Welcome back to Chattanooga Grizzlies! Nice catch!

Transcription

1 Welcome back to Chattanooga Grizzlies! Nice catch!

2 Vince Huntsberger with the defensive play.

3 T.J. Oelkers celebrates a successful field goal. Thatcher Szalay is feeling the Grizzly spirit.

4 Notables Left-to-Right: Grizzly Head Coach Joe Glenn, UM President George Dennison, UM Athletic Director Wayne Hogan

5 2001 National Collegiate Division I-AA Football Championship FIRST ROUND December 1 On campus QUARTERFINALS December 8 On campus SEMIFINALS December 15 On campus FINAL December 21 1 Montana (11-1)* Northwestern St. (8-3) Sam Houston St. (9-2)* Northern Ariz. (8-3) McNeese St. (8-3)* Maine (8-2) 4 Eastern Ill. (9-1)* Northern Iowa (9-2) 2 Ga. Southern (10-1)* Florida A&M (7-3) Appalachian St. (8-3)* Finley Stadium/ Davenport Field Chattanooga, Tennessee December 21, 5:30 p.m. NATIONAL CHAMPION William & Mary (8-3) Lehigh (10-0)* Hofstra (9-2) 3 Furman (9-2)* Western Ky. (8-3) *Denotes host insitiution. NCAA/12/4/00/DLP:eed

6 Stories from the Northwestern State Game Grizzlies exorcise Demons By: Jon Kasper of The Missoulian 12/3/2001 Montana moves past Northwestern State; faces Sam Houston State next Top-ranked and top-seeded Montana wasn't going out like that Saturday. Not in the first round. Not on its own turf. Not without putting up a fight. Montana's offense awoke from a first-half slumber and the UM defense delivered the death blow as the top-ranked Grizzlies rallied from a 13-point deficit to down Northwestern State of Louisiana in a Division I-AA first-round playoff game in front of 17,289 fans at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Junior quarterback Brandon Neill replaced an ineffective John Edwards in the second quarter and guided the Grizzlies on backto-back scoring drives to open the second half as UM surged back from a 13-0 deficit to take a lead. The Grizzlies, winners of 11 straight and 15 in a row at home, never relinquished the lead, but didn't start thinking about next week's quarterfinals until senior linebacker Matt Steinau stripped the ball from Northwestern State receiver Freddie Harrison. The ball squirted forward and defensive end Ciche Pitcher recovered the ball in the end zone to put the Griz ahead with 2:23 left to play. The official was a fraction of a second away from blowing the play dead, as Harrison was wrapped up by Johnnie Peeples Jr. "It was pretty close," said Steinau, who had nine tackles. "It could have gone either way. (Johnnie) studded him up and his legs were still churning. I don't know if he could have gotten any more yardage or not." "I was just kind of in the right place at the right time," said Pitcher, who had four sacks and two forced fumbles to go along with the touchdown. "I was able to fall on it. It was a pretty easy play for me." Senior running back Yohance Humphery rushed for 120 yards and scored a pair of second-half touchdowns. The first, a 12-yard run, got the Griz on the board. The second, a 44-yarder on a screen pass, put UM ahead The screen came from Edwards, who returned after Neill tweaked an already-injured knee after celebrating a Griz touchdown. "We made a nice comeback," said senior wide receiver T.J. Oelkers, who caught an 11-yard TD to give the Griz a lead with 6:20 left in the third quarter. "I think we all went into halftime and looked at each other and said, 'We're not going out today. This is not how we wanted to be remembered.' " "I didn't hear it all, but Etu (Molden) gave one of the greatest halftime speeches ever," said Montana coach Joe Glenn. "Etu stood up and talked to the offense and made a passionate plea not to check in our equipment on Monday." On Monday, Montana will be preparing for the Dec. 8 quarterfinal game against Sam Houston State, like Northwestern State a member of the Southland Football League. The Bearkats downed Northern Arizona on a field goal as time expired Saturday. Northwestern State quarterback Craig Nall threw for 339 yards and a touchdown and also scored on a 1-yard run near the end of the first half. Senior receiver Nathan Black hauled in a school-record 13 passes for a school-record 222 yards. His first catch went for a 73-yard touchdown just 59 seconds into the game. "It really wasn't planned that way," Nall said. "I was just expecting Nathan to run a little curl route. He got by the guy and he just outran him to the end zone." Thoughts of a quarterfinal game for UM seemed far-fetched at halftime. Montana's offense managed just 137 yards of total offense and failed to score twice inside of Northwestern State's 20-yard line. Edwards didn't complete a pass in the first quarter and hit on just 3-of-7 for 19 yards before being replaced by Neill with 5:34 left in the second quarter. Edwards, who suffered rib injuries last month, said he took a shot to the ribs on the opening play of the game and never found his rhythm. "John wasn't getting it done," Glenn said. "I told John, it's like a basketball tournament. When a guy's not shooting it very well, let's get someone in there to shoot a little better."

