Big Sky Preview - Week 3

After week 2, I am 13-3.

Standings are as follows:
1. Portland State 2-0 1-0
2. Montana 1-1 0-0
3. Idaho 1-1 0-0
4. Montana State 1-1 0-0
5. Sacramento State 0-1 0-0
6. Weber State 0-2 0-0
7. Eastern Washington 0-2 0-0
8. Northern Arizona 0-2 0-0
9. Northern Colorado 0-2 0-1

Let's get right to it.

#14 Portland State @ Cal (#21 in that BS)
- The Vikings are playing as well as anyone in the conference right now. They have held their two Division I opponents to a total of just 9 points, 6 of those coming at the hands of IA New Mexico. In totaly, they have outscored their foes 62-9. But they haven't found much sucess running the ball, with their top three backs running for just 186 yards in two games, with a long of 16 yards. QB Sawyer Smith has played well enough, but nothing that will win him any accolades. The defense has been dominating, forcing 7 turnovers in two games and not giving uyp a single touchdown. But all that will change this Saturday, as a very talented Cal offense will have a chance to strut their stuff. Heisman candidate Marshawn Lycn has rushed for over 200 yards already, and looks to have a big game. I think the Vikings have a shot at keeping this one close, but this Cal team is for real this year.
What to watch: If the defense can contain Lynch, QB Nate Longshore and the WR tandem of DeShawn Jackson and Lavelle Hawkins, they have a shot at the upset. No big deal, right?
- 17-38

Dixie State @ Northern Arizona
- The Jacks finally get some relief, after a two-week road stint against stiff IA competition, the boys get to stay home and play in their dome, against DII Dixie State. As brilliantly predicted by yours truly, Alex Waton was indeed shut down by Utah's Eric Weddle, containing him to just 3 receptions for 19 yards. The Jacks would strike first, a 25 yard strike to Kenny Mahone, but the Utes would go on to score 45 straight. Surprisingly enough, there was only 1 turnover by either team, an INT by Murietta. Meanwhile, Dixie State is having a rough go in their first year in the NCAA, losing to Mesa State 14-42, Adarms State 7-37, and IAA Mid-Major power San Diego, 7-41. Well time will tell if the Jacks are better than the #1 ranked Mid-Major, San Diego, but they are better than Dixie State. Couple that with the fact that this is the 4th straight road game for the... (why is it so hard to find what a DII teams mascot is? I think they are the Redbirds but their site eludes that fact) "Redbirds", and this one should be an easy win for the Jacks who themselves are just coming off a tough road stint. UPDATE - I finally saw the word "Rebel" on the webpage in a random article. Booyea, I'm good at what I do.
What to watch: NAU has an impressive record against DIIs, and should continue that trend.
- 10-45

#19 UC-Davis @ #20 Montana State
- There is no team harder to predict that the Bobcats. They go from an inspiring performance against IA Colorado, and then fall flat on their faces getting thumped at home by DII Chadron State. So the question on everybodies mind is, which Bobcat team shows up? I wish I had an answer. But I do know the Bobcats will be without starting WR Josh Lewis, who is second in the conference in yards. Injured starting RB Evin Groves is also out, as well as starting TE Elliot Barnhart. The Cats have talent in the wings however, as Tyler Lulay (name sound familiar?), Mike Brown and Deon Toliver can all step in and show their stuff. While the Cats were turning the ball over more often than J-Lo gets engaged (yet still racking up 460 yards of offense), the Aggies were being outmatched by #23 TCU on the road, losing that contest 46-13. This is a very interesting game from a national standpoint, and Matt Dougherty has picked it as his game of the week. The Cats offense has been rolling, but the Aggies boast of the top best defenses in the country. The Aggies are a passing team, lead by QB Jon Grant and WR Tony Kays, but Kays is probable for the contest. Davis isn't a particularly strong running team, but the Bobcats are capable of making them look that way. The Cats defense has only allowed 1 score through the air so far this season (Chadron), and are 27th in the country in pass efficiency defense. RB Alex Garfio has only mustered up 92 rushing yards so far, so the Aggies will most likely look to the air. Both teams are a bit inconsistent, and for that reason alone I will simply have to go with the home team here. This game is eerily reminiscent of last years' Bobcat/NDSU matchup, which the Cats won narrowily 20-17.
What to watch: It is going to be a cold, dreary day in Bozeman, with a chance of snow. How will it affect the outcome?
- 24-27

