MSU coach Rob Ash visits with Jay Sanderson Tuesday at Park City
Big Sky Media Guide Notebook
7/22/2015 3:58:00 PM | Football
Viewing recently-completed Big Sky Summer Kickoff through media guide notes
The Big Sky Conference recently completed its 20th Summer Kickoff Media Day session at Park City, Utah, which annually offers information from each league school. Below are notes gleaned on each of Montana State's conference brethren from media guides or notes packages dispensed in Park City.
UC DAVIS AGGIES
Only four teams enter the 2015 season benefitting from the same type of extreme experience that Montana State's offense brings to the new campaign. UC Davis is one of those four, but stands apart. While MSU, Idaho State and Cal Poly each return nine offensive starters, the Aggies welcome back that number on defense. Safety Keleen Culberson leads the way, with a team-high 74 tackles a season ago.
CAL POLY MUSTANGS
How imposing was Cal Poly's offense in 2014. The Mustangs rolled up at least 450 yards and scored at least 34 points in each of their last 10 games. Nine of the team's 11 offensive starters return, including quarterback Chris Brown, who threw for 1,465 yards while rushing for 1,265 yards.
EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES
After winning the Jerry Rice Award as the FCS Football's top freshman in 2014, Eagle receiver Cooper Kupp set a school record last year with 104 catches. He registered 1,431 yards, and his 16 touchdown catches was more than five Big Sky teams produced last season.
IDAHO STATE BENGALS
When Idaho State toppled Cal Poly last season, it marked the Bengals' first win over a nationally-ranked FCS opponent since beating Eastern Washington in 2005. That decade-long stretch covered 24 straight losses to ranked teams.
MONTANA GRIZZLIES
When Montana takes the field against four-time defending FCS National Champion North Dakota State on August 29, the Grizzlies will do so with a supremely experienced squad. UM returns 23 starters and 34 lettermen from last season's 9-5 team. The notable newcomer in the program, of course, is head coach Bob Stitt. He is the fourth different man to serve in that position in the past seven seasons.
NORTH DAKOTA
Bubba Schweigert was hired by the University of North Dakota in large part because of his ability to coach defense and engender toughness. The Green and White showed both those traits in aces last year, registering 111 tackles-for-loss, the most in the Big Sky. The team's high-water mark was 16.0 TFLs against Stony Brook.
NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS
Jerome Souers enters his 18th season as Northern Arizona's head coach, and stands on exactly 100 career wins. That total is the most-ever by a Lumberjacks coach, and is second-best in the history of the Big Sky Conference.
NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS
Northern Colorado returns three starting linebackers – from the 2013 season. Leilon Willingham, Jaqueal Walker and Boobie Sanders each missed most or all of 2014. Willingham's 98 tackles in 2013 was fifth in the Big Sky, while Walker snagged a game-winning interception in the team's win over Houston Baptist prior to his injury.
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS
Portland State utilized its pistol offense to full effect last season, rushing for exactly 2,500 yards. It marked the fifth straight season the Vikings gained over 2,000 yards on the ground, and now the man calling the offensive plays in that time – Bruce Barnum – has taken over as interim head coach. Of those 2,500 yards gained the PSU last season, over 1,800 return for 2015.
SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS
It might be hard to convince Sacramento State head coach Jody Sears there is no such thing as déjà vu. After serving as the Hornets' interim head coach in 2014 he returns this season as the program's full-time head coach, replicating exactly his time at Weber State. In 2012 he was that school's interim head coach before being elevated to full-time status after the season.
SOUTHERN UTAH
Thunderbirds head coach Ed Lamb, a BYU grad, enters the season with a former Cougar as his likely starting quarterback. Ammon Olson threw for 3,049 yards for SUU last season after transferring from Brigham Young.
WEBER STATE WILDCATS
Six of Weber State's 10 assistant coaches played college football at current Big Sky schools. Three of the four others played collegiately at either Utah or BYU.
FIVE BONUS BOBCAT NOTES
* Three Bobcats – Shawn Johnson, Chad Newell and Dakota Prukop – rushed for at least 100 yards in a game last season, the first time that's happened at MSU since 1989.
* Offensive tackle John Weidenaar's 38 career and consecutive starts stands 10 from the Bobcat school record in both categories, held by Brent Swaggert and Jon Montoya. A pair of current MSU assistants, Kane Ioane and Jody Owens with 47 each, have the second-highest total on both lists.
* Jason Eck, MSU's first-year offensive line coach, is the first man to hold that title other than Jason McEndoo, since 2002.
* Cornerback Bryson Keeton's 1.2 passes defended per game last season was 39th in the FCS.