7 "I just didn't have all my ducks in a row at the time. I got pulled and I wasn't getting it done," Edwards said. "Brandon came in an did a nice job of getting the team back rolling and getting everybody fired up." Neill and the UM offense took advantage of great field position to open the second half. After freshman Jefferson Heidelberger returned the opening kickoff 38 yards to the Demons' 45-yard line, Neill hit three straight passes. Faced with a fourth-and-1, Glenn opted to go for a first down or TD. The decision paid off, as Humphery ran around the left side for a 12-yard score. "We had missed a couple of kicks and I thought at that point it would devastate our team to miss another kick," Glenn said. "It's just a gut feeling you have to make a call and put a little pressure on the (offensive coordinator.) The kids have to execute. It was a good call by Billy (Cockhill) and good execution by our blockers." Montana's defense, which held Northwestern State to just 20 yards and two first downs in the third quarter, stopped the Demons on three plays on the ensuing drive. Freshman punt returner Levander Segars ignited the Griz with a sensational 37-yard runback that gave UM the ball at NSU's 39- yard line. Five plays later, Neill hit Oelkers at the 1-yard line. Oelkers stretched across the goal line to put UM ahead. It was Neill's last play. "I was jumping around after the score," said Neill, who completed 7-of-10 passes for 85 yards. "I just got a little too much into the celebration aspect of it. I came down and just kind of tweaked my knee. I had to go over and readjust the (knee) brace on the sideline. It's a little sore now, a little stiff. It should be OK." After Montana's third consecutive TD, Northwestern State cut the deficit to when freshman running back Clint Roy broke loose for a 35-yard touchdown run with 8:38 to go. Roy pointed at the end zone as he crossed the goal line and was flagged 15 yards for taunting. NSU went for a 2-point conversion from the UM 18-yard line. Nall's pass to Harrison fell incomplete near the goal line. "The explanation was he pointed to the end zone," said NSU coach Steve Roberts. "I can't comment on whether it was justified or not." Reporter Jon Kasper can be reached at or by at jkasper@missoulian.com. Game details Crowd: 17,289. Conditions: Temperature of 35. Cloudy. Occasional light snow showers. Winds out of the southwest at mph. Time of game: 3 hours, 20 minutes. Records: Montana, winners of 11 straight, moved to Northwestern State finished its season 8-4. Next Saturday: Top-ranked Montana will play host to Sam Houston State, which beat Northern Arizona in a first-round game on Saturday. Kickoff is at 12:05 p.m. Saturday's stars For Montana, RB Yohance Humphery rushed for 120 yards, scoring on a 12-yard run and a 44-yard pass. WR T.J. Oelkers caught five passes for 57 yards and caught an 11-yard TD pass. Punt returner Levander Segars had 99 yards worth of returns with a long of 37. DE Ciche Pitcher had nine tackles, four sacks, forced two fumbles and recovered a fumble for a touchdown. LB Matt Steinau had nine tackles and a forced fumble. SS Vince Huntsberger had 11 tackles and two pass deflections. CB Calvin Coleman had eight tackles, three pass breakups and blocked an extra point. For Northwestern State, WR Nathan Black set school-records with 13 receptions for 222 yards and caught a 73-yard touchdown. Craig Nall threw for 339 yards and a touchdown. DE Ahmad Willis had six tackles and two sacks. LB Kurt Rodriguez had five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Returner Terrence McGee had 119 yards worth of returns.

8 First-round playoff results By: Sports staff of MontanaGrizzlies.Com 12/1/2001 The Montana Grizzlies survived a poor first half to defeat Northwestern State in Missoula Saturday. The Griz will face Sam Houston State in the quarterfinals at Washington-Grizzly Stadium Dec. 8. SHSU needed a last second field goal to drop the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks NCAA I-AA Playoff Results First Round Montana(1) 28, Northwestern State 19 Sam Houston State 34, Northern Arizona 31 Maine 14, McNeese State 10 Northern Iowa 49, Eastern Illinois(4) 43 Georgia Southern(2) 60, Florida A&M 35 Appalachian State 40, William & Mary 27 Lehigh 27, Hofstra 24 OT Furman(3) 24, Western Kentucky 20 Quarterfinal matchups Saturday, December 8 Sam Houston State at Montana(1) Maine at Northern Iowa Appalachian State at Georgia Southern(2) Lehigh at Furman(3)

9 Stories from the Sam Houston State Game Chattanooga in sight By: Jon Kasper of The Missoulian 12/10/2001 Grizzlies one step away from national title game There was no need for emotional halftime speeches this week. The top-ranked and top-seeded Montana Grizzlies played like the No. 1 team in the land should, scoring 35 first-half points and intercepting five Sam Houston State passes in the second half. Montana dismantled the No. 13 Bearkats in the Division I- AA quarterfinal playoff game Saturday on a beautiful afternoon at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. "Oh man, our football team showed up in a big way," said Montana coach Joe Glenn, who saw his Griz win for the 12th straight time. "Just kind of one of those deals; you've heard me liken it to a boxing match. We smothered them with punches and probably had them rocked early in the game and they could not rebound. We were too much for them." The 18,125 in attendance rocked 'n' rolled early, and so did Montana's offense. The Griz scored touchdowns on all five of their first-half possessions and rolled up 356 of their 455 yards before intermission. UM led at the break. Montana has won 16 straight home games and is undefeated in six quarterfinal contests. The Grizzlies have won five straight home playoff battles and moved to 15-2 in the postseason at Washington-Grizzly. Junior quarterback John Edwards, bad ribs and all, rebounded from a dismal effort in last week's come-from-behind victory against Northwestern State with the best 30 minutes of football he's played in his collegiate career. Edwards completed 16 of 19 first-half passes for 270 yards, including a 38-yard screen to Yohance Humphery on the opening play. Edwards scored on runs of 16 and 2 yards. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder completed 19 of 25 passes for 278 yards before giving way to junior Brandon Neill late in the third quarter. "Obviously, anytime you have a bad day, you hope you can shake it and come back and play well," Edwards said. "It helped that we got it rolling right away with a nice completion to Yo.... I'm just happy to come out and play consistent and play well after having a rough go last week." "I thought John played a heck of a game," said receiver T.J. Oelkers, who threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Etu Molden to give UM a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter. "I spent a lot of time with him this week. He never had his head down once. He came out. He was the guy." The Grizzlies (13-1) will face Northern Iowa next Saturday in a semifinal game. Kickoff is at 12:05 p.m. Northern Iowa, champion of the Gateway Conference, beat Maine in a quarterfinal on Saturday. The winner will advance to the I-AA national championship game in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Dec. 22. "It's in the sights," said Griz receiver Rory Zikmund, who tied a career-high with four catches for 56 yards. "We've got to look at next week and that game first. We all know we can get there. No one is going to stop us. We can go as far as we want to go." Sam Houston State quarterback Josh McCown threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns, but had just 83 passing yards at halftime. McCown, who tied the game 7-7 with an 8-yard scamper, was intercepted four times in the second half, including twice by Vince Huntsberger. Junior cornerback Johnnie Peeples Jr. picked off a McCown pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown, giving Montana a lead with 3:41 to play in the third quarter. "We were in coverage man-to-man and I was playing my man head-up," said Peeples. "I saw the tight end go out right away. He never even saw the ball. I broke on it and made a big play." Sam Houston State, co-champion of the Southland Football League, finished its season The Bearkats ran for just 70 yards on UM's defense, which held them 13 points under their season average. "Ever since we came up here, all anyone wanted to talk about was the weather and the crowd," said Sam Houston's classy coach Ron Randleman. "I've said all the time the weather and the crowd wasn't going to beat us, and they certainly didn't. My concern has always been Montana's football team. They have a fine football team and played well today. "They deserve to win and we give them credit. That does not diminish the season we've had. It does not diminish the way these young men have performed. I'm very proud of them."

