MISSOULA- Four different quarterbacks combined for 390 passing yards and four touchdowns to lead the way in The University of Montana Grizzlies' second scrimmage of spring drills Saturday evening in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
It was a beautiful evening in Missoula as the Griz played under their new lights in the stadium, and 8,731 fans were on hand to see the action.
Junior quarterback Jordan Johnson paced the signal callers, completing all 12 of his pass attempts for 164 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Nate Montana (6-of-12 for 81 yards and a TD), sophomore Shay Smithwick-Hann (9-of-14 for 86 yards and a TD), and redshirt freshman Trent McKinney (6-of-8 for 59) yards also looked sharp in the 92-play scrimmage which lasted about and hour-and-15 minutes.
The quarterbacks were a combined 33-of-46 for a completion percentage of 71.7%, and did not throw an interception.
Then running game was also solid, and 12 different players had a least one carry, and had a total of 46 attempts for 155 yards, to average 3.7-yards per carry. Sophomore half back Brett Kirschner tallied the only rushing touchdown on the evening, scoring on a one-yarder run in the last offensive series.
"I am really happy with the way the offense came out," said Griz head coach Mick Delaney. "They showed a lot of poise, which they should, because we've got a lot more guys with experience who have played on offense. The trigger guys (quarterbacks) make a huge difference. All-in-all I thought the all of the quarterbacks played well tonight."
The offense started hot, scoring on its first three possessions. The first score was a 1-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to redshirt freshman halfback Gavin Hagfors, which capped a five-play, 65-yard drive.
In the second offensive series, Montana guided a 12-play, 65-yard drive culminating with his 27-yard scoring throw to sophomore wide receiver Sean Haynes. The offense pulled off a hat trick on its third possession, this time it was Smithwick-Hann hooking up with wide open sophomore wide out Jake Dallaserra on a 22-yard touchdown pass.
After a brief halftime the offense came on strong again, as senior wide receiver Bryce Carver scored twice on passes from Johnson, the first from 32 yards out, and then the second one game two series later, this time Johnson hitting Carver on a 12-yard touchdown throw.
Kicker Chris Lider, a redshirt freshman from Bellevue, Wash., made all three of his field goal attempts, connecting from 34, 32, and 36 yards out, the last one coming when the offense went into an overtime mode. Fellow redshirt freshman Stephen Shaw, from Boise, Idaho, averaged 39.2 yards on nine attempts.
"Bryce Carver stepped up without (an injured) Sam (Gratton) in there, and Mitch (Saylor) and Sean Haynes, all had their moments, and Cam Warren is unbelievable," Delaney said. "I will go to war with Cam Warren any day. He's a tough for a little guy. He plays hard; he plays smart; and he makes big plays. He's going to help us to win football games next fall."
In all, 13 different players caught at least one pass, and seven of them had 3 receptions or more. Warren, a 5-6, 160-pound junior letterman, who is also from Bellevue, Wash., had scrimmage-highs of 5 catches for 70 yards, while Haynes had 4 for 64, Saylor added 4 for 50, and Carver grabbed 3 for 68 and two scores. Other players with multiple receptions included Dallaserra (3 for 35 and a TD), along with sophomores Kevin Berland (3 for 32) and Spencer Hale (3 for 19).
"We didn't run the ball quite as well as I would like," Delaney said. "But, man-oh-man, our short passing game which is one little tweaks in the offense that coach Rosie (offensive coordinator Timm Rosenbach) brought with him, was outstanding tonight.
"Trent did some real nice things, and made a couple of mistakes, but you know, he's a true freshman," Delaney said. He's going to be a fine athlete and fine quarterback for us."
McKinney, a 6-0, 198-pounder from Mililani, Hawaii, had a scrimmage-best 36 yards rushing on just five carries, while Johnson had six totes for 28 yards. Kirschner added 10 attempts for 17 yards and a touchdown.
Junior cornerback David Nguyen had a scrimmage-high 5 tackles, while safeties Matt Hermanson and Bo Tully had 4 stops each, and linebacker John Kanongata'a and defensive tackle Alex Bienemann also had 4 stops each, while linebacker Brock Coyle added 3 tackles. Senior end Josh Harris had a sack and a tackle for a loss. Redshirt freshman safety Connor Lebsock had a 37-yard fumble recovery return.
"On the defensive side, I was very disappointed in their energy and enthusiasm in the beginning," Delaney said. "They kind of stayed back on their heels, and stayed on their heels instead of punching back. We went 50 plays before we took a break, and when we did take a short break I thought they came back and fought back and played better and with more intensity.
"You know, again, we have just two starters back on defense, so you expect that," Delaney noted. "There is a lot of work to do - there's definitely a lot of work to do. But, I am really happy with how hard the guys want to work. They are not satisfied. They want to get going and come back out on Monday (to practice), and get back in their regular routine, get on the field, and work on the things that we didn't do as well as we'd like."
The Griz will have their final week of spring drills next week, practicing on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and then wrapping things up next Saturday morning with a final scrimmage in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
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