MSU vs. UM and the state of MSU athletics

[aucat]

From a Bobcat vs. Griz point of view, the 2011-2012 year has not been so great to date. So let's examine where we stand:

Football. Granted, ten wins, a co-BSC championship, a BRIEF ranking of #1 and a home win in the FCS playoffs were great. Getting blown out by the Griz on our HOME FIELD was not so great. With the new Bobcat Stadium, we expected a big home field advantage---at least a TD. Didn't happen.

Future prospects: Things look pretty solid. No suggestions going forward. Coach Ash has made great progress. He just needs to start beating the Griz on a regular basis, so let's beat the Griz at their place next year.

Women's BB: Again, what happened to the home court advantage? Early on, it appeared that we might just be the best in the Big Sky. However, we did not take care of business on our home court.
Future prospects: Coach Binford has this team on the right track. Maybe we'll beat the Lady Griz at their place on Sat.

Volleyball: New coach is coming in. This sport receives great support and it is an exciting event for fans to watch. We should NOT be the doormat of the BSC.
Future prospects: Looks like we have a winner coming in. Lots of optimism here.

Men's BB: Grim. My prediction is that we will suffer a blowout loss on Sat. The talent gap between the Cats and Griz is simply staggering.
Future prospects: If Coach Huse had not received a contract extension I think there would be considerable pressure to end his tenure at the end of this season. However, I feel sure he will be back. Next year will be what, his 7th year ? If the Cats are not serious contenders for the BSC next year, I think there will be lots of pressure to make changes. Personally, I hope Huse finally turns the corner next year and begins fielding teams that can compete. But his recruiting to date has not been sufficient to do that.

All I know is, I am SICK and TIRED of losing to the Griz in every sport we play them in. I really can't think of another state where one state university has "owned" the other as UM has owned MSU. As I said above, I think we have the right coaches in place in football, women's bb and volleyball to balance this rivalry out. We'll have to see how the men's bb plays out.

MSU is a great institution and has a great fan base. Bozeman is a great college town. There is simply NO excuse whatsoever for a continuation of this UM dominance over MSU in athletics. The students, administration, alumni and fans should demand that it not be tolerated. And don't try to convince me that we have to lower our academic and character standards to achieve success. Coach Ash has already demonstrated that we can have high quality student-athletes who are capable of competing for championships.

[LZCAT]

Another sign of the state of mens basketball at MSU, was that I signed up for the bus to go watch the men's and women's games in Missoula on Saturday, only to find out Monday that the trip was canceled due to lack of people signing up. Only 22 people signed up and 40 was the minimum that had to sign up to make the trip feasible. Very disappointing to say the least. 85 bucks for both game tickets, the bus ride, two meals, and not having to worry about driving in bad weather. Sometimes I think they shouldn't televise these games on local and BigSky TV. Attendence might improve.

[Eastcoastgriz]

From a Bobcat vs. Griz point of view, the 2011-2012 year has not been so great to date. So let's examine where we stand:

Football. Granted, ten wins, a co-BSC championship, a BRIEF ranking of #1 and a home win in the FCS playoffs were great. Getting blown out by the Griz on our HOME FIELD was not so great. With the new Bobcat Stadium, we expected a big home field advantage---at least a TD. Didn't happen.

Future prospects: Things look pretty solid. No suggestions going forward. Coach Ash has made great progress. He just needs to start beating the Griz on a regular basis, so let's beat the Griz at their place next year.

Women's BB: Again, what happened to the home court advantage? Early on, it appeared that we might just be the best in the Big Sky. However, we did not take care of business on our home court.
Future prospects: Coach Binford has this team on the right track. Maybe we'll beat the Lady Griz at their place on Sat.

Volleyball: New coach is coming in. This sport receives great support and it is an exciting event for fans to watch. We should NOT be the doormat of the BSC.
Future prospects: Looks like we have a winner coming in. Lots of optimism here.

Men's BB: Grim. My prediction is that we will suffer a blowout loss on Sat. The talent gap between the Cats and Griz is simply staggering.
Future prospects: If Coach Huse had not received a contract extension I think there would be considerable pressure to end his tenure at the end of this season. However, I feel sure he will be back. Next year will be what, his 7th year ? If the Cats are not serious contenders for the BSC next year, I think there will be lots of pressure to make changes. Personally, I hope Huse finally turns the corner next year and begins fielding teams that can compete. But his recruiting to date has not been sufficient to do that.

