Big Sky Football Week 0 Recap: Montana Grizzlies Survive Southern Utah, Cal Poly Stuns Idaho + Week 1 Preview & Picks

Big Sky Conference football is back, and week zero delivered chaos. On this episode of Big Sky Now, host Luke Schmit is joined by Daily Inter Lake sports editor Fritz Neighbor, Daily Inter Lake sports reporter Jon Allen, Coeur d'Alene Press sports editor Mark Nelke, and Columbia Basin Herald sports reporter Mike Maynard to break down every Big Sky result from week zero and preview the full week one slate.

The Montana Grizzlies survived a scare from Southern Utah in Bobby Kennedy's coaching debut, needing a fourth quarter defensive stand to escape with the win. Cal Poly's Anthony Grigsby Jr. delivered a Friday night thriller against Idaho, Northern Arizona erased a 21-point deficit to shock Eastern Washington, and UC Davis had to claw back from a 21-point hole against Portland State just to survive. Idaho State opened 38-10 but lost star running back Jason Brooks for the season, Weber State outlasted Northern Colorado on a missed extra point, and Montana State handled Utah Tech 54-0. 

Then the panel looks ahead to week one: Idaho travels to face No. 21 Utah just five days after their heartbreaker, Drake heads to Missoula to face the Grizzlies, Northern Arizona gets a measuring stick trip to Arizona, and Weber State meets Southern Utah in the only Big Sky-on-Big Sky matchup of the week. The show closes with the crew's weekly picks segment, where Jon Allen defends his early season lead.

New this season! Play along with us and make your weekly picks in our season-long Pick 'Em. Someone needs to beat Jon! No registration required, and it's free to play: https://qr1.be/D321P8

Chapters
0:00 - Intro
1:38 - Montana Grizzlies Survive Southern Utah Scare
8:01 - Cal Poly Stuns Idaho in Friday Night Thriller
10:34 - Northern Arizona Erases 21-Point Deficit to Beat Eastern Washington
15:10 - UC Davis Escapes Portland State Scare
18:46 - Idaho State Opens 38-10, Loses RB Jason Brooks for the Season
21:15 - Weber State Outlasts Northern Colorado on Missed Extra Point
23:18 - Montana State Blanks Utah Tech 54-0
23:56 - Week 1 Preview: Northern Iowa at Eastern Washington
26:14 - Week 1 Preview: Idaho at No. 21 Utah
28:55 - Week 1 Preview: Drake at Montana
32:56 - Week 1 Preview: Northern Arizona at Arizona
35:12 - Week 1 Preview: Weber State at Southern Utah
36:59 - Week 1 Preview: Idaho State at Utah State
38:23 - Week 1 Preview: South Dakota at Northern Colorado
39:21 - Week 1 Preview: Portland State at San Diego State
39:41 - Week 1 Preview: UC Davis at San Diego
40:01 - Week 1 Preview: Montana State vs Butler
40:16 - Week 1 Preview: Cal Poly at Central Washington
40:38 - Week 1 Preview: Utah Tech at BYU
41:26 - Week 1 Picks and Predictions: presented by Mountain Pass Safes & Coins

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:21

On this episode of Big Sky Now, we discuss the results after a crazy first week in the Big Sky. We talk about next week's games and do our weekly pick segment. Before we start, I'd like to give a shout out to MNC Tires for sponsoring this podcast. Let's not waste any time and get right to it. Welcome back everyone to this episode week of Big Sky Now. I am your host, Luke Smith. And what a first week of football we had. We're gonna break down all the games and talk about next week's games as well. Before we get started, I just want to give a special thank you to MC Tires for sponsoring the podcast, and I'm gonna introduce my panel first to the daily interlake. We have Fritz Neighbor and John Allen. Next, we have Mike Maynard from the Conway Basin Herald. And finally, we have Mark Nelke from the Quarterlane Press. Thank you guys again for joining me. I'm excited to listen to all your opinions and statements as there is so much to get into. Before we start, I wanted to correct something. I did make a mistake last week. I attuned it was week one of Big Sky Conference Football, so we called it week one. It really was week zero. I was wrong on that. So want to give apologies for that. But going forward, we might not have that issue uh going from the next year. So just want to make a correction there. Without further ado, though, what a week we get to talk about. We have two games at a race, 21-point deficits. Uh Cal Poly scores with nine seconds to win the game against Idaho. Northern Colorado misses an extra point against Weaver State. And Montana State did what we expected them to, and we'll get into it much more games. But first, let's talk about the Montana game because we did have Fritz here, who was at the game Saturday night. Fritz, what what a game for Bobby Kennedy's first stint under the Grizzlies. Uh, what were your your biggest takeaways and your thoughts?

SPEAKER_04 2:15

Well, I I just I knew I kind of suspected coming in that it was just gonna be a really tough opponent for the Grizzlies to face in week zero and have a count in conference. Um I was thinking at some point that they uh that Southern Utah was gonna pull it out. You know, they had they had the ball, they had possession, they were down to Montana's 33, and the game was uh they're ready to break a 21 all tie. And then they uh they took a back intentional grounding penalty, kind of got cute when they were running the ball with impunity and uh won a punting, and five plays later the Grizz got ahead, and then of course you saw the finish where um they finally got southern Utah into a third and long in the final seconds and uh were able to pin their ears back and put a lot of pressure on on Will Burns, who had a great first game as a starting quarterback. You know, he that guy guy played played or attempted to play baseball at Texas Tech for a couple years and wound up uh wound up with Southern Utah. And he he could play, he was pretty accurate with his throwing, and he was a good runner. And you know, they ran some wing tee, they ran some triple option, and they seemed to be good at everything they tried. And uh consequently, they really held the ball for a long time, um, 46 minutes and change. And uh it's tough to overcome, but somehow the Grizz, you know, as they've done for generations now, um, pulled it out.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

Montana repeats to be that good team that can survive those ugly openers. I'll go over here to John. John, we were watching the game Saturday night. We were mixed emotions, uh, up and down with the ayat throws an interception the first play, and then the next play, Gilman uh takes one 80 yards to the to the crib. What were your thoughts on that game?

