This Week in Big Sky Football (Aug. 30, 2024)

Intro [Applause] first and goal clock winding down that's Humphrey it's touchdown Montana State and they get out of here with an FCS victory over Mountain West how about those Bobcats 3 2 1 go [Applause] [Music] [Applause] if the excitement of week zero is any indication on how the 2024 football season's going to go I think fans are in for a treat hello and welcome to this week in Big Sky football I'm your host Megan Robinson Montana State kicked off the season last weekend for the Big Sky with a W in Albuquerque defeating f BS opponent New Mexico 3531 in a thriller this week our game of the week is Missouri State verse Montana Missouri State heads to Missoula for a match up with the number three team in the nation and Missouri State this is their last season in FCS they'll be moving up to the FBS ranks next year now for Montana they are the reigning Big Sky Champions Bobby Hauck Interview and they played for a national title last season I spoke with head coach Bobby Hal to see how he's feeling about his team entering week one coach thanks for being here it is week one of college football season Camp is over you were picked at first in the Big Sky preseason polls how are you feeling after seeing your team at fall camp and heading into your matchup against Missouri State this week well it's that's a hard question a little bit because I'm always apprehensive that we're not ready for the first game so it's a deal we work on every day trying to be ready um we're including today and we'll work right up to kickoff to hopefully go out and perform in the opener but I do in fact like our team I think they've worked really hard I think our our seniors on our team have pushed the envelope with the guys all summer and and I'm excited to see if we're uh any good here coach you had one of the best defenses in all of the FCS last season this year two new defensive coordinators Roger Cooper and Tim Hal sharing that role how would you describe their Dynamic this year we've had new coordinators each of the last three years um I think everybody has done a great job with the the transition each each time uh I think Tim and and Roger really work well together they're both great guys uh they're both likable guys uh they work and play well with others so uh that's been smooth I think our defensive staff is is uh clicking along uh working very smoothly and you know I we're we're constantly working on our tackling and our our defensive scheme we evolve it uh each of those guys bring something new in the to the mix in terms of coordinating uh they've both been coordinators before it's really been a nice blend and it's been smooth so far how have your players adjusted to having two men in that role as opposed to one that we've seen in recent years well I you know the players either adjust or there's new players so our guys have handled it really well we all but all those guys back and uh you know our our our guys have done a good job both these coaches have been with them going on a couple of years now our players have great understanding about what we want on the defensive side of the ball offensively you are returning one of the top receiving cores in the nation and kelen white told me at media day that they call themselves The Waffle House because they are open 247 what do you think of that nickname for your receivers well I think Talk's cheap we get to see when we open up but uh I like it it's uh it's all over their meeting room there's probably some copyright infringement there going on but they uh are uh confident group uh there's a lot of guys in that room that have made a lot of plays we're excited about them they're a fun group to be around and I think they've done a nice job working on the Run game piece of it they're energetic but blocking as well as catching passes and I I think that they should be a strength Force Junior Bergen was on the preseason all Big Sky Team both offense and special teams how do you plan on using him this season as a kick returner PT returner and a wide receiver well Junior in his time here has done a lot of things he's he's thrown passes he's started at running back um obviously the return game is a place where he's he's really stood out in particular last year during the playoffs but the last two years during the playoffs he scored touch he's scored four touchdowns I think in the playoffs the last uh two years so uh Junior's a really versatile guy um the biggest uh issue is he's not the he's not a big dude so the the gaug is how much to put on him uh we want to keep Junior healthy through the year so you know that that's all day-to-day see what he can do but he's a guy that can do a lot of things and will do a lot of things for our team coach I know it's only week one but last year you played for a national championship what will it take for the Grizz to get back to Frisco and win the whole thing this season like anytime you win to that magnitude you've got to get a few breaks here and there um and one of the the main things you need to get uh a break on is staying healthy um you know we we've had years where we had really good football teams where we couldn't quite get to that point of winning a championship or competing for a championship just because we