All I know is, I am SICK and TIRED of losing to the Griz in every sport we play them in. I really can't think of another state where one state university has "owned" the other as UM has owned MSU. As I said above, I think we have the right coaches in place in football, women's bb and volleyball to balance this rivalry out. We'll have to see how the men's bb plays out.

MSU is a great institution and has a great fan base. Bozeman is a great college town. There is simply NO excuse whatsoever for a continuation of this UM dominance over MSU in athletics. The students, administration, alumni and fans should demand that it not be tolerated. And don't try to convince me that we have to lower our academic and character standards to achieve success. Coach Ash has already demonstrated that we can have high quality student-athletes who are capable of competing for championships.

And lets not forget about tennis!

[TomCat88]

From a Bobcat vs. Griz point of view, the 2011-2012 year has not been so great to date. So let's examine where we stand:

Football. Granted, ten wins, a co-BSC championship, a BRIEF ranking of #1 and a home win in the FCS playoffs were great. Getting blown out by the Griz on our HOME FIELD was not so great. With the new Bobcat Stadium, we expected a big home field advantage---at least a TD. Didn't happen.

Future prospects: Things look pretty solid. No suggestions going forward. Coach Ash has made great progress. He just needs to start beating the Griz on a regular basis, so let's beat the Griz at their place next year.

Women's BB: Again, what happened to the home court advantage? Early on, it appeared that we might just be the best in the Big Sky. However, we did not take care of business on our home court.
Future prospects: Coach Binford has this team on the right track. Maybe we'll beat the Lady Griz at their place on Sat.

Volleyball: New coach is coming in. This sport receives great support and it is an exciting event for fans to watch. We should NOT be the doormat of the BSC.
Future prospects: Looks like we have a winner coming in. Lots of optimism here.

Men's BB: Grim. My prediction is that we will suffer a blowout loss on Sat. The talent gap between the Cats and Griz is simply staggering.
Future prospects: If Coach Huse had not received a contract extension I think there would be considerable pressure to end his tenure at the end of this season. However, I feel sure he will be back. Next year will be what, his 7th year ? If the Cats are not serious contenders for the BSC next year, I think there will be lots of pressure to make changes. Personally, I hope Huse finally turns the corner next year and begins fielding teams that can compete. But his recruiting to date has not been sufficient to do that.

All I know is, I am SICK and TIRED of losing to the Griz in every sport we play them in. I really can't think of another state where one state university has "owned" the other as UM has owned MSU. As I said above, I think we have the right coaches in place in football, women's bb and volleyball to balance this rivalry out. We'll have to see how the men's bb plays out.

MSU is a great institution and has a great fan base. Bozeman is a great college town. There is simply NO excuse whatsoever for a continuation of this UM dominance over MSU in athletics. The students, administration, alumni and fans should demand that it not be tolerated. And don't try to convince me that we have to lower our academic and character standards to achieve success. Coach Ash has already demonstrated that we can have high quality student-athletes who are capable of competing for championships.

You're looking at this all wrong. Can we get a breakdown of the rodeo teams?

[TIrwin24]

MSU usually owns UM in Track & Field as well.

Bigger, Stronger, Faster

[wbtfg]

At least our fans don't smell of menthol cigarettes and old hot dog water.

Sounds to me like someone needs a shot of vim ...better make it a double.

[[cat_bracket]]

I feel your pain, but in calendar year 2010 we won 4 out of 5 sweeping MBB, splitting WBB and winning FB in their place. They caught a bunch of breaks in football this year and won. It happens. Everyone, not just UM, is beating our men's BB team. In WBB they had a week off and we played a road game 36 hours earlier and ran out of gas late. They'll have their big years against us and we'll have our big years against them.

Oh, and volleyball? wtf? If you're going to include that include everything.

[mslacatfan]

wow, I understand your frustration with the Basketball team, I think everyone basically feels the same about that... but I really dont see a whole lot to complain about regarding all the other sports, especially football.

Anyone that is complaining about the state of our football program needs to have their head examined. This is arguably the best couple year stretch the football team has EVER had, and it only looks to improve.

I share your feelings about losing to the griz... it sucks! But overall I think every sport besides mens basketball is in pretty damn good shape. Especially the football program.

[ilovethecats]

Anyone that is complaining about the state of our football program needs to have their head examined. This is arguably the best couple year stretch the football team has EVER had, and it only looks to improve.

this is a slippery slope because i am certainly happy with how far that our football team has come. but i can definitely see why some would be frustrated....and you basically just said it. if this is the best two year stretch the cats have EVER had.....count me as one who just became less excited. two years ago we had a good year, and we beat the griz. only to get blasted at home in our first playoff game to ndsu. this year, we had a good year, except that we got blasted by um....at home. and then two weeks later in the playoffs.

it appears to me that the original poster was more disappointed in how we are doing against the griz this year...and i happen to agree. the griz are killing us this year. they walked into our stadium in november and dismantled us. doesn't say a ton about us if that was the best team we have ever had.....and the griz beat us by almost 4 touchdowns.

hoops has been the same. their squads just strolled into bozeman and knocked us around on our home floor.

luckily...there is always next year....but for THIS year, i don't think there is any denying the griz smacked us around. great for them...annoying for me....

[TrueCat]

[quote="aucat"]From a Bobcat vs. Griz point of view, the 2011-2012 year has not been so great to date. So let's examine where we stand:

Football. Granted, ten wins, a co-BSC championship, a BRIEF ranking of #1 and a home win in the FCS playoffs were great. Getting blown out by the Griz on our HOME FIELD was not so great. With the new Bobcat Stadium, we expected a big home field advantage---at least a TD. Didn't happen.

Future prospects: Things look pretty solid. No suggestions going forward. Coach Ash has made great progress. He just needs to start beating the Griz on a regular basis, so let's beat the Griz at their place next year.

Women's BB: Again, what happened to the home court advantage? Early on, it appeared that we might just be the best in the Big Sky. However, we did not take care of business on our home court.
Future prospects: Coach Binford has this team on the right track. Maybe we'll beat the Lady Griz at their place on Sat.

Volleyball: New coach is coming in. This sport receives great support and it is an exciting event for fans to watch. We should NOT be the doormat of the BSC.
Future prospects: Looks like we have a winner coming in. Lots of optimism here.

Men's BB: Grim. My prediction is that we will suffer a blowout loss on Sat. The talent gap between the Cats and Griz is simply staggering.
Future prospects: If Coach Huse had not received a contract extension I think there would be considerable pressure to end his tenure at the end of this season. However, I feel sure he will be back. Next year will be what, his 7th year ? If the Cats are not serious contenders for the BSC next year, I think there will be lots of pressure to make changes. Personally, I hope Huse finally turns the corner next year and begins fielding teams that can compete. But his recruiting to date has not been sufficient to do that.

All I know is, I am SICK and TIRED of losing to the Griz in every sport we play them in. I really can't think of another state where one state university has "owned" the other as UM has owned MSU. As I said above, I think we have the right coaches in place in football, women's bb and volleyball to balance this rivalry out. We'll have to see how the men's bb plays out.

MSU is a great institution and has a great fan base. Bozeman is a great college town. There is simply NO excuse whatsoever for a continuation of this UM dominance over MSU in athletics. The students, administration, alumni and fans should demand that it not be tolerated. And don't try to convince me that we have to lower our academic and character standards to achieve success. Coach Ash has already demonstrated that we can have high quality student-athletes who are capable of competing for championships.[/quote]


Here you go:

Delaware / Delaware State
Ohio State / Ohio
USC / UCLA
Washington / Washington St
North Carolina / North Carolina State
South Carolina / South Carolina State
Univ. Tennessee / Memphis
Oregon / Oregon St

To name a few....

[ImagineSanta]

From a Bobcat vs. Griz point of view, the 2011-2012 year has not been so great to date. So let's examine where we stand:

Football. Granted, ten wins, a co-BSC championship, a BRIEF ranking of #1 and a home win in the FCS playoffs were great. Getting blown out by the Griz on our HOME FIELD was not so great. With the new Bobcat Stadium, we expected a big home field advantage---at least a TD. Didn't happen.

