At the midpoint of the Big Sky Conference season, the league standings seem upside down.
Three-time defending Big Sky champion Eastern Washington still resides on top. But all the other midpoint contenders are unexpected at least when compared to preseason expectations.
Southern Utah is tied with EWU atop the league standings thanks to a defense that has allowed just three points total in three league wins. Surging Weber State has notched comeback victories two weeks in a row to move to 3-1 in the standings, the lone loss to SUU. Portland State continues to roll, using a bruising style on both sides of the ball to surge to a 6-1 mark overall that includes wins over two FBS schools (Washington State and North Texas) as well as a 59-42 dismantling of preseason league favorite Montana State. Even Northern Colorado, a traditional cellar dweller, is on a hot streak with four wins overall, including two straight league wins as the second half is set to begin.
Idaho State player sulks after loss to Portland State/by Brooks Nuanez
On the flip side, perennial powers like Montana (3-3) and Montana State (3-3) are reeling. Montana will have to win four out of five down the stretch if it hopes to make the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. MSU played a Division II game, meaning the Bobcats will have to win their remaining five games to reach the coveted mark of seven Division I wins and make the playoffs for the fifth time since 2010.
Idaho State entered the season with a preseason national ranking after narrowly missing the playoffs with an 8-4 record in 2014. Quarterback Justin Arias has proved to be irreplaceable thus far as ISU has sputtered to a 2-5 start that included a four-game losing streak.
Cal Poly just missed the playoffs last season after losing its last two games to finish 7-5. Quarterback Chris Brown and Mustangs’ vaunted triple option has been potent but it hasn’t resulted in wins; CP is 2-4, meaning the rest of its season can only include wins if the postseason is to remain a reality.
“It seems to me some of the teams from last year’s bottom half of the standings are now more competitive and some of the top half of last year’s standing have dropped off with graduation,” SUU head coach Ed Lamb said. “That’s probably