Post by griz on Apr 25, 2011 16:07:48 GMT -5
Griz offense shines in sunny spring game
www.montanagrizzlies.com/news/?n=2011/100/9831&m=37
Robin Pflugrad gathered his team for one last pep talk before closing the book on the spring practice season.
The second-year Montana Grizzlies coach, in his sarcastic brand of humor, told the squad, "I'm really proud of everyone. Nobody has to walk home. You can all ride the bus."
The Grizzlies wrapped up drills with their annual spring game on a splendid Saturday afternoon at Wendy's Field at Daylis Stadium, and a crowd of better than 5,000 watched as the offense set the pace early before the defense caught up.
The maroon-clad faithful also saw four quarterbacks excel in their own separate ways.
The mood was light afterward, typical for the end of a long spring.
"We've been going hard ever since we got back to school, and we haven't stopped 'til now," wide receiver Jabin Sambrano said. "So it feels like a little weight is off your shoulders.
"But in college football you never have a day off. Come Monday I'll be ready to go again."
The Grizzlies' quarterback crop - consisting of Jordan Johnson, Notre Dame transfer Nate Montana, Shay Smithwick-Hann and Gerald Kemp - accounted for six touchdowns in an offensive performance that was considered to be one of its best of the spring.
Johnson took the first snap, but all four got equal time under center.
"We started off pretty fast," Johnson said. "The offense played really well, and then the defense came back and played really well. I thought it was a good exchange between offense and defense. It was an overall good scrimmage."
With 15 spring practices in the books, Pflugrad said the quarterback competition is "situational" heading into the summer.
"In certain situations, we're going to play a certain guy. And we did it today," Pflugrad said. "We ran the quarterbacks in, we ran the scheme ... and what's wrong with that? If it's the most efficient way to do it, then we're going to do it that way."
Johnson, Montana and Smithwick-Hann combined to complete 22 of 31 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Kemp, who is nursing an injury to his right (throwing) hand, did not attempt a pass. So he ran for 30 yards and a pair of touchdowns instead.
Johnson hit Antwon Moutra in the back of the end zone while rolling right for a 9-yard touchdown, not long after conducting the day's first TD drive, which was capped by Peter Nguyen's 2-yard scoring run.
Later, Montana completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Hardy, while Smithwick-Hann connected with Bryce Carver for a 9-yard scoring pass in a two-minute situation on the ensuing drive.
Johnson, a sophomore-to-be and the only guy among the group with quarterback experience in Pflugrad's offense, said he will continue to go with the flow of the competition.
"It seems like we kind of got equal reps today with the ‘ones.' I'm not really too concerned about it," said Johnson, who was 9 of 11 for 65 yards and a touchdown. "I just come out here and play as good as I can, and the rest will take care of itself.
"It makes it a lot more fun because you have to come out and be sharp every day. You can't take days off."
Montana finished 8 of 12 for 75 yards while Smithwick-Hann, a Kalispell Glacier product, was 5 of 8 for 68 yards. He had the longest throw of the day, a 41-yard connection with Carver over the top.
Smithwick-Hann also ran for a touchdown, a 3-yard keeper to close the scrimmage.
Pflugrad said he was especially encouraged by the offensive tempo. And it caught the defense off guard early.
Johnson led the Grizzlies' offense to its opening score on a seven-play drive that netted 56 yards. Nguyen and fellow running back Jordan Canada picked up 35 of those yards on the ground.
"We definitely picked up our tempo today. Everybody was a lot more comfortable," Sambrano said. "I saw everyone having fun. Seeing the fans, everybody was out there able to have fun and do what they do, and that's play football."
But soon, the defense caught up.
"The offense got out strong. The defense kind of caught us on our heels a little bit," linebacker Jordan Tripp said. "We got it cranked up and got some stuff fixed, but if they can come out fast like that against other teams, we've got no problem with that at all. When they get a chance to strike, they do it. And when they click it's pretty hard to stop defensively.
"Overall, I thought this was our best scrimmage as a unit. We need to continue this momentum into the fall."
Defensive tackle Bryan Waldhauser, a product of Huntley Project, had two sacks, as did defensive end Bobby Alt. Linebacker Josh Stuberg and defensive tackle Tonga Takai were each credited with two tackles for loss.
Noticeably absent from the field was All-America cornerback Trumaine Johnson. Johnson was among a small number of players who did not make the trip for academic reasons.
"He has some academic work back in Missoula," Pflugrad said. "There were a few players that stayed home, not just Trumaine."
Instead, Houston Roots was the most visible corner. Aside from making a couple good plays on the edge, Roots and Sambrano exchanged some playful trash-talk at different times.