#24 Idaho State @ Idaho
- The battle of the spuds. Okay, just kidding, but this should be an interesting game. But Idaho is just a bad football team, and have been since leaving the Big Sky Conference. They continue to get beat by former conference foes (mainly Montana), and are in danger of dropping another one. They brought in Dennis Erickson because of this (you know it's true), but he isn't going to build Rome in an egg, err day. The Bengals dissapointed me last week with their performance against a rebuilding albeit talented UNLV squad, but they can redeem themselves. The Vandals have thrown just one TD all season, and ran for just 2 more. They will most likely equal that effort against a lackluster Bengal defense that surrendered 56 points to the Runnin' Rebels. But Matt Gutierrez has already throwing for 456 yards and 3 TDs, and should get another pair agains the suspect Vandal defense. While I may be giving the Bengals too much credit here, and the Vandals too little, I see this as an even more winnable game than UNLV (cough). The Vandals gave up 343 rushing yards last week to Washington State, and I could see a solid 200 yard day from the Josh Barnett/Ken Cornist duo. If Gutierrez has time, he could pick apart the Vandal secondary. I like the Bengals in this one, where there "should" be plenty of Bengal fans at the game to cheer them on.
What to watch: Josh Barnett and Ken Cornist could have huge days against a Vandal team that has surrendered 259 rushing yards per game so far this season.
- 28-24

Northern Colorado @ Texas State
- Texas State is in a rebuilding year (they would like to believe it is a reloading year), but the loss of Barrick Nealy has been a lot to overcome so far for the Bobcats on San Marcos. They are relying on a host of running backs for a balanced offensive attack, and so far it has worked, though they haven't faced a IAA opponenet yet. A convincing victory here should be enough to put them in the rankings (though they already are in two publications, but as a voting member of the AGS poll that is the one I use for my rankings). And that is exactly what I think will happen. Face it Bear fans, this season is looking very bleak. UNC has been outscored 83-10 in their two contest this year, and both of those were IAA contests, so there is no outlier here. To make matters worse, the backup punter stabbed the starting punter in the leg to try and earn himself the starting spot. So that puts you out two kickers, making one wonder if the third string kicker was really behind this the whole time. The Bears have averaged 215 total yards per game so far, but they have played two very tough defenses, in UC-Davis and Portland State. They finally get a break this week against a Texas State defense ranked 91st in IAA, so they should finally score more than once in a game, but it isn't going to be enough. I predect their opponents scoring total will surpass 100 after this game, while the points for total will be lucky to break 30. Buckle up Bear fans, this is going to be a bumpy season.
What to watch: Andre Wilson may finally have his first 100 yard game of the season, but I wouldn't bet money on it.
- 13-31

I will post the rest if I have time before tomorrow, but the outlook looks bleak...
Here are my scores:

SUU @ Weber
- 14-24

Cal Poly @ Sacramento State
- 35-10

Central Washington @ Eastern Washington
- 17-35

Possible upset of the week: CWU over EWU
Best matchup: UC-Davis @ Montana State
Worst matchup: Dixie State @ Norther Arizona

Review Week 1

Well I was 6-1 last week, thanks to the surprising (maybe not as much as you'd think) letdown by MSU against DII Chadron State. So far my record is 13-3. I sure don't mind having those 2 losses from week on on my record though.

Last week wasn't a very important week in terms of opponents and future indications, but it did show us several things.