10 The Bearkat defense did a dandy job against Humphery, holding the senior to just 39 rushing yards, his lowest total since gaining 28 against Eastern Washington last year in a game he left in the first quarter with an injury. It was just the second time Humphery failed to get 100 yards this season. Humphery, however, scored on runs of 3 and 4 yards in the first half. The first put his team up 7-0. The second gave UM a 28-7 advantage. Humphery and Molden had a lot of success on screens. Humphery had three catches on traditional screens for 50 yards, including the 38-yarder to open the game. Molden tallied 101 of his 138 receiving yards on inside and middle screens. He capped the Grizzlies' scoring when he took a screen pass from Brandon Neill 41 yards along the sideline and into the end zone with 13:33 left in the fourth quarter. Molden got a great downfield block from wide receiver Dane Oliver. "They did a real good job of covering the deep ball," Molden said. "They were playing off. It was cool coming in and getting those little screens and catching it and making something happen, letting the guys get out in front of me, being patient and reading the blocks. It was good from there." "We'd be looking for the screen and they'd hit us with a screen to the tailback when we thought (Molden) was going to get the screen," said Sam Houston senior safety Keith Davis. "When we did cover up the screen, the QB scrambled for good yardage. We were pretty confused. They did a good job. You've got to give them credit." Reporter Jon Kasper can be reached at or by at jkasper@missoulian.com. Game details Crowd: 18,125. Conditions: Temperature of 30 at kickoff. Warming to 39. Partly cloudy. Winds out of the south at 8-10 mph. Time of game: 3 hours, 15 minutes. Records: Montana, winners of 12 straight, moved to Sam Houston State finished its season Next Saturday: Top-ranked Montana will play host to No. 6 Northern Iowa in a semifinal game at 12:05 p.m. Northern Iowa beat Maine in a quarterfinal on Saturday. Saturday's stars For Montana, QB John Edwards completed 19-of-25 passes for 278 yards and ran for two touchdowns. WR Etu Molden caught eight passes for 138 yards and caught TD passes of 19 and 41 yards. RB Yohance Humphery scored two touchdowns. WR Rory Zikmund caught four passes for 56 yards. CB Johnnie Peeples Jr. intercepted two passes, including one for a 25-yard touchdown. SS Vince Huntsberger registered seven tackles, intercepted two passes and had three pass breakups. LB Matt Steinau had nine tackles. CB Calvin Coleman had four tackles, an interception and a pass breakup. For Sam Houston State, QB Josh McCown threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns. WR Jonathon Cooper caught nine passes for 117 yards and one TD. WR Corey Zeno had a 56-yard touchdown catch. RB Joe Rauls had 61 rushing yards and 57 receiving yards. Safety Keith Davis had eight tackles. DT Kelvin Randall had eight tackles. Grizzly secondary comes up with five picks, earns bear hug By: Jon Kasper of The Missoulian 12/10/2001 With just under two minutes to play Saturday, Montana cornerback Johnnie Peeples Jr. sprinted to the sideline and jumped into the open arms of Montana secondary coach Dave Doeren. If there ever was a group of players in need of a big bear hug, it was Montana's much-maligned secondary. Peeples got his squeeze after intercepting a pass by Sam Houston State backup quarterback Rob Stephenson in the closing minutes of the Grizzlies' Division I-AA quarterfinal victory against the Bearkats at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. It was the last of Montana's five second-half interceptions, which all came by performers in the secondary. Senior safety Vince Huntsberger had two. Peeples returned his first pick 25 yards for a touchdown to give Montana a lead with 3:41 left in the third quarter. Peeples also forced a fumble in the third quarter that was recovered by linebacker Dan Orizotti. Senior cornerback