Though defensive coordinator Mike Breske said the team is "not where we need to be" at the safety position, the Grizzlies had their moments in the defensive backfield. Mike McCord broke up a Johnson pass - and would have returned it for a touchdown had he corralled the ball - in an early situational drive.
Elsewhere, safety Bo Tully leveled a big hit on freshman wideout Kevin Berland to break up a pass over the middle, a play that earned high marks from the crowd.
The wealth of UM's running game was spread among nine different ball carriers. Nguyen and Canada each had nine carries.
Nguyen led the team with 70 yards and one touchdown, while Canada finished with 42 yards, though his reps were limited after dinging up his ankle. Sophomore Caleb Walden, wearing Chase Reynolds' old No. 34, had 37 yards on 10 attempts, the most carries of any player.
Montana also ripped off a long run from the pocket - a 32-yarder down the left sideline.
"I saw some of that in flashes with the running game," Pflugrad said. "(Brett) Kirschner stepped up early and had some good runs. The mesh points were good with the quarterback/running back relationships.
"And some of the option game was promising - promising on both sides, because the defense did shut the option down a few times, and that was a positive."
The Grizzlies' offensive line survived, although it played with only three offensive tackles. That left them shorthanded - and winded by game's end.
The line took a hit in warm-ups when tackle Jeremy Lapan injured his left ankle during a drill. Lapan was later on crutches and did not play.
Lapan joined the list of nicked up linemen that includes Kjelby Oiland, Jon Opperud, Charles Burton and Steve Sabin, though the latter three all saw time on the field.
"We lost a lineman in warm-ups, and that usually doesn't happen. And you're going, ‘Oh no. Is it going to be one of those days?'" Pflugrad said. "It wasn't. And I'm really proud of the tackles. We only played three tackles the whole game. But I still think the tempo was awesome."
Pflugrad said special teams would get a special look on the field, and kicker Brody McKnight had about as good a day as anybody on the team.
McKnight was 3 for 3 in field goals, making kicks of 40, 42 and 44 yards.
"Brody did a nice job. And he was under some pressure," Pflugrad said. "The guys were yapping at him on both sidelines, and he takes it well. Realistically, that's a distraction and he overcame that. So that was neat to see.
"And we did get our kickoff return team in a couple times, and that's a plus. And we threw in a punt in that second half just to give them something when they might be on the sideline looking up in the stands ... so we tried to bring the focus back (to the field) like it would happen in a regular football game."
www.montanagrizzlies.com/news/?n=2011/100/9831&m=37
Robin Pflugrad gathered his team for one last pep talk before closing the book on the spring practice season.
The second-year Montana Grizzlies coach, in his sarcastic brand of humor, told the squad, "I'm really proud of everyone. Nobody has to walk home. You can all ride the bus."
The Grizzlies wrapped up drills with their annual spring game on a splendid Saturday afternoon at Wendy's Field at Daylis Stadium, and a crowd of better than 5,000 watched as the offense set the pace early before the defense caught up.
The maroon-clad faithful also saw four quarterbacks excel in their own separate ways.
The mood was light afterward, typical for the end of a long spring.
"We've been going hard ever since we got back to school, and we haven't stopped 'til now," wide receiver Jabin Sambrano said. "So it feels like a little weight is off your shoulders.
"But in college football you never have a day off. Come Monday I'll be ready to go again."
The Grizzlies' quarterback crop - consisting of Jordan Johnson, Notre Dame transfer Nate Montana, Shay Smithwick-Hann and Gerald Kemp - accounted for six touchdowns in an offensive performance that was considered to be one of its best of the spring.
Johnson took the first snap, but all four got equal time under center.
"We started off pretty fast," Johnson said. "The offense played really well, and then the defense came back and played really well. I thought it was a good exchange between offense and defense. It was an overall good scrimmage."
With 15 spring practices in the books, Pflugrad said the quarterback competition is "situational" heading into the summer.
"In certain situations, we're going to play a certain guy. And we did it today," Pflugrad said. "We ran the quarterbacks in, we ran the scheme ... and what's wrong with that? If it's the most efficient way to do it, then we're going to do it that way."
Johnson, Montana and Smithwick-Hann combined to complete 22 of 31 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Kemp, who is nursing an injury to his right (throwing) hand, did not attempt a pass. So he ran for 30 yards and a pair of touchdowns instead.
Johnson hit Antwon Moutra in the back of the end zone while rolling right for a 9-yard touchdown, not long after conducting the day's first TD drive, which was capped by Peter Nguyen's 2-yard scoring run.
Later, Montana completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Hardy, while Smithwick-Hann connected with Bryce Carver for a 9-yard scoring pass in a two-minute situation on the ensuing drive.