* Redshirt freshman linebacker Toti Moeakiola's brother Na'a just completed his Bobcat career, while sophomore linebacker Mac Bignell's brother Nate is an MSU defensive lineman.
UC DAVIS AGGIES
Only four teams enter the 2015 season benefitting from the same type of extreme experience that Montana State's offense brings to the new campaign. UC Davis is one of those four, but stands apart. While MSU, Idaho State and Cal Poly each return nine offensive starters, the Aggies welcome back that number on defense. Safety Keleen Culberson leads the way, with a team-high 74 tackles a season ago.
CAL POLY MUSTANGS
How imposing was Cal Poly's offense in 2014. The Mustangs rolled up at least 450 yards and scored at least 34 points in each of their last 10 games. Nine of the team's 11 offensive starters return, including quarterback Chris Brown, who threw for 1,465 yards while rushing for 1,265 yards.
EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES
After winning the Jerry Rice Award as the FCS Football's top freshman in 2014, Eagle receiver Cooper Kupp set a school record last year with 104 catches. He registered 1,431 yards, and his 16 touchdown catches was more than five Big Sky teams produced last season.
IDAHO STATE BENGALS
When Idaho State toppled Cal Poly last season, it marked the Bengals' first win over a nationally-ranked FCS opponent since beating Eastern Washington in 2005. That decade-long stretch covered 24 straight losses to ranked teams.
MONTANA GRIZZLIES
When Montana takes the field against four-time defending FCS National Champion North Dakota State on August 29, the Grizzlies will do so with a supremely experienced squad. UM returns 23 starters and 34 lettermen from last season's 9-5 team. The notable newcomer in the program, of course, is head coach Bob Stitt. He is the fourth different man to serve in that position in the past seven seasons.
NORTH DAKOTA
Bubba Schweigert was hired by the University of North Dakota in large part because of his ability to coach defense and engender toughness. The Green and White showed both those traits in aces last year, registering 111 tackles-for-loss, the most in the Big Sky. The team's high-water mark was 16.0 TFLs against Stony Brook.
NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS
Jerome Souers enters his 18th season as Northern Arizona's head coach, and stands on exactly 100 career wins. That total is the most-ever by a Lumberjacks coach, and is second-best in the history of the Big Sky Conference.
NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS
Northern Colorado returns three starting linebackers – from the 2013 season. Leilon Willingham, Jaqueal Walker and Boobie Sanders each missed most or all of 2014. Willingham's 98 tackles in 2013 was fifth in the Big Sky, while Walker snagged a game-winning interception in the team's win over Houston Baptist prior to his injury.
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS
Portland State utilized its pistol offense to full effect last season, rushing for exactly 2,500 yards. It marked the fifth straight season the Vikings gained over 2,000 yards on the ground, and now the man calling the offensive plays in that time – Bruce Barnum – has taken over as interim head coach. Of those 2,500 yards gained the PSU last season, over 1,800 return for 2015.
SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS
It might be hard to convince Sacramento State head coach Jody Sears there is no such thing as déjà vu. After serving as the Hornets' interim head coach in 2014 he returns this season as the program's full-time head coach, replicating exactly his time at Weber State. In 2012 he was that school's interim head coach before being elevated to full-time status after the season.
SOUTHERN UTAH
Thunderbirds head coach Ed Lamb, a BYU grad, enters the season with a former Cougar as his likely starting quarterback. Ammon Olson threw for 3,049 yards for SUU last season after transferring from Brigham Young.
WEBER STATE WILDCATS
Six of Weber State's 10 assistant coaches played college football at current Big Sky schools. Three of the four others played collegiately at either Utah or BYU.
FIVE BONUS BOBCAT NOTES
* Three Bobcats – Shawn Johnson, Chad Newell and Dakota Prukop – rushed for at least 100 yards in a game last season, the first time that's happened at MSU since 1989.
* Offensive tackle John Weidenaar's 38 career and consecutive starts stands 10 from the Bobcat school record in both categories, held by Brent Swaggert and Jon Montoya. A pair of current MSU assistants, Kane Ioane and Jody Owens with 47 each, have the second-highest total on both lists.
* Jason Eck, MSU's first-year offensive line coach, is the first man to hold that title other than Jason McEndoo, since 2002.
* Cornerback Bryson Keeton's 1.2 passes defended per game last season was 39th in the FCS.
* Redshirt freshman linebacker Toti Moeakiola's brother Na'a just completed his Bobcat career, while sophomore linebacker Mac Bignell's brother Nate is an MSU defensive lineman.
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