Grizzlies Must Cope With Option

Montana’s NCAA Division I-AA quarterfinal football game Saturday against Georgia Southern will be a showcase of two radically different football philosophies.

Montana (10-2) has an explosive passing offense, averaging 519 total yards and 43 points per game. The Grizzlies can score quickly on long passes from Dave Dickenson to any of a number of receivers.

Georgia Southern (9-3) runs an option attack, averaging 337 yards and 24 points per game. Quarterback Charles Bostick passes for an average of 36 yards and runs for another 52 per game. Fullback Chad Holmes rushes for 61 yards per game.

“We played them in 1989 and they’re doing a lot of the same things,” Montana coach Don Read said of Georgia Southern.

The Grizzlies could not stop the Eagles’ running attack and Montana fell 45-15 in a semifinal game in Statesboro, Ga.

Georgia Southern coach Tim Stowers was an assistant, so Read said he doesn’t expect many philosophical changes.

“We’ve got to stop an option attack - a very, very potent option attack,” Read said.

Stowers points to his defensive secondary as a weapon against Dickenson - who passes for 384 yards per game - and his receiving corps.

Brancis Williams led the Southern Conference with six interceptions and returned one 46 yards for a touchdown against Troy State last weekend.

Wetta to leave ISU

Robb Wetta has decided to leave Idaho State, where he has started as quarterback the past two seasons.

Wetta, a sophomore, plans to transfer to another, as yet undetermined, school after the current semester.

“I certainly support Robb’s decision,” ISU football coach Brian McNeely said. “I appreciate everything he’s done in his two years here, and I wish him only the best in the future.”

During his Bengals career, Wetta completed 386 of 675 passes for 4,363 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Gary Anderson, also a sophomore, started in ISU’s season finale Nov. 18, throwing four touchdown passes in a 35-25 victory over Weber State.

Miami optimistic

Miami is optimistic the NCAA will disclose sanctions against the school by the end of the week, in which case the Hurricanes likely will withdraw from consideration for a bowl.

Miami may choose to sit out the postseason even if the NCAA announcement is delayed until after the bowl schedule becomes final Sunday.

“Our inclination continues to be that if the sanctions are to come, we’d prefer to deal with them sooner rather than later,” athletic director Paul Dee said Wednesday.

Miami may be in line for a berth in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame on New Year’s night, which would earn the school $3.5 million. But if a bowl ban is part of the NCAA penalties, the 22nd-ranked Hurricanes (8-3) could reduce the impact on recruiting by sitting out this season’s game rather than waiting a year to begin serving that part of their sentence. For that reason, Miami asked the NCAA to disclose sanctions before Sunday.

Abdul-Jabbar expected to play

UCLA tailback Karim Abdul-Jabbar is expected to be fully recovered for the Aloha Bowl against Kansas on Dec. 25. Abdul-Jabbar suffered a sprained ankle that forced him to miss the USC game. And if he plays, the Bruins will abandon the diverse, dynamic offense they used against USC and return to the runoriented attack they employed earlier.

“If Karim is going to be in the game, you’ll see us return to play very much like we did when he was healthy,” coach Terry Donahue said. “We had to change styles against USC and change from our tendencies because we lost our most productive player. You’ll see us much more like we were.”