as rushing yards, passing yards, effectively running the football and protecting the passer also help to define an efficient offensive line.
Grading Montana's offensive line by those statistics draws a vastly different conclusion. Montana was first in rushing offense in the conference in 2006 and second in passing offense.
"We measure our success in wins," Michel said. "Also how we come together with things on the line."
The offensive line knows even with success in passing and rushing and putting up wins it will receive heat if it doesn't give up fewer sacks.
"That's the great thing about being 6-5 and over 250 pounds," Dow said. "We have the broad shoulders to take the criticism."
Other than giving up fewer sacks, the offensive line has set goals it wants to achieve this season.
Each player said getting senior running back Lex Hilliard the university record in rushing yards is his number one priority.
"Our goals are based on other people's achievements," Balogh said.
The linemen each had individual goals for the season such as not being called for a false start or holding and not allowing their man getting in on a sack or a solo tackle.
The players agree that their success correlates directly to their coaches.
"Our coaches prepare us for the defensive schemes," Balogh said. "We pretty much know what the other team is going to do on game day."
When offensive line coach Pete Kaligis was asked about his offensive line he answered definitively.
"Don't talk to me about the offensive line," Kaligis said. "Talk to the guys, they are the ones doing the work."
•••
Russum believes the more hard work they put in, the better they will be come Saturday.
"It is all about preparation, putting in the time and knowing the defensive tendencies," he said. "When you are prepared it is just like starting a car, you just put the key in."
The players agree it takes a certain type of personality to play on the offensive line.
"You have to be tough, hard-nosed and bring it on every down," Michel said. "You can't take a play off. You are in there on every play."
Balogh said it comes with the territory.
"It takes a special breed to get hit on every play," he said.
Another unique aspect that the offensive line faces that other positions don't is that all five guys must play as one.
"The coolest part is that five guys have to be in sync and know what the other guys are going to do," Dow said.
Balogh said it takes a total team effort.
"You give it all you have," Balogh said. "It takes all five guys doing the right thing all at once for it to work."
The close-knit offensive line likes to keep its sense of humor.
"On the field we know each other's quirks," Michel said. "It keeps us loose, if we can crack a joke."
Hillesland echoed this.
"We are the jokesters of the team," he said. "Other guys will be serious, listening to music - we try to be laid back. We like to have fun."
The offensive line enjoys doing things that the average fan might not expect.
On their nights out it wouldn't be out of the ordinary seeing the members of the offensive line dancing or singing karaoke together.
•••
Even though fans don't often compliment the offensive line in terms of its singing and dancing abilities, the players do appreciate when fans notice their hard work.
"The support the offensive line does get can go unnoticed at times," Dow said.
He wanted to recognize those fans that have supported the offensive line and he and the rest of the players appreciate all their support.
Still, the offensive line tends to shy away from the limelight and instead gravitates toward one another.
"It is a humble position," Russum said. "You get the glory when you get it."
Balogh especially likes the family atmosphere of the line.
"We are all brothers, we are the first to get in each others face and we are the first to congratulate," Balogh said. "We are close, we are the kind of guys that can call each other at 3 a.m."

Five Big Sky teams soldier on, four rest

By: Amber Kuehn
GameDay Kaimin

Only five of the nine Big Sky Conference teams will take the field today.
Eastern Washington, Montana State, Sacramento State and Weber State all take the weekend off for a welcomed bye week. Of those teams, EWU was the only one to post a win last weekend.
Northern Arizona is the only Big Sky team to hit the road this weekend.
Here's a look at the other games going on today around the conference.

Idaho State hosts Southern Oregon (3:05 p.m.)
The Bengals are the only team that didn't play a game last weekend. They kick off their 2007 season today with a new head coach, John Zamberlin. Zamberlin spent the previous 10 years on the sideline at Central Washington University. In his time there, Zamberlin never lost a game to Southern Oregon.
ISU will take on the Red Raiders from Southern Oregon inside the confines of Holt Arena. It is the first of six home games for the Bengals, the first time ISU has had more home games than road games since 2003.
Zamberlin isn't the only one making his debut this game. It is also the first game for redshirt freshman quarterback Russel Hill.
The Raiders have already played two games this season, losing one and winning the other - a 45-42 quadruple overtime thriller over Eastern Oregon. In 2006, Southern Oregon was 3-8. Head coach Steve Helminicek has never faced ISU. In fact, this is the first time ever the two teams will meet on the gridiron.
Idaho State has won 18 straight against lower-division opponents since 1990, and they shouldn't have any trouble winning this one.

