The Missoulian from Missoula, Montana • 31

Missoulian, Tuesday, November 21 2006 D3 SPORTS Big Sky Conference football notebook If Iff Iff Mi Quote of the week 7 was cautiously guarded that we might get in (the playoffs). I was really surprised that we are MSU coach Mike Kramer Players of the week Offense: Jason Murrietta, Northern Arizona The senior QB from Glendale, capped his record-setting career by passing for 381 yards and five TDs in a win over Northern Colorado. Defense: Chris Hunsaker, Northern Arizona, and Rio Stottler, Weber State Hunsaker, a senior LB from Middletown, had 10 tackles, including five for loss, in a win at Northern Colorado. Stottler, a sophomore DT from West Jordan, Utah, had seven solo tackles and three sacks in a win over Idaho State. Special teams: Dan Carpenter, Montana The junior PKP from Helena booted field goals of 37 and 42 yards in a win over Montana State, moving up to second on UM's scoring list.

He also averaged 42.7 yards on six punts. Stat of the year This is the 14th straight season that Montana has advanced to the Division l-AA playoffs, extending its own record. The next closest team in the 16-team field is Southern Illinois, making its fourth straight playoff trip. It's the third straight year for New Hampshire, Furman, Hampton and Lafayette. Montana State is in the playoffs for only the fourth time ever.

Minute Drill Power poll 1 Montana (10-1): Thanks to superb defense and enough offense, Griz run the table for the first time since 2001 USUI, MSU both advance to l-M playoffs 2 Montana St. (7-4): If running game doesn't improve, it'll be a short playoff trip. 3 Portland St. (7-4): Vikings didn't lose to a Division II school, but couldn't win at Bozeman. 4N.

Arizona (6-5): Souers guides Jacks to first winning season since 2003. 5 Weber St. (4-7): Offense needs to find more stability, talent, leadership. setting career with a flourish, passing for 381 yards and five touchdowns in a 54-3 victory at Northern Colorado. "They gave it to us and we took it," Murrietta told the Arizona Daily Sun of Flagstaff after the Lumberjacks rolled up 667 yards of total offense en route to trie most lopsided Big Sky win in school history.

Murrietta was named the conference's offensive MVP after a fine freshman campaign, but struggled at times the next two seasons before putting up big numbers this autumn. He's expected to be a strong contender for the Walter Payton Award, given to Division I-AA's top offensive player. "A lot of people gave up on him after his junior year," NAU coach Jerome Souers told Flagstaff's Arizona Daily Sun. "But to see him approach his senior year the way he did he deserves what he has gotten." Quick kicks Wins over Cal Poly and South Dakota State helped UM edge Massachusetts for the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

MSU QB Jack Rolovich suffered what Kramer called a "torso bruise" against UM, but is expected to be ready for Furman. Bobcat running back Evin Groves reinjured his knee and will miss the playoffs. The final at-large berth appears to have come down to MSU, PSU, Northern Iowa and Wofford. Murrietta finished with 34 TD passes, three more than the former school record set by Travis Brown in 1999, and 94 in his career, second in Big Sky annals only to former Montana star Dave Dickenson. outside looking in, there were mutterings of disappointment and more than a few tears.

PSU (7-4) had the same overall record as MSU. Both defeated Division I-A foes early in the season, the Bobcats winning at Colorado State and the Vikings winning at New Mexico. But the Bobcats defeated the Vikings 14-0 at Bozeman, and that apparently made up for a loss to Division II Chadron State. MSU also lost to three Division I-AA schools Montana, Eastern Washington and UC Davis -while the Vikings' other losses were to UM and a pair of Division I-A teams, California and Oregon. PSU coach Tim Walsh said the Vikings, who had arguably the toughest schedule of any I-AA team in the country, had no one to blame but themselves.

"You have to win to take it out of the committee's hands," Walsh told the Oregonian. "We did what we had to do after (the loss at Montana State), but they take a team that lost to three Division I-AA teams and a Division II school over us. "These are the facts of life, and it's a hard lesson to learn. When you put the ball in someone else's hands, unfortunately sometimes politics is involved. And I guess we're not as politically correct as other teams." PSU interim athletic director Teri Mariani agreed.