11 Calvin Coleman, who spent much of the day taunting Sam Houston receiver Jonathon Cooper, also snared a pick. "Coach has been saying we need to get good re-routes and get them out of running straight up the field," Huntsberger said. "We kind of did that today. I had a couple of holds called, which I didn't want. What that did is kind of took (the receivers') rhythm off, not so much the quarterback. That did in turn throw his off. The receivers weren't quite where they wanted to be when he was throwing the football." "We had an over-under coverage pretty much," Peeples said. "We played a lot of two-man with safety help, so we could get a good jam on the receiver and worry about playing sound defense. We jam them and they run underneath and we've got safety help and we can do what we want. We played solid." The final stats say Sam Houston senior quarterback Josh McCown threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns. But the athletic senior managed just 83 passing yards in the first half when his team fell behind His big second-half was scarred by four interceptions. The SMU transfer had thrown just eight picks in 379 attempts in his previous 12 games. He threw four in his first 30 attempts in the second half. McCown threw touchdown passes of 8 yards to Cooper and 56 yards to Corey Zeno in the second half, but it was far from enough. "Once I got going, something would take it (rhythm) out of me," McCown said. "I'd have a miss or an interception or get sacked. We got off to a pretty good rhythm before the second touchdown. My credit goes to Montana. They did a great job defensively. My hats off to them. We just couldn't get in a rhythm." "Just the look on his face made it seem like he never got in a rhythm," said Griz linebacker Matt Steinau. "When he threw an incomplete ball, his face looked totally dejected. I have no idea what happened to him." Cooper, one of the most dangerous receivers in I-AA, was held to just three catches for 18 yards in the first half. He broke one on a crossing route for 64 yards in the third quarter. Cooper, who finished with nine catches for 117 yards, capped that drive with an 8-yard touchdown. "Watching film, you could tell they were a good defense," Cooper said. "They got to the ball real fast. Their linebackers dropped back and found receivers. There was nothing that surprised me." "They played a good game today," Cooper added. "At the same time, our offense is capable of making big plays. We're capable of having a great team. They were a better team today."

12 Stories from the University of Northern Iowa Game Griz Declaw Panthers 38-0 By: Scott Miller of MontanaGrizzlies.Com 12/15/2001 Panthers In-Flight Movie Didn t Include Edward s Running Game UM s John Edwards exploded for 95 rushing yards on 9 carries and 2 rushing touchdowns in a 31-0 first-half shutout of the Northern Iowa Panthers. UM won the game 38-0 and advanced to the I-AA championship game against the Furman Paladins, who shocked Georgia Southern, The University of Northern Iowa Panther s plane landed 2 hours late Friday and they were playing catch-up ever since. The Panthers, who only had time for a walk-through practice on the Washington-Grizzly SprinTurf playing surface, came out wearing shoes better suited for their short, indoor surface. As a result, many Panthers weren t getting good footing on the SprinTurf, which has the length and feel of natural grass. By the Panther s third defensive series, they were changing their longer spikes. By this point, they were already down UM had the first possession of the game and they wasted no time running down the field. Behind a dominant offensive line, Yohance Humphery exploited holes and John Edwards optioned the Grizzlies into a 36-yard field goal by Chris Snyder. UM s defense forced two costly turnovers. Following a UNI fumble deep in their own territory, John Edwards scored his first touchdown of the day. On UNI s second possession, they were forced to punt. Edwards, taking tacklers head-on all day, eventually scored his second rushing touchdown and propelled the Grizzlies to a 17-0 first-half lead. On the resulting possession, Dave DeCoite s interception setup a T.J. Oelkers 13-yard run. With the point after by Chris Snyder, the Griz recorded their 24th point while the Panthers were waiting to record their first first down of the game. Tom Petrie took over for an injured Jurgens but was unable to move the Panthers. Levander Segars won the field position game by returning the 53 yard Panther punt 55 yards to the Panther 8-yard-line. Segars injured his right hamstring on the play and was seen on cruthes heading to the lockerroon before half-time. The extent of his injury was unknown as of Saturday afternoon. Yohance Humphery got in the books with his first rushing touchdown of the day. After the Synder point-after, the Griz lead The Panthers only had two scoring threats all day. The first, coming late in the first half, was stopped by sacks and Panther receiver Jake Soliday s personal foul. Soliday, the Panther s star receiver, struck Dave DeCoite and was the first of two Panthers ejected from the game. At the end of the first half, UM was leading The third quarter saw UM s career scoring leader, Yohance Humphery, rush for his second touchdown of the day. After the Synder point-after, the Griz lead The only other threat to the Grizzly defense s shutout came later in the third quarter. However, senior stars Vince Huntsberger, Dan DeCoite, Calvin Coleman, Matt Steinau, and others were not going to have their last game in Washington-Grizzly Stadium spoiled. With first-and-goal on the Grizzly 2, personal fouls and a smothering defense pushed the Panther s back and saw kicker MacKenzie Hoambrecker s 32-yard field goal attempt bounce off the uprights. Speaking of the uprights, they were last seen heading over the Higgins Avenue Bridge into Missoula's downtown. With the goalposts lathered in white grease and almost a dozen police on-hand, who had instructions to not interfere, Grizzly fans celebrated by tearing down the south goal posts. In other misconduct, KPAX TV reported that UNI player #9 Ken Harris was allegedly to be arrested after the game for spitting on a sidelines camera person. Harris, who was also ejected from the game, might have been arrested sooner than that. The Grizzlies return to Chattanooga, Tennessee to face the Furman Paladins. The game will be played on Friday, 12/21 at 3:30pm Mountain time and will be televised nationally on ESPN.

