On The Flip Side

As a Washington State assistant under Mike Price, Larry Lewis was always a defensive kind of guy, coaching up players at every position from linebacker to nose guard.

It seemed likely, then, that he might prefer a more conservative approach to his first collegiate head coaching job at Idaho State.

But Lewis, after taking over a downtrodden Bengals program last November, has installed a single-back, spread-passing offense that has produced two early wins and injected a much-needed dose of enthusiasm into the Pocatello community.

ISU leads the nation in total offense heading into Saturday’s Big Sky Conference opener at Weber State. The Bengals, 2-0 after lopsided wins over Eastern Oregon and Ft. Lewis College, are averaging 579.5 yards and 48 points per game. They have already equaled last season’s total of nine touchdown passes, and boast one of the country’s most productive running backs in junior Nick Whitworth, who has rushed for 494 yards and four TDs.

So what does a defensive kind of guy like Lewis think about watching the football move so recklessly up and down the field?

“It’s fine with me, as long as we’re the guys moving it,” he said.

Lewis, who took over a program riddled by academic and legal problems, attributes the Bengals’ run to the wide-open offensive philosophy he brought with him from WSU. “We’re not going to line up and run over anybody just yet,” he said. “For the most part (the offense) is based on spreading people out and taking advantage of people by formation. And so far, it’s really opened up the running game for us.”

The Bengals are led offensively by junior quarterback Shane Griggs, who returned to ISU last fall after transferring to South Carolina, where he sat out the 1997 season under the NCAA’s transfer rule.

Griggs, a 6-foot-5, 200-pounder from Pocatello, started for the Bengals as a freshman and threw for 1,823 yards and 16 touchdowns. He redshirted last season and has thrown for 337 yards and 6 touchdowns this fall, despite sharing snaps with last year’s starter, Kevin McCarthy.

Griggs is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s game at Weber State because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Quick healer

Montana quarterback Drew Miller, who missed most of the fourth quarter and both overtimes in last Saturday’s 41-38 win over Cal State Sacramento, probably won’t miss another snap with the shoulder injury that sidelined him against the Hornets.

Miller, who suffered a bruise to his right shoulder and re-aggravated an old injury, was expected to begin practicing again today. The Grizzlies (2-0, 1-0), ranked No. 3 in the nation, have a bye this weekend, then play Weber State in Missoula.