The Bobcat Nation

According to the article on the Oregon/Montana game this weekend; Ft. Lewis offers only 9 (Nine) scholarships for football. Why play D-II with 9 scholarships? Reminds me of St. Mary's. I see South Dakota State never used all of their scholarships when D-II and only have 42 on the roster this year compared to the 63 most D-1AA's carry. I believe you can carry 42 scholarships for D-II football.

gtapp wrote:Why play D-II with 9 scholarships?...

Why indeed. This game served no purpose other than a controlled scrimmage.

Cat-theotherwhitemeat wrote:

gtapp wrote:Why play D-II with 9 scholarships?...

Why indeed. This game served no purpose other than a controlled scrimmage.

It gives those Griz fans a glimmer of hope, as they lose the next 10 games!

mquast53000 wrote:

Cat-theotherwhitemeat wrote:

gtapp wrote:Why play D-II with 9 scholarships?...

Why indeed. This game served no purpose other than a controlled scrimmage.

It gives those Griz fans a glimmer of hope, as they lose the next 10 games!

Nah, we'll beat Weber State.

Cat-theotherwhitemeat wrote:

gtapp wrote:Why play D-II with 9 scholarships?...

Why indeed. This game served no purpose other than a controlled scrimmage.

The Griz first team vrs the second team would have been a better game! Heck I bet the Griz second team playing them, would have been a 54 point favorite

One of the most interesting things coming out of Missoula since camp started was obviously the QB situation. Bobby goes ALL of camp without naming a #1 guy, then claims that BOTH QB's in the battle will get plenty of time vs Fort Lewis. HOWEVER, it appears that Washington took the bulk of the snaps which would leave you to believe he's the guy BH wants. If so, why the charade? If not, why didn't he give Berquist more time in the first half, when the blowout effect wasn't in play yet?

Based on my listenening to the game (1st half), seeing the stats and viewing the various comments on egriz, it really doesn't look like CB got the same opportunities to succeed that Washington did.

This is not smack; I'm legitimately wondering why Bobby is handling his QB controversy this way...

El_Gato wrote:One of the most interesting things coming out of Missoula since camp started was obviously the QB situation. Bobby goes ALL of camp without naming a #1 guy, then claims that BOTH QB's in the battle will get plenty of time vs Fort Lewis. HOWEVER, it appears that Washington took the bulk of the snaps which would leave you to believe he's the guy BH wants. If so, why the charade? If not, why didn't he give Berquist more time in the first half, when the blowout effect wasn't in play yet?

Based on my listenening to the game (1st half), seeing the stats and viewing the various comments on egriz, it really doesn't look like CB got the same opportunities to succeed that Washington did.

This is not smack; I'm legitimately wondering why Bobby is handling his QB controversy this way...

Here is what I saw happen - JW played the 1st quarter, and Cole was playing the 2nd until he took a shot, then JW went back in. I'm not sure if Cole was hurt or stunned or shook up, but it probably made sense to pull him out and make sure he was o.k.

3rd qtr was just a blow out and there really wasn't much left to do in the 4th qtr but hand it off to the 3rd string rb.

I am a little surprised that CB didn't start the 3rd quarter to see what he could do, but honestly I don't think the Griz were going to learn much anyway from this game. Oregon might tell more, but probably the starter won't be fully determined until after SDSU.

grizbeer wrote:

El_Gato wrote:One of the most interesting things coming out of Missoula since camp started was obviously the QB situation. Bobby goes ALL of camp without naming a #1 guy, then claims that BOTH QB's in the battle will get plenty of time vs Fort Lewis. HOWEVER, it appears that Washington took the bulk of the snaps which would leave you to believe he's the guy BH wants. If so, why the charade? If not, why didn't he give Berquist more time in the first half, when the blowout effect wasn't in play yet?

Based on my listenening to the game (1st half), seeing the stats and viewing the various comments on egriz, it really doesn't look like CB got the same opportunities to succeed that Washington did.

This is not smack; I'm legitimately wondering why Bobby is handling his QB controversy this way...