13 Edwards lets his feet do the talking By: Jon Kasper of The Missoulian 12/17/2001 No, Yohance Humphery wasn't jealous of John Edwards. It was Edwards, not Humphery who was Montana's rushing star in the first quarter of the Grizzlies' 38-0 Division I-AA semifinal shellacking of Northern Iowa on Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Edwards sliced through Northern Iowa's defense for two rushing touchdowns and 95 rushing yards in the first quarter. Edwards finished with a career-high 111 yards running on 13 carries. "I was happy for him," said Humphery, who finished with 142 yards and two touchdowns. "I was jacked for him. He was moving the ball well for us. That's what we need. That's what we expect from a leader. If something doesn't look right, make something happen with your feet." Edwards worked magic with his shoes early and often Saturday. On the Grizzlies' first play, he pulled the ball down and scrambled for 11 yards. On the first play of UM's second drive, Edwards dropped back to pass, pumped once and motored for an 18-yard gain. On the next play, he rolled out on a bootleg and dived across the goal line for a 12-yard touchdown, putting UM ahead "He's a defensive coordinator's worst nightmare," said Montana coach Joe Glenn. "You can cover the pass, drop everybody and rush your lanes. You can go with a four-man rush and pretty much have everything under control. Now, all of a sudden a guy pulls it down, splits your pass rush and you're running lose.... He keeps those defensive coordinators awake at night. There's not much you can do about it." "They dropped into coverage and they were jamming our receivers pretty tough," said Edwards, who completed 8 of 14 passes for 65 yards. "I looked at it and didn't like it, so I pulled it down and get up the middle a little bit. "They were throwing a lot of different coverages at us and rolling here and rolling there, safeties were running everywhere," he added. "We always talk about if you're not comfortable with it, make something happen with your feet." Edwards wasn't done after his first touchdown. On the second play of UM's third drive, he dropped back, found nothing and took off for a 17-yard gain. Two plays later, he scrambled for 19. On the next play, Edwards rolled right and scored from six yards out, putting the Griz up "The difference in the game in the first quarter was when the quarterback took off with the football," said Northern Iowa coach Mark Farley. "Everything was covered. He probably rushed for most of these yards, I assume. He got his yards in the first half on broken plays. We weren't getting off blocks and we weren't running down the quarterback. He made some nice plays." "I don't know if he was better than any running quarterback we saw," said UNI linebacker Adam Vogt. "Our DBs did a great job of covering. When things were covered he just took off right away. When something wasn't there, he just took off. He had his mind made up that he was going to make the play." Make no mistake, Edwards certainly won't be the featured back in next week's national championship game against Furman. "I'm not quick, I can't cut and I can't put my head down quite like Yo can," Edwards said with a laugh. "I don't know what it is. I just don't know how to tell my body how to do what he does. It would be nice to be able do the same things. It doesn't work for me, for some odd reason. I don't know what it is." Sophomore left tackle Dylan McFarland almost had a chance at some glory for the Griz. Late in the fourth quarter, Brandon Neill tried a pass to McFarland on a tackle-eligible play. The toss was a lateral and low. McFarland picked up the ball and advanced it one yard. The play was called in the first quarter, but the shotgun snap from Brian Pelc to John Edwards was high, forcing Edwards to fall on the ball for a loss. "Pelc snapped it high," McFarland said with a laugh. "I think it was on purpose. I think he wants to score before me. We ran it there at the end. I just didn't get a good ball. Brandon's got to put it on me. I take that to the house. All I do is catch touchdowns at practice. It was just fun to touch the ball." Glenn didn't sound to optimistic about Levander Segars' status for the national championship game.

14 Segars, Montana's electrifying true freshman punt returner, reinjured his right hamstring at the end of a 55-yard punt return, his longest of the season. "We're worried," Glenn said. "It's his hamstring again. Drats. I don't think it's very good. He's had trouble with it. Doggone it, that's a toughie. He's a special guy, no doubt." Segars' return set up an 8-yard touchdown run by Humphery that gave Montana a 31-0 lead. Montana's shutout Saturday was only the second in a Division I-AA semifinal playoff game. Youngstown State blanked Samford 10-0 in 1991 and won the national championship the next week over Marshall The win over Northern Iowa was Montana's second shutout of the season. The Griz blanked Division II Western Washington in their first home game this year. Reporter Jon Kasper can be reached at or by at Dee-fense Top defensive efforts by Montana in Division I-AA playoff games: Year Round Opponent Score 1995 First Eastern Kentucky 48-0 Second Georgia Southern Third Northern Iowa First Nicholls State 48-3 Third Troy State First Jackson State 48-7 N. Iowa coach refuses to excuse players' gaffes By: Kim Briggeman of The Missoulian 12/17/2001 Northern Iowa football coach Mark Farley was verbally drawn and quartered on the airwaves in Missoula this week, so his reaction to the Panthers' 38-0 semifinal loss to Montana on Saturday will come as a disappointment to some. Farley said he was "very pleased" with the treatment Panther fans got from Missoula. He refused to excuse blatant infractions by his star receiver Jake Soliday and cornerback Ken Harris. Soliday was ejected in the first half after punching UM safety Dave DeCoite below the belt. "A loss of composure is all that can be said," Farley said emphatically. "It was a good call by the official. You cannot do that." In other words, Farley and Panther players who appeared at a postgame interview session mere minutes after the humbling were gracious in defeat. "Montana's a great football team," said Farley, an assistant coach when the Panthers dropped a first-round decision in Washington-Grizzly Stadium in "We knew that coming in, we knew that at the end of last season, we knew it throughout the season. "They did everything to take us out of our game. They had a good plan and they played hard. And they've got very good players. You put all that together and they've got a chance to win the national championship." "They're a good team," tailback Adam Benge said. "They're in the national championship game for the second time in a row. I hope they win the whole thing. It's something for us to try to get to next year."