Future prospects: Things look pretty solid. No suggestions going forward. Coach Ash has made great progress. He just needs to start beating the Griz on a regular basis, so let's beat the Griz at their place next year.

Women's BB: Again, what happened to the home court advantage? Early on, it appeared that we might just be the best in the Big Sky. However, we did not take care of business on our home court.
Future prospects: Coach Binford has this team on the right track. Maybe we'll beat the Lady Griz at their place on Sat.

Volleyball: New coach is coming in. This sport receives great support and it is an exciting event for fans to watch. We should NOT be the doormat of the BSC.
Future prospects: Looks like we have a winner coming in. Lots of optimism here.

Men's BB: Grim. My prediction is that we will suffer a blowout loss on Sat. The talent gap between the Cats and Griz is simply staggering.
Future prospects: If Coach Huse had not received a contract extension I think there would be considerable pressure to end his tenure at the end of this season. However, I feel sure he will be back. Next year will be what, his 7th year ? If the Cats are not serious contenders for the BSC next year, I think there will be lots of pressure to make changes. Personally, I hope Huse finally turns the corner next year and begins fielding teams that can compete. But his recruiting to date has not been sufficient to do that.

All I know is, I am SICK and TIRED of losing to the Griz in every sport we play them in. I really can't think of another state where one state university has "owned" the other as UM has owned MSU. As I said above, I think we have the right coaches in place in football, women's bb and volleyball to balance this rivalry out. We'll have to see how the men's bb plays out.

MSU is a great institution and has a great fan base. Bozeman is a great college town. There is simply NO excuse whatsoever for a continuation of this UM dominance over MSU in athletics. The students, administration, alumni and fans should demand that it not be tolerated. And don't try to convince me that we have to lower our academic and character standards to achieve success. Coach Ash has already demonstrated that we can have high quality student-athletes who are capable of competing for championships.

At work, do you measure your worth compared to the other employees, or do you not care and only care what you feel you own worth is?

[[cat_bracket]]

Anyone that is complaining about the state of our football program needs to have their head examined. This is arguably the best couple year stretch the football team has EVER had, and it only looks to improve.

this is a slippery slope because i am certainly happy with how far that our football team has come. but i can definitely see why some would be frustrated....and you basically just said it. if this is the best two year stretch the cats have EVER had.....count me as one who just became less excited. two years ago we had a good year, and we beat the griz. only to get blasted at home in our first playoff game to ndsu. this year, we had a good year, except that we got blasted by um....at home. and then two weeks later in the playoffs.

it appears to me that the original poster was more disappointed in how we are doing against the griz this year...and i happen to agree. the griz are killing us this year. they walked into our stadium in november and dismantled us. doesn't say a ton about us if that was the best team we have ever had.....and the griz beat us by almost 4 touchdowns.

hoops has been the same. their squads just strolled into bozeman and knocked us around on our home floor.

luckily...there is always next year....but for THIS year, i don't think there is any denying the griz smacked us around. great for them...annoying for me....

aucat, looks like you have a friend in ilovethecats. Fortunately I don't rate a team on one bad game. If I did then I guess since UM got smacked around by Sac State and toyed with by Sam Houston they shouldn't be too excited either. Then there's Sam Houston...they colud barely move the ball against NDSU. They're going nowhere fast. Glad i'm not in Georgia Southern's shoes, they were annihilated by NDSU. App State really sucks losing to Maine 34-12. No. Iowa lost by 38 to UM. UNH, JMU, Wofford, Towson...losers.

