BIG SKY FOOTBALL AT THE TOP,
MEETING THE MUSTANGS, AND BIG SKY BESTS
by Mike Lund, Athletics Media Relations Director
Oct. 16, 2012
With the Big Sky Conference schedule at the halfway point for most teams, it is interesting to note who is - and isn’t - at the top.
Eastern Washington pulled off a big road victory at (previously second-ranked) Montana State to knock them from the ranks of the undefeated. That leaves the Eagles on top of the Big Sky (not a big surprise there) at 4-0 and ranked number one in the nation this week.
Tied with the Eagles for first place is this week’s Viking opponent, Cal Poly. That is a bit of a surprise as the Mustangs were picked fifth in the Big Sky preseason polls. But, they do come off a first-place finish in the now-defunct Great West Football Conference.
The Mustangs have beat up on a couple of the lower level teams in the Big Sky the past two weeks (Northern Colorado and Weber State), but they can also boast a 24-22 win at FBS Wyoming in their perfect 6-0 season mark. They have the most potent running game and best third-down offense in the Big Sky Conference. The defense has forced 12 turnovers, giving Cal Poly a +7 turnover ratio.
Also undefeated in the Sky at 3-0 is a Northern Arizona team that was picked seventh and ninth in the preseason polls.
NAU and Cal Poly square off in Flagstaff in a Nov. 17 season finale. Could that be for the Big Sky Conference title?
Noticeable for its absence at the top of the conference standings is Montana at 3-4/1-3. The Griz have lost two straight conference home games for the first time since 1990 (!). Montana lost to Southern Utah, 30-20, at home last Saturday. The Griz had lost to NAU 41-31 on Sept. 22 at home as well. In between was a road loss at Eastern Washington and road win at Northern Colorado. That leaves once-mighty Montana with three league losses, out of Big Sky title contention and the top 25 poll for the first time since the 90s.
Meanwhile, the Vikings head to San Luis Obispo for a meeting with the Mustangs, and former head coach Tim Walsh. It is nice to see Walsh having success at Cal Poly, and I will go on record as saying I hope he finishes 10-1. And, I hope that one loss is this Saturday to the Vikings.
The matchup will be pretty intriguing as Cal Poly’s triple option offense gives it one of the best running games in the nation (309 yards on the ground every Saturday), while the Viking rushing defense has been pretty good against Big Sky opponents.
In PSU’s four games against Big Sky schools - three in conference matchups - the defense has performed well against the run. Here is what they allowed to those schools with regard to carries and yards:
Sept. 8: North Dakota, 35-107 (non-conference game)
Sept. 22: Southern Utah, 29-86
Sept. 29: Northern Arizona, 40-86
Oct. 6: Idaho State, 25-68
That means four Big Sky opponents have averaged only 86.7 rushing yards per game, and better yet just 2.7 yards per carry.
For the season, Portland State has allowed 264.3 yards passing per game and 17 passing touchdowns while picking off seven passes. On the ground, they give up 113.5 and just 3.1 yards per carry. Opponents have run 218 times and passed 201 times.
So the question becomes, does Walsh consider opening up his passing game a little against the Vikings? So far this year, CP has thrown an average of just under 13 passes per game for just over 100 yards per game. Or, do the Mustangs continue to grind it out with an attack that includes six different ball carriers with significant rushing yards this year? Rushing leader Deonte Williams (107-757-9) ranks second in the Big Sky Conference in rushing this season. Senior quarterback Andre Broadus, from Portland’s Grant High School, has 605 passing yards, 240 rushing yards, and has accounted for 13 touchdowns. In his career, Broadus has completed 184-305 passes for 2,350 yards, 22 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Those numbers are pretty attractive. Still, the guess is Walsh keeps it close to the ground. You can’t argue with his results so far this season.
For the Vikings, the second half of the season will feature three top-25 opponents, including Cal Poly, #5 Montana State (Nov. 10) and #1 Eastern Washington (Nov. 17). With UC Davis and Northern Colorado sandwiched in there as well.
After rolling over the hapless Idaho State Bengals, 77-10, a little more than a week ago, the Vikings will need that type of explosive offense and effective defense to continue to knock off victories.
STAT OF THE WEEK
In the ever-tough Big Sky Conference it is extremely difficult to win on the road.
Or is it?
So far this season, Big Sky road teams are 15-9 in conference games, a .625 winning percentage. The Vikings have to like that with three of their next four games on the road.