(scores in bold are missed predictions)

Mountaineers cruise past Eastern Washington
- Eastern would finish with just 185 yards of total offense while surrendering 591 against the #6 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers. Ryan Cole would account for 60 of those on 17 carries, about the lone bright spot on a dreary day in West Virginia. Redshirt freshman Matt Nichols got his first collegiate start, going 13-25 for 90 yards and one INT. Not to bad considering his competition and inexperience. Starter Chris Peerboom did not make the trip due to a concussion suffered last week against Oregon State.
Final: 3-56
Next up: Central Washington

Weber falls to Cal Poly
- In a day dominated by defense, the Wildcats struggled offensively and ended up being shut out at home by a Cal Poly defense that has yet to be scored on this season in two contents. One of the Mustang touchdowns came right after a screen pass fumble that Poly recovered on the Wildcat 1 yard line. Noble would later run it in. The other TD was a 42 yard interception return by Mark Restelli, with 2:22 to play. Freshman running back Trevyn Smith appears to be the real deal as he ran for 81 yards on 15 carries against a very stout Mustange defense. Starter Adrian Conway was benched halfway into the contest. The Wildcats have three straight home games.
Final: 0-17
Next up: Southern Utah

Chadron State runs past Bobcats
- Just one week after pulling the biggest upset in college football, the Bobcats fall victim to DII Chadron State, perhaps the biggest upset in IAA this week, if not all of college football. The Cats had no answer for Danny Woodhead, who rushed for 215 yards on 33 carries with 2 scores, on a serires of misdirections, shovel passes, and counters. The Bobcats would do nothing but hurt themselves, with a slew of penalties, poor tackling, and 4 interceptions. Starting running back Evin Groves would not play, and was replaced by a combo of Isaiah Taito and true freshman Aaron Mason, and would play pretty well, averaging over 5 YPC. Almost everyone in IAA would've predicted the Cats would be 1-1 at this point, but certainly not the way they achieved that record.
Final: 24-35
Next up: #19 UC-Davis

Vikings score at will against Bears
- Portland State scored on its first five possessions of the game en route to a 31-0 halftime lead against the hapless Northern Colorado Bears. Senior LB Adam Hayward registered 14 tackles for the Viks, including 8 solo. Andre Wilson was held to just 26 yards on 12 carries, as quarterback Dominic Breazeale led the rushing attack with 56 total yards on 11 carries. He would also throw 2 INTs and just 112 yards. Kelena Ho'okona rushed for 72 yards for the Viks, and found the endzone three times. Sawyer Smith also had a very good day, throwing 2 TDs on 13-21 passing and 254. The Vikings defense is playing as well as anyone in the country right now, but face a giant task next week vs #22 Cal.
Final: 45-3
Next Up: @Cal

Grizzlies impressive at home
- The Montana Grizzlies, without starting RB Lex Hilliard, and starting QB Josh Swogger, still managed to rack up 535 yards of total offense against a lackluster South Dakot State squad. The Griz ran the ball an amazing 53 times for 244 yards, and threw the ball another 39 times in their rout against the Jackrabbits. Cole Berquist tossed a career high 257 yards on an efficient 22-35 passing. The ground attack was lead by Reggie Bradshaw, who rushed for 77 yards and a pair of TDs in his first career start. The Griz looked impressive on both sides of the ball, and proved that Lex Hilliard isn't the only thing they have going for them. Eric Allen had a breakout game as well, catching 7 balls for 101 yards. The score should have been much worse, however, because SDSU was able to keep the Griz out of the endzone on 5 different drives, that would all result in FGs, and all five FGs were from inside the red-zone.
Final: 36-7
Next up: Sacramento State

Jacks fall flat at Utah
- Northern Arizona took a 7-0 lead, but would never find the endzone again against IA foe Utah. Jason Murietta finished 11-21 for 118 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. NAU outgained, outscored and outplayed Utah in the first quarter, but the Utes would score 17 unanswered en route to a 45-7 victory. Alex Wastson was shut down, catching just 3 balls for 19 yards. The Jacks played pretty well in their two IA games, and maybe tougher than given credit for come conference play.
Final: 7-45
Next up: Dixie State College

