3* P3* m P * 4 Runningback Yohance Humphery out-maneuvers a Georgia Southern player at the NCAA Championship game, 2000 2001 Montana fo o tb a ll GRIZ in the NCAA Playoffs: Montana Has Advanced Eight Seasons In A Row T he University of Montana Grizzlies continue to be one of Divi­ Next, a workman-like win over Northern Arizona (17-7) guaranteed sion l-AA’s elite in 2000, as they advanced to the NCAA play­ the Griz of their 15th straight winning season. That was followed by a offs for the eighth season in a row. crucial 33-21 win over Portland State in Hillsboro, Ore., as Yohance The Griz began the millennium in winning style by garnering yet Humphery returned after a leg injury he suffered at EWU. Humphery another Big Sky Conference title and advancing to the NCAA Divi­ helped the Griz avenge an overtime loss at PSU the previous year sion l-AA national championship game for the third time in the past and set school records with 37 carries for 194 yards. A 38-21 win over much-improved Idaho State was due in large part six years. It was not only Montana’s fifth league championship in the past to Humphery’s 145 yards rushing and a great defense, and senior six seasons, but since 1993 the Griz have either won the conference end Andy Petek’s school record 15th sack of the season. The contest at Weber State was statistically one-sided in favor of title or placed second. Last season Montana was ranked second in The Sports Network’s the Griz, but two WSU kickoff returns made this one a closer (30-28) UM win than it final poll and the should have ESPN/USA Today been. Montana polls, going 13-2 out-gained WSU overall and a perfect 556 to 239 in to­ 8-0 in conference tal yards and 27 play en route to yet to seven in first another Big Sky downs. crown. UM’s No. 2 The 100th ranking tied its best Griz -Cat intra­ ever. In 1996 the state showdown Grizzlies were 14-1 was marred by and ranked second. too many UM The 2000 season penalties, but was a banner year for home-standing another reason, as Montana racked the Griz racked up its 15th consecu­ their 15th consecutive NCAA Championship post-game interview, Chattanooga, Tenn., 2000. L-R: Head Coach Joe Glenn, John Edwards, Andy tive win in the ri­ winning season, a Petek, Yohance Humphery, Adam Boomer, and Jimmy Farris. valry. More im­ skein that started in 1986. Montana has been ranked in The Sports Network weekly Division portantly, the victory guaranteed the Grizzlies the conference title and l-AA poll’s top 25 for 110 of the past 113 weeks. an automatic Division l-AA playoff berth. 2000: ROCKY START, BUT GREAT FINISH THIRD TRIP TO THE TITLE GAME When Joe Glenn took over the head job at Montana, the Griz faith­ The Grizzlies’ third trip to the l-AA championship game started out ful expected him and his team to win another league title and earn a without much stress, but the final ticket to the division’s “Big Dance” l-AA playoff berth. did not come easily. UM players and first-year mentor Glenn soon had all of the Entering the 16-team field the No. 1 seed for the first time looked naysayers talking, as they suffered a 10-9 opening season loss in like a no-brainer, as everything worked to perfection in a 45-13 win the friendly confines of Washington Grizzly Stadium no less! over visiting Eastern Illinois. A quarterfinal home contest against run- An 0-2 start for the first time in 15 years seemed more than pos­ oriented Richmond (Virginia) turned into a second half defensive sible, as nemesis and Division l-Afoe Idaho in Pullman was up next, struggle, but Montana prevailed 34-20. but, Montana rebounded as senior quarterback Drew Miller passed The 2000 season’s 13th win in a row over Appalachian State was for a career-best 505 yards, and senior Jimmy Farris made a mi­ like a heavyweight boxing match, but the knockout punch was pro­ raculous, one-handed catch in the closing seconds for a dramatic vided by a Miller to Farris scoring pass in overtime, and the ecstatic Griz had their ticket to the Chattanooga, Tennessee, site of the title 45-38 UM win. A convincing victory over visiting Cal Poly put UM over the .500 game. mark. A week later the Griz were hit by numerous injuries and game- Montanans and anglers sometimes talk about the “one that got breaking Eastern Washington kickoff returns but held off the Eagles away” in this fly-fishing town made famous by the popular movie “A for a 41-31 victory in Spokane in their conference opener. River Runs