weren't healthy enough at the end of the year so we need to get some breaks in terms of staying healthy and then you know you got to win some games in the fourth quarter because there's always going to be close games no matter what got 12 regular season games starting with this first one that we need to win so you know at this juncture our approach is there's 12 potential losses on the schedule and there's 12 potential wins on the schedule and we get to play one each week starting with Missouri State still to come on this week in Big Sky football former Montana wide receiver and All-American Samuel aim joins the show to tell us what he thinks we can expect from the Grizz this season yeah definitely have a great weekend thank you see you next week bye all right thanks bye take care one [Music] Sammy Akem Interview (pt. 1) welcome back to this week in Big Sky football I'm Megan Robinson and our next guest is the familiar face to fans of Montana football he is an All-American wide receiver Samy aim Samy you went from playing for Montana to now covering Montana what's the vibe in Missoula like now entering 2024 as we all know Montana played in the national championship last year so um expectations are high but I think the big question mark for Montana is the quarterback position that's what everybody wants to know what's going on everybody has that question and you know we're going to get an answer this weekend who do you think is gonna be the quarterback this weekend for Montana if I had to say who I think it's gonna be I would say iot I think we're gonna see multiple quarterbacks this week iot F and maybe even huitt are all gonna get some time to play this week I would Gamble and say that iot's going to be the starter Sammy there are question marks at quarterback we'll see who gets the start on Saturday afternoon however there has been consistency at wide receiver a position you might know a thing or to about one of the most prolific receivers in Montana history now of course last year's receiving core all back for this year Junior Burgen Aaron font and kelen white combined for over 2,000 yards and 14 touchdowns last season what can fans anticipate seen from that group this year consistency experience um there're that's a group of guys who have been in the system for a long time they understand what the expectation is they understand the play calls you know they understand where they need to be when they need to be there they understand how to get themselves ready to play they're a group of guys who have seen it all done it all um they had a tremendous amount of uh success last year so um I would say the biggest thing they can expect from that group is consistency Sammy they call themselves The Waffle House because they say that they're always open I asked coach Hal about that and he said well I think it's funny but talk is cheap we'll see how they do how do you think that they're gonna do this season first off that is such a coach Hal response to hearing something like that talk is cheap talk is cheap and obviously what they did last year is amazing obviously what they were able to accomplish is awesome but in the sport of football it's all about what have you done for me lately so what you did last year is awesome what you were able to accomplish is is is is awesome it's it's it's a great Resume Builder but we want to know what you're going to do this year I think everybody knew what they could be last year and and the fact that they were what they could be last year they lived up to the hype last year is amazing but now you're being touted as the best receiving Corp in the country you're being touted as the best group of receivers in the country that is a high expectation for you guys so I I do even though I think it's such a Hal response I I can't say I disagree with what he's saying I can't I don't disagree with the sentiment Samy we'll see how they do this weekend against Missouri State I really appreciate you being here will you come back later in the show and do some game picks with me I would love to that would be awesome ahead on this week in Big Sky football I speak with our player of the week Montana State running back Adam Jones to hear about the Bobcat's comeback win in Albuquerque we never set out to be the largest casino resort in the Pacific Northwest we just wanted to be the best but we forgot that being the best means more guests wanting more action more jackpots more bigname entertainment more pedicures well more everything until one day you look up and realize we need a new hotel Tower the New River Tower to be exact Northern Quest and spok handwashing now the largest and yes still the best Adam Jones (MSU) Player of the Week Interview with me now is our player of the week Adam Jones of the Montana State Bobcats your play of the game that 93 yard touchdown the second longest play from scrimage in Montana State history what did you see defensively that allowed you to capitalize and take it to the house I mean the play before um when you get backed up there's a few different things that defenses can do and um I kind of saw that they were kind of coming down fast the the combos were hitting really really quick on the offensive line and I remember telling Connor and uh and uh Cedric like if if they can