SPEAKER_02 3:55

Yeah, I I I found a few things, you know, on the defense that made me a little worried for Montana, mainly, you know, how they let Will Burns kind of scramble around. He he ran for you know a good chunk of yardage there, even when the when when Southern Utah got into some situations on third and fourth and short, it felt like Montana was able to clog up the trenches. But it seemed like if anything was getting outside of that, they were they were kind of struggling at times to limit limit yardage. Uh kind of reminded me of when they played Eastern last year, and Eastern just kind of figured out, hey, we can throw it to the flat, check down for eight yards and and work our way down the field that way. And Southern Utah was just taking what they were getting and and were able to keep it and keep themselves in the game um offensively as well. Montana had some some issues uh that that are just early season kinks, I think. You know, LeCaldrick Bridges drops a couple early on, um redeems himself down the field. And it was nice to see that uh, you know, Keeley Ayat was able to still trust him as he you know had dropped a couple passes and still went back to him on the same drive and then found him on the wheel route for the go-ahead touchdown for 53 yards. So um, yeah, it just it seemed like a kind of typical Montana game. I know I shared a a picture of you that how how I feel watching Seahawks games kind of related to that one as well. So um, but uh yeah, it seems like you know, you're excited to watch Montana, then you're watching 60 minutes of struggling, and then oh, we won.

SPEAKER_01 5:16

So Fritz, uh anything to add, and then I'll jump over to Mike's opinion really quick.

SPEAKER_04 5:22

Yeah, you know, um I thought both both sides had some uh critical mistakes and they kind of bounced each other out. Um you know, Montana's defense couldn't get off the field, partly because they had two really um easy to call personal fouls on third downs, um, which extended the drives. And both times it happened, Southern Utah got found the end zone right after. Um I thought it was notable that uh on offense, you know, they they had that break in the cardinal rule where Orland and Ransom reached for the goal line when he had first he'd already achieved first and goal and got the ball knocked loose for a touchback turnover. You know, they should have gone up 22 and three and instead uh gave the ball back to Southern Utah. Um and then, you know, like John said, looked right as uh redeemed himself, but he also uh dropped the ball on that touchdown really close to the goal line. So I'm sure that'll show up on tape and you'll get a talking to about that too. Um but in the end it all kind of evened out. Southern Utah had some some misplays. Um the most clearing one being that that uh intentional grounding. Um, I think they had trouble on obviously on PAT and field goal kick. And uh, you know, those those plays changed the game. I I think Montana and Bobby Kennedy uh said so yesterday. You know, he owes a lot to the special teams. They really came through for Montana as they have uh for years now.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

You hit it right on the head, Fritz. That was the most surprising thing to me is Southern Utah was able to kind of get what they wanted uh every couple plays, control the clock, and then to run that that double reverse grounding play. You know, I know they were going for the home run ball and trying to get that game maybe somewhere Gris fans didn't think it was gonna go, but it ended up hurting them. Mike, why don't you close this game out for us? I know you and I were texting back and forth during this game. It was a lot of emotions. What were your thoughts?

SPEAKER_00 7:13

I mean, yeah, you just kind of took the words right out of my mouth. That two-point conversion attempt really just threw me. It was the beginning of the third quarter, I just didn't feel like it was necessary. And I mean, I think in the end game it it played, it definitely um hurts them. It I don't think that ultimately cost them the game. But um, and then just uh I think they had an issue later on with a pat attempt as well. Um just just those little things that can really um keep them from getting back in the game. I don't know if it's a hot take, but I think southern Utah should have won that game. It was it was unbelievable. But um yeah, that though that just those those were some questionable calls that I I feel were questionable, but um yeah, I mean if they you know iron though out those details going forward, this team's gonna this team's gonna be a problem, I think, for a lot of big sky opponents.

SPEAKER_01 8:03

Yeah, I didn't come away more worried about Montana as you know, first coach, first game. I came away more impressed with southern Utah in this one, just like you said, Mike. Um, we got to keep rolling though, lots more games to talk to. I thought that was one of the best games Saturday, but we got to talk about Friday night's game and go over to Mark here as uh Idaho makes a huge comeback, takes the lead late. But the name you're gonna get to listen this year, I think. Anthony Grigsby Jr., quarterback for Cal Poly, uh, makes a name for himself in this game. Just an electric Friday night uh thriller. Mark, why don't you walk us through your thoughts and your thoughts or your thoughts on the game, excuse me?

SPEAKER_03 8:39

Yeah, it was like watching Grigsby was like watching Idaho's quarterback, Joshua Wood. They're both dual threat quarterbacks. Um Grigsby kept plays alive with his legs. Um, they had good skill position players, receivers, quick receivers, and running backs, and they just got him into space and got them open, got them the ball. Um, nothing wrong with Idaho's offense. Um, Wood throws for 363 and two touchdowns. Tony Harsty, kind of a breakout game, one of their few returning receivers. Nine for 180 and two scores. Um nothing wrong with their offense. Defense gives up 38 points. That's that's a problem. They, I mean, they kind of went into it blind, they didn't know have any idea what Cal Poly was gonna do. But that being said, they kicked the field goal with a minute to go, and then to lose the game at the end was just brutal. I mean, to give up a like a 40-plus yard pass down the seam on the first play when the guy gets behind the safety, and then on fourth and whatever, eight or so with the game on the line, they chase the guy out of the pocket and he chucks it up near the goal line, and and the receiver makes a better play than the cornerback, and and and they lose. So, I mean, that's you hope that doesn't come back to bite the vandals in in the end, literally, you know, but it it may. That's a that's a tough one to lose. I mean, we'll talk about Eastern losing a 21-point lead and what that might do to them down the line, but that that that's a that's a tough start, you know, for Idaho. A lot of encouraging things on offense, things to clean up on defense.