Here is what I saw happen - JW played the 1st quarter, and Cole was playing the 2nd until he took a shot, then JW went back in. I'm not sure if Cole was hurt or stunned or shook up, but it probably made sense to pull him out and make sure he was o.k.

3rd qtr was just a blow out and there really wasn't much left to do in the 4th qtr but hand it off to the 3rd string rb.

I am a little surprised that CB didn't start the 3rd quarter to see what he could do, but honestly I don't think the Griz were going to learn much anyway from this game. Oregon might tell more, but probably the starter won't be fully determined until after SDSU.

In the opinion of Griz fans, which direction would you prefer Hauck go? Do you think there is a chance he will switch it around for Oregon with Berquist getting the start and Washington backing up just to see how they react to the situation?

coachouert wrote:In the opinion of Griz fans, which direction would you prefer Hauck go? Do you think there is a chance he will switch it around for Oregon with Berquist getting the start and Washington backing up just to see how they react to the situation?

I don't care which direction he goes. I'm putting my faith in him that he'll start (and play) the best player. I don't think there's any chance Berquist starts over Washington against Oregon. Washington is the #1.

Cat-theotherwhitemeat wrote:

coachouert wrote:In the opinion of Griz fans, which direction would you prefer Hauck go? Do you think there is a chance he will switch it around for Oregon with Berquist getting the start and Washington backing up just to see how they react to the situation?

I don't care which direction he goes. I'm putting my faith in him that he'll start (and play) the best player. I don't think there's any chance Berquist starts over Washington against Oregon. Washington is the #1.

i concur, doesn't matter to me who he plays at this point.

Washington started to pull away in the battle, even before the fort central sam adams lewis game. But, my guess is, they just wanted to see these guys play some before anouncing a starter. Why not let the battle continue? The more competition the better. Though, Washinton has the edge, I don't think they know who will be starting come BSC play. Thus, no starter is named. What is the hurry, and why would cat fans care either way, is my thought.

gtapp wrote:According to the article on the Oregon/Montana game this weekend; Ft. Lewis offers only 9 (Nine) scholarships for football. Why play D-II with 9 scholarships? Reminds me of St. Mary's. I see South Dakota State never used all of their scholarships when D-II and only have 42 on the roster this year compared to the 63 most D-1AA's carry. I believe you can carry 42 scholarships for D-II football.

36 is the max for DII football. When DII - SDSU was at 36. This year, SDSU is at 42. SDSU plans to gradually increase the scholarships to 63 when they are postseason eligible.

JahGriz wrote:...What is the hurry, and why would cat fans care either way, is my thought.

Because I'm a SPORTS fan, Jah, and IMO a team with a QB controversy is a team in trouble (unless your QB's are Joe Montana & Steve Young). The longer BH goes without naming a permanent starter, the more divided your team & the fans will become as some dig in more deeply on Washington's side while others back Berquist. BH has already set himself up to take alot of heat when his eventual starter struggles (remember Edwards/Neill and Ochs/Disney) because this battle has drawn on for 9+ months.

You stated that competition is good, which I agree with IN CAMP, but once the season starts, IMO you need to have your #1 QB in the right "mind set"; he needs to know it's "his team". If either Berquist or Washington began to "slack off" and not work as hard because the starter had been named, that's not a guy you want leading your team anyway. If you're named "THE GUY", wouldn't you take the trust placed in you by your coach and work your tail off to help YOUR team win? If you were named the backup, wouldn't you work even harder to win back the job plus figuring you're going to get your shot if the #1 gets hurt?

My bottom line point is this: It appears that BH will make Washington the starter; if so, I think BH is making a BIG mistake by not simply doing so now. The longer this thing draws on, the worse it's going to make things for BH AND the QB's if/when they struggle...

I kind of feel sorry for these guys. They are trying to replace an All-American, and the first 2 games don't help the cause. Washington's stats looked pretty decent in the first game but it's overshadowed because it was a crappy team. Now they have to go to Oregon and get pulverized - which probably still won't say much about how much they're improving. The first good test will be SDSO IMO. Not trying to smack Griz fans here, but I have a feeling the Oregon D against an inexperienced QB could make things ugly in a hurry...

