10 hours ago •
This time it was different. Something the men in maroon could control between the lines with ironclad will.
When you lose your head coach and your reputation takes a savage hit, there’s not much to do but shut up and regroup. Lose your star quarterback, same deal.
One thing the Grizzlies never lost was their pride. What a beautiful thing it was watching it on full display once again. Watching young men rise like a phoenix when faced with an eight-point deficit in the third quarter.
You can’t teach that kind of inner belief. Some teams simply believe they should win and collectively act like it. Credit the Ghosts of Griz Past with an assist. Embrace the spirit of the warriors’ present.
My favorite part of Saturday’s 35-24 win over South Dakota was the play of quarterback Trent McKinney. His first game as a collegiate and he connects on 26 of 32 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns.
He threw the ball with zip and impressive accuracy. He ran for 65 yards on 13 carries. He proved he could take a big hit. He responded like a champ when one of his passes bounced off the hands of a receiver and went for a pick-six.
“I thought he did a terrific job,” South Dakota coach Joe Glenn said. “Those bubble screens, you guys would think that’s a gimme. But it’s not.
“It’s a hard-to-throw ball. For the receiver to catch it and keep his momentum, that ball has got to be perfect.”
McKinney was nervous when he took the field Saturday. He didn’t get much sleep the night before.
“I was anxious,” he said of Friday night. “I tried to force myself to go to sleep. Didn’t work out.
“Come this morning my phone is getting blown up with a bunch of messages. I didn’t check any of the messages but one from Jordy Johnson, the only one I end up reading,” he continued, referring to Montana’s 2011 starting QB, who has been charged with rape. “He’s telling me to relax. That feels good, to have one of your big brothers – he’s still one of us – to have one of your big brothers texting you and telling you he’s still behind you 100 percent.”
Armed with the support of his teammates and 25,000 loyal fans at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, McKinney showed significant poise when his troops were on the wrong end of a 24-16 score. He completed three straight passes in guiding Montana to the South Dakota 39-yard line. Then he flicked a difficult bubble lateral to tight end Greg Hardy, who turned and threw to a wide-open Bryce Carver for a touchdown.
“After the play I had to go talk to Hardy and tell him quit showing me up,” McKinney joked.
Suddenly Montana was back in business, trailing 24-22 late in the third quarter. Even then you had the feeling the maroon wave was bound to drown the Coyotes.
It did.
Lightning-quick linebacker John Kanongata’a, Montana’s version of Troy Polamalu, intercepts a pass and returns it to the South Dakota 34-yard line. Montana pile-drives the Coyotes’ defense on three straight run plays, the last resulting in a Dan Moore touchdown.
The rest is history. Turns out this powerhouse program we were all concerned about is just fine.
“I respect the heck out of this place,” said Glenn, who led the Griz to a national title in 2001. “So proud for (UM coach) Mick Delaney. Perfect guy to come in and settle down the situation.
“I thought his kids responded to him and the coaching staff real well ... We kind of caught the Griz on the way up and they’re going to get a lot better.”
Take heart, Griz Nation. All is well on the field.
No comments:
Post a Comment