Proud Griz Man
November 25th, 2006, 09:49 AM
http://www.americanpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=438&Itemid=96
What McNeese found is a physical team, much like Montana teams the Cowboys have seen in the past.
"I studied their offense after we played them in 2002 (a 24-20 Cowboys playoff win in Lake Charles) because in the offseason I like to get a good look at what other teams are doing," Viator said. "They do a lot of the same thing."
That involves a power running game and a straight drop-back passing game.
"They like to run power football and their quarterback (Josh Swogger) is a slinger," Hebert said. "He'll stand on one hash and throw the out route the other way and not many quarterbacks can do that."
Swogger has passed for 2,029 yards and 11 touchdowns, giving the Grizzlies a balance with a rushing game that has gained 1,814 yards. Montana lost a Payton Award candidate from the preseason when Lex Hilliard was lost to injury, but Reggie Bradshaw (566 yds., 10 TDs) and Brady Green (464 yds., 6 TDs) have given the Griz consistent rush yards.
Thomas Brooks-Fletcher has been the guy lately, however, gaining 158 of his 186 rushing yards in the last two games.
However, the backs aren't the main concern in the Griz running game.
"Their linemen are all 6-5 to 6-7," Viator said. "I remember seeing them in '02 and those guys passed the eye test. They have some good looking linemen."
Three Montana linemen, 6-foot-7, 320-pound tackle Cody Balogh, 6-5, 285-pound center Jeff Marshall and 6-5, 318-pound guard Colin Dow, are all all-Big Sky Conference players.
The physical play doesn't stop on offense. Montana's defense leads the Big Sky in total defense (265.1 yards per game), rushing defense (98 ypg) and scoring defense (17.9 points per game).
So deep is Montana on defense that three defensive ends — Mike Murphy, Dustin Dlouhy and Kroy Biermann — are all all-conference players. Biermann moved into a starting role when Murphy had to miss a game for an appendectomy and Biermann, who has nine sacks, promptly took over Murphy's role as resident Buck Buchanan Award candidate.
"They are very physical," Viator said. "The notion that the Big Sky isn't physical and plays wide-open football is a myth. Since I've been here (Viator arrived as an assistant coach in 1999), the four most physical teams we've played are Western Kentucky, Montana, Montana State and Northern Arizona.
What McNeese found is a physical team, much like Montana teams the Cowboys have seen in the past.
"I studied their offense after we played them in 2002 (a 24-20 Cowboys playoff win in Lake Charles) because in the offseason I like to get a good look at what other teams are doing," Viator said. "They do a lot of the same thing."
That involves a power running game and a straight drop-back passing game.
"They like to run power football and their quarterback (Josh Swogger) is a slinger," Hebert said. "He'll stand on one hash and throw the out route the other way and not many quarterbacks can do that."
Swogger has passed for 2,029 yards and 11 touchdowns, giving the Grizzlies a balance with a rushing game that has gained 1,814 yards. Montana lost a Payton Award candidate from the preseason when Lex Hilliard was lost to injury, but Reggie Bradshaw (566 yds., 10 TDs) and Brady Green (464 yds., 6 TDs) have given the Griz consistent rush yards.
Thomas Brooks-Fletcher has been the guy lately, however, gaining 158 of his 186 rushing yards in the last two games.
However, the backs aren't the main concern in the Griz running game.
"Their linemen are all 6-5 to 6-7," Viator said. "I remember seeing them in '02 and those guys passed the eye test. They have some good looking linemen."
Three Montana linemen, 6-foot-7, 320-pound tackle Cody Balogh, 6-5, 285-pound center Jeff Marshall and 6-5, 318-pound guard Colin Dow, are all all-Big Sky Conference players.
The physical play doesn't stop on offense. Montana's defense leads the Big Sky in total defense (265.1 yards per game), rushing defense (98 ypg) and scoring defense (17.9 points per game).
So deep is Montana on defense that three defensive ends — Mike Murphy, Dustin Dlouhy and Kroy Biermann — are all all-conference players. Biermann moved into a starting role when Murphy had to miss a game for an appendectomy and Biermann, who has nine sacks, promptly took over Murphy's role as resident Buck Buchanan Award candidate.
"They are very physical," Viator said. "The notion that the Big Sky isn't physical and plays wide-open football is a myth. Since I've been here (Viator arrived as an assistant coach in 1999), the four most physical teams we've played are Western Kentucky, Montana, Montana State and Northern Arizona.