Battle of the Gutierrezes
- Flows off the tongue, doesn't it? Fort Lewis's Matt Gutierrez couldn't compete with the Bengals quarterback of the same name, as the latter passed for 191 yards, 2 scores and an INT in just two quarters of work as the Bengals grabbed their first victory of the season. Josh Barnett did his part, scampering for a career-high 185 yards and three touchdowns, as the Bengals used a balanced attack to blow by the outmatched Skyhawks. Akilah Lacey, injured most of last year, is back and has a new hired gun throwing him the ball, and nabbed 4 receptions for 103 yards and a TD. Ken Cornis also had a nice day running the ball, and proved that the Bengals may have the best running tandem in the league. Couple that with a new-found passing offense, and there is reason for defenses to fear this talented Bengal offense.
Final: 48-12
Next up: Idaho

Team of the week: Portland State
Slouch of the week: Montana State

Updated personal standings (they do not reflect future predictions, just a current ranking system)
1. Portland State
2. Montana
3. Idaho State
4. Montana State
5. Weber State
6. Northern Arizona
7. Eastern Washington
8. Sacramento State
9. Northern Colorado

Jason Washington Gives Back

Griz redshirt helps wish come true for young fan

MISSOULA - University of Montana redshirt quarterback Jason Washington has formed the Griz Make-a-Wish Foundation as the result of a chance meeting with a young Missoula fan at Wal-Mart.

Because of that meeting Abby Reimann and her family will be watching when the Grizzlies take on South Dakota State Saturday.

The girl’s father recognized Washington, who thought Abby was sleeping in her father’s arms. But because of a life-threatening illness she was awake but largely unresponsive.


“She can’t speak now,” Washington said. “But she can understand. The disease is starting to take away her senses.”

The press release from UM did not identify the disease.

Christie Anderson, Grizzly Athletics marketing and promotions director, said Washington came to her office and was “just adamant that we do something for this family.” Washington, sitting out the season while recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, said that because he can’t contribute on the field he’s using his time to help out in the community.

“Hopefully we can help make one of her last days a little bit brighter,” he said. “Kids in Missoula idolize the Griz.”

Abby and her family will have pre-game passes to be on the field during warmups and will receive shirts, hats and goodie bags courtesy of the UM bookstore and the president’s office.

Washington, from Oakland, Calif., has donated his player tickets to his new foundation since his family isn’t in the area to attend games. He and Anderson will try to find a family in need of a boost for each home game and are looking for candidates through Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, Wash.

Good for Jason. It makes me proud to see players do something like this. With so many media outlets reporting nothing but stories about the dark side (coughchroniclecough), I thought I would post something that reflects well on universities and it's student athletes for once.

Big Sky Preview - Week 2

I've never been so happy to be wrong as I was last week. Portland State and Montana State both shocked the college footbal world, by upending their IA foes on the road. PSU and MSU both used similar gameplans - dominate defense and control the football. Both squads shut out their respective opponents in the second half.

After week 1, I am 7-2.

Standings are as follows:
1. Montana State 1-0 0-0
2. Portland State 1-0 0-0
3. Montana 0-1 0-0
4. Idaho State 0-1 0-0
5. Weber State 0-1 0-0
6. Northern Arizona 0-1 0-0
7. Eastern Washington 0-1 0-0
8. Sacramento State 0-1 0-0
9. Northern Colorado 0-1 0-0

Eastern Washington @ #6 West Virginia
- Ummm, yea. EWU was creamed by a mediocre Oregon State squad last week, 17-56. But the Eagles did themselves in with four very early turnovers, to find themselves in 35 point hole by halftime. The Eagles finished with -14 rushing yards and just 140 through the air. Ryan Cole had 29 yards and a score, on 13 carries. With the first game jitters out of the way, the Eagles face perhaps the toughest IA opponent any Big Sky squad faces this year, West Virginia. The Mountaineers rushed for 312 yards against Marshall last week, and there is no reason they can't equal that this week. While Eastern is a respectable 7-13 against IA competition, this is going to be a slaughter.
What to watch: Anything else that you can get your eyes on, this ain't gonna be pretty.
- 10-57