15 Farley was in hot water with Grizzly coaches and fans when UM coach Joe Glenn said Northern Iowa refused to exchange game films earlier in the playoffs. Farley intimated it had to do with circumstances surrounding the '94 visit, that there was another side to the story, and said the flap was blown out of proportion. A reporter for the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier wrote during the week that the Panthers were abused in 1994 by Grizzly fans "who hurled insults, obscenities and objects at the Panthers." He took officials to task for several calls seven years ago, and said they missed a cheap shot by UM's popular tackle Scott Gragg, now a starter for the San Francisco 49ers. He also said UNI was "battered by the press... and treated rudely by former Grizzlies coach Don Read, who took issue with the quality of the Panthers' game film." Such buildup made game management a focal point this time. Northern Iowa's bus was escorted to the stadium by police for a Friday walk-through and again Saturday. Security was beefed up on the sidelines at Washington-Grizzly as game administrators anticipated a hostile crowd. Northern Iowa's frustration built early as the Grizzlies jumped to a 31-0 halftime lead, and not all of the Panthers handled it well. Harris, a senior from Buffalo, N.Y., who began his career at Pittsburgh, shouted a racial slur at a haranguing female fan behind the bench. When upbraided by a male photographer, Harris unleashed a verbal assault toward him. He also squirted a water bottle over his shoulder toward nearby fans. Late in the game Harris came up from his cornerback position and hit Branden Malcom late on an incomplete swing pass, drawing a personal foul penalty. An ensuing scuffle with Malcom was quaffed before it turned into something bigger. Farley went onto the field and appeared to direct Harris to the sideline, and Harris didn't play on Montana's final series. As the other players exchanged handshakes after the game, Harris left the stadium flanked by a sheriff's deputy and a Northern Iowa official. Linebacker Matt Steinau said Glenn warned the Grizzlies not to retaliate if punches flew. "I think the temptation was there in the first half more than in the second half," said Steinau. "We went in and regrouped and Coach Glenn laid down the law. He said if you get in a fight, you don't get on the plane (to Chattanooga)." "That was the one thing we said coming in is we can't lose composure, because they have a championship atmosphere," Farley said. "I have to compliment the Montana people because this is a great environment.... They did a great job in game management, and it was a total different situation, I believe, from what it was the last time we were here."

16 Stories from the Furman Game Grizzlies Win Second National Title By: Scott Miller of MontanaGrizzlies.Com 12/21/2001 "Good things happen to great people." - Joe Glenn, UM Grizzly Head Football Coach The University of Montana Grizzlies won their second Division I-AA National Football title Friday night, ending the hopes of the #3 seeded Furman University Paladins by a score of 13-6 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The win improved Montana to a school record 15-1 for the season. An excellent Montana defense and turnovers the Paladins gave up the ball three times and the Grizzlies held on to the ball like Ebenezer Scrooge held on to his money bags... were the keys to the Montana victory. Montana quarterback John Edwards had the adrenaline pumping early. Edwards, who rushed for a career-high 111 yards last week, was once again taking tacklers head-on and along with Yohance Humphery (who notched a blistering 142 yards and 2 TDs last week) had early success running the ball. Furman was able to shut down UM's first drive and missed an early scoring opportunity when an Edwards pass was almost picked-off. The Grizzly defense played like the veterans they were and no one found this out any better than Furman quarterback Billy Napier. The first Griz to introduce himself was Dave DeCoite, who forced a Napier fumble that was later recovered by senior leader Vince Huntsberger. Deep in Paladin territory, the Grizzlies were also unable to capitalize as a Chris Snyder field goal sailed wide left. This season, the Griz averaged 34.7 points per game and the Paladins With the score still 0-0 in the second quarter the game was shaping up to be unlike anything these two teams were used to this year. The Griz threatened again in but another Chris Snyder field goal drifted wide left. However, Furman was offsides on the attempt (the first penalty of the night) and the resulting yardage was enough for a Grizzly first down. On the next play, a face-mask penalty moved the Grizzlies even closer. Then it was all Yo. Yohance Humphery, UM's all-time leading scorer (288 points) and rusher (4,074 yards) got Montana on the scoreboard first with a short-yard touchdown run. Chris Snyder found the uprights on the point after to cap off a 16 play, 99 yard scoring drive. UM lead at this point 7-0. Penalties hurt the Grizzlies also as two false starts and a holding call mired a Montana scoring drive which had to settle for a 35 yard field goal from Chris Snyder which propelled the Grizzlies to a 10-0 first half lead. As the first half expired, Yohance Humphery had 95 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown. John Edwards had 121 total yards. Vince Huntsberger showed why he was the Big Sky Conference Defensive MVP by almost intercepting a Billy Napier pass, getting 5 tackles, and recovering 1 fumble. Furman came out in the third quarter, and by getting yardage gains on first down, had some success moving the ball. However, a Furman scoring drive was deflated on 3-and-18 when Dave DeCoite blocked Napier's pass at the line of scrimmage. From 40 yards out, Furman missed their field goal attempt and the score remained 10-0 in favor of the Griz. The Grizzlies were playing without freshman kick returner Levander Segars, who injured a hamstring during a spectacular return in last week's Northern Iowa game. Thus, it was freshman Jefferson Heidelberger's turn to break a 47-yard punt return and set the Grizzlies up with excellent field position. The Paladin defense was able to hold Montana to a missed Snyder field goal, his third of the night to go wide left. Snyder later redeemed himself after a crucial Yohance Humphery fourth down conversion. This got the Montana lead up to As the fourth quarter rolled around, the Grizzly defense was in the midst of their 7th consecutive quarter of shut-out football. The last time Furman was held scoreless in a game was in 1996 against Marshall. Grizzly fans remember Marshall, the team UM beat in 1995 to win their first National Championship. Grizzly fans also remember 1996 as the year Marshall got their revenge by beating the Griz in the Championship rematch. Vince Huntsberger concluded his phenomenal day, and any hopes Furman had for the National title, by intercepting a Billy Napier 3rd-and-5 pass with 2:28 left in the fourth quarter. Furman fought to the end and scored on a Hail Mary as time expired. The final score was the University of Montana Grizzlies 13, the Furman University Paladins 6. This is the second I-AA National Championship for the Grizzly football team and the third National title for Coach Glenn (who had two Division II titles in 1996 and 1997 with the University of Northern Colorado.) The UM Grizzlies return home to a Saturday afternoon "Welcome Back Party", to be held on 12/22/2001 at 5:00pm in the Adams