SOME OF THE BEST IN THE BIG SKY
Another chance to go on the road this week means another chance to enjoy some of those Big Sky Conference amenities in league cities, hotels and stadiums (This will be my 79th football game road trip since the start of the 1999 season). Here are a few of my favorites in the Big Sky:
Stadium: I truly believe that JELD-WEN Field in its new, remodeled state COULD be the best stadium in the Big Sky Conference. But, until we can fill it and create that awesome college football game-day atmosphere, I have to give the nod to Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula (even as the Griz have been in losing mode). It’s a tremendous game day atmosphere with 25,000 growling Griz fans. Montana State’s upgraded Bobcat Stadium and fan following has become pretty impressive as well. It takes second.
Press Box: Once again, the remodel gives JELD-WEN the nod here. Heat, AC, lots of space, but above all the best view in the league. Perfect height and right on top of the action. Since JELD-WEN is not a road facility, my runner up is Weber State. Remodeled a few years back, the press box at Stewart Stadium is comfy on a chilly Ogden afternoon, you can pull right up to the door and park, you can watch the deer hunters up on the Wasatch hills behind the stadium, AND the legendary (now-retired Sports Information Director) Brad Larsen always made sure to have a fine spread of press food on hand.
Radio Play-By-Play Man (Tom Hewitt has given me permission to select outside of the Rose City): I’m going with Larry Weir, who is great at football, but I think best at basketball. Honorable mention to my man - the friendliest guy in the league - Mitch Strohman of Northern Arizona.
Mascot: Conventional wisdom says to go with Monte, the Montana Grizzlies mascot. I think he was named Mascot of the Year once. But, I prefer the more creative nicknames and mascots (of which the Big Sky has very few). I have always been partial to Herky The Hornet from Sacramento State. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a 30-foot tall blowup cartoon Hornet with football players running onto the field between his legs. Sac State SID Brian Berger tells me Herky now lives in semi-retirement (only coming out for the BIG games) and is a big St. Louis Cardinals fan.
Airport: When it comes to airports, the smaller the better I always say because you are in and out in a jiffy. The Big Sky Conference is LOADED with small airports that you can race through in minutes. But, I am going to choose the Flagstaff airport. The reason? For the first time EVER we were able to fly directly to Flagstaff for a game this year. In the past, it had always been fly to Phoenix, then make a 2.5 hour drive up the hill. That makes for a long trip. This time, we landed at the tiny Flagstaff airport and our hotel was three minutes away.
Meal: I am usually looking for a good steak on Friday night on the road. Guy’s Lolo Creek Steakhouse in Lolo, MT just outside of Missoula does the trick. I don’t have any positive memories about Missoula. In fact, I have never seen - in person - a Viking win in football or basketball in Missoula against Montana. But, if you drive northeast out of town to the little burg of Lolo, you will be treated to huge portions of red meat grilled to your liking to make the stay a little more pleasant. I once saw former Viking great Matt James ingest approximately 2 ½ steaks (his original portion was a 22 oz sirloin).
The Timber Mine in Ogden is pretty good for steaks as well (and the great Jon Kasper from the Big Sky Conference has been known to sponsor a meal on occasion). If you are looking for a floor show to go with your steak, try Black Bart’s in Flagstaff. You don’t often hear a stirring rendition of “OOOOOOOOO-klahoma” at meal time anymore, but you can get one there.
Water Pressure: Sounds silly, but there is nothing worse than a wimpy hotel showerhead. The nod goes to Flagstaff. After a workout at the Little America Hotel last month, I jumped into the shower and was welcomed by a steamy, hot waterfall that made me want to stay all day.
Milk Shake: I learned from the best, and by that I mean the great Larry Sellers (Portland State sports information director from 1968-99, who claimed his life quest was “to seek the perfect milkshake”). Larry was my mentor at Portland State, and as such he told me about Jake’s Over The Top in Ogden. It is a fantastic milkshake that they whip up, yes, over the top of the cup. There are three sizes, but frankly if you order more than a small, you are just showing off.
All that said, a great Larry Sellers story: In the mid-90s on one of Portland State’s first trips to Ogden, Larry bought a Jake’s Over The Top milkshake after the game. The Vikings had to stay overnight before flying home, so Larry, a notoriously slow eater, still had half of his milkshake left by the time he got back to the hotel. He pulled the radio equipment out of the trunk of the car but left the remaining milkshake in the trunk (it was snowy and frozen overnight). In the morning, upon replacing his bags in the trunk, Larry picked up the milkshake and drank the rest of it on the way to the airport.
City: Well, Portland by the length of three football fields. All the rest tie for a distant second.