#4 Cal Poly @ Weber State
- The Mustangs boast one of the best defenses in the country, and showed it last week vs DII Fort Lewis, blanking them 44-0. Fort Lewis didn't even cross the 50 until well into the 4th quarter. LB Kyle Shotwell is a potential Buchanan Award winner. The Wildcats couln't find any offensive ryhthm last week at Colorado State, and it wouldn't be out of line to say the Mustangs defense is superior to CSU's. Thanks to sacks, the Wildcats had an outstanding -38 total rush yards, and it doesn't get any easier this week. With senior RB Zach Hall out for the season, the Cats will rely on seasoned veteran Adrian Conway to get them going offensively. The Wildcats defense played fairly well against the run Saturday, but Cal Poly is a run, run, run, sometimes pass then run some more team. Phew. They racked up 347 yards and boast one of the best young backs in the nation, James Noble.
What to watch: Ian Pizzaro needs to get more protection, and if he does he could have a decent day. If he has trouble finding WRs or getting time, the Wildcats are going 0-2.
- 31-10

Chadron State @ #9 Montana State
- The Bobcats pulled off possibly the biggest upset in college football last week by going into Boulder and dominating the Buffs defensively, holding them to just 216 yards of total offense, and allowing just 8 completions by 5th year QB James Cox. Kramer has been a very busy man this week, basking in what could be the most amount of media attention the school has ever received. This could make it a little harder to focus on practice. The CSC Eagles won their opening against DII newcomer St. Mary's with a solid ground game led by all-everything Danny Woodhead, who rushed for 181 yards on 27 carries and 2 TDs, and boasts legit 4.4 speed. Add to that the fact that I am not sold on MSU's run defense, although they allowed just 105 yards to IA Colorado, they did give up nearly 5 YPC, but didn't allow a run over 13 yards, either. I'm sure the Eagles were a bit nervous to hear the final of the MSU/CU game, and they should be. Chadron will come in with the same plan as the Bobcats had for CU. The Bobcats are now the big bad D1 squad, and the Eagles assume the role of the Bobcats in the previous week. A letdown here is something past Bobcat teams might let happen, but I do not think it will happen this week, against a middle-of-the-road DII Eagle squad. Cory Carpenter had a coming out party of sorts against CU, having the best day in Bobcat history in a first start, throwing for 229 yards on 22-31 passing and a TD, and his trio of receivers had to have been wearing sticky glue against the Buffs, dropping less than 3 passes.
What to watch: With starting RB Evin Groves out, the Bobcats will rely on a pair of sophmores, with Isaiah Taito expected to get the start, but UTEP transfer Jon Lane should see plenty of actrion as well.
- 7-30

Northern Colorado @ #19 Portland State
- The first conference game of the season will have the PSU Vikings hosting the newly joined UNC Bears. NoCo played a very tough UC-Davis squad last week, and didn't play very well. Four turnovers plagued the Bear offense, and the Aggies were able to stick to the Bears on the road, 38-7. The offense took a hit with the injury to star wideout Andy Birkel, and the Bear defense gave up 366 total yards to a very talented Aggie team. The Vikings still have a lot of question marks offensively, but are coming off one of the biggest wins in school history, a 16-6 shocker against IA New Mexico. Mu'Ammar Ali, who was expected to be an ample replacement for All-American Joe Rubin, has injured his shoulder and is out at least 4 weeks. His backups are a couple guys with names that are even harder to pronounce, thank God I only have to type them: Kelena Ho'okano rushed for 35 yards against New Mexico, and Olaniyi Sobomehin added 8. QB Sawyer Smith came on strong at the end of last year, and played pretty well against the Lobos, tossing 2 TD passes and 173 yards. Even though the Lobos outgained the Vikings 339-233, they could not find the endzone, and did not score in the second half. Credit the Vikings defense who may have proven they are #1 in the Big Sky. LB Adam Hayword registered 10 tackles, 4 sacks and forced a fumble. I like the Vikings at home for this one, their defense is stout and the Bears offense has yet to find itself.
What to watch: Last time these two teams met, Joe Rubin racked up 356 yards and 5 TDs. This time around, the Bears have the better back in Andre Wilson, who is going to have to play a huge game if the Bears want to hang around.
- 10-28

