My Billings Gazette

Regardless of what affiliation you have or what color you wear on Saturdays, deep down we all want to see our homegrown players succeed outside of Big Sky Country. That is one thing both Griz and Cat fans will admit, even though it may take awhile.

Last week I saw something special happen for the state of Montana. It was the second preseason game for the Miami Dolphins. In the 3rd Q, the Dolphins scored 10 points, all thanks to two players from Kalispell and Helena. A 39-yard run by Lex Hilliard (check that out here: http://tinyurl.com/krqdj2) and a 41-yard field goal from Dan Carpenter, capping a 10 point output thanks to the state of Montana. Hilliard is still 50/50 on whether he can earn a roster spot, but has had a solid preseason for Miami. Carpenter, has solidified his spot and has earned praise as one of the top young kickers in the game.

In fact, the Griz have been doing well making a mark in the NFL. Kroy Biermann is earning reps with the Falcons, Tuff Harris is well liked by Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher, and Colt Anderson has been making Butte proud at Vikings camp.

Sorry Montana State fans, no disrespect intended, just throwing out notable homegrown names.

I can honestly say having worked in the NFL for two years how difficult it is to have an opportunity. So take a closer look at the box scores on Sunday's because these players are representing our state. 

Finally something that Griz and Cat fans can agree on when it comes to football. 

Photo courtesy AP

The post (read it here) gives background on Montana State, the city of Bozeman and even has a rudimentary scouting report on the Bobcats.

And a recap of all that trouble the program got into a few years ago.

It also has a prediction: 42-3 Spartans.

It goes on to say:

"No disrespect, but they just aren’t in our league, even last years game 3 with Florida Atlantic was against a higher ranked team. They might do well in the Big Sky Conf., and I hope they do. Even with this being a loss, Rob Ash is headed in the right direction."

But it's not like the Spartans have been world beaters of late, and they certainly aren't unbeatable. I think back to the Bobcats' win at Colorado in 2006. That morning, The Boulder Daily Camera actually predicted a 70-3 CU victory.

Boy were they wrong.

Can Montana State pull a stunner against the Spartans in the season opener?

However, all is not lost. EA has at least allowed for a create-a-school feature in the upcoming NCAA 10 release that not only allows users to create solid replicas of Montana and Montana State, but any FCS squad and almost any school or team you can think of. It's "almost' better than the actual inclusion of the FCS, to the effect that you can let your imagination run wild, or just try match up your high school against the Florida Gators.

The features for the "Teambuilder" software are limited in some regard. While the system allows you to upload two logos to use (a primary and secondary), it doesn't allow for any more. So if a particular jersey or helmet has a odd design (like Bengal stripes) or just nike or conference logos, you have to live without them.

It still allows users to create some great recreations of their schools though, and some are really spot on. I even found some user created Rocky Mountain College duds that easily could pass for the real thing. Users also have the option for up to four jerseys as well as alternate helmets and pants.

Here are some of my designs:

 Montana Grizzlies Home

 Montana Grizzlies Historical Alternate

 Montana State Bobcats Home

 Montana State Bobcats Historical Alternate

Turns out Flacco had some good words for the FCS, telling ESPN's John Saunders:

"I like to think it's pretty darn good. We have a playoff system so the winner each year defnitely plays for it and earns it on the field.

"But when you're getting down to the first teams and a couple of the backups on Division I-AA teams, there are some pretty good players and there are guys that move on and play pretty well at the next level each year."

Here is the full video:

In case you are wondering, Montana's turn on the 50 state tour -- along with North and South Dakota -- will appear on June 18. Check out the schedule at: http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/story?page=50StatesTour.

This summer will be Rob Ash’s third in Bozeman since he took the reins as Montana State’s football coach in June of 2007.

Ash said recently that he is “in it for the long haul” as he tries to rebuild MSU on and off the field.

In May the Bobcats received a favorable Academic Progress Rating from the NCAA, which allowed them to recover a full complement of 63 scholarships.

In June Ash and his staff will get a handle on recruiting and organize their off-season camps.Ash himself will make a number of appearances at booster events from Glasgow to Kalispell.

I recently sat down with Ash in his office in Bozeman to discuss the off-season. Following is a glimpse of their conversation:

Gazette: It was recently announced that Montana State had an improved APR score. You had to be pleased with that.

Ash: “We were ecstatic. They base everything on a four-year average, and our score was actually below the line, so we qualified for penalties right away. But based on our improvement in the past year we asked for lesser penalties. They actually granted our waiver, portions of it at least. And the big piece we wanted to get back was the scholarships, and they gave them back to us. So we’re now fully funded for this year.”

Gazette: Looking at next year’s team on the field, what are the positives you see?

Ash: “I think our O-line will be very solid. We’re experienced there. We’re bigger and stronger and have had a good off-season. And even though we lost Demetrius Crawford I think we have a good committee of running backs. Defensively I’m excited. We lost some good players like (Chris) Kolone and Bobby Daly. But Clay Bignell stepped in good in the spring and our linebacker corps will be very solid with (Jeff ) Price and (Chase) Gazzerro. (Kevin) Retoriano is an excellent player. He anchors the secondary. And the D-line should be fine with Dane Fletcher, Brad Smith and (Dan) Ogden, we should really solid up front."

Gazette: Conversely, what are some of the areas of concern right now?