Portland State hosts UC Davis (6:05 p.m.)
UC Davis (a member of the Great West Athletic Conference) comes to PGE Park off a disappointing loss, falling 28-21 to Division II Western Washington last weekend. But the Vikings are coming off of their own disappointing loss - or losses. Not only did they suffer a season-opening loss to McNeese State, they also lost two key players to serious injuries in that game. Fullback Bobby McClintock (ACL) and quarterback Tygue Howland (metatarsal) are now out for the season. Senior Brian White will replace Howland as starting quarterback. He threw for 150 yards on 11-of-18 passing last weekend.
Portland State has won six straight games against UC Davis, and five straight home openers. UC Davis has lost three straight road games, and is in only its third season in Division I football. The Aggies have had 37 consecutive winning seasons, including a 6-5 record last year.
The Vikings have never scored fewer than 32 points against UC Davis in PGE Park.
Portland State and new head coach Jerry Glanville are looking to bounce back after last weekend's defeat, and this seems like the perfect opportunity to do so victoriously.

Northern Arizona at Arizona (7:05 p.m.)
Last weekend's game against Western New Mexico proved easy for the Lumberjacks. That's a good thing, considering this game against PAC-10 Arizona will be one of the most difficult match-ups this season. But perhaps an even tougher game looms in the distance. In just a week, NAU will face top-seeded Appalachian State, whose upset over Michigan is still resounding in the sporting world. But first, Northern Arizona has to set its sights on the team in Tucson - the Wildcats.
Arizona is coming off an opening-weekend 20-7 loss to Brigham Young University, where the Wildcats only managed to run 64 plays. They likely have a better chance at winning this week, but don't count out NAU just yet. The Lumberjacks could be the next Mountaineers, and perhaps Arizona is their Michigan. Upset? Probably not. But no one expected last weekend's knock-off either.

Northern Colorado hosts Chadron State (1:05 p.m.)
After getting stomped on by Division I Hawaii, the Bears now face a lower-division opponent: Chadron State. But don't let the Division II label fool you. Many of the same players return from last year's Chadron State team that upset Montana State.
The Eagles are coming off a 55-14 triumph over Wayne State, in which the offense scored on seven of 10 possessions. It marks the most points Chadron State has scored in a game since 2002.
The Bears and Eagles haven't faced each other in 44 years. To be honest with you, I don't know who to take in this game - it really could go either way.

Skyhawks respect Grizzlies’ strength

By: Bill Oram
GameDay Kaimin

The University of Montana and Fort Lewis College football teams have little in common.
The Grizzlies annually dominate the Big Sky Conference of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. The Skyhawks are competitive in the Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
The Griz fly to most of their away games. The Skyhawks bus from Durango, Colo., to all of theirs.
The Skyhawks' media guide lists Ed Rifilato as both the team's head coach and equipment manager.
But on Saturday, the two teams will share the field at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Griz head coach Bobby Hauck acknowledges his team appears to have a decided edge in the match-up.
"It's a game that on paper looks like one we should win, but we are constantly going to remind ourselves that last weekend Michigan looked like they should have won their game on paper," he said.
Last weekend saw one of college football's most shocking upsets when Appalachian State, the top-ranked team in the FCS, edged Football Bowl Subdivision No. 5 Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The possibility of an upset in the Grizzlies' game against Fort Lewis wouldn't be entirely without precedent. Last season, Chadron State, another RMAC team, knocked off Montana State in Bozeman.
However, even Rifilato acknowledges that's not likely to happen in Missoula.
"Of course we want to play well and get better, but I'm not sure you can do that against Montana," he said.
The experienced Grizzlies last weekend dismantled a competitive Southern Utah team in Missoula. This will be the opener for the Skyhawks.
"They're a little bit of an unknown coming in," Hauck said. "They were a good team last year, won a lot of games, played well. I anticipate they'll come in excited to play."
As of Wednesday, Rifilato was yet to determine a starting quarterback for the game. Last season Matt Gutierrez threw for 186 yards per game while guiding the Skyhawks to a 7-4 finish, enough for second in the RMAC. This season the job is still wide open, according to Rifilato, who said Tom Stoffel and David Nieman, both juniors, are competing for time.
"We're going to use them both," Rifilato said, but added that he isn't "much for switching quarterbacks in and out."
Montana had its own quarterback controversy over the summer before Hauck tabbed junior Cole Bergquist the starter over freshmen Jeff Larson and Andrew Selle and sophomore Clint Stapp.
The Skyhawks return only 19 letterwinners from last year's team. The most exciting playmaker from that group is senior wide receiver Brandon Cummings, who had 39 catches and six touchdowns in 2006.
"They're not a veteran team as they were a year ago," Hauck said, "but Ed's been there for a while now. I'm sure his recruiting has taken over and they have a good looking group."
Rifilato acknowledges the Griz, with home-field advantage and history on their side, will be an intimidating force.
"I don't know if you can stop that," Rifilato said. "Montana has earned that right for you to respect them like that. It's not like you're going against someone that's not good."
On Hauck's end, he maintains that his team's focus can't be on the opponent.
"The important thing for us to remember is it's not who is coming out the visitors tunnel ... it's who is coming out of the home team's tunnel," he said. "And the Montana Grizzlies have to show up to play. It's irrelevant who the opponent is."