Through It.” Homecoming 2000 may have been the game which the Griz turned Minutes after its 27-25 loss to defending champion Georgia South­ the corner. Trailing 20-17 late in the game, Damon Parker picked off ern in Chattanooga’s Finley Stadium, the tongues starting wagging. an errant Hornet lateral and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown “If Drew Miller hadn’t got hurt in the first quarter....If the field wasn’t so muddy....If we just had the ball one more time ” You get the idea. and a 24-20 win. The bottom line was that GSU junior All-American halfback Adrian Miller, plagued with injuries throughout the season, was knocked Peterson’s 57-yard touchdown run early in the final quarter quashed out of the Northridge contest, but enter sophomore John Edwards, who scored on a one-yard run with 1:50 left, and UM pulled out a Montana’s valiant come-back effort, and the game truly got away. 34-30 win. Griz in the NCAAs GRIZ HAVE NOW MADE 11 TRIPS Montana in the NCAAs TO THE PLAYOFFS (14-10) Since 1993, Montana has participated in the Division l-AA playoffs 1982 at Idaho L 21-7 11 times and for eight years in a row. When the skein started in 1988 at Idaho L 38-19 1993, UM suffered a last-second, 49-48 first-round home loss to 1989 Jackson State W 48-7 Delaware. The Griz entered that game with a 10-1 record and were Eastern Illinois W 25-19 ranked third. at Georgia Southern L 45-14 That letdown turned to elation ayear later, when the Grizzlies squeaked (Semi-final Game) by Northern Iowa 23-20; beat McNeese State on Andy Larson’s last- 1993 Delaware L 49-48 second field goal (30-28); and then lost 28-9 at Youngstown State in the 1994 Northern Iowa W 23-20 semifinal. McNeese State W 30-28 Griz All-American quarterback Dave Dickenson was injured early at Youngstown St. L 28-9 in the McNeese game in 1994 and was unable to play at YSU. The (Semi-final Game) team and its coaches were close to reaching the pinnacle of l-AA. 1995 Eastern Kentucky W 48-0 The Griz coaches and players reached that pinnacle a year later. Georgia Southern W 45-0 Montana won the national championship in 1995 with a last-sec­ Stephen F. Austin W 70-14 ond, come-from-behind victory (22-20) over host Marshall. UM re­ at Marshall W 22-20** turned just 12 starters in 1995, but looked like a team of destiny. (Championship Game in Huntington, West Virgink “Dicky,” who played for Calgary in the Canadian Football League 1996 Nicholls State W 48-3 from 1996 to 2000, passed for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns in E. Tennessee State W 44-14 UM’s first three playoff wins. That run of wins included lopsided Troy State W 70-7 victories as the Griz out-scored their first three playoff opponents at Marshall L 49-29 163-14. (Championship Game in Huntington, West Virginia) In the title game at Marshall, despite an ailing (shoulder) Dickenson 1997 at McNeese State L 19-14 orchestrated a 12-play, 72-yard drive, which culminated on a 25- 1998 at Western Illinois L 52-9 yard field goal by Andy Larson with 39 seconds left as Montana 1999 Youngstown State L 30-27 eked out the two-point win. 2000 Eastern Illinois W 45-14 With Dickenson gone to the CFL and 10-year head coach Don Richmond W 37-17 Read’s surprising retirement, the Griz did not have a letdown — far Appalachian State W 19-16, OT from it. The Griz reeled off a school-record 14 straight wins in 1996 Georgia Southern L 27-25 and advanced to the title game again at Marshall. This time wide (Championship Game in Chattanooga receiver Randy Moss and the Thundering Herd prevailed, 49-29. It **Won National Championship was UM’s second straight trip to the title game and the first time in playoff history that two 14-0 teams squared off for the national crown. Griz in Final Regular-Season Polls The Griz had a winning drought in the playoffs from 1997-99. In 1982 NCAA.................................... .............9th 1997 McNeese State revenged its 1994 playoff loss at Montana with 1988 NCAA................................... ........... 19th a 19-14 come-from-behind victory in Lake Charles. In ‘98 Montana 1989 NCAA.................................. .............6th suffered its worst playoff loss in history, losing 52-9 at Western 1993 The Sports Network ............. .............3rd Illinois. 1994 The Sports Network ............. ..............8th Two of the most successful programs in the 90s met in a first round 1995 The Sports Network ............