[ilovethecats]

aucat, looks like you have a friend in ilovethecats. Fortunately I don't rate a team on one bad game. If I did then I guess since UM got smacked around by Sac State and toyed with by Sam Houston they shouldn't be too excited either. Then there's Sam Houston...they colud barely move the ball against NDSU. They're going nowhere fast. Glad i'm not in Georgia Southern's shoes, they were annihilated by NDSU. App State really sucks losing to Maine 34-12. No. Iowa lost by 38 to UM. UNH, JMU, Wofford, Towson...losers.

interesting take on what i said. my point is, if this was the best 2 year stretch the football team has ever had (which i never said i believed) then i am less excited about our chances moving forward. the griz beat us at home by four touchdowns. that doesn't make me happy at all. and i don't become more happy about it because we had a good year. granted, i am one of those that puts sports in perspective too....so i certainly didn't lose sleep over it.

and again, and the point you either missed or ignored is that the op was talking about US against the GRIZ. not the griz vs sac. not us against weber. not norther iowa vs the griz. that is all irrelevent to me. i could not possibly care less about northern iowa or other head to head matchups. i care about the cats, and to a lesser extent the griz. i also don't rate a team on one bad game....but you likely already knew that.

[[cat_bracket]]

aucat, looks like you have a friend in ilovethecats. Fortunately I don't rate a team on one bad game. If I did then I guess since UM got smacked around by Sac State and toyed with by Sam Houston they shouldn't be too excited either. Then there's Sam Houston...they colud barely move the ball against NDSU. They're going nowhere fast. Glad i'm not in Georgia Southern's shoes, they were annihilated by NDSU. App State really sucks losing to Maine 34-12. No. Iowa lost by 38 to UM. UNH, JMU, Wofford, Towson...losers.

interesting take on what i said. my point is, if this was the best 2 year stretch the football team has ever had (which i never said i believed) then i am less excited about our chances moving forward. the griz beat us at home by four touchdowns. that doesn't make me happy at all. and i don't become more happy about it because we had a good year. granted, i am one of those that puts sports in perspective too....so i certainly didn't lose sleep over it.

and again, and the point you either missed or ignored is that the op was talking about US against the GRIZ. not the griz vs sac. not us against weber. not norther iowa vs the griz. that is all irrelevent to me. i could not possibly care less about northern iowa or other head to head matchups. i care about the cats, and to a lesser extent the griz. i also don't rate a team on one bad game....but you likely already knew that.

I, too, keep it in perspective. Therefore engaging in the whole Cat-Griz thing for one year isn't. The thread title indicates that somehow losing to UM in a few select sports in one year is the embodiment of the State of MSU Athletics. Looking at TomCat's sig line I see that MSU has consistently claimed team and individual championships in all kinds of sports from 1929 to as recently as last year. We had a guy gunning for a NCAA title in track last year and another soon in the nordic ski racing. Rodeo is right around the corner and both the men and women look like contenders nationally as teams and individually.

As for the football game sometimes you lose by 28 and sometimes you lose by 1, but sometimes you played better in the 28 point loss than the 1 point loss. Bottom line a loss is a loss and a win is a win. You get one or the other and put it behind you and improve and move on. So no point dwelling on these recent losses when there are more games right around the corner, some with much bigger implications.

[ilovethecats]

I, too, keep it in perspective. Therefore engaging in the whole Cat-Griz thing for one year isn't. The thread title indicates that somehow losing to UM in a few select sports in one year is the embodiment of the State of MSU Athletics. Looking at TomCat's sig line I see that MSU has consistently claimed team and individual championships in all kinds of sports from 1929 to as recently as last year. We had a guy gunning for a NCAA title in track last year and another soon in the nordic ski racing. Rodeo is right around the corner and both the men and women look like contenders nationally as teams and individually.

As for the football game sometimes you lose by 28 and sometimes you lose by 1, but sometimes you played better in the 28 point loss than the 1 point loss. Bottom line a loss is a loss and a win is a win. You get one or the other and put it behind you and improve and move on. So no point dwelling on these recent losses when there are more games right around the corner, some with much bigger implications.

i can agree with a lot of this. however, something need to be taken into perspective...whether they are right or wrong. for instance, all wins and losses are technically the same. but they aren't. your rival game is always bigger even though it will still amount to only a single win...or a single loss. if we knew we were going to lose to a conference foe five times in a row , would you rather it be portland state, or the griz?

wins work the same way. of course losing by one and losing by 50 still result in just a single loss. ho hum. however, in the context of an entire season, as well as confidence and momentum.... i would have much rather lost in a close game on a last possession than have our rivals come in and embarrass us. even though it only amounted to one loss.