SPEAKER_01 10:20

I was more than happy with the way uh Joshua Wood played. And I thought this game was Friday night, almost was close to about midnight, 11:30. I believe the game ended. And I I've always thought when Idaho came back that was gonna slam the door shut. Um, but Cal Poly was picked at the bottom or near the bottom of this big sky, and it might be a little bit of a uh a rethink on that because what I saw is uh defense may have not been there, but they've got some offensive players that are here to play. And we didn't talk about Cal Poly's offense going into the season, so that's something I'm gonna be watching. Um, Mark, we'll get to Idaho's next game here soon. Uh, they're gonna take on Utah with five days' rest, so that that's gonna be a fun one to talk about. But as you said, we got another game to go to Northern Arizona versus Eastern Washington. Eastern was up 24 to 3, and uh Northern Arizona closes on a 31 to 3 run, Mike. What were your thoughts on this one?

SPEAKER_00 11:13

Well, when they went up to 24 to 3, I was like, oh my god, this is a new team. Like, what are we watching here? Um, you know, sort of just kind of uh looking at that, that I mean they got they got up 24 to 3 and then immediately gives up a kickoff return for a touchdown. And I think I think that right there really just kind of drastically shifted the momentum back in the favor of NAU um in a way that if they had just taken the touchback and then just drove down the field and scored or something, wouldn't have had maybe such an impact on the game overall. Um but just kind of starting with the positives, um, Nate Bell showed he was the right pick for QB1. I think that regardless is that needs to be a takeaway. He threw for 307 yards, two passing touchdowns. He did give up a pick and almost had a second one. Um, but nonetheless, it is a career best for him. And then also on his feet, had a rushing touchdown and was um really impressive in the pocket. There were many times where he had to kind of move around and throw off balance and and and find find ways to get the ball downfield and did it consistently. Um that was that was really impressive. And on the flip side of that, or building off of that, Drew Carlson really stuck out to me as a very consistent, very reliable receiver for them this year. Um, I believe he had nine catches for 75 yards. Um, showed up a lot of times when they need to move the chains or get downfield, um, get a little spark going back in the offense. Um, and then secondary, um, up and down, but uh Jalen Jagan's already starting the year with an interception. That was that was uh really neat to watch. And then uh yeah, I mean it's kind of going back to what Coach Best really spoke a lot about at the Big Sky Media weekend was yes, we were in a lot of competitive games last year, but it doesn't really that doesn't really matter if we're not finishing them and winning. And that issue came to light very quickly uh this past Saturday. And um there was a lot of issues I saw with stopping the run, whether it was Ty Pennington really breaking loose and moving the chains or giving it to the running backs who were who were doing a really solid job. And um, I think that defensive line needs to um do a better job of maybe penetrating that backfield and making the quarterback's life pretty miserable. Um, but that was down the stretch, that was a what I noticed a lot. Um and they got some some tough, tough opponents coming up in the next couple weeks. Uh if we're thinking South Dakota and obviously University of Washington and so on and so forth.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

John, you got anything to add to this game?

SPEAKER_02 13:40

Yeah, I just kind of wanted to touch in. You you Mike mentioned uh Ty Pennington with his legs. And I felt like in that second half, Ty Pennington kind of showed himself as the leader that this Northern Arizona team needs with making the decision to use his legs and and just kind of you know not put the ball into too many dangerous situations if the if the you know his receivers weren't open. He he had options with his legs and he he took advantage of it. And that I think that in its own right is what helped propel Northern Arizona back. It doesn't hurt that you get the momentum back when they fall down by 21 points and take back a kick 100 yards. Um, but then they you know the defense gets another stop and they're able to work it down for another score before the half to only trail by seven. And it felt like that was just that wasn't that just like a three-minute stretch where they turn that 21-point deficit down to down to one score. So um, and just yeah, that that maturity that he's showing this year. I think that they wanted that from him last year. This year they're they're early on at least seeing it from him.

SPEAKER_01 14:37

You hit right on the head as well, John. I I was really interested to look at how Eastern's DBs were gonna maybe come alive in that game because you know NAU is gonna start throwing the ball, especially in the second half. And Eastern Washington should never be slept on um for their defense this year. We'll see how it comes by, but I can't argue that giving up that kind of lead supports that claim. But I personally thought that they were gonna be pretty impressive. And as you said, Ty Pennington took the team under his belt like we could have saw last year. Uh, there was one throw I remember that John and I were watching. He was rolling out to his left, he's a right-handed quarterback and puts it on the puts it on the dime, you know, 30 yards downfield in the second half. And I think that was the even though it wasn't a complete pass, that was the rhythm we started seeing, and he was starting to see more comfortable. So, overall, tough game for Eastern to lose. But I think it's a bright side that they were able to show that they are gonna be a team to be reckoned with, and they just have to worry about closing some games. John, I'm gonna go right back to you here because we have another 21-point comeback as Portland State was up 21 to zero halftime over number six, UC Davis. Talk to me about what happened after that and any thoughts there.

SPEAKER_02 15:45

Yeah, um, well, I feel like halftime pep talks always a big thing. Um, UC Davis, of course, came out of the half. Uh defensively, were able to get the safety, kind of a momentum changer on that drop snap from the punt. Um that kind of led everything they initially initially had taken the uh free kick back for a touchdown and was instantly gonna cut that from 21-0 to 21-9. That didn't happen, of course, with the penalty, but they were able to put together a good drive offensively after that, get on the board. Uh, and that kind of sparked the offense. You know, they got Batu uh Batu going. Um, and Cleveland actually, you know, settled in nicely for what you know you'd want to see from a quarterback who's down 21 points. Um yeah, just I feel like for Portland State, though, they got to come out of this with at least some positives. And I was watching that game on TV, and it felt like the the commentators were you know disappointed. And I understand that, but it just felt like it was oh, Portland State's back to losing again. But I feel like there has to be so much promise taken from this game because you don't build a team back up in just one game, you know. But the season that they had last year, to be able to come out here against the number six team in the nation, go up 21 points, even if you didn't finish off the game right, you have to take some positives with that to be able to build this team up going forward. And I feel like Coach Fisk has that in the videotape from that first half. So I feel like Portland State's definitely on uh on the rise this year. I feel like what we've seen this first week is that the bottom half of the big sky is a lot better than it was last year, and it's gonna be a lot tighter in those spots from three down to 12.

SPEAKER_01 17:16

That's a perfect takeaway, John. I think this loss could have been the most encouraging of the week zero games. Um, the way it happened sucks. And the last this game and the northern uh Arizona game, Eastern Washington as well. Uh, both of them were 31 to three runs after halftime. So it's kind of interesting that both of those folded that way. Mike, I have to give you props. You said this would be a close game. I kind of looked the other way and thought you were kind of crazy, but I have to eat my words because you were right. Uh, talk to me about why you thought that and any other thoughts.

SPEAKER_00 17:46

Uh, you know, I think it's just um a little bit of a hunch, just sort of observing. So Chris Fisk is coming from Central Washington University, where he just led that program to a 10 and two record in his final season as head coach. So, I mean, very clearly this guy is this guy's a winner. Like he is, he knows how to win, he knows how to lead a program. So I felt confident that I don't I don't know of what I really expect of Portland State this season, but I felt I felt Chris Fist was really good hire and he's gonna inject something really good into that program. And so I you know, to me, Portland State didn't need to win this game this past weekend to announce themselves as a a new program. They just needed to be competitive and show that they're gonna they're a different team, and that's exactly what they did. Um I don't think they'll be pushing off for pushing for playoff seeds, but I mean, you just took the sixth ranked team to into deep waters and really made them earn that win. That's that's something that's really that is I agree with John. That is impressive that you got to take that. This isn't the one in 11 team from last year, I don't think. So, and I think they showed that.

SPEAKER_01 18:50

UC Davis uh showed us they could survive a bad half. Also, like you said, Portland State showed us they're not an automatic win this year, and that's what I was excited about to see. Because uh, of course, there's teams you know you assume that aren't going to be good, but the more competition in the big sky, the more we get to talk about the more fun it is. Um, we'll move on to the next game here. I'm gonna go back to uh Mark or Fritz, whoever wants to jump in. Uh, Idaho State is victorious, they win 38 to 10 in their first game. Mark, your thoughts. They're only up 10 to 0 at half, but they came away with uh 325 passing yards, and the Bengals have now won five straight games dating back to 2025. So things are on the up still for Fritz's Bengals.

SPEAKER_03 19:33

Yes, kind of a slow start, you might expect, maybe with some new receivers and stuff like that. Um, like three quick strike touchdown passes from Jordan Cook in the third quarter. They got a blocked uh punt return for a touchdown, just like that. It's 38-0. Um, the bad news is uh Cody Hawkins said on Monday that running back Dayson Days on Brooks is out for the season with a leg injury. So that obviously is a big part of their offense. We'll see what they do uh at running back from from there going forward.

SPEAKER_04 20:10

Oh, I just wanted to um talk about Days on Brooks. I mean, he I think he was hurt in the first game last year, he gets hurt in the first game this year, and it it was kind of looked like a freak injury, you know. It was his right knee that that uh got hurt, and that was an inside knee where the tackler came at him, but the tackler grabbed his left ankle to take him down. So I I'm just not really sure how it happened. But you know, he went down hard at the end of a really nice run, and uh he couldn't put any weight on that leg, and it's just too bad, you know. Um I think uh Cody Hawkins has probably got a pretty deep running back room because you know he was he was hurt, Brooks was hurt last year and missed quite a bit of time. I just feel bad for him because I you know he still managed a thousand yards last year, even being hurt, and uh now he's out from the season.

SPEAKER_01 20:58

Really unfortunate news there at Bocatello, and that was one of the big sky uh preseason players, you know, on the on the awards watch list, and uh they're not gonna be able to see exactly how that turns out. But as you said, the running back last room last year had some room to work with, and Idaho State moves up to number 23 in the stats perform poll. It's first national ranking since 2018. So pretty cool for the Bengals. Uh I'm sure little fans were a little worried in the first half, checking the box score. I didn't personally watch this game myself as we were watching, I believe, the NAU game versus Eastern. But when we get talking more about Idaho State, we're gonna see how that run game without Brooks transcends. Next game I wanted to talk about here uh was another electric game, came down to literally the last play. Weeber State first Northern Colorado. Uh, if those didn't watch, uh Weber led 23-13 after three quarters and later held a 30 to 20 advantage. Northern Colorado rallies all the way back uh with three seconds left to make it 30 to 29. Game tying extra point comes and it's no good. And Weber State and Eric Carr get their first win this season. But I also think a little bit of Northern Colorado should be talked about. Uh Kenny Luth, 226 passing yards plus two rushing touchdowns. Northern Colorado has their guy. They know who their quarterback one is going to be this year. Also with the running back, Matthias Price, 106 rushing yards. You know, Weber State might not be one. Of the top teams in the big sky yet, but you know, with this win, you can't say that they're looking like last year's team either. Quarterback Devin Brown had 179 passing yards. I didn't know if he got hurt or not, but he did come out of the game for those wondering. Um, but in the end, it was Weber that got the win. I'm interested to see if that was injury or if they're gonna maybe rotate two quarterbacks. Um, if any of you know it, feel free to chip in.