get on those guys quick I can try to spit through um and that's I mean the next play it was I don't know how that worked out but um that's exactly what happened I mean Conor made an incredible block um and I I really didn't get touched I mean it it was really just a testament to what the o line did um and I just ran as fast as I could to be honest talking about your offensive line giving you key blocks to let you get that 93 yard run you yourself also had a pretty important block earlier in the fourth quarter that sparked a Tommy mot touchdown run what was going through your mind on Tommy's run there I mean it's kind of one of those things that you never really you can never really practice a bad snap in a game like situation and when that ball got snapped High um for a split second there I was like oh what what am I supposed to do Tommy Tommy kind of screamed at let me just go turn around and that there's kind of a guy in my face and I just threw my body there um and tried to get a piece of the other guy and I mean just trying to do whatever I could for Tommy on that play you and Scott Trey combined for 307 of your rushing yards two touchdowns the 93 y the game-winning touchdown I read a nickname you guys gave yourself what's that nickname you gave your position group The Juice Squad yeah we're we're known as the juice Squad here at MSU um I mean it's one of the those things where we feel like we can bring bring the juice to the rest of the team bring the energy um it's something we work on every day even at practice when things are feeling flat um we kind of took it into our own hands as our position group to make sure that the offense um we always have good energy good Tempo um try to get guys going what do you think it says about you and Scott try as players that the upper classmen are showing you so much respect when you are younger guys on the team I mean yeah I I I couldn't be more thank F to play for this team um any chance I get to go out there with with our o line and with Tommy I mean um it's something I don't take for granted and I know Scotty doesn't either um and just to have that respect for the team it it makes us play harder for sure I mean me and Scotty talk about all the time we're we're playing for this team um no matter who's doing well that day we know that each of us have the talent it takes um to get a win for us but um we want to support the team and we want to do whatever it takes for all those seniors on this team coming up on this week in Big Sky football Eastern Washington open their season Thursday night I'll give you an inside look at the team who keeps the Eagles looking sharp on game day [Music] [Music] [Music] Eastern Washington Equipment Staff Feature Story football is a game of details while players and coaches spend hours watching film going through drills and scouting teams Eastern Washington's assistant athletic director for equipment Services Spencer iara is spending 12 12 hours a day 7 days a week packing gear building helmets and taking inventory it's that attention to detail from iara and his small team that help make game days at Eastern Washington [Music] possible they are I'm sounding here as what we do I I like to think of them as uh Cent s's helpers uh except they're all Santa and Conant work a year round and make sure that we're looking a mess a lot of people think it's laundry um they don't really know what's behind the scenes we wear a lots of different hats as equipment managers ordering purchasing inventory uh labeling Distributing they do a fantastic job I mean just the fact that they give us everything we need in a timely manner and just dealing with as many people as they do yes we have football and it does take a lot of time to do it but all of the other sports that we have take just as much time and matter just as much 14 Sports to be exact Spencer Ibara and his team of seven manage the equipment for all of Eagle Athletics it's tough um there's a lot of time management that has to be taken uh into consideration with especially with a lot of the sports happening in the same season so we try to be as proactive rather than reactive with a lot of the stuff that we do you take for granted how much I see in the facilities it's a lot more than just full-time job it's at all time since July when we started receiving all of our boxes for all of our Sports uh seven days a week right now um we come in on the weekends to make sure things uh are organized so we can get stuff turned around as fast as possible organizing equipment is only a portion of the job you'll often see Ibara and his student employees working as officials for football practice or snapping balls with position coaches all in preparation for game day we're here about 5 or 6 hours before kickoff to make sure the locker room room is all set make sure the athletes have everything that they need and then probably about 2 hours afterwards so it's a full day probably about an 11 hour day on game days four away games the EQ staff loads the team semi with everything the Eagles would need on their road trip we set out the player bags the night before so they can pack whatever they need get a list every single week you get laid out we should check off U make sure P your bag and until we drop the bag off to on