and finally, i'm aware that the cats do pretty well in other sports and evenbeat the griz. however, if we are being realistic, we know we have the big two....and than maybe womens basketball as far as the sports the fans really care about. this isn't to take away from the accomplishments of other sports....just keeping it in perspective. when was the last time you went to a tennis match? how about a track meet? did you catch any of the volleyball games? most of us would answer no. we are a football school. then maybe hoops. and in those areas....it hasn't been a great year. and sadly, i don't have a ton of confidence it will get better tomorrow. but i will admit that if somehow....someway....the hoops teams find a way to win tomorrow.....i'll feel a LOT better about the year as a whole. but if we get swept again, it will certainly leave a bad taste in my mouth.

losing to the griz is worse than losing to any other school regardless of the sport....in MY opinion.

[crackgina]

And beating the Cats is sweeter to us than all the others.

[[cat_bracket]]

We differ in several ways, which is fine. I follow a team/individual to see if they win a championship. Winning championships is the No. 1 thing on the list. If we lose to UM, but win it all that's 100% fine by me. I don't agree that UM embarrassed us in football, I think we embarrassed ourselves in the second half, but in the first half it was just a matter of missing on plays, so not so much what UM did as what we didn't do. I don't think we were embarrassed in either basketball game. To me getting embarrassed is when a team jumps on you right out of the gate and builds a big lead by halftime and then just coasts in (5 passes before taking a shot or running every down between the tackles).

I do agree most people don't follow all of our sports. I do. Not to the same extent, but when someone is kicking ass in any sport, I start following it and root just as hard for them to win as I would the football team. Coming soon: David "Nordic" Norris. He's got a shot at a national championship in a couple weeks. I choose to follow that closely.

[ilovethecats]

We differ in several ways, which is fine. I follow a team/individual to see if they win a championship. Winning championships is the No. 1 thing on the list. If we lose to UM, but win it all that's 100% fine by me. I don't agree that UM embarrassed us in football, I think we embarrassed ourselves in the second half, but in the first half it was just a matter of missing on plays, so not so much what UM did as what we didn't do. I don't think we were embarrassed in either basketball game. To me getting embarrassed is when a team jumps on you right out of the gate and builds a big lead by halftime and then just coasts in (5 passes before taking a shot or running every down between the tackles).

I do agree most people don't follow all of our sports. I do. Not to the same extent, but when someone is kicking ass in any sport, I start following it and root just as hard for them to win as I would the football team. Coming soon: David "Nordic" Norris. He's got a shot at a national championship in a couple weeks. I choose to follow that closely.

i agree with most of this too. and if i ever witness a season in which we lose to the griz and win a championship....i too won't care about the loss to the griz. and for the record...i never said our hoops team was embarrassed. in fact, i'm on record saying i was quite happy with how the guys competed seeing as they are so overmatched. but we'll agree to disagree on the football game. i saw a griz team that came in and flat out smacked us around in every aspect. even to start the 2nd half when it looked like the cats were gonna come to play....the griz quieted us immidiately.

like i said....i'm very happy with where the football program is. i was a student during the 0-11 season and have seen some very low times. my point was not to discredit them at all. it was a hell of an entertaining season. but that loss still stings. and it was BAD. then the hoops teams get swept and it's hard to take.

[[cat_bracket]]

Historically and overall we have a better athletics program than UM. That's the bottom line. They have a lot of work to do to catch us. Presently, I think we have a better football team coming back next year, better men's and women's hoops coming back, too.

I disagree that UM smacked us around from start to finish in football. The game was a dead heat until the long pass. Poor field postion got the best of us, if anything. They quieted us immediately on an underthrown pass. Things were just going UM's way that day. Had they come out and taken a 28-0 lead into the locker room, I'd be singing a different tune.

[mslacatfan]

Historically and overall we have a better athletics program than UM. That's the bottom line. They have a lot of work to do to catch us. Presently, I think we have a better football team coming back next year, better men's and women's hoops coming back, too.

I disagree that UM smacked us around from start to finish in football. The game was a dead heat until the long pass. Poor field postion got the best of us, if anything. They quieted us immediately on an underthrown pass. Things were just going UM's way that day. Had they come out and taken a 28-0 lead into the locker room, I'd be singing a different tune.

cant wait to see the dipsh*t griz posters respond to this one.......