SPEAKER_00 22:44

Um yeah, Mike, do you know? Yeah, I uh so I was checking out you know what they put on their athletic site this morning. He just looked dislocated his finger in the third quarter.

unknown 22:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 22:53

Um, so I'll be yeah, I'll I'll touch on that when we go over their game against Southern Utah, but I'm intrigued at how that's gonna impact them going forward.

SPEAKER_01 23:00

It's uh unfortunate for the Bears. It was the first night game they had. They did a blackout. So I know a lot of uh school pride was going on that night, and the way that happened to lose is unfortunate. But for the Weaver State program, things are on the up. We'll see if Coach Kerr can continue to uh build this team, and it's got a lot of new players. Um, and one last thing, his son, Noah Carr, 114 receiving yards, two touchdowns. Very impressive. It's running in the family down in Ogden. Uh last game we do not have to hit on very long, Montana State 54 Utah Tech 0. Um, really gonna take 30 seconds here. If you didn't watch the game, Montana State led uh 10-0 after one. It was 26-0 at halftime and 40-0 after the third quarter. Uh Justin Lampson has 260 passing yards, Dane Steele 174 receiving yards. But Utah Tech's got to figure out their way. They're a new team in the conference this year. It was uh interesting that they got it started at home, and Montana State went down there. So overall, we'll talk about Montana State, plenty more this season for you, Bobcat fans, but we're gonna glance over this game because we have a lot to talk about with the week one preview. Mike, I'm gonna go right back to you. We're here talking week one. Northern Iowa plays eastern Washington, and they get a play on the red field first game of the year, Mike. What are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_00 24:20

Yeah, I mean, for the Eagles, this is a really great opportunity to get things back on track. Um, build off some of the strong things that we saw out of them last week, but also kind of correct those errors that they had. Um, you know, UNI really wasn't an impressive team last year. I think they went about three and nine, and the Eagles actually defeated them on the road. I think it was their first win of the season. So to be able to get this at home, um, I don't know how different UNI is going to be this year. Um, so I guess we'll have to wait and see with them as well. They didn't play in week zero. Um, but you know, this is this is a great opportunity for the Eagles to kind of put some of their goals to practice and and you know, finish a game and uh let's see if the let's see if the defense can really take over a game. I felt like, especially in that first half, they were very competitive, um, could really hang with NAU. And at times in the second half, they kind of bucked up a little bit, but um I'd like to see them kind of take over and show their, you know, impose their will on on the opponent. Um, and then just see Nate Bell continue to do this thing. Um, I think one thing I'd like to see more out of the run game. Um, I don't think anybody cracked 50 yards total net. Um, and if you know all teams had to expect is Nate Bell to throw the ball, that's that's the strength of the Eagles deep uh offense. I mean, that kind of ultimately could make them one-dimensional. So getting that other element going and making them respect that factor really can make this team a real threat down the stretch. And like I said earlier, they got some tough opponents coming up after UNI. So uh this is a good time to get get some things on track.

SPEAKER_01 25:53

South Dakota out the gate, right after this for Eastern and Washington. So some could say maybe this is a must-win. It's gonna be a big FCS measuring stick game. Um, last year it looks like U and I beat Eastern 17 to 14. And then the all-time series, northern Iowa leads 7-2. I had to double check that because I also thought, Mike, that uh Eastern won. I went and looked, but we were both wrong because I both found that as well. Yeah. Yeah. But either way, it's gonna be uh interesting uh measuring stick game, and we'll see if Eastern, if it's a close game, if they're able to close out the game compared to last week when they weren't. Good on to the next game: Idaho versus number 21 ranked in the FBS, Utah. Mark, only five days after that thrilling game for Idaho, they have to take on another wagon of a school. What are your thoughts here?

SPEAKER_03 26:40

Yeah, it doesn't give them much time to prepare, but it also gives them they have to hurry up and get over the last loss and get on to this one. Um, the important numbers are 34 and a half, which was the spread as of yesterday. The other important number is $600,000, which is what Idaho's gonna get from the University of Utah for going down there. Um Utah has a new head coach, although he's not new to them. He's been on their staff since 08. Uh, Morgan Scally. Um, their quarterback is back, Devin Dampier, who came there last year from New Mexico. He left um before X, showed up down at New Mexico. Their running back, one of the running backs, Weyshawn Parker, um, ran for almost a thousand yards last year, but the the regional tie to him is in 2024. He was at Washington State where he ran for 735 yards and four touchdowns. So, all that aside, um, my historical reference um comes from 1993, which was the last time the two teams played. And you and Idaho won that game 28 to 17 in Salt Lake City. Idaho's quarterback, as you guys well know, was Doug Nessmeyer, who you probably don't know, but you would probably would know Garrett Nussmeyer, who is his son and played at LSU. But that he was the he threw for two touchdowns and ran for one in that game. The other thing I noticed on that on that same day was over in Missoula, and I was hoping Fritz was would have been in the press box in Missoula, but you guys told me he was in he was in Billings that year. In Missoula that day, um, Montana was beating um Boise State 38 to 24. So, and led by some quarterback named Dave Dickinson. So that that that that's the historical look at this thing.

SPEAKER_04 28:36

Oh, it's probably at a Billings Central game that day.

