Honors Candidates
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
<■> * HONORS CANDIDATES L ast season the Grizzly coaching staff said that they thought Joe could be an impact JOE DOUGLASS, IV player in 1995, and he didn’t take long to prove himself. His first punt return in UM’s 6-0, 180 Senior Receiver/Returner season-opener against Eastern New Mexico resulted in a 60-yard touchdown. 23from Salem, Oregon He led UM with 63 receptions for 5.7 catches per game, which ranked him 10th in the nation, and his 75.6 receiving yards per game ranked him 26th in the country. Douglass was also among the national leaders in punt returns averaging 10.7 a game, which ranked him 23rd in the Division 1-AA ranks. He was first team All-Big Sky selection as a returner in ’95. Joe was a standout in UM’s four playoff games with 32 catches for 481 yards (15.0 average) and four touchdowns. He had more than 100 receiving yards in each playoff game and averaged 120.3 receiving yards per game. “Not only is Joe a great receiver for us, but he is also a real character,” said Montana Head Coach Mick Dennehy. “He’s a great guy to have in the lockerroom. “I think early in the season last year we weren’t sure about how hard of a worker he was,” Dennehy said. But along the way he discovered what it took to play here, and he became one of the most productive players that we’ve ever had. It took him two or three games to get adjusted, and after that, with the exception of the Northern Arizona game (he had no catches at NAU), he was as productive as any player we had last year. He really added to the chemistry of our team. “He was a key ingredient for us not only on the field, but also overall because of the type of personality that he has,” Dennehy said. “It’s hard to imagine us without Joe Douglass a year ago. He truly is a running back once he catches the football. He’s got great ability to catch the ball and seems to get faster when he has it.” Douglass came to Montana as a transfer from Oregon State. As a prep, he was a two-time Offensive Player of the Year at South Salem High School at running back, rushing for 2,170 yards and 36 touchdowns in his career. He lettered three times in football and four times in basketball, and he was team captain in basketball as a senior. His junior and senior grid teams went 18-0 in the regular-season, and his 1991 team advanced to the state semi-final game. He was an all-state running back as a junior and senior, and all-state at safety as a senior. He was named the “Offensive Player of the Year” in Oregon in 1991. Personal: Communications major. Birthdate: January 24, 1974. His parents are Terri and Bob Douglass of Salem. CAREER HIGHS: Joe had 13 catches for 208 yards in last season’s win at Montana State. His longest catch is 41 yards against Eastern Washington (he had a 49-yarder against Georgia Southern in the playoffs). He had two TD catches in games against Washing- ton State and Boise State (as well as against Georgia Southern). The most punt returns he had was six in the Idaho and Idaho State games, and his high yardage game was 75 at Idaho. He had a pair of touchdowns on punt returns vs. ENM, and a 50-yarder against Minnesota-Duluth. YEAR G /S REC. T D s AVG. TDs LONG PR YDS. AVG. TDs LONG 60t 1995 11/10 63 832 13.2 41t 33 374 11.3 TVfike begins the season as Montana’s No. 10 career receiver with 1,428 yards. He MIKE ERHARDT, 3V has 94 career catches. Last season Erhardt was the Grizzlies’ third-leading receiver with 47 6-4, 205, Senior Wide Receiver receptions for 792 yards and tied for the team lead (with Matt Wells) with 10 touchdown 8 from Eugene, Oregon catches. He was Montana’s leading scorer with 66 points in 1995. He had four of more catches in eight of the 10 regular-season games he played. He missed the Minnesota-Duluth game with a knee injury. Erhardt had one of the biggest catches in Montana history in the championship game at Marshall. The Grizzlies were in a do-or-die situation facing a fourth-and-three from the 50-yard line in the closing minutes. Quarterback Dave Dickenson hit Erhardt for a 20-yard gain and crucial first down, leading to kicker Andrew Larson’s game-winning field goal. Mike