17 Event Center on the UM Campus. Everyone is invited to join in the celebration. 'Sweet as pie' By: Jon Kasper of The Missoulian 12/22/2001 Grizzlies complete remarkable run with national title CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Montana swallowed the final bite of the imaginary elephant it's been eating all season, and, boy, did it taste delicious to this group of Grizzlies. The top-ranked and top-seeded Montana Grizzlies chewed-chewed their way to the 2001 Division I-AA football national championship with a 13-6 victory over No. 4 Furman on Friday night at Finley Stadium in a city famous for its own Choo-Choo. "It's awesome," said Montana coach Joe Glenn, who guided the Grizzlies to a 15-1 campaign. "It's a great feeling. It just took a helluva long time to eat it." "It's sweet as pie, sweet as pie," said senior All-American offensive guard Thatcher Szalay. "It's very good." The national title is Montana's second in seven seasons. The Grizzlies beat Marshall in the 1995 championship. UM lost title games to Marshall in 1996 and Georgia Southern on this same Finley Stadium turf a year ago. From day one of the 2001 season, the Grizzlies said they had unfinished business in Chattanooga. The Griz finished their business in front of 12,698 fans on Friday, thanks to a dominating defensive effort and the determination of senior running back Yohance Humphery, who rushed for 142 yards on 30 carries and scored on a 2-yard run. The Grizzly defense forced three Furman turnovers and limited the Paladins to just 121 rushing yards, 124 under their season average. Furman coach Bobby Johnson, who guided the Paladins to a 12-3 record and their first trip to the title game since 1988, said he didn't think going into the game that Montana would be able to contain his team's powerful running game. "I thought we'd be able to move the football," said Johnson, who will reportedly be the next coach at Vanderbilt. "We had some good plays, but never could seem to put them together and get a drive going. We had too many second-and-longs that kept us from making the selection we would like to have. We feel much better when it's second-and-short." Furman, which averaged 33.6 points per game, didn't score until the final play of the game, when junior quarterback Billy Napier heaved a Hail Mary pass that was batted down by Montana senior safety Vince Huntsberger. James Thomas snagged the ball out of the air and raced along the far sideline for a meaningless 54-yard touchdown. "Vince tipped it right to him," said safety Dave DeCoite, who had one of two Grizzly interceptions of Napier in the fourth quarter; Huntsberger had the other one. "We're taught on the last play like that to knock the ball down and finish the game. Vince did it, but the guy was sitting right there. It's kind of a bummer deal. We lost our (goose) egg, but we got the (championship)." Furman All-American running back Louis Ivory, who missed the last two games with a knee injury found little room to roam against UM's defense. Ivory carried the ball 12 times for just 33 yards, his lowest total in three years as a starter. His longest run was a 10-yarder. Ivory didn't use the injury as an excuse. "It's just that Montana's defense was really good," Ivory said. "If I wasn't 100 percent, I wouldn't put my team in that situation. I felt like I could be really effective. I think I was at the top of my game. Montana's defense was just really good. They did a real good job." Montana's offense also found yards difficult to generate against a stingy Furman defense. Montana blew a golden opportunity in the first quarter when DeCoite forced Napier to fumble. Huntsberger recovered at Furman's 12-yard line. Three plays later, sophomore kicker Chris Snyder missed a 32-yard field goal wide left. Humphery's touchdown in the second quarter capped the Grizzlies' best drive of the season. It began in the shadows of their own goal posts at their own 1-yard line. Sixteen grueling plays and 6:49 later, Humphery found a small gap and eked into the end zone from two yards out to put UM ahead 7-0. "You knew coming into the game it was going to be a dogfight between two good teams, fighting and scrapping," said Humphery,

18 who finished the season with 2,101 rushing yards. "You weren't going to get anything easy." Humphery ran the ball seven times for 37 yards on the 99-yard march, including a nifty 21-yarder. Junior quarterback John Edwards rushed for 22 yards, including a gutsy 9-yarder on a third-and-7 from the UM 4-yard line. Edwards, who completed 18 of 28 passes, completed four of his five passes on the drive for 34 yards. Three of his passes found the hands of senior Etu Molden, who finished with 10 catches for 74 yards. Furman forced UM into a field-goal situation, but was called for offside, giving Montana a first down and another opportunity. "To go out and run time off the clock and give the 'D' a break, that's what it takes to win championships," Szalay said. "We believe in each other. We all look each other in the eyes and said, 'Hey, we're going to do this.' Sure enough." Snyder gave Montana a 10-0 lead late in the first half when he nailed a 35-yard field goal. Snyder, who missed from 38 yards at the beginning of the fourth quarter, added a 30-yarder with 6:12 to play, building UM's lead to Furman wasted a golden opportunity to get back in the game in the third quarter. The Paladins drove 65 yards in 17 plays, but kicker Danny Marshall missed a 40-yard field goal. The drive chewed 8:08 off the clock and Furman was forced to put the ball in the air. But Napier, who completed just one of nine passes during the second and third quarters, couldn't lead the Paladins back via the air. DeCoite intercepted a pass that was tipped by Trey Young with 5:31 to play. Huntsberger, who had a team-high 10 tackles in his 55th and final start, stepped in front of a Napier pass roughly three minutes later and the celebration began. "I don't know why he threw it to him," Huntsberger said. "It was a zone blitz. I didn't have to go anywhere. Our coaches came with a great game plan. I was just there. They put us in great position tonight. That's what it was." Reporter Jon Kasper can be reached at or by at jkasper@missoulian.com. Title vitals The 24th Division I-AA national championship football game Score: Montana 13, Furman 6 Crowd: 12,698 Venue: Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, Tenn. Time of game: 2 hours, 59 minutes Conditions: Clear. Temperature of 54. No wind. Records: Top-ranked Montana capped its second national championship season at The Grizzlies set a school record for victories in a season and won their last 14 games. No. 4 Furman finished its season Friday's stars For Montana, RB Yohance Humphery rushed 30 times for 142 yards and scored on a 2-yard run. WR Etu Molden caught 10 passes for 74 yards. QB John Edwards completed 18 of 28 passes for 124 yards and rushed for 32 yards. Senior safety Vince Huntsberger had 10 tackles, a fumble recovery, an interception and a pass breakup. Senior LB Dan Orizotti had five tackles and two sacks. Safety Dave DeCoite had five tackles, a forced fumble and an interception. LB Joel Robinson tallied seven tackles. DE Tim Bush had five tackles, including one for a loss. DT Curt Colter had three tackles and a sack. DE Ciche Pitcher had five tackles, including one for a loss. Kicker Chris Snyder made field goals of 30 and 35 yards. For Furman, LB Will Bouton registered 12 tackles - three for losses - and a sack. Safety Shelvis Smith had 12 tackles. WR James Thomas caught four passes for 74 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown on the final play of the game. Grizzly Summary Furman Montana