"Obviously, they're saying our schedule didn't hurt us, but they're also saying it didn't help us," Mariani said. Murrietta shines Northern Arizona senior quarterback Jason Murrietta finished his record- By RIAL CUMMINGS of the Missoulian Treasure State football fans from Antelope to Whitefish stood tall last Sunday when Montana and Montana State made the Division I-AA playoffs. The schools have advanced in the same season only twice before, in 2002 and 2003. Both teams host opening-round games on Saturday, the first time that's happened. The Grizzlies square off against McNeese State while the Bobcats face Furman.

The Griz (10-1) earned the Big Sky's automatic berth by defeating MSU 13-7 in the 106th Brawl of the Wild, completing their first unbeaten conference campaign since 2001. The Cats (7-4) were chosen for one of the eight at-large berths in the 16-team field, becoming the first team to make the cut with four losses since Idaho in 1995. "It's pretty cool," said MSU coach Mike Kramer. "At no point did I ever want this to be at the expense of the University of Montana," he added. "I never wanted us to be an ascending program while the University of Montana was on its way down.

Certainly they kept their end of the bargain. We both have opportunities to go a long, long ways." Surprise call Kramer said he was working on details for the Bobcats' awards banquet in his office when he received a phone call from sports information director Bill Lamberty, roughly a half-hour before the playoff selection show on ESPNews. "We're hosting," Lamberty said. "Hosting what?" Kramer replied. The Bobcats' chances of advancing to the playoffs, much less hosting a game, seemed doomed in September when they followed up an upset victory at Division I-A Colorado with three straight losses, falling to Chadron State -a Division II school along with UC Davis and Eastern Washington.

"That's what tore the guts out of this season," Kramer said. "I thought by losing those three games we'd missed a chance to do something new in this program." Furman (8-3) has a better record than MSU, has been ranked higher all season in the Sports Network poll and drew an average of more than 10,000 fans per game, the same as the Cats. Yet MSU was awarded a home date in the opening round. The last time the Cats played host to a playoff game was in 1984, their national championship season. MSU may have had a slight edge in strength of schedule.

According to the Sagarin ratings, MSU was 19th and Furman 26th. MSU played four teams ranked in the Sports Network poll, Furman three. "Whatever machinations were used to get to this point, I don't care," Kramer said. "The game's on the schedule and here we go." Disappointed Vikings The Portland State Vikings were in an upbeat mood as they gathered at Hoffman Hall on the PSU campus to watch the playoff selection show. But the mood turned anxious when Montana State was announced as one of the eight at-large teams.

And at the end, when the last of the 16 teams were announced, leaving the Vikings on the 6 Sac State (4-7): Hornets respectable, but falter down the stretch. E. Wash (3-8): Young Eagles should 7 be much improved in 2007. Idaho St. (2-9): Picked as preseason contenders, Bengals complete inexplicable tailspin.

9 N.Colorado (1-10): Most trying inaugural year since Abraham Lincoln is mercifully over. NBA roundup App State, Grizzlies finish 1-2 in final poll Nowitzki, Mavs hold off charge from Bobcats State also remained in the Top 25. MSU(7-4) fell three spots to No. 18 after losing to UM, but was selected as an at-large team to the playoffs. Portland State (7-4), which was idle last week, climbed one spot to No.

20. The Vikings weren't selected as an at-large team. Division I-AA Poll PHILADELPHIA (AP) The top 25 teams in the Sports Network Division I-AA football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Nov. 19 and previous ranking: Record Pts Pvs 1. Appalachian State (73)10-1 2,015 1 2 Montana (1) 10-1 1,909 2 3, Massachusetts (2) 10-1 1,848 3 4, North Dakota State (5)10-1 1 ,808 4 5, Youngstown State 9-2 1,714, 5 6 James Madison 9-2 1 ,568 7 seconds.