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.

Where are they now: Craig Ochs

Former UM quarterback Craig Ochs returns to the sidelines
in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Only this time he is a coach, not a player.
Tim Kupsick/GameDay Kaimin

By: Bill Oram
GameDay Kaimin

Typically, the idea behind a "where are they now" story is to find someone who has gone off into the world, far from Missoula, and been relegated to Grizzly lore.
Not in the case of Craig Ochs.
Where is he now? You probably already know. But if not, lower your GameDay Kaimin (be sure to put it somewhere close, where you'll remember to pick it up again), peer down the Griz sideline and find the cluster of Griz quarterbacks (Nos. 14, 12, 16 and 7 for reference). See that young guy, probably in the white visor, who looks like he's telling them what to do? That's Ochs.
Fans of University of Montana football don't have a hard time remembering Ochs, a Griz assistant coach, and it may even be easier for supporters of opposing Big Sky Conference teams. He was the vaunted Colorado Buffalo transfer who came to Montana on a white horse, knight-in-shining-armor kind of stuff. High expectations? You bet.
Then he performed.
In 2004, Ochs' senior season, the former Buffs starter guided the Griz to a 12-3 record and a berth in the national championship game. His 3,807 passing yards that season were the second most in Montana history, second only to a tally way back in 1995 by some guy named Dickinson.
After leaving Montana, Ochs bounced around, initially landing with the NFL's San Diego Chargers where he worked closely with Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees. He was among the team's final cuts leading into the 2005 season.
From there, he caught on with the Buffalo Bills, who allocated him to the Frankfurt Galaxy of the now-defunct NFL Europe.
In Frankfurt, Ochs had what he calls a "really good season," starting for the Galaxy in the second half of the season. The team, though, went on to win the World Bowl (the league championship) without Ochs, who blew out his shoulder in the final regular season game.
The ensuing NFL season for Ochs was spent on Buffalo's injured reserve, and he was eventually released last spring. A handful of NFL teams showed interest in signing him, the most intense interest coming from the New Orleans Saints. Then Montana coach Bobby Hauck called.
"He actually brought it up with me a couple of years ago during my senior year, if I'd ever be interested in coaching," Ochs said.
At the time he told Hauck he was more interested in pursuing a pro career. However, with a less-than-reliable shoulder, a wife and a newborn daughter, his priorities had changed.
"In all fairness, I think the NFL, just with my injuries at this point, was kind of a long shot," he said.
Steve Axman, the quarterbacks' coach at Montana had accepted an offensive coordinator position with the University of Idaho Vandals, creating a vacancy that was attractive to Ochs.
"I was ready to get a little more stability and start working toward a concrete future," he said.
In April, he found himself coaching players in the very situation he had been just three years earlier. Several players on Montana's roster, including senior running back Lex Hilliard, were freshmen in Ochs' final year.
"He's a smart guy, he's going to gain experience and knowledge," Hauck said. "He has ... a distinct advantage having played in this system over someone else coming in new."
For Ochs, becoming a coach wasn't necessarily where he saw himself at this stage of his life.
"If you would have asked me that (whether he would become a coach) early in my college career I would have said absolutely not," he said. "But the more I played and probably the more obvious it became my professional career was going to be tough ..."
And his highest-profile pupil thinks he made the right decision.
"I couldn't think of a guy that would understand the position that I am in more than Coach Ochs," said junior Cole Bergquist, Montana's starting quarterback. "He understands the pressure that goes along with playing quarterback for the Grizzlies."
Pressure is one thing Ochs encountered regularly during his stints in the pros. In Germany, fans are allowed to use whistles to throw off opposing players. While in NFL camps, being cut was only a bad practice away.
Ochs hopes to be able to relate what he learned after he left Montana to the team's current crop of quarterbacks.
"Watching guys like Drew Brees in practice, they bring every day a competitive fire to practice, to the weight room, whatever it is," he said. "If I can convey that to these guys, maybe it will make them better. Because the great ones at that level, there's not a day off for them, even at practice."
Montana's quarterbacks have plenty of potential, Ochs said, and are soaking up what they learn from him.
"All four guys are very coachable, they want to be real good," he said.
Bergquist said that while he hasn't thought much about coaching someday himself, he admires how seamlessly Ochs made the transition. He thinks working under center is the perfect training ground for coaches-to-be.
"Just spending so many hours in the film room, it just really helps you pick up the whole game of football," he said. "After you've played quarterback it wouldn't be too hard to go into coaching from that. You'd have to get under some other good guys and learn from them, but you already pretty much know the game."
Knowing the game doesn't necessarily guarantee stability. Ochs found in his playing career that there's always uncertainty.
"(Transferring) certainly
wasn't what I envisioned when I went to CU," he said. "But we all have our story where life takes a turn we didn't plan on, but sometimes it's for the best. This one most certainly was."