Friday I will do a sweep of the locker room and that's often where I'll find someone who may have left a helmet or shoulder pads or jerseys I'm just glad I do that last Second Sweep to make sure they have what they need on game day the most important thing to remember the uniform and Eastern Washington believes they have some of the best Eastern best in the CER is not even with us we never wear the same combo we always wisht that face mask helmet we leave it up to the captains and marketing so they kind of decide what we're going to wear we're going to do a blackout game or a white out game or a red out game all red is super special first G the red all red uh and just really the significance of that what it me is to protect the red as we call it my favorite uniform com is definitely the all black really like the matte black helmets they're definitely my favorite picking a favorite uniform is easy balancing the demands of an around-the-clock job is hard I have a family with three kids and a wife just trying to make sure I'm spending enough time with them also while trying to make sure that all of my student athletes coaches and admin are taken care of as well a lot of the work you guys do is behind the scenes and you don't get prais for a lot um that you do for us and for all the student aast at Eastern I personally take it incredibly seriously how much you Tak in this program and I'm going to do everything I can to help this team win thank you for everything that can do when doing this together [Music] Around the Big Sky welcome back to this week in Big Sky football I'm Megan Robinson as of this weekend all fall Sports Are Back In Action here's a look at what's going on around the conference preseason number one Montana is off to a hot start on the pitch the Grizz are 3 and0 at home to begin the year the reigning Big Sky regular season Champs have been dominant at South Campus Stadium hosting a 2778 record dating back to 2019 head coach Chris chivitz credits the fan support for their success love Missoula I've always said Missoula has this underground current of soccer Fanatics and it's just hooking them with the right style of play with the right team with the right people and I feel like we've worked really hard at that over the years it's opening weekend for volleyball and there is a Full Slate of Big Sky matches preseason number one Weber State will host Utah Tech to start their year a year head coach Jeremiah Larson believes is up for grabs in the conference on any given night um and any team can beat anybody right now and so I mean I think it's safe to say that anywhere between one to nine teams can win this thing this year expectations are high for NAU cross country as they returned to action this weekend both the men and women were unanimously chosen as the top team in the Big Sky preseason polls the women also tied for the top spot in the national cross country coaches poll this will be the eighth and final season for head coach Mike Smith who will be stepping down at the end of the Academic Year Smith will move into the professional rank coaching for Nike starting in 2025 he already coaches several Pro Runners including former na star and National Champion Nico young who competed this summer in the Paris Olympics that's what's going on this week around the Big Sky former Montana wide receiver Samia Kim back with me now Sammy Akem Interview (pt. 2) does not have to be a big sky school or Big Sky Team but who are some of the teams you have on upset alert for 20124 I say South Dakota State and Oklahoma State um I think Oklahoma State could potentially be on upset alert I think Oklahoma state has a pretty decent roster this year I think South Dakota state has been an FBS killer as of late you know they've been dominating some of those FBS teams they were very close to beating Iowa in 2022 Montana knows that South Dakota state is a tough Squad they faced them last year in the national championship came up short however Montana is the reigning Big Sky champ Sammy who are you taken to win the Big Sky this year and why I really think it's it's between two teams I really think it's between Montana and Montana State and I really really think it's going to come down to the brawl and as of late the brawl has been decided by the team who's been the home team since 2019 I think that's been the case but I think that's gonna I think that's gonna get disrupted this year I'm gonna say Montana Montana's journey to a repeat Big Sky championship and the road to Frisco starts this Saturday at home against Missouri State Sammy who you got in that matchup um I got Montana um you know Missouri state has not been a very strong opponent for anybody the last couple of years obviously they're transitioning to FBS so they're not even playoff eligible this year but I think Montana can get them by a touchdown or two for sure first game of the season home crowd is gonna be rocking um I think it'll be an amazing atmosphere well Sammy thank you for being here and I hope that you enjoy the game on Saturday if you are in fact going oh yeah for sure of course like would not miss it and thank you all for joining us on the very first episode of this week in Big Sky football once again I'm Megan Robinson we're here all season I'll see you next week