Ash: “Our receivers are probably the question mark, and quarterback. That’s still our deal — the passing game. We have to answer those issues. We’ve got some issues at cornerback that we have to solve. Cory Nicol is solid there, but he’s injury prone a little bit. Our whole football team isn’t where it needs to be in terms of depth. But that’s going to be helped a bit by getting these scholarships back. If we do well in our off-season program we should be able to solve that in a year or two.”

Gazette: Can you list three new players on offense and defense that you think will make the biggest impact next year?

Ash: “I hope Elvis Akpla turns out to be a good receiver. He showed signs of being really good but then he got hurt in the spring. Ricky Evans is an intriguing running back that redshirted last year. He’s got a big upside. The other guy that we’re hoping can come in and do some things is (receiver) Everett Gilbert. I don’t usually talk about freshman, but he’s playing a position that could allow him to emerge on offense.

“Defensively, Bignell is going to burst on the scene and do well. Jason D’Alba is a name you don’t know much of. He’s a transfer from Drake and has earned the starting nose guard position. So I’m excited about him. And the other one will probably be at corner, either Zach Coleman or James Andrews.”

Gazette: Turnovers were obviously a problem for you guys last year. 35 giveaways and minus-10 overall in that department. Talk about that as a priority this year and how big of an impact it had last season.

Ash: “It was huge. It’s one of those things that you have to decide if you’re going to talk about it more or less. That’s the debate. Sometimes the more you talk about it the more you create the epidemic. It’s like the more you talk about Swine Flu the sicker everybody seems to get. We’re trying to avoid the panic of it but we have to get it fixed. We really made it a priority in the spring. A lot of it starts with the quarterback position. I’m sure our quarterbacks were responsible for the lion’s share of those turnovers.”

Gazette: Speaking of your quarterbacks, Mark Iddins ran the show this spring due to Cody Kempt’s injury. How do you see that race — if it is still a race — shaping up?

Ash: “Cody has to have a chance to win the job, so we’ll let him get in the mix again in August. But I think Mark took some real positive steps to being the guy. He has a big lead in terms of reps over Cody from all the turns he got in spring ball. But I have to open it up to see how those two compare. I’d say Mark is a little bit ahead, though, because he was able to practice in the spring.”

Gazette: Can you give me an early handicapping of the league looking at it right now?

Ash: “I’m not very good at that. My gut feeling tells me that Weber State will be good again because they’ve got (Cameron) Higgins back and a good nucleus. Eastern Washington still has Matt Nichols, and they’ll be terrific because of them. And of course the Griz are always terrific and will be very solid. But that’s easy. Those are the top three teams that anybody would pick. But somebody’s going to sneak up as a dark horse.”

Gazette: You have to play on the road at Weber and Eastern this year, and those will be two tough games.

Ash: “You look at last year’s schedule and we had Weber and Eastern at home back-to-back and we lost them both. And that was awful. So maybe the home field thing isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. But it’s a tough schedule for us. We go to Northern Colorado and Weber to start the conference schedule. In my mind it’s not a perfect schedule. It will be very challenging.”

Gazette: You also travel to Michigan State. In your three years this will be the fourth team from the FBS you’ll play. Do you enjoy those games?

Ash: “I do. It’s really fun for the players. It’s great to get in that atmosphere and find out what it’s really like at that level. I like to challenge the very best players on our team. And they rise to the challenge. But it’s really important to our program from a motivation standpoint. When you know you start with Michigan State it’s in the back of your mind all summer long. It’s a good way to get started. I like playing one opposed to two, though. I will say that.”

Gazette: In 2011 you will become the President of the American Football Coaches Association. What does it mean and what kind of duties do you have?

Ash: “We basically oversee the coaching of the game of college football. We talk about the issue of the BCS and the bowls and the playoffs, and we talk about the polls and youth football and relationships with the NFL. We take positions on legislation that comes through the NCAA for governing our sport, and we’ve become a very powerful lobby for how the NCAA writes legislations.

“But one of our biggest thrusts is the education of the men who are coaching the game. Our convention is a great educational opportunity for three or four days in January every year. We have a phenomenal Web site if you’re a member. You have access to thousands of articles. So we’re really trying to promote and educate the game of football.”

Gazette: It was announced about a year ago at this time that there were going to be some improvements to Bobcat Stadium. A lot of the economic stuff has kind of slowed down the progress. How do you see it?

Ash: "Things have slowed down a little bit. Charitable giving is down across the country. That’s an issue, but at the same token we’re not going to sit back and wait around. Some people are still doing well, some people are still waiting for their portfolio to rebound again and get a little more value. So we’re going to actively pursue the donors that have to help us.

“I personally want to continue to actively talk about the indoor practice facility. I still think we need that here more than anything else. And that would help everybody, not just football. As I’ve said, Division I athletes have to train year-round. And in Bozeman, Montana, you don’t have that opportunity unless you can train indoors. And we don’t have the facilities to do that.”

Gazette: You seem like you’re still enjoying the job.

Ash: “I love it. I mean look out this window. You look out to the stadium and the mountains … it’s absolutely gorgeous. I love the people and the support for the program. I’m excited about getting the program back on level playing field with everybody else. We still have another year where we’re short on practice time and short on initial counters and things like that.

“It’s been a struggle to get it back up. We’re at three years of digging out of the hole. I’m anxious to see what we can do when the lid comes off and we’re finally able to really compete.”