The wait is over: Lex Hilliard returns to the football field

By: Bill Oram
GameDay Kaimin

It was just a routine drill. Something he’d done probably 20,000 times. Certainly nothing as tough as any one of his rushes en route to the 2,884 career yards next to his name in the record books.
Three powerful steps and he’d be in the end zone, past linebacker Shawn Lebsock, and back on the sideline waiting for the next drill. But Lex Hilliard didn’t make a single step.
As he pushed off his left leg, the Montana Grizzlies’ offensive workhorse felt his leg buckle. His first thought was that a prankster teammate stepped on his heel. But as he looked back from the ground he saw no one.
A hot pain shot up his calf, like it had been seared by a blowtorch. He likens the initial pop to being thwacked by a Barry Bonds swing.
Lebsock, who had the closest view of the incident, called the series of events “really weird and creepy.” The linebacker, who will sit out this season with his own injury, never touched Hilliard – he just watched him collapse. Then he noticed a lump protruding from the running back’s lower calf.
Lying on the ground, Hilliard reached to where his Achilles tendon should have been, and felt only mush.
“I wish somebody had stepped on me or something,” Hilliard says, the scowl that seems permanently chiseled into his face softening, “so it could have been that instead.”
On the second day of 2006 fall practice, Lex Hilliard’s senior season was already over, the result of a ruptured Achilles.
The nasty injury is that of weekend warriors; of beer-swilling, middle-aged, pot-bellied slow-pitch softball players. Not of finely tuned physical specimens. Not of 21-year-old star athletes. Not of Lex Hilliard.
The perennial Walter Payton Award candidate never complained of tendonitis in his Achilles before the injury, and showed no other standard preemptive signs associated with a ruptured tendon.
“When it happens to someone that’s in as good as shape as he is, it’s kind of the same chance as getting hit by a lightning bolt” says Chad Kay of Northern Rockies Rehabilitation and Athletic Training Center, who worked as Hilliard’s primary physical therapist during the recovery.
Reconstructive surgery was the day after the injury and rehab was the next eight months.
“From what I know about it, there’s really no reason it should have blown,” says Kay, a Big Sky Conference running back from 1993-94. “It just did. Just unlucky.”
Though he was supposed to be a senior last year, the 6-foot, 240-pound Hilliard turned to the medical red-shirt he had available, which granted him a second chance. It also gave him a reason to work for 2007.
“Probably the first couple of weeks of rehab was probably the worst pain,” Hilliard says now. “It was probably worse than the actual injury itself because you had to get therapeutic massages into the Achilles after it had been ruptured just to start the healing process.”
Initially, Hilliard’s therapy focused on letting the reconnected Achilles heal, and then slowly the exercises progressed to calf raises, and exercises to test how much weight the Achilles could support.
“It just all goes so slow,” Hilliard says. “You’re just waiting and waiting and waiting, just until the day you can even hop or skip. I mean, every little inch you just get more excited, more excited, just until you’re able to run again.”
There was no chance he would return for any of the 2006 season. Hilliard, who had never before suffered a serious injury, knew it from the moment he felt that pop in his leg. His goals going into the season focused on a national championship and, though he won’t admit it, likely Montana’s career rushing record. After the injury, his goal was more elementary.
“I was going to be able to run out of the tunnel,” he says. And he did. It was before the team’s last game, a heartbreaking playoff defeat at the hands of the University of Massachusetts, and the crowd roared.
“It took a long time to get to that point,” Hilliard says, “but it’s worth it now.”
Everyone who was around Hilliard last year says he remained optimistic and focused, determined to come back stronger and better.
“Battling significant injury is hard mentally,” head coach Bobby Hauck says. “It’s always interesting to see how guys will respond and react. As expected, he has come back like a champion.”
In fall camp Hilliard appeared to be in top form.
He ran with the power and intelligence of someone who hadn’t missed any time at all, or maybe like someone for whom playing football is a sixth sense.
That he maintained a positive outlook throughout the ordeal is almost incomprehensible to some.
“I can’t imagine,” says junior center Colin Dow, who injured his leg in a motorcycle accident over the summer. “I was only out for half of fall camp and I couldn’t keep my head up.”
It wasn’t hard to remain upbeat, Hilliard says now. Being sidelined on crutches was motivation enough, he says, “watching games, realizing you want to be out there.”
Despite Hilliard not being in the huddle last season, teammates rallied around him.
“I think it spoke volumes about the kind of person he is, that after he was injured, his teammates still voted him a captain,” Hauck says. “So he was actively involved in the team in the locker room, he just wasn’t on the field.”
Wide receiver Rob Schulte says having Hilliard back on the team this year makes everyone’s job a little easier.
“Any time you’ve got a stud at a position like that,” he says, “whether it’s an offensive lineman or whatever, it just takes tension off the other parts of the offense.”
At practices this season Hilliard saw players on the field anxious to run off for a drink of water, or a quick breather. He’s quick to remind teammates they should stay on the field as much as they can.
“Just now you’re like, ‘Whatever.’ I’ve stood on the sideline for a year, it’s not any fun over there,” Hilliard says. “It’s nothing you want to be a part of.”
The rushing record, however, is something his teammates want to be a part of. It’s not the team’s main focus, but players acknowledge it would be nice to send Hilliard out on top.
“There’s 1,186 yards until he gets that record,” Dow says. “We (the offensive line) have a goal in mind for him to get that. Obviously some of that is on our shoulders, actually a lot of it is. I have no doubt that he’s going to make it.”
The ever-positive Hilliard maintains he isn’t concerned about the rushing record. He is just happy to be able to take things in stride again.