The Magic saw their 4-game winning streak come to an end with the loss. Dwight Howard scored 24 points and grabbed 23 rebounds to lead the Magic. Jazz 101, Raptors 96 At Salt Lake City, Carlos Boozer scored a season-high 35 points on his birthday, rallying the Utah Jazz past the Toronto Raptors 101-96 Monday night for their 10th victory in 1 1 games and the best start in franchise history. Jerry Sloan earned his 900th win as coach of the Jazz, who opened the 1998-99 season with a 9-1 record but lost their 11th game en route to a 37-13 finish in the lockout-shortened campaign. Sloan is 900-538 with Utah and 994-538 overall.

team record with eight blocks. Wallace scored 21 points for the Bobcats, who have lost six of seven. Rockets 97, Knicks 90 At New York, Yao Ming had 26 points and nine rebounds in another strong game against the Knicks, and Tracy McGrady added 24 points in the Houston Rockets' 97-90 victory over New York. Rafer Alston finished with 17 points for the Rockets, who beat the Knicks for the fifth straight time, their longest winning streak ever during the series. Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy improved to 7-1 against his former team.

The Knicks did a better job on Yao than last time, when he collected 35 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocked shots in the Rockets' 104-93 victory in Houston on Nov. 10. The 7-foot-6 Yao was only 6-of-14 from the floor with one miss coming when 5-foot-9 Nate Robinson blocked him in the closing seconds of the third quarter. Grizzlies 95, Magic 86 At Memphis, Hakim Warrick scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, keying a Memphis rally and giving the Grizzlies a 95-86 victory over the Orlando Magic. The victory snapped a 7-game losing streak for Memphis, which rallied from a 7-point deficit with 5:33 left.

The Grizzlies put together a 21-2 run to erase the Magic lead and build the advantage to 12 points in the closing Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C-Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points and 14 rebounds and Jason Terry scored five straight points in a late run Monday as the Dallas Mavericks held off the Charlotte Bobcats 93-85 for their sixth straight win. Terry hit a 3-pointer with 1:38 left to give the Mavericks an 89-85 lead. On the next possession, Greg Buckner stole the ball from Gerald Wallace and fed Terry for the decisive layup. Devin Harris added 17 points and Jerry Stackhouse returned after missing a game with a strained groin to score 15 for the Mavericks, who continue to surge after an 0-4 start. Emeka Okafor had 22 points, 13 rebounds and set a Missoulian Appalachian State and Montana retained the top two positions, in that order, in the final Division I-AA football poll, released on Monday by the Sports Network.

Appalachian State (10-1), the defending national champion, holds the top seed heading into the playoffs. The Mountaineers, who were idle last week, received 73 of the 81 votes cast by media members and sports information directors. Montana (10-1), which received only one first-place vote, won its 10 straight game by defeating intrastate rival Montana State 13-7. The Grizzlies are seeded second in the playoffs. Rounding out the top five teams were Massachusetts (10-1), North Dakota State (10-1) and Youngstown State (9-2).

NDSU, making the transition from Division II to I-AA, isn't eligible for the playoffs. UMass is seeded third, Youngstown fourth. Montana State and Portland 7. Furman 8-3 1,434 10-1 1,371 8-3 1,316 8-3 1.248 8- 3 1,185 9- 2 1.133 9-2 960 4 9 10 11 6 12 13 17 16 14 20 15 18 21 19 NR NR 22 8 Hampton 9. New Hampshire 10.

Southern Illinois 11. Illinois State 12 Tennessee-Martin 13. Coastal Carolina 14 Eastern Illinois 15. Cal Poly 16 San Diego 17 Northern Iowa 18 Montana State 19 Princeton 20 Portland State 21 South Dakota State 22 McNeese State 23. Wotlord 24.

Maine 796 771 755 732 657 635 568 414 366 247 7-4 10-0 7-4 7-4 9-1 7-4 7-4 7-4 7-4 6-5 NHL roundup 147 133 NR 8-3 25 Central Arkansas Others receiving, votes: Yale 120, Monmouth 103, Delaware Slate 84, Towson 65, Alabama 52, Arkansas Pine-Bluff 28, Charleston Southern 27, UC Davis 23, Harvard 20, Lafayette 20, South Carolina State 15. Villanova 13 Northern Arizona 10, Sam Houston State 6, Holy Cross 6, Drake 5, Predators beat Jackets for third time in six days Idaho State fires head coach Lewis, assistants 1:08 apart before seven minutes elapsed. Neil made it 3-0 with his sixth goal on a power play at 14:06. Daniel Alfredsson and Peter Schaefer also scored for Ottawa, which won consecutive games for just the second time this season. Stars 5, Avalanche 4 At Dallas, Antti Miettinen punched a loose puck through Peter Budaj's pads with 6:02 left to give Dallas over Colorado.

