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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Big Sky notes: Montana reshaped season after loss to EWU

Montana All-American defensive end Zack Wagenmann, left, said his team focused after losing to the Eagles on Nov. 8. (AP)
Losing is no fun, but Montana’s loss to Eastern Washington four weeks ago came with a bonus. “It’s brought us closer together,” All-American defensive end Zack Wagenmann said of a 36-26 defeat in Cheney on Nov. 8 that left the Grizzlies in must-win mode since. Now they’re coming back to Cheney, hoping for some revenge in Saturday’s second-round Football Championship Subdivision playoff game. Along the way, the Grizzlies (9-4) have taken three straight one-sided wins: over Southern Utah (35-17), Montana State (34-7) and San Diego (52-14) in a first-round playoff game last weekend. “It’s a special feeling, having your back to the wall,” said Wagenmann, a senior captain. “We didn’t have a choice. … We’ve redefined our focus.” For coach Mick Delaney, that means moving quickly on to the next task. Against San Diego, Delaney said Wednesday the Griz probably played their best game of the season, “but it was gratifying that our guys put that to bed immediately.” At the same time, Delaney said the win over the Toreros didn’t raise false sense of accomplishment. “We know what a fine team (the Eagles) are, and our focus is to go to Cheney and play better than we did last time,” Delaney said.
Quick start important
While Montana has played nonstop since Oct. 15, the Eagles have taken two of the last three weeks off. Fans may wonder: Is that a good thing, or will Eastern come out sluggish on Saturday? “It has to do more with how we handle these days out here,” EWU head coach Beau Baldwin said. “We have to create that moment and that urgency in practice, and have that carry over into Saturday.” Baldwin said he believes that both bye weeks “have come at a good time. … The guys have handled it well in terms of practice.” Slow starts have been a problem in Eastern’s recent playoff games, including two season-enders. In 2012, the Eagles fell behind Sam Houston State 35-0 before falling 45-42. A year later, they trailed Towson 21-0 at halftime en route to a 35-31 defeat. Film will take the Eagles only so far, since the Grizzlies are sure to make some changes on both sides of the ball to throw off Eastern’s timing. The Eagles’ offense expects to see some changes from the Montana defense, including what Baldwin calls “a few tweaks, more subtle things that we as coaches might notice more than fans.” “They’ll tweak a few things, as we will too,” he said. Reacting on to the fly will be crucial. Eastern center Jase Butorac expects to see some changes up front as he and his linemates try to keep quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. upright. “In the last game, he got hit a little more than we would have liked,” Butorac said. Since beating Montana on Nov. 8, Eastern had a bye the following week before ending the regular season with a 56-34 win at Portland State on Nov. 21.
Illinois St. hosts Northern Iowa
You don’t have to look for to find another second-round playoff team matching teams from the same conference. In the same bracket, fifth-seeded Illinois State (10-1) will host Missouri Valley Athletic Conference rival Northern Iowa (9-4) in Normal, Illinois. The winner faces the EWU-Montana winner on Dec. 12 or 13. This matchup has a twist: UNI defeated the Redbirds 42-28 on Nov.1 but still must hit the road for this playoff game. Northern Iowa also handed three-time defending champion North Dakota State its only loss of the season, 23-3, the following week. Eastern defeated Illinois State 51-35 in an FCS quarterfinal at Roos Field in 2012. The Eagles are scheduled to play Northern Iowa in a regular-season game next year in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The teams will play in Cheney in 2016. In the same bracket, top-seeded New Hampshire hosts Fordham and No. 8 Chattanooga hosts Indiana State. In the opposite bracket, No. 2 North Dakota State hosts South Dakota State; No. 3 Jacksonville State hosts Sam Houston State; Villanova hosts Liberty; and Coastal Carolina hosts Richmond.
Chaves appointed to council
Eastern Washington University athletic director Bill Chaves has been appointed to the newest and most prestigious level of leadership in the highest classification of intercollegiate athletics – the NCAA Division I Council. The group, appointed by the NCAA Board of Directors, is charged with conducting the day-to-day business of Division I. The council will convene for the first time in January. The 40-member council consists of 28 athletic directors and associate athletic directors, three faculty athletic representatives and two student-athletes representing NCAA Division I institutions, as well as seven conference representatives. This will be the first time student-athletes will cast votes on NCAA rules. The council will cast votes on new rules for the first time in the 2015-16 legislative cycle.