SPEAKER_01 28:39

So eventually we got we got Fritz into Missoula covering those games, but yeah, you you really had uh what I wrote down for this game, you know, the scoreboard is secondary, in my opinion, for the for Idaho, even though if they can pull off the upset, more than of course, it'd be amazing. But as long as they can leave Salt Lake sitting feeling better about the defense than they did, you know, when they were in San Luis Obispo, I think that's gonna be big for them. This is it's gonna be an uphill battle being on the road first game for Utah. So we'll see. It's gonna be a ranked FBS opponent, and this is where the measuring uh stick kind of gets thrown out. And and if you can keep the game close, it'd be great. But Ida's offense could, so we'll keep our eyes on that one. Fritz, I'm gonna go to you next. Uh, we'll talk about Drake goes to Missoula. They'll be playing Montana. Uh, what specifically, you know, do you want to see cleaned up maybe from that game from the Grizz? And any uh thoughts about the matchup?

SPEAKER_04 29:33

Well, it's kind of a change of pace for the Grizzlies because Drake uh is uh fundamentally a lot different than southern Utah. They throw the ball a lot. Their coach just came in, Matt Walker from Wisconsin River Falls. He'd been there quite a while and uh you know over the last five seasons made them into a Division III power that really was potent on offense. And uh on Saturday, even though they lost to a D Division II team, um, the Hard Rockers of South Dakota Mines, their quarterback, Riley Rosinski threw for uh 535 and three touchdowns. So it's a back and forth game. Um you know, Drake and Butler are both playing the Montana schools, you know, visiting in from the Pioneer League, which is a non-con non-scholarship league in the FCS. Um both of them are okay. Drake was a playoff team last year, but they they are coming off a loss. But I do like their quarterback. He he was accurate. He uh he dropped some dimes in that game. And um we'll see how it goes. I one thing I would like to see is uh is uh the Grizz to get comfortably ahead. You know, they didn't really hardly play any reserves. I counted 20 people coming in off the bench according to the participation sheet uh with the game stats. And out of those 20, I bet most of them are on kickoff cover, kickoff cover and kickoff return. So I don't think a single receiver other than the starting three rotated in, maybe with the possible exception of Ian Finch. So, you know, it would be good for the Grizzlies to handle this basically a lower-tiered opponent and get uh a lot of people more reps. Um I know their D D lineman got a lot of reps and a lot of rotation, but uh um and and got in good shape because he they're on the field for 86 plays last week. I I just kind of think it's an opportunity for the Grizz to get a comfortable win and get a lot of kids, some plenty of time, get some uh development.

SPEAKER_01 31:32

One thing I I'm watching for Fritz this week is I thought the Grizz defense actually played better than anticipated, with especially having so many new players uh in that system. It's the offensive line, I think, that didn't click for the Grizz to start. And you can give some credit to Southern Utah on that, as they're no joke. But I think this is a game for that offensive line to become one together as in a chemistry, and you know, just fix your issues and winning comfortably would be great. But I think a lot of things need to look smoother for Bobby Kennedy. And I would probably say to run the ball the first play of the game. Um, that's my opinion, but who knows? You know, if if Ayat would have hit the touchdown on his first play, I wouldn't be saying that. But an interception isn't the best way for Kennedy to start his coaching uh career. Fritz, did you have anything else on this before we go over to the next game?

SPEAKER_04 32:19

Yeah, yeah, the home run ball was there. I mean, it was open. He just uh the ball just kind of fluttered on him, and um I thought the O line uh actually played pretty well. I think um they they protected him well, they protected Ayot very well. So he opened up some lanes here and there, and bear in mind they only got out you know, really on the field for 48 snaps just because Southern Utah played keep away so well.

SPEAKER_01 32:45

And the difference between you know the Houk era we saw with the Grizz versus the Kennedy era, Houk, you know, he likes to run the ball out the gate three times in a row, punt the ball, and then we're playing the field position battle uh for 60 minutes. And you know, for Bobby Kennedy, I think he wanted to come out, show his aggression, and I thought it was interesting. And if it would have worked, like you said, the receiver was there and the play was made, it would have been beautiful. But in the end, yeah, you know, I think I had the time to throw, like you said, and then uh we'll see maybe if Gilman gets a couple more gaps up the middle. Going on to the next game, John. I'm gonna let you talk about NAU again. Uh big are gonna play Arizona this week. Let's hear your thoughts on that matchup.

SPEAKER_02 33:25

Yeah, um, I'm gonna temper my expectations for them on this one because Arizona actually looks like a uh formidable Big 12 opponent, uh, unlike five years ago when they met in 2021, and Northern Arizona went in there and beat them in uh Tucson 21 to 19. Um, Noah Fafita is a senior quarterback for this Arizona team, and he's gotten better every single year. I believe he started as a freshman for them. So slowly, slowly worked his way better. Um, and they used two and 17 all-time against Arizona with that win in 2021 and another one back in 1932. So um it's not exactly unheard of for a team to win. It is September 1st. I don't know if history buffs. I know Mike probably has this one marked down because he loves to laugh at it every year, but this is the day that uh Appalachian State took down number five, Michigan. So uh, you know, it's never out of the question. So Idaho and Arizona should uh definitely uh maybe maybe watch that for a little inspiration. But um, yeah, it's gonna be a tough one to go into Tucson this time. See the smile that brings to my face.

