Griz Insider
In response to dry, warm weather that could increase the danger of human caused wildfires, three state parks (Cooney, Pictograph Cave and YellComments being accepted on snowmobile grantsThe Gear Junkie: Pushing the limits with the 'Tough Mudder' experienceTalk set for Friday on stories of Crow peopleOutdoors just for kids: Odds are tough for young birds to take wingCar outings offer opportunity to haul lots of gearNOTE: This is the fifth installment of a summer long series projecting the Top 10 players at each position for the 2014 Big Sky Conference football season.
Cal Poly led the nation in rushing last season and Portland State ranked third. Adams and Northern Arizona's Zach Bauman both ranked in the top 10 nationally in ground yards, while five others eclipsed the 1,000 mark. And quarterbacks had big seasons also. Yes, the Big Sky sure got its money's worth out of its offensive linemen last season.
But many of the big names are gone, including the entire group that was named first team all conference last season. A new year calls for a new crew to take over as the best in the league. Here are 10 to watch:
TOP 10 OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
1. CORNELIUS EDISON, G, SR., PORTLAND STATE2013: 12 starts, third team All Big Sky. THE BUZZ FOR 2014: This will be Edison's third year as a starter, and so far he's been a major reason why the Vikings have become one of the very best rushing teams in the FCS. Last year PSU averaged nearly 278 rushing yards per game third most in the nation and averaged a league best 6.0 http://www.cowboysnflofficialauthentic.com/authentic-demarcus-lawrence-jersey.html yards per carry. Adams, who was one of the best backs in the league the past couple years, but with the 6 3, 295 pound Edison helping to create holes they should have no trouble finding ways to churn out yards and production again this year.
NOTE: This is the fourth installment of a summer long series projecting the Top 10 players at each position for the 2014 Big Sky Conference football season. Jaguars Marqise Lee Jersey
The Big Sky Conference continues to be a breeding ground for great defensive linemen and Buck Buchanan Award winners. Montana State defensive end Brad Daly, after sharing the league's defensive player of the year award with Cal Poly tackle Sullivan Grosz, won the Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in the FCS in 2013.
It was the Bobcats' second straight Buchanan win (D end Caleb Schreibeis won it the year prior), and served as the Big Sky's sixth Buchanan since 2003. Five of those, by the way, were defensive linemen. Who's next?
TOP 10 DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
1. JAMES COWSER, DE, JR., SOUTHERN UTAH 2013: 78 tkl, 19 tfl, 10 sacks, 8 qbh, 2 ff, 2 fum rec, 1 int. THE BUZZ FOR 2014: How Cowser wasn't a first team All Big Sky selection after last season is a mystery. How he wasn't a unanimous preseason pick for 2014 is also puzzling. Helping SUU to a surprising playoff berth, Cowser had more tackles than any Big Sky lineman last year, and his sacks and tackles for loss totals were second only to Buchanan Award winner Brad Daly. With linebacker Zak Browning gone, Cowser will command more attention from offenses, and that might tamp down his numbers. But his impact, which is significant, won't decrease.
NOTE: This is the third installment of a summer long series projecting the Top 10 players at each position for the 2014 Big Sky Conference football season.
Southern Utah takes a major hit this year with the loss of first team All Big Sky linebacker Zak Browning, who has left the team to embark on a two year Mormon mission. Not great timing for a program that made the playoffs last year.
Browning certainly isn't the first player to make such a commitment (and he won't be the last). The reverse of SUU's situation is Eastern Washington's fortune of getting Ronnie Hamlin back for a sixth year. So the Eagles' D hangs on to one of its fixtures while the Thunderbirds lose one of theirs. With Browning out and Hamlin returning, here are the 10 linebackers to focus on entering the 2014 season:
TOP 10 LINEBACKERS
1. RONNIE HAMLIN, SR., EASTERN WASHINGTON2013: 140 tkl, 6 tfl, 2 sacks, 2 ff, 1 fumble rec, 2 int, 2 pass def, 1 TD. THE BUZZ FOR 2014: As if Eastern Washington needed any more star power, Hamlin is back after being granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. Sherritt. EWU has played 11 playoff games since 2009 (the year Hamlin arrived on campus). There should be more coming, especially with Hamlin wreaking havoc.
NOTE: This is the second installment of a summer long series projecting the Top 10 players at each position for the 2014 Big Sky Conference football season.
With Vernon Adams, Cooper Kupp and Co. coming back to Eastern Washingtonlock, stock and barrel, every defensive back in the Big Sky Conference is on alert. The Adams to Kupp combo was the scourge of the league last year, and the Eagles put up an astonishing 58 passing touchdowns.
But it's not just Adams. The Big Sky brings back a number of quality QBs, including Montana's Jordan Johnson and Sac State's Garrett Safron among others. So defenses will be tested through the air again in 2014, no doubt. Here are 10 DBs to watch this fall. As was the case in this space last year, the "pass def" statistic is combined between pass breakups and passes defended into one number.
TOP 10 DEFENSIVE BACKS Blake Bortles Jaguars Jersey
1. TEVIN MCDONALD, S, SR., EASTERN WASHINGTON 2013: 48 tkl, 2 tfl, 1 int, 5 pass def, 1 ff. THE BUZZ FOR 2014: McDonald came to Eastern Washington in 2013 from UCLA, where he was a two year starter, but he struggled through injuries and didn't put up the kind of stats he did with the Bruins. He missed EWU's final six games but was still Blake Bortles Jersey named third team All Big Sky. The 5 11, 190 pound McDonald, the son of six time NFL All Pro Tim McDonald, is an unquestioned talent. If he stays on the field he has what it takes to be the Big Sky's best defensive back. He's just one more stud on a team with serious national championship aspirations.
Montana State's women released their basketball schedule on Tuesday, and there are a couple big non conference games listed: at Boise State on Nov. 14, cowboysnflofficialauthentic.com/authentic-anthony-hitchens-jersey.html Gonzaga at home on Nov. 21, Wyoming at home on Dec. 6, and at Washington State on Dec. 20. Oh, and the doubleheaders have been reinstated for the Cat Griz men's and women's games on Jan. 17 (in Missoula) and March 7 (in Bozeman).
But there's bigger news on the horizon. MSU's men's schedule has yet to be released, but word out of the athletic department is that there will be some cool non conference matchups for 2014 15, in particular games at UCLA of the Pac 12 on Nov. 14 and at Marqise Lee Jaguars Jersey iconic Rupp Arena to face SEC power Kentucky the day after the Cat Griz football game (Nov. 23).
Those games, in fact, are bookend contests on a season opening, five game road trip that will take the Bobcats from coast to coast. Here's how that trip will shake out: