Jason Semore does not look like the type of coach created in Hollywood’s central casting.
During UM’s Wednesday practice, Semore wore dark wrap-around Oakley sunglasses and his trademark backwards cap, the hat sitting over a head of hair cut into a short mohawk similar to style a few players on his defense are sporting.
Behind the sunglasses is a brain overflowing with information from the countless hours he dedicates to studying the game.
Montana defensive coordinator Jason Semore
“He knows all the tendencies, he knows all the personnel,” junior linebacker Connor Strahm said Wednesday afternoon. “He spends countless hours (scouting) and it’s really nice having a coach that will sacrifice his time to put us in the best situation.”
The result has been a defense that has thoroughly confused offenses in Semore’s first year as Montana’s defensive coordinator. Cal Poly gouged the Griz defense during a 42-41 loss to begin Big Sky Conference play, but Semore’s unit has rebounded with two of its most impressive performances of the season since.
In a 23-point win over Southern Utah, Montana flustered Thunderbirds quarterback Patrick Tyler and then buried him in the Washington-Grizzly Stadium turf on at least half of his 41 drop backs. A week later, the Griz sacked Mississippi Valley State’s quarterbacks five times, forced five turnovers and set a school record for fewest rushing yards allowed with negative-61.
Though it is of no consequence to the coordinator, his assistants or his “dudes” as Semore calls his players, Montana has vaulted up the national defensive rankings. The Griz are in the top 20 in eight different categories including total defense; Montana is 10th in the FCS and first in the Big Sky Conference.
“I think it’s the play of our guys — we have good players,” said Semore, who came to Montana with head coach Bob Stitt in December 2015. “They’re locked in and they’re playing their butts off. The biggest difference I see when I watch our defense compared to other teams is how hard our guys play. I think our guys play as hard as anybody I’ve seen in the country. Not only that, but also being sound in what we’re doing.”
Before Stitt named Semore his defensive coordinator, Montana’s head coach raved about Semore’s football acumen. Semore served as Stitt’s defensive coordinator at Colorado School of Mines. He was officially promoted to the same roll at Montana after Ty Gregorak’s departure to take a similar position at Montana State.
UM defenders takes down SUU running back Raysean Pringle (85)
What ensued was a debate within the fan base of what type of defense Semore would employ. Would it be a 3-4 or a 4-3? Would it be inventive or standard? The answer: the fronts vary from situation to situation and the attack is anything but standard.
“We can go to a 3-down front to a 4-man front. We can go to a no-down front to a 5-down front,” Strahm said. “It really messes with the quarterback’s pre-snap reads. He doesn’t know where (pressure) is coming from. He doesn’t know if pressure is coming or not. It’s huge.”
During Montana’s second game of the season, the Griz faced Northern Iowa’s Aaron Bailey, an experienced dual-threat quarterback selected to the Missouri Valley Conference’s preseason first-team. Bailey finished just 15 of 37 and rushed for eight yards on 20 carries as Montana’s defense preserved a 20-14 win over the then third-ranked Panthers.
Save for the outing at Cal Poly — a loss Semore put on himself — Montana’s defense has kept teams off balance with its ever-changing looks. The variability was a staple of spring drills in Missoula and fine tuned during fall camp. The change has even benefited Montana’s offense.
“We’ve seen all those looks and coach Semore gave these guys (UM offense) those looks in spring ball and fall camp and it’s not like you’re seeing a 4-3 cover 4 every single down,” Stitt said Monday during Montana’s weekly news conference. “We were getting all kinds of crazy stuff, which prepares these guys for anything they’re gonna see.”
UM defensive end Tucker Schye (44) hurries MVSU quarterback Slade Jarman (4)
Perhaps the most important aspect of the defense is its ability to adjust on the fly. Strahm said that if an opposing offense is giving Montana issues with a certain concept, Semore and his coaches are able to draw up a play on the sidelines and the players are able to go out and execute it on the field.
“That speaks towards those guys’ preparation, but also our athletic ability,” Semore said. “The better athlete you are at the point of attack, more often than not you’re going to make plays. That’s the case for us. If our guys do our job we have good enough players to make the play. The goal moving forward defensively is to always make sure our guys are in the right position.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez or noted. All Rights Reserved.