Grizzlies to be tested early by Thunderbirds

By: Bill Oram
GameDay Kaimin

Finally, today all of the University of Montana football players will be wearing the same color jerseys.
With the Southern Utah Thunderbirds in town, anything resembling practice has come to an end. Any fine-tuning of the offense, defense or special teams will have to be done on the fly.
According to Griz head coach Bobby Hauck, the team is ready.
“We’ve had good work from the end of last season to now,” Hauck said. “We’re right where we ought to be.”
The last time the Griz ran out of the tunnel onto John Hoyt Field in front of a packed house was in anticipation of a national semi-final against the University of Massachusetts Minutemen. The Griz narrowly lost that game 19-17, and according to senior running back Reggie Bradshaw, nothing could be better than getting back on the field.
“We’re really excited,” he said. “We’ve been at it since the end of last season. We’ve been out there grinding.”
In Southern Utah the Grizzlies face a team that is recovering from a dismal 3-8 season and was winless in the five-team Great West Conference. However, the mark may be somewhat misleading, according to fourth year T-Bird’s coach Wes Meier.
“We’ve got a group back that is very competitive, that has played a lot of ranked teams,” he said.
Last season SUU burst out to a 3-1 record before going on a rest-of-the-season winless streak. However, it dropped back-to-back games to perennial national powers in Cal Poly and McNeese State by a combined eight points. Against Cal Poly, the T-Birds fumbled three times inside the five-yard line.
“They have a lot of confidence,” Meier said. “They know they can be competitive, but they also know it’s going to take a game with very few mistakes to (beat Montana).”
Hauck and UM’s schedule makers have received criticism for scheduling a slate of unimpressive non-conference opponents – Albany and Fort Lewis College are the others, – but Hauck discounted that notion immediately.
“You’d have to be an idiot not to know these guys would be hard to beat,” Hauck said of Southern Utah.
The T-Birds’ strength will likely be experience. They return six all-conference players, including play caller Wes Marshall, a player that worries Hauck.
“Their quarterback worries me, he’s a veteran,” Hauck said. “So we won’t be fooling him. He’s seen everything 100 times. He’s athletic; he can run and pass, he runs the option, he throws the ball down the field well.”
Marshall’s numbers from a year ago are solid, but not gaudy. He had a 56 percent completion rate and passed for 1,942 yards. His 14 interceptions should have the Grizzly secondary salivating.
One of many storylines for Montana is its own quarterback. Junior Cole Bergquist has finally been handed the keys to the team after patiently waiting in the wings, playing when past starters went down. He started one game last year and eight in 2005.
Once inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium, the T-Birds will find themselves in an environment unlike anything they have experienced in the Great West Conference.
“We’ve done all kinds of things to try to not let that become such a factor for us,” Meier said. The team piped ear-splitting crowd noise into its own stadium in an effort to simulate the raucousness of Montana’s 23,183 (capacity) fans.
The Grizzlies lead the all-time series 2-1, the most recent tilt being in 2002. Three T-Birds from that team are currently on Meiers’ staff, and he said they’ve talked about that game, a 68-45 shootout that the Griz won, being among their career favorites.

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.

Griz runner believed in himself when others didn't

By: Katie Michel
GameDay Kaimin

For cross country runner Duncan Hendrick, running is like breathing. It may not come easy to him, but he couldn’t live his life without it.
When he was a baby, at just 18 months old, asthma constricted his airway forcing him to undergo nebulizer treatments anywhere from three to eight times a day. A mist of medication would enter his lungs as he struggled for a breath of fresh air that was so essential to his existence.
Now a senior ready to complete his last seasons of cross country and track and field, running has been the best medicine of all by reducing the severity of his asthma, allowing him to breathe easier.
“Without running I wouldn’t be the same person I am today,” Hendrick said. “It’s shaped my character.”
Hendrick, who comes from a family of runners, has been running competitively since seventh grade. A mere 70 pounds at the age of 13, Hendrick was not a standout athlete, partially because of the asthma that constricted him.
“It hindered a lot of his endurance activity,” said Daniel Hendrick, Duncan’s father.
“Then he found if he could just run through it, he could do it. It came from a belief in himself. He just went out and worked at it so he could be good at it.”
Hendrick stuck with it, and hoped to someday run for a Division I school, despite a lack of faith by his coaches and teammates. He thought differently.
“I started training harder because I wanted that,” Hendrick said. “You have to be self-motivated. I could tell in high school people (doubted) I would get into a D-I school. I had times where I questioned whether I could get better but you have to push through those.”
Last season at the Montana Open, Hendrick placed first with a 6K career best of 19:02, an accomplishment that he had fallen short of in past races. Hendrick often struggles not because of asthma or sore muscles, but because of his mind.
“Sometimes I mentally crash during good races. For most people it’s the mental aspect that holds them back,” Hendrick said.
In the last cross country season of his college career, Hendrick said his biggest goal is to stay strong mentally, even when he isn’t physically.
“You’ve got to look at the positive things,” he said. “Accept the pain because it’s supposed to be hard. Every race I come in with a positive attitude.”
As the lone senior on the team, Hendrick wants to set the pace and show his improvement by having his best season to date.
“He’s gotten stronger and he’s become more of a leader,” said head coach Tom Raunig. “Sometimes he’s run down in the season because he is such a hard worker.”
Peaking too soon has plagued Hendrick’s past seasons and prevented him from saving his best for last, something that Hendrick is looking to change.
“I’m focusing on training smart and training hard. This season should be different” Hendrick said. “I’d like to leave my last season without having any doubts about it.”
Hendrick’s days revolve around training with all other activities fitting in between. When he isn’t racking up more than eight miles a day through workouts, circuit training, jogs and form drills, he is studying to finish his degree in biology with the hopes of going to medical or graduate school.
“I just try to fit in stuff whenever I can,” he said.
No regrets and a successful season are all Hendrick wants, something his father Daniel knew might not have been possible without his son’s determination to overcome his asthma.
“The reality is he didn’t put any limits on himself,” Daniel Hendrick said. “For me, I’m just happy he’s competing.”
In the next step forward in his life, Hendrick said that although his college running career will quickly come to an end, his love and appreciation for the sport that gave him relief from his asthma will never stop.
“I can’t see myself without running.”