The good news for the Griz is that I was not at all impressed with Oregon's pass rush. Although their D-line is huge & strong, they weren't quick at all; the one caveat here is perhaps their gameplan had them "staying home" more because of Houston's offense.

If they aren't great at pass-rushing, the Griz had better be prepared for a ton of blitzes. Coaches at EVERY level know that if you're facing a team with a green QB, help him make bad decisions by pressuring him as much as possible. If Oregon thinks they can generate pressure with just the 4 lineman, the Griz MAY have enough time to throw.

Overall, however, I really don't think either QB will have any success vs Oregon's D with the exception being Washington may be able to get some yards with his feet; when he watches the UO/Houston films, however, he'll see a secondary that LOVES to hit.

catatac wrote:I kind of feel sorry for these guys. They are trying to replace an All-American, and the first 2 games don't help the cause. Washington's stats looked pretty decent in the first game but it's overshadowed because it was a crappy team. Now they have to go to Oregon and get pulverized - which probably still won't say much about how much they're improving. The first good test will be SDSO IMO. Not trying to smack Griz fans here, but I have a feeling the Oregon D against an inexperienced QB could make things ugly in a hurry...

There's no smack in there, it's the truth. I have a feeling that Hauck will game plan with a lot of QB runs. At least I'm hoping. This seems to be Washington's strength anyway. I don't know if you all saw it, but a couple years ago against Idaho the game plan was perfect and worked great. Sampson was the QB for a lot of it and the option caught them off-guard. If the pass rush of Oregon is to bully with their big up front guys, then having a fast QB might make it interesting....for half of the first quarter.

Actually, I think with Washington's running ability the griz might make this a very interesting game for a half. If he is able to break containment and get off a few large runs it will slow the pass rush down some. They will then force the griz to beat them with the pass and that could spell trouble. I don't think Lex is going to have a very good game. Close for a half, but the Ducks will then pull away. Good luck griz give em **ll!

Cat-theotherwhitemeat wrote:...I don't know if you all saw it, but a couple years ago against Idaho the game plan was perfect and worked great...

Emphasis added; need I say more?

It would be nice to have a QB named as the starter, and I think Washington will be the guy. But I also think the coaches don't want to end up naming a guy, only to reverse their decision. That may not go down great either. Either way, it isn't a great situation to be in. Especially when our WR corps are green. To make things worse, IMO, we don't have much speed at WR, which isn't going to allow for some of the big plays we had last year.

Was it this thread that someone said standard thought is that the Griz have the most talent in I-AA. Are you kidding me, I don't know if there has ever been a year where the Griz had the most talent in I-AA. I'm not sure where this myth comes from, maybe Griz fans themselves. Last year we were close offensively, but not even close defensively. This year, no way the Griz have more talent than the cats. Next year, who knows, but the Griz will have a isht of players back, and the cats will loose a ton.

The Cat's will not be void of talent next year. Granted Lulay is gone and several other great players (Gatewood, Mac, Nick, JD, Bass, Bolton, Fig).

BUT By position
LB has only King and Lowe back (ONLY?? great start)
DBs - Should be very good (Force, Davis, Fuller, Smith (all to be starters this year)
DL - All the starters back and Matakus might be also. Also all the backups.
OL will have 4 of the top 6 back and good backups ready with only one spot to fill.
QB will have 2 good options (Carpenter and Coppack). Both looking good and will be mature talented Juniors Would probably be starting for the Griz this year?
RB could actually be even better with Groves and Tiato. Both look really good.
TE - ALL back as Red Shirt sophs
WR will have Brown (very good), Roosevelt, and Lulay back. Some TRs would help here.

Seems like a couple of WR transfers and a LB or two and you are gold again. Wouldn't call it without a little talent coming back.

BUT, that is next year and this is NOW when we have the 6 to 10 senior studs. that make this team special.