Miettinen's fifth goal of the season came only two minutes after Eric Lindros stormed through the slot and took a cross-ice pass from Mike Modano to score the tying goal. The Avalanche jumped out to a 2-0 lead on two goals by Marek Svatos in the game's first seven minutes and chased goalie Marty Turco. Stars captain Brenden Morrow scored twice in the final three minutes of the first period to tie at 2. But he later left with an unspecified injury. offensive trouble lately without captain Mats Sundin (torn elbow ligament), but Tucker continued to impress on the power play, scoring his NHL-leading 10th goal with the man advantage.

He is on pace to surpass the career-high 28 goals he scored last season. Sabres 7, Lightning 2 At Buffalo, N.Y., Thomas Vanek and Paul Gaustad each scored twice in Buffalo's seven-goal second period, and Ales Kotalik had three assists in a win over Tampa Bay. Jiri Novotny, Jaroslav Spacek and Chris Drury also scored for the Sabres, who won for the sixth time in eight games. Senators 5, Wild 3 At Ottawa, Andrej Meszaros, Chris Kelly and Chris Neil scored first-period goals and Ray Emery made 42 saves, leading Ottawa over Minnesota. Meszaros and Kelly scored Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio -Paul Kariya and Martin Erat each had a goal and an assist as the Nashville Predators beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 Monday night.

Tomas Vokoun lost his shutout bid with 15 seconds left but finished with 23 saves in his 10th win of the season for the Predators, who defeated Columbus for the third time in six days. Scott Nichol also scored for the Nashville, which won 13 of 16. Panthers 3, Bruins 2 At Boston, Alex Auld made 29 saves, Martin Gelinas scored a power-play goal and Florida snapped Boston's season-high, four-game winning streak. Joe Nieuwendyk netted a third-period, power-play goal and Nathan Horton scored in the second period for the Panthers, who won for the second time in seven games. It was Florida's second road win of the season (2-6-3).

Penguins 5, Flyers 3 At Philadelphia, Ryan Whitney had a goal and two assists, and Sidney Crosby and Dominic Moore each added a goal and an assist as Pittsburgh defeated Philadelphia. John LeClair and Sergei Gonchar also scored for the Penguins, who snapped their four-game, road-losing streak and handed the Flyers their fifth straight home loss. Maple Leafs 4, Islanders 2 At Toronto, Darcy Tucker scored his 13th goal and Toronto held on to beat New York. John Pohl, Kyle Wellwood and Alexei Ponikarovsky also scored for the Maple Leafs, who ended a two-game losing skid. Toronto outshot New York 33-21, including 13-5 in the first.

The Maple Leafs have had Associated Press POCATELLO, Idaho -Idaho State University fired head football coach Larry Lewis and his entire coaching staff on Monday, a day after the Bengals completed a 2-9 season. Paul A. Bubb, the school's athletic director, stood beside university president Arthur Vailas to announce the firings at a campus news conference. "Decisions like this are never easy, and this was certainly true in this case," Bubb said. "While I respect a number of things Coach Lewis and this staff have accomplished, the recent records have not met expectations." Lewis had a 40-49 record in eight seasons, including a shared Big Sky Conference championship in 2002 with Montana and Montana State.

This season's 2-9 record is the Bengals' worst since 1988 when the team went 0-11. The Bengals have had three consecutive losing seasons. There were higher expectations for Idaho State coming into this year. University of Michigan transfer Matt Gutierrez took over at quarterback, but the Bengals lost seven conference games, including a 23-10 loss at Montana on October 28. The Bengals had only 92 yards of offense on that day.

The contracts of all assistant coaches and coordinators expire on Jan. 27. Bubb said none of those contracts will be renewed. "In the best interest of the football program I believe a major change is necessary to return the program to a level we previously enjoyed," he said..