Big Sky Capsules
(In predicted order of finish)
Montana
Coach: Mick Dennehy
1998: 6-2 in Big Sky (1st), 8-4 overall (lost in opening round of Division I-AA playoffs).
Strengths: Grizzlies return 19 starters, along with highly touted Brigham Young transfer Drew Miller, who won the starting quarterback job during spring drills.
Weaknesses: Few, if any. Dennehy’s team was extremely young in 1998, yet still managed to win its fourth regular-season Big Sky championship in four years.
Summary: Coaches and media members agree that Montana, which has been to the Division I-AA playoffs six straight years, is once again the class of the league. The Grizzlies return 10 defensive starters and, with the addition of Miller at QB, seem as potent as any team in the league offensively.
Northern Arizona
Coach: Jerome Souers
1998: 3-5 in Big Sky (tied for 7th), 6-5 overall.
Strengths: Lumberjacks have added junior running back Ronney Jenkins, who rushed for 1,307 yards at Brigham Young last season, to an offense that also features senior quarterback Travis Brown, who has thrown for 8,348 yards and 55 touchdowns as a three-year starter.
Weaknesses: Souers came to NAU last fall with a reputation as one of the top defensive minds in the Big Sky. And while his first Lumberjacks team finished second in the league in total defense, it was next-to-last in total offense.
Summary: Souers has plenty of offensive weapons, but it remains to be seen whether his offensive approach will make the most of all that talent. If the Jacks make any progress at all on offense - which they should - the defense should be stingy enough to make them legitimate title contenders.
Portland State
Coach: Tim Walsh
1998: 4-4 in Big Sky (tied for 4th); 5-6 overall.
Strengths: Junior quarterback Jimmy Blanchard returns after leading the nation with a passing efficiency rating of 167.58 last fall. He’ll be joined by all-league running back Charles Dunn (141.9 yards per game) and all-league wide receiver Orshawante Bryant (68 catches, 1,092 yards, 10 TDs).
Weaknesses: Vikings return only three starters on defense, which means Walsh will rely heavily on the 12 transfers he brought in to shore up his stop corps.
Summary: Vikings made huge strides offensively last season behind the steady play of Blanchard and seem poised to take their place among the Big Sky’s elite. Look for Walsh to keep things simple on defense and give his talented transfers the freedom to use their athleticism.
Eastern Washington
Coach: Mike Kramer
1998: 4-4 in Big Sky (tied for 4th); 5-6 overall.
Strengths: Tied with Montana for the greatest number of returning starters (19), the Eagles boast one of the most experienced teams in the Big Sky and could finish at or near the top of the league in total defense.
Weaknesses: Quarterback Fred Salanoa, a junior college transfer from Snow College, has tons of big-play potential, but has never taken a snap at the Division I-AA level.
Summary: Eastern, which lost its four league games by a combined total of 13 points last fall, should have learned something about getting it done at crunch time. If so, the Eagles can challenge. If not, a second-division finish might be more likely.
Montana State
Coach: Cliff Hysell
1998: 5-3 in Big Sky (tied for 2nd); 7-4 overall.
Strengths: Bobcats return seven starters - including all four in the secondary - on defense, where they have been traditionally stingy and physical.
Weaknesses: Rob Compson, who started 38 games at quarterback, is gone and it seems unlikely either Kasey Harte or Dusty Broaderick will be able to compensate for the loss. Working in MSU’s favor, however, is a soft early season schedule that could serve as a real confidence boost to Hysell’s young QBs.
Summary: Bobcats have put together three consecutive winning seasons for the first time since joining the I-AA ranks in 1979. Look for them to be mean on defense and green on offense, especially at quarterback.
Cal State Northridge
Coach: Jeff Kearin
1998: 5-3 in Big Sky (tied for 2nd); 7-4 overall.
Strengths: The return of 16 starters, including sophomore quarterback Marcus Brady, last year’s newcomer of the year in the Big Sky after throwing for 2,974 yards and 25 touchdowns, puts the Matadors among the most experienced and talented teams in the league.
Weaknesses: The turmoil surrounding the program, including the firing of last year’s Big Sky coach of the year Ron Ponciano for numerous NCAA infractions, could make it tough for the Matadors to stay focused on the task at hand.
Summary: Trying to get a read on this immensely talented, but scandal-rocked team is next to impossible. Suffice it to say if Ponciano’s successor, Kearin, can keep all the unsettling off-season problem in the background - and that’s a huge if - the Matadors have a chance to emerge once again as a threat to Montana’s title aspirations.
Weber State
Coach: Jerry Graybeal
1998: 4-4 in Big Sky (tied for 4th); 6-5 overall.
Strengths: Graybeal knows defense, and the Wildcats led the Big Sky in that category last fall. Despite the loss of eight starters, Weber should again be among the stingiest teams in the league.
Weaknesses: Wildcats could miss safety/punter/ placekicker Scott Shields, last year’s defensive player of the year, more than anyone might have imagined.
Summary: Following five consecutive wins to open the 1998 season, injuries - including the loss of starting quarterback Steve Buck - devastated the Wildcats during Graybeal’s first year. On the plus side, several key players gained invaluable experience that should help this season. But don’t expect more than a surprise or two.
Cal State Sacramento
Coach: John Volek
1998: 3-5 in Big Sky (tied for 7th); 5-6 overall.
Strengths: Hornets’ offense returns 10 starters - including all-league running back Charles Roberts, who rushed for an NCAA I-AA-record 2,260 yards, and their entire offensive line - from last year.
Weaknesses: Until last fall, Sac State had won only two Big Sky games in two years, and it has yet to prove it can consistently hang with the league’s big boys.
Summary: It’s hard to rank the Hornets this low, but they have traditionally not played well against Big Sky opposition. Roberts is the real deal, but he surprised many a defense after bursting on the scene as a sophomore last fall, and there is a good chance opponents will be better prepared to stop the 5-foot-6, 175-pounder this year.
Idaho State
Coach: Larry Lewis
1998: 2-6 in Big Sky (9th); 3-8 overall.
Strengths: First-year head coach Lewis has a quarterback controversy on his hands - the kind every coach would like to have. Last year’s starter, Kevin McCarthy, returns, but could be hard-pressed to keep his job because of the re-emergence of Shane Griggs. Griggs started for ISU as a true freshman in 1996, throwing for 1,823 yards and 15 touchdowns before transferring for one year to South Carolina.
Weaknesses: Lewis, a former Washington State assistant, is ISU’s third head coach in four years, and the Bengals have won only six Big Sky games the past three seasons.
Summary: ISU’s already dismal prospects took another hit during the off-season when senior return specialist DeRonn Finley suffered multiple injuries in an automobile accident that claimed the life of teammate Jacori Rufus, a reserve defensive back.
Big Sky polls
The Big Sky Conference football polls, including first-place votes (in parentheses) and total points:
Coaches: 1, Montana (7) 63. 2, Northern Arizona 52. 3, Eastern Washington (2) 47. 4T, Portland State 40. 4T, Montana State 40. 6, Cal State Sacramento 25. 7T, Weber State 23. 7T, Cal State Northridge 23. 9, Idaho State 11.
Media: 1, Montana (20) 204. 2, Northern Arizona (2) 151. 3, Eastern Washington 146. 4T, Montana State (1) 129. 4T, Portland State 129. 6, Cal State Sacramento 89. 7, Cal State Northridge 86. 8, Weber State 70. 9, Idaho State 31.