19 How they scored Second quarter UM - Yohance Humphery, 2 run (Snyder kick), 6:49. Drive: 16 plays, 99 yards, 6 minutes, 39 seconds elapsed. Key plays: Quarterback John Edwards leads the Grizzlies, pinned down on their 1-yard line, on a long drive that covers 99 yards. Facing a third-down and 7 situation on the 4, Edwards scrambles for 11 yards and a first down. From the Montana 21, Edwards hits Etu Molden for a 14-yard gain to the 35. Edwards scrambles for 11 yards to the Furman 41 - and on the next play, Humphery busts loose for a 21-yard gain to the Furman 20. The drive stalls and Chris Snyder comes in to attempt a 20-yard field goal - which he misses. But Furman's Richie Jackson is called for being offside, and the penalty gives the Grizzlies a first-and-goal at the 6. Humphery scores the TD on the next play. Montana 7, Furman 0. UM - FG Snyder 35, 0:53. Drive: 9 plays, 39 yards, 3:11. Key plays: Edwards hits Spencer Frederick for a 10-yard gain to the Furman 47 to start the Grizzlies' second scoring drive, but UM has to overcome three penalties on this drive before Snyder hits his field goal. After a false-start penalty pushes the Griz back into their territory, Edwards hits Molden with a 16-yard pass to the Furman 36. One play - and another false start - later, Humphery zips to the 24, a 13-yard gain. After a sack and a holding penalty back to the 38, Edwards connects with Dane Oliver to the 20-yard line and Snyder hits his field goal from 35 yards out. Montana 10, Furman 0. Fourth quarter UM - FG Snyder 30, 6:12. Drive: 13 plays, 46 yards, 6:14. Key plays: Facing a third-and-5 on the Montana 45, Edwards rolls out again for 11 yards and a first down.on a fourth-and-2 situation on the Furman 22, Humphery bounces out for 5 yards and a clutch first down. But on a third-and-3 a couple of plays later, Humphery is caught in the backfield for a 2-yard loss, and Snyder comes out to kick the 30-yard field goal. Montana 13, Furman 0. Furman - James Thomas, 54-yard pass from Billy Napier. (No extra point attempt.) Drive: 1 play, 54 yards, 0:09. Key play: Montana, at midfield, cannot quite run the clock out and turns it over to Furman on downs. There is time for one Furman play, and Napier tosses up a Hail Mary, which is tipped - and then caught by Thomas. Montana 13, Furman 6. Team statistics Furman UM First downs Rushing 8 11 Passing 5 4 Penalty 1 1 3rd down eff th down eff Total yards Total plays Avg. gain Passing yards Comp-Att Had intercepted 2 0 Sacks by-yds. lost Rushes-yards

20 Return yards Punts Interceptions Fumbles Kickoff returns Punts-avg Penalties Time of poss. 28:09 31:51 Individual statistics Rushing Furman No-yds. UM No.-yds Emerson 7-34 Humphery Ivory Edwards Napier Malcom 2-(-1) Brigham 4-14 O'Neal 3-10 Means 1-0 Passing Furman Comp. Att. Int. Yards Napier UM Comp. Att. Int. Yards Edwards Receiving Furman No-yds. UM No-yds. Thomas 4-75 Molden Sansbury 3-31 Frederick 2-15 Rinehart 2-49 Oelkers 2-11 West 1-17 Humphery 2-4 Oliver 1-20 Zikmund 1-0 Tackles (unassisted-assisted-total) Furman U A T

21 Bouton Smith Jackson UM U A T Huntsberger Robinson Bush Pitcher Dave DeCoite Orizotti Interceptions Furman-None. Montana-Huntsberger 1-27, DeCoite Sacks Furman-Bouton 1-5, Killian 1-9. Montana-Orizotti 2-4, Colter 1-2. Fumbles forced-recovered Furman-None. Montana-DeCoite 1-0; Huntsberger 0-1. Missed field goal attempts Furman - Marshall 40. Montana - Snyder 32, 38. Attendance - 12,698. Let it Yo, let it Yo By: Sherry Devlin of The Missoulian 12/22/2001 Grizzlies receive rousing welcome after snagging championship One more time, the roar of the crowd and the cannon's boom echoed across the University of Montana campus. Once more, the air was thick with footballs and gunpowder. Once more, the victory was in hand and with it the championship trophy.