Johnson, a sophomore-to-be and the only guy among the group with quarterback experience in Pflugrad's offense, said he will continue to go with the flow of the competition.
"It seems like we kind of got equal reps today with the ‘ones.' I'm not really too concerned about it," said Johnson, who was 9 of 11 for 65 yards and a touchdown. "I just come out here and play as good as I can, and the rest will take care of itself.
"It makes it a lot more fun because you have to come out and be sharp every day. You can't take days off."
Montana finished 8 of 12 for 75 yards while Smithwick-Hann, a Kalispell Glacier product, was 5 of 8 for 68 yards. He had the longest throw of the day, a 41-yard connection with Carver over the top.
Smithwick-Hann also ran for a touchdown, a 3-yard keeper to close the scrimmage.
Pflugrad said he was especially encouraged by the offensive tempo. And it caught the defense off guard early.
Johnson led the Grizzlies' offense to its opening score on a seven-play drive that netted 56 yards. Nguyen and fellow running back Jordan Canada picked up 35 of those yards on the ground.
"We definitely picked up our tempo today. Everybody was a lot more comfortable," Sambrano said. "I saw everyone having fun. Seeing the fans, everybody was out there able to have fun and do what they do, and that's play football."
But soon, the defense caught up.
"The offense got out strong. The defense kind of caught us on our heels a little bit," linebacker Jordan Tripp said. "We got it cranked up and got some stuff fixed, but if they can come out fast like that against other teams, we've got no problem with that at all. When they get a chance to strike, they do it. And when they click it's pretty hard to stop defensively.
"Overall, I thought this was our best scrimmage as a unit. We need to continue this momentum into the fall."
Defensive tackle Bryan Waldhauser, a product of Huntley Project, had two sacks, as did defensive end Bobby Alt. Linebacker Josh Stuberg and defensive tackle Tonga Takai were each credited with two tackles for loss.
Noticeably absent from the field was All-America cornerback Trumaine Johnson. Johnson was among a small number of players who did not make the trip for academic reasons.
"He has some academic work back in Missoula," Pflugrad said. "There were a few players that stayed home, not just Trumaine."
Instead, Houston Roots was the most visible corner. Aside from making a couple good plays on the edge, Roots and Sambrano exchanged some playful trash-talk at different times.
Though defensive coordinator Mike Breske said the team is "not where we need to be" at the safety position, the Grizzlies had their moments in the defensive backfield. Mike McCord broke up a Johnson pass - and would have returned it for a touchdown had he corralled the ball - in an early situational drive.
Elsewhere, safety Bo Tully leveled a big hit on freshman wideout Kevin Berland to break up a pass over the middle, a play that earned high marks from the crowd.
The wealth of UM's running game was spread among nine different ball carriers. Nguyen and Canada each had nine carries.
Nguyen led the team with 70 yards and one touchdown, while Canada finished with 42 yards, though his reps were limited after dinging up his ankle. Sophomore Caleb Walden, wearing Chase Reynolds' old No. 34, had 37 yards on 10 attempts, the most carries of any player.
Montana also ripped off a long run from the pocket - a 32-yarder down the left sideline.
"I saw some of that in flashes with the running game," Pflugrad said. "(Brett) Kirschner stepped up early and had some good runs. The mesh points were good with the quarterback/running back relationships.
"And some of the option game was promising - promising on both sides, because the defense did shut the option down a few times, and that was a positive."
The Grizzlies' offensive line survived, although it played with only three offensive tackles. That left them shorthanded - and winded by game's end.
The line took a hit in warm-ups when tackle Jeremy Lapan injured his left ankle during a drill. Lapan was later on crutches and did not play.
Lapan joined the list of nicked up linemen that includes Kjelby Oiland, Jon Opperud, Charles Burton and Steve Sabin, though the latter three all saw time on the field.
"We lost a lineman in warm-ups, and that usually doesn't happen. And you're going, ‘Oh no. Is it going to be one of those days?'" Pflugrad said. "It wasn't. And I'm really proud of the tackles. We only played three tackles the whole game. But I still think the tempo was awesome."
Pflugrad said special teams would get a special look on the field, and kicker Brody McKnight had about as good a day as anybody on the team.
McKnight was 3 for 3 in field goals, making kicks of 40, 42 and 44 yards.
"Brody did a nice job. And he was under some pressure," Pflugrad said. "The guys were yapping at him on both sidelines, and he takes it well. Realistically, that's a distraction and he overcame that. So that was neat to see.
"And we did get our kickoff return team in a couple times, and that's a plus. And we threw in a punt in that second half just to give them something when they might be on the sideline looking up in the stands ... so we tried to bring the focus back (to the field) like it would happen in a regular football game."