|
The Grizzlies are gleefully anticipating playing the Hamsters in
the first annual "Free State Bowl" Saturday. ESPN 2 will carry
the NCAA Division I-AA game at 2:00 pm MST (4:00 pm EST),
and local stations are prohibited from carrying the game.
Since my promotional piece was posted on the main FSP list,
I've already received a couple private very invective messages from
Seaboarders. However, the FSP leadership seems enthused about
the game. Thus far only one New Hampshire supporter has
placed
a private bet.
For those going to the game Saturday, Mike tells me that stadium
beer
sales stop after half-time. However, I think the weather may
warrant
taking along a private reserve of rye whisky or brandy (remember my
Dr. Brandy recipe cocktail).
Ben
Article: http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/11/30/sports/sports01.txt
I-AA playoff notebook: UM's home dominance will be put to test By RIAL CUMMINGS of the Missoulian Montana is 8-0 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium this season and 18-3 there in the playoffs, a testament to its reputation as perhaps the most intimidating venue in Division I-AA football. No playoff team draws more fans than Montana, or squeezes them closer to the field; the sound of 23,000 crazies bouncing off Mount Sentinel can be deafening. Now along comes New Hampshire, the best road team in the country. The Wildcats have gone 8-0 away from Durham, N.H., including victories at Division I-A Rutgers in front of 31,000, and defending national champ Delaware in front of 22,000. The capper came last weekend in a 27-23 come-from-behind effort in the rain at six-time national champ Georgia Southern. It was only the Eagles' third playoff loss in 32 games at Statesboro, Ga., and their first opening-round loss ever. Something has to give Saturday in Missoula, when the Wildcats and Grizzlies match 10-2 records in the quarterfinals (2 p.m., ESPN2). The two-time national champion Griz, in the field for a record 12th straight year, have 20 playoff wins to New Hampshire's one. "We just played the Yankees, now we play the Dodgers," UNH offensive coordinator Chip Kelly told the Manchester (N.H.) Union Leader. That first playoff win was even more impressive, considering that freshman sensation Ricky Santos lost go-to receiver David Ball to a high-ankle sprain in the first half. Ball, whose 85 catches and 1,502 receiving yards have shattered UNH's single-season records, was on crutches afterwards. He's listed as questionable for Saturday. "We're used to hostile environments," Santos told the Portsmouth (N.H.) Herald. "We enjoy playing on the road. Nobody gives us much credit on the road, and no one thinks we're going to be able to do it. We try to overcome it - we have so far." "I think it inspires our kids, playing at these places," added UNH coach Sean McDonnell. Georgia Southern led 14-0 just seven minutes into the game and 21-6 early in the second quarter, but New Hampshire - which rallied from behind against both Delaware and Rutgers - refused to panic. Corey Graham returned a kickoff 99 yards to set up a touchdown, and running back R.J. Harvey scored on a 52-yard burst early in the fourth quarter to put the Wildcats ahead to stay, 27-21. It was the biggest play Harvey has made in several weeks since being asked to share the rushing duties with junior John McCoy. "We tell Harv to just trust his speed," McDonnell said. "Hit the hole and go." Santos, meanwhile, continued his dream season at quarterback by going 22-of-30 for 204 yards and two TDs, although he also tossed two interceptions. Santos entered fall camp fourth on the depth chart and barely drew a mention in the UNH media guide before injuries thrust him into the lineup. Santos' first collegiate start was UNH's upset win at Rutgers in the second week of the season. The key, however, was the UNH defense. It surrendered 270 yards rushing in the first half but made the right adjustments against Georgia Southern's triple-option offense, allowing just 66 after intermission. Georgia Southern's only second-half points came when UNH took a deliberate safety in the final seconds. Georgia Southern finished with a 399-325 edge in total yardage, but fumbled six times in the slippery conditions, losing three of them. The Wildcat defense was sparked by free safety Aaron Thomas (14 tackles), linebacker Amir Saadah (12, four for losses) and end George Peterson (11). "The speed they (the Eagles) started with was a shell-shock almost," said Peterson, an Atlantic-10 first-team selection. "As we hit them and hit them, I think it wore them down." Should Montana defeat New Hampshire, it would likely host the Eastern Washington-Sam Houston State victor in the semifinals on the night of Friday, Dec. 10. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m., MST. Both semifinals are scheduled to be televised on ESPN2, one on that Friday night, the other on Saturday morning, Dec. 11. The Friday night game is slotted in Montana's half of the bracket. And since portable lights will be needed for the quarterfinal game against New Hampshire, it would make sense to keep them in place for the semis. The last time a college football game was played under the lights in Missoula was sometime in the 1950s, at old Dornblaser Field on the UM campus. The Big Sky, rated just fifth among I-AA conferences in the Sagarin ratings, looked a whole lot better following first-round playoff victories by Montana and Eastern Washington. Montana shredded the nation's top statistical defense in a 56-7 home victory over Northwestern State. Eastern Washington, arguably the hottest team in the country, hit the road and beat top-ranked Southern Illinois 35-31 to earn a quarterfinal date in Cheney, Wash., against Sam Houston State. The Big Sky has two teams in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1994. All four Atlantic-10 teams won in the opening round, backing up its ranking as the nation's best conference. No conference has ever had four teams in the quarterfinals. Eastern Washington, trailing 17-7 in windy, rainy weather at Carbondale, Ill., went to a no-huddle offense in the second half. The result? The Eagles rolled up 420 yards after intermission against a team that had allowed just 280 per game, and scored four touchdowns - despite misfiring on three possessions inside the Southern Illinois 20-yard line. "We came out the second half with the no huddle and the attitude was attack them, attack them," quarterback Erik Meyer told the Spokane Spokesman-Review. "Coach (Paul Wulff) said if you see something ... believe in what you see." Meyer was 19-of-25 for 300 yards in the second half, and finished 31-of-44 for a career-high 437 yards. All three of his touchdown passes went to receiver Eric Kimble, who had a career-best 11 receptions for 195 yards. They teamed on the winning pass, a 45-yarder with 1:49 remaining. EWU piled up a season-high 568 yards against the fifth-ranked defense in the nation. "I would find it hard to find a better combination in college football at our level," Wulff said. "Those two guys are amazing. They're both playmakers and they're best in the most stressful situations. I think our quarterback is the best player in America, I-AA." Alexis Moreland, Southern Illinois' All-America safety, agreed with Wulff's praise of Meyer and Kimble. "It looks like one of those combinations you see in the NFL, where if I scramble, you go there," Moreland said. "They were on the same page all day. If they read a coverage, they knew what each other was going to do and where the ball was going to be thrown. That's an intangible. That's not something you coach." There has been discussion in NCAA circles about eliminating the transfer penalty for football and basketball players between Division I-A schools, which would surely have a negative effect on the quality of Division I-AA football. Just look at the quarterbacks in the quarterfinals. Montana's Craig Ochs (Colorado), Sam Houston State's Dustin Long (Texas A&M), Furman's Ingle Martin (Florida), Delaware's Sonny Riccio (Missouri) and James Madison's Justin Rascati (Louisville) all began their careers at Division I-A schools before transferring, without penalty, to I-AA programs. Quick kicks: Although the Atlantic-10 made history with its first-round sweep, none of the wins came easy. William & Mary scored on a 92-yard kick return in the fourth quarter to catch upstart Hampton, then held on 42-35. Delaware trailed lightly regarded Lafayette until the final 6fi minutes before scoring twice to pull out a 28-14 verdict. James Madison edged Lehigh 14-13, despite giving up just 22 yards rushing. ... William & Mary's Lang Campbell threw just one interception in 326 attempts during the regular season, then was intercepted on his first pass against Hampton. Campbell went on to throw two more interceptions, but also pitched three TDs. ... EWU's offense was bolstered by the return of running back Darius Washington. In his first full game since a mid-October injury, Washington rushed for 101 yards and two TDs on 16 carries. ... Montana easily led the first round in attendance at 16,289. The only other school to draw more than 10,000 was Delaware (13,707). Subscribe to the Missoulian today — get 2 weeks free! . Copyright © 2004 Missoulian Tel: (406) 523-5200 a division of Lee Enterprises Go to top of page
Yahoo! Groups Links
|
_______________________________________________ Libnw mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] List info and subscriber options: http://immosys.com/mailman/listinfo/libnw Archives: http://immosys.com/mailman//pipermail/libnw