South Dakota State @ #5 Montana
- South Dakota State may have just suffered one of the worst losses in school history Saturday. The Jackrabbits lost their season opener at home to DIII Wisconsin-La Crosse. The field conditions were soggy and wet, but a D1 program should never lose to a DIII program. DII losses are forgivable but not acceptable. Regardless, the Jacks should bounce back, but they face a very tough task visiting WA-Grizzly stadium tomorrow. The Jacks used a pair of QBs, Andy Kardoes and Ryan Berry, who would throw 4 INTs between them. While the Jacks were losing a game they were supposed to win, the Griz were losing one they were supposed to lose. The Griz traveled to Iowa City to play the Hawks, and got trounced 41-7. The Griz played admirably for 2 and a 1/2 quarters, coming as close as 17-7, but it went downhill from there. Josh Swogger has reportedly broken his non-throwing hand, but Bobby Hauck won't tell anyone the injury report, not even his own mother. So with potentially their starting QB out, their starting RB, and from what I have heard, starting WR (though he didn't play at Iowa) out for at least the first half (or not, I'm so confused on this whole thing), the Griz offense may revert to last years dismal output. Cole Berquist would/will take the helm if Swogger isn't good to go, who had a less than stellar freshman campaign a year ago. So what is the good news? The Griz defense played pretty well at Iowa, and returning to their hometown in front of their crowd, they are going to play very well. I wouldn't be suprised at a game very similar to last years.
What to watch: Nobody has proven themselves worth to replace Hilliard yet, but you couldn't expect anyone to against a nationally ranked IA team. It will be interesting to see who steps up, Reggie Bradshaw or Greg Coleman, or both.
- 0-17

Northern Arizona @ Utah
- Can it be? Is it true? Is Jason Murietta finally the QB we all thought he was in 2003? He showed glimpses in the Jacks opening loss to #24 Arizona State. He threw for 259 yards, 2 scores on an impressive 15-20 passing. But 206 of those yards, not to mention both scores came from WR Alex Watson, who earned national player of the week awards. NAU also had the best daying running the ball against IA foes, gaining 109 yards on the ground, though 31 came from Murietta. The game was tied in the 4th quarter until ASU blew it open. Utah may not be as tough as opponent as ASU, but the Jacks will still be overmatched in this one. Utah's Eric Weddle is one of the bestDBs in the MWC, and should match up well with Watson. While I applaud NAU's effort at ASU, I don't think they can repeat that performance. Well at very best they can match it, and still lose 35-14. I'm sick of talking about these IA games, but we still have several left on the schedule.
What to watch : Jason Murietta played exceptional versus top25 Arizona State - can he repeat thtt performance and regain his status as an elite QB in the BSC?
- 17-38

Fort Lewis @ Idaho State
- ISU played much better than the score would indicate. A closer look indicates the defense played awful, and the offense couldn't convert third downs. ISU's defense has finished in the bottom half of the conference for the last few years, and if this game is any indication, that trend should continue. Pago Togafu might be the only bright spot by the seasons end. Matt Gutierrez got himself off to a good start, finishing the week with the most yards in the Sky, 260, with 1 TD, 1INT on 17-32 passing. ISU is going to be very explosive this year against IAA foes, but they don't get to test those waters for another week, as they take on DII Fort Lewis. The Skyhawks were blanked 44-0 by national championship contender Cal Poly, and don't face a much easier task this week by traveling to Pocatello to take on the Bengals. They would be able to muster up just 79 yards of offense, and will find ISU's defense a breath of fresh air after the swarming defense of the Mustangs. They will be able to put some points on the board, but ISU has far too many weapons on offense to keep this game close. Gutierrez will have a big day connecting with a talented group of wideouts lead by senior Akilah Lacey, and the ever potent duo of Josh Barnett and Ken Cornist will rack up at least 150 yards.
What to watch: Matt Gutierrez had an impressive day against a talented UNLV defense, and could have his biggest day as a collegiate QB yet.
- 13-35