Where are they now: Tuff Harris

By: Jake Grilley
GameDay Kaimin

Fans across the National Football League agree that Arrowhead Stadium, home to the Kansas City Chiefs, is one of the loudest and toughest places to play a football game.
When Tuff Harris stepped on the field at Arrowhead for his second preseason game as a Miami Dolphin, even with over 70,000 Chiefs fans rooting against him, the rowdy football atmosphere in Kansas City must have felt a little like home.
“Playing for Montana prepared me well to play at this level,” Harris said. “Griz Nation is up there. NFL fans are good, but they don’t get much better than Griz fans.”
Harris said as a Griz he learned how to mentally and physically ready himself as a football player and developed a strong work ethic that has helped him succeed at such a high level.
Playing for Montana, however, didn’t prepare Harris for every aspect of the NFL.
“The biggest difference is that size and speed of the game is so much faster and quicker,” Harris said. “Everything happens a fraction of a second sooner than it did in college.”
Harris, a four-year defensive and special teams standout at Montana, joined the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent last spring, but he still isn’t quite accustomed to his new uniform. Running on to the field in the teal and orange of the Dolphins and not the maroon and silver of the Grizzlies has taken some getting used to, Harris said.
But he isn’t letting the color of his jersey stand in the way of his play. Harris has amassed nine tackles, eight of them solo and one pass deflection in three preseason season games with the Dolphins.
Harris found one series particularly rewarding for Montana football during the Dolphins’ first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
At cornerback, Harris lined up against Jacksonville wide receiver and former Grizzly Jimmy Farris.
“Not many Montana players make it (to the NFL),” Harris said. “For whatever reason they are often looked over, but Montana players have the talent to play at this level.”
Senior running back and former teammate Lex Hilliard praised Harris’ achievements.
“Any of these guys playing in the league puts Montana football on the map,” Hilliard said. “(Montana has) talent year after year. So many guys can make (the transition to the NFL).”
Harris said being an NFL player is isn’t much different than being a collegiate athlete, but every once in a while he’s reminded just how far he has come in his football career.
“I haven’t really been star struck,” Harris said. “But eating breakfast with guys like Trent Green and seeing some of these players, it makes me realize where I am.”
Even though Harris has spent his summer in South Florida, he still keeps tabs on what is happening back home.
Harris stays in contact with former coaches, players, friends and a few fans that let him know what is going on with the Grizzlies and how things are back home.
Harris has advice for those who are lucky enough to still wear maroon and silver.
“Enjoy being part of Griz Nation, those are times you will cherish,” Harris said. “Keep it up and work hard, anyone can make it.”
Harris believes he made it to where he is today by not jeopardizing his dreams.
“I made a lot of right decisions, I wasn’t perfect, but making good decisions helped me fulfill this dream of mine,” he said.
Harris’ dream still isn’t complete. Final cuts – trimming down the Miami roster to 53 players – will occur this weekend, something that Harris
doesn’t think about.
“I keep it out of mind,” Harris said. “I am not looking too far ahead. I am still living in a dorm, if I do make the roster, I will have to find an apartment in a hurry.”
As a young boy growing up in Montana, Harris one day dreamed of playing in the NFL.
“Lots of people dream about it,” Harris said. “Reality is staring me right in the face.”