was UM’s second-leading returning receiver in 1994 when he had 36 catches for 482 yards and four touchdowns He also excelled in UM’s three playoff games in ’94 with 22 catches for 257 yards, and he scored a touchdown in each game. “Mike has probably been overshadowed since he’s been playing football for us, said Montana Head Coach Mick Dennehy. "The thing that stands out about Mike Erhardt is that he is completely unselfish. He may be as tough of a football player as we’ve ever had. He can block and does the tough things that a lot of receivers don’t like to do. He’s a crushing blocker. “He has made some big plays for us in his career,” Dennehy said. “When we need a first down in big situations he comes through, and the Marshall game is a prime example. We kind of take him for granted, but you don’t want to take him for granted for very long. He’s a big target, and throughout the years, he’s been one of the steadiest players that we’ve had.” Mike was a second team All-Big Sky selection last season. He had two touchdown catches against Idaho and Montana State. He also had two scoring grabs in the semi-final game against Stephen F. Austin, and he had nine catches in the title game at Marshall. As a freshman in 1993, he was selected Montana’s co-Freshman of the Year with offensive guard Mike Agee. He was a redshirt at UM in 1992. Erhardt was a two-time all-state selection at Willamette High School in Eugene and was the offensive MVP of his team his junior and senior seasons. He set records at his high school with 138 catches for 32 touchdowns. He also lettered in basketball and track. Personal: Mike is a Business Administration major. His parents are Otto and Helen Erhardt of Eugene. Birthdate: August 31, 1974. CAREER HIGHS: He had 10 catches for 222 yards at Idaho last year. He had a career-long 84-yard touchdown catch in that game. YEAR G /S REC. YDS. AVG. T D s LONG 1993 7 /2 11 154 11.0 3 30 1994 1 0 /1 0 36 482 13.4 4 36 1995 1 0 /1 0 47 792 16.9 10 84t TOTALS 2 7 /2 2 9 4 1 ,4 2 8 1 5 .2 17 8 4 t 24 ✓ HONORS CANDIDATES < COREY FALLS, 3V T h e Grizzlies’ sack leader last season, Corey has improved year-after-year since 6-2, 240, Senior Defensive End making the difficult move from running back to defensive end in 1993. 90 Falls was Montana’s sixth leading tackier last season in the regular-season with 40 from Medford, Oregon ________________ stops, 20 of which were unassisted. He had a total of 14 stops behind the line of scrimmage: nine sacks for minus 57 yards and five tackles for losses of 24 yards. He had an outstanding game last season against Boise State with six tackles and two sacks for losses of 15 yards. “There’s no question that he can be a big force on the Grizzly defense this year,” said Griz Head Mentor Mick Dennehy. “I think that Corey Falls is as good of a leader as we have on our football team. He exemplifies complete unselfishness. Being a running back has a little more glory than being a grunt lineman. But, he bought into that change and never looked back. He decided to do whatever it takes to help our football team. “Corey’s attitude is one of the things that’s made us as good of a team as we were a year ago,” Dennehy said, “and, ultimately, will help continue to make us a good team this season. “He is a relentless pass rusher,” Dennehy said. “He’s worked as hard as anybody to get weight on and to play the position. He’s got great quickness, and he plays with tenacity. He never stops, and that s what makes him so effective. He’s really done a magnificent job in leading our defense.” He earned seven letters at South Medford High School: three in football and two each in basketball and baseball. His 1989 prep team won the conference championship in football. Falls was all-state and all-conference his senior year in football in 1990. His prep football coach was Larry Walker. CAREER HIGHS: He had eight tackles at Idaho and at Northern Arizona in 1995, and two sacks against BSU. He had career-bests of two tackles for losses at Idaho and at home against Idaho State in '95. He had 13 tackles and two sacks in last year’s four playoff games. Personal: Health & Human Performance major, Birthdate: April 8, 1973.