Possible upset of the week: Weber over Cal Poly
Best matchup: Cal Poly @ Weber
Worst matchup: EWU @ West Virginia

Apologies

Sorry about the lack of updates, especially with so many exciting things happening in the Big Sky this previous week. When I returned from my three day stint in Colorado, I found my PC was kaput. Luckily I got in at midnight or so, and the next day was Labor Day, so I didn't get a chance to get it to a shop until late Tuesday afternoon. Turns out my video card is fried, all 285 bucks of it. I should be operational again tomorrow, pending further complications.

With that, I will leave you with a glorious picture of yours truely at Folsom Field, courtesy of the ever-amazing Jay Thane.



I have the cowboy hat on. Sorry ladies, I'm taken.

Big Sky Opening Day

Three Big Sky teams opened their season today against I-A foes, but no one came out victorious.

Sacramento State 0 Boise State 45
- This one wasn't even close! Sac managed 50 rushing yards and 32 passing. I don't know what else to say.

Eastern Washington 17 Oregon State 56
- Well at least the Eags put some points on the board, though they found themselves down 35-0 just 19 minutes into the game, thanks to three fumbles and an INT. The Eags would finish with just 126 yards of total offense against a middle of the road OSU squad.

Northern Arizona 14 Arizon State (#24) 35
- The best showing so far by a BSC club, the Jacks were tied up with those Devils at the start of the 4th quarter, 14-14. NAU actually led two times in this game, 7-0 and then 14-7. Murietta and Watson hooked up 11 times for 206 yards and two TDs, and Murietta finished an impressive 15-20 for 259 yards. Is this the beginning of the return of Murietta that we Big Sky fans have been wondering about for years?

Overall, a dissapointing way to start the new season. I expected a bit more competition from our BSC bretheren, but it looks like only NAU showed up to play some football.

A real quick preview of the rest of the BSC action (I will be back to full preview mode next week, I had a very hectic week):

Griz 20 Iowa 45
- This is probably the best opponent the BSC has faced in years. The Griz have the potential to keep this closer than that, but the loss of Hilliard to injury and Chambers to... whatever... are going to make for a very tough matchup. Drew Tate and Albert Young are going to shine, but senior QB Josh Swogger has something to prove as well.

Wildcats 20 Colorado State 38
- CSU has been down and lost Kyle Bell to injury, but they are still way ahead of a regrouping Wildcat squad. The loss of Zach Hall hurts the Cats, although they are still talented enough in the backfield. CSU will be too much this early in the season.

Bobcats 17 Colorado 35
- This game might be close for a half, because both teams are breaking in new offensive players, and CU is breaking in a new coach. Both teams return talented defenses, and could kee this game relatively low-scoring for awhile. The Buffs will start to click in the second half and erase any chances of an upset.

Bengals 24 UNLV 30
- I believe this game will be the closest of the matchups between I-A squads. Gutierrez has been playing lights out in scrimmages, and Togafu will prove his worth defensively. UNLV is going through a transition phase, and a lot of changes have been made. UNLV will still have too much raw talent to overcome, but this talented ISU squad will give them all they can handle.

Vikings 17 New Mexico 38
- The Lobos are a quality IA program. The Vikings have way too many question marks, though lots of talent. But the inexperience and lack of playing together will make this a very tough task. And it doesn't get any easier for PSU after this, either...

Bears 14 UC Davis 27
- The Bears are impressively the only BSC team not playing a I-A opponent this season. But this a talented Aggie squad, lead by QB Jon Grant and WR Tony Kays. The Bears have a new scheme, new coach, new conference and question marks galore. Even at home they will not be able to stop their former GWFC foes.