SPEAKER_01 34:34

For those who know, don't know, Mike's is the Ohio guy here. Um born and raised for this one. You know, I'm excited to see Northern Arizona have potentially uh, you know, all they have Ty Pennington, of course. So we'll see how the veteran quarterback level can FBS versus FCS, if that's that big of a difference. Uh Pennington's gonna get some looks. Uh, he was already at the Manning Academy before the season started. So this is a big game for Ty Pennington's stock in his uh football career. So I'll be watching to see how he plays specifically. But you know, NAU doesn't need to win to learn something, as we were kind of saying, but you know, I think if they can if they can prove to keep this a close game, I mean it's it's gonna go a far ways for the confidence of that team. Uh got lots of games here, so let's keep moving on. Uh Mike, I'm gonna go to you here. Uh, we're gonna talk Weber State versus Southern Utah, our only big sky game actually this week. Uh, you know, Mike, these might be two teams we underestimated to start. You know, are we buying more stock into them? And what do you expect in this matchup?

SPEAKER_00 35:33

I'll tell you what, I'm definitely buying some southern Utah stock. Um, uh, we Luke and I were kind of talking about it before we started recording, but I think we're gonna be hearing about Will Burns uh pretty consistently this year. I mean, they got to do the quarterback. Um, I included, I did a little write-up just to be organized, but I included some of the stats from this past weekend. 71% uh pass completion rate, uh, 250 yards passing, plus about 120 yards on the ground. Um, I mean, the guy has a motor that just cannot be ignored. And uh so I think he really makes his team legit. Um, a contender to really upset a lot of teams this year. I in fact, I think they're going to at some point. Um, and then they also have a really good running back for him. Floyd Chalk went over 100 yards rushing as well. Um, I mean, that offense is astounding. And uh they have the defense to be able to be competitive with a lot of people and and and win in, I think, convincing ways. Um, it's just so early in the season to really get a real feel for it. So with Devin Brown dealing with that dislocated finger and how close that game was, um, I'm really curious as to how this game's gonna play play out, but I kind of lean in favor of Southern Utah. They got a lot of momentum right now, I feel like.

SPEAKER_01 36:47

I'm with you after watching the performance and especially seeing you know a quarterback that not only can throw it, he can pitch it with his left arm, running the speed options, and you know, kind of can do it all and came out of nowhere. I think this is gonna be a quarterback that we're gonna be talking about all season. I'm right there with you, Mike. Um, if Weber can start the season two and oh after two road games, though, uh, we're gonna be having another conversation about Eric Kerr and what he is so successful at here down the road. Jumping off to another game, more to go to Idaho State at Utah State. Um, I will take over Fritz Bangles here and just talk about it really quick. You know, I thought VMI showed uh Idaho State can handle a team that it should beat. Uh Utah State can can show the Bengals where they're gonna stack now that they have their first ranking and uh since 2018. Uh Mark, I'll just ask if you wanted to jump in here at all. You know, what would it take for you to leave convinced in this game Idaho State is as a real top four, maybe big sky team?

SPEAKER_03 37:42

Yeah, I think this might be one of the best games of the week of all the ones that are happening. I think I Idaho State can can hang with Utah State. Um, it's kind of weird to say that um an FCS team could go in and beat a vaunted Pac-12 team. It's you almost have to remember, oh yeah, Utah State's in the Pac-12. But anyway, the other thing I was going to mention is Utah State's quarterback, McKay Hillstead, in 2023 started eight games at Utah State. Then he transferred to BYU, red-shirted. Then last year he played five games at BYU, and now he's back back at um wherever you in Logan, that's right. You can get Weber mixed up with them sometime.

SPEAKER_01 38:30

Jumping on, uh, we're running here a little short on time, so I'm gonna go through the rest of the games, you know, quick hit a little bit of each. Um, but I am excited to watch that one, Mark. I think that Idaho State has that offense, and Jordan Cook, I'm not gonna scratch him out until we see it. So moving on, number 11, South Dakota, and FCS is gonna play Northern Colorado. Um, Northern Colorado is gonna be hungry in this game. You know, I think we learn a lot more about Northern Colorado this week than we did in maybe week zero. They did have the comeback win almost. Um, so they're gonna be hungry. And South Dakota freshman Austin, hopefully I don't may say this wrong, Modrensky, 16 of 20, uh, 304 yards, six touchdowns in his college debut. Uh so that's a little bit of a fact there, and what is named uh stats perform freshman uh of the week when that so uh but all over UNC Northern Colorado leads the all-time series 20 to 17. So I thought that was something uh interesting, but South Dakota's won the last four. Next game here, Portland State at San Diego State. Uh I'm interested interested to see if Portland State has that magic, that fire that could come back uh again, as we saw last week. Uh Portland State does not really need to validate anything to me as well. Um, if they can complete physically and avoid getting buried early, I think that's gonna be a win for them. Uh moving on to UC Davis at San Diego. You know, last week showed championship level resilience, I thought, for UC Davis. It almost was a loss that had everybody shocked and maybe questioning. But the fact they were able to come out and be that dominant in the second half shows that those players are legit and there's a reason they're ranked so high in the FCS. Uh, I think this game is gonna be very interesting. Um, but no more 21 hole, uh 21 point holes to start the game for UC Davis. Uh two more games here. I'm gonna glance right over the Montana State game. Um, if I didn't say that already, they're gonna play Butler at home. That's gonna be Gold Rush. Don't think that one's gonna be close. Um going over here, we have Central Washington, who we just brought up a little bit ago. Uh, they're gonna be at Kyle Pauly. Uh Kyle Paulie, as we know, one and oh, Anthony Greeksby Jr. We get to see him for a second week. I'm excited to watch him. Um I'm gonna be watching him the next couple weeks, seeing if that performance last week carries on. But uh, I would say, you know, don't overthink. This is what I wrote down. Don't do not overthink the opponent. Uh the story is whether Cal Poly can stack good weeks. So if they can do that and and take down uh Central Washington, even though you know they're not FCS level, I think that will be a good win. And last, uh summon over this quickly, Utah Tech goes to BYU. Uh it's gonna be another really big uphill battle for Utah Tech. Harder team than Montana State, and you're not gonna have them at home. So uh this one is gonna be tough. They didn't score any points uh in week zero. I don't see them scoring points again. That'll do it for the games. Uh a lot to go through. Thank you for everyone that's still listening. Uh so a ton to go through there. But now we're gonna get to our pick segment. Uh, but first I want to say uh thank you to Mountain Pass Safes and Coins. Mountain Pass Safes and Coins is your local source for safes, precious metals, and personal defense products from professional safe delivery and relocation to champion safes and buying the launchers. They have the products and expertise to help protect what matters most. Visit Mountain Pass Safes and Coins on Highway 2 East in Calisbell. Everyone's favorite time of the week. It's our picks, and there's no shocker, of course. John is our leader after one, as he went six and one. But we're all right there with him. We all went five and two. So congratulations to you, John. Um, before I let you go, I just want everyone uh in the comment section below or in our description below on the YouTube, we actually have a pick segment. You can join us and make your own picks. So I please encourage everyone to do that so you can follow along with all of us and uh see how you do throughout the season. Without further ado, let's get to last year's champion, John, with his picks for week one.

SPEAKER_02 42:26

Yeah, I uh you you mentioned that little uh picks thing that with the fans can join in on a got an email and saw some other people going six and one last week as well. So uh shout out to them as well for a good week of selections. That was a tough big sky week with a lot of close games. So um let's start this one off. I've got Utah over Idaho, uh Montana over Drake, Montana State will go to two and oh over Butler. I'm gonna pick Eastern Washington to win at home. I think they're gonna get a little bit of revenge for last year's game over Northern Iowa. Um, I'm gonna pick Utah State over Idaho State, though I do feel like uh that could be interesting. There's a little bit of proximity between those two schools, maybe a little bit of uh, you know, a could be rivalry if they wanted to make it into one. So uh and you know, some fans from Pocatella should be able to make it over to Logan and maybe give a little uh support to their team that looks really good. Um I'm gonna pick Southern Utah over Weber State, I'm gonna pick Cal Poly over Central Washington, I'm gonna pick South Dakota over Northern Colorado, but I do want everyone to remember last year that uh when they're in uh South Dakota that uh Northern Colorado took them down to the wire. And I believe that game might have gone to overtime even. So um, yeah, that that that game is no uh no easy game for for South Dakota. I'm gonna pick Arizona over Northern Arizona, BYU over Utah Tech. I'm gonna take San Diego State over Portland State, and lastly, I'm gonna pick Davis over San Diego. Fritz, the floor is yours.

SPEAKER_04 43:55

Um, I think I only have one different pick from uh John. That's uh I'm gonna take northern Colorado. I keep uh keep wanting the bears to rise up the ranks in the big sky. And uh so I picked them to beat South Dakota, and then everything else is about the same. So uh Eastern Washington over UNI, um Arizona over NEU, Montana over Drake, Montana State way over Butler, Southern Utah over Weaver, Utah State over Idaho State, um, South Dakota State winning against Deportman State, UC Davis over San Diego, BYU over Utah Tech by a lot, Cal Poly over Central Washington, and Utah over Idaho.

SPEAKER_01 44:37

Mark, let's hear your picks.

SPEAKER_03 44:38

All right, they're gonna sound a lot like John's. So Utah over Idaho, Montana to win, Montana State. Um, I believe I think Eastern Washington wins at home. Uh Utah State over Idaho State, southern Utah to beat Weber, Cal Poly over Central Washington. I'm gonna take South Dakota to win at northern Colorado, and then Arizona over NAU, BYU over Utah Tech, and then San Diego State over Portland State, UC Davis over San Diego.

SPEAKER_00 45:09

And go ahead, Mike. Yeah, absolutely. And uh I got Utah over Idaho, Montana over Drake, uh, eastern Washington over northern Iowa, uh, I got Utah State overcoming Idaho State, um, Cow Poly over central Washington, BYU over Utah Tech, uh Southern Utah over Weaver State. I think it will be a competitive matchup. Um, I got South Dakota over northern Colorado, um, Arizona over northern Arizona, uh, Montana State over Butler, San Diego State over Portland State, and UC Davis over San Diego.

SPEAKER_01 45:46

Thank you, Mike. Uh pretty much with all of you guys, uh, I'm gonna take Utah over Idaho. I'm gonna take Montana defeating Drake, take Montana State defeating Butler. I'm gonna go with Northern Iowa beating Eastern Washington. I'm gonna go with uh Utah State defeating Idaho State, but that was one I did think about. Did think about taking uh Francis Bengals there. And then the Weaver State U Southern Utah game, I kind of flipped in the air until just learned about the injury with the quarterback. So we're gonna go and flip back to southern Utah. I was more than impressed with them last week, and it's gonna be their first home game. Next, we will take Cal Poly, defeating Central Washington. I think South Dakota will win against northern Colorado, but that Bears team is hungry. So if I'm wrong there, I won't be shocked. Well, maybe a little bit. Um, and then we will go northern Arizona losing to Arizona. Do not think they will do the big that I want them to. We're gonna go BYU over Utah Tech easily, and then we have San Diego State defeating Portland State and UC Davis defeating San Diego. Well, that is all the time we have this week for Big Sky Now. Uh, more than enough for everyone to listen to. I really hope everyone enjoyed this episode. We dove into so many games. Uh, thank you to my panel for being patient and joining on time every week. If you guys have any comments, any viewers below, you guys want to ask any questions, any opinions, feel free. I read everything. So, once again, thank you for joining this episode of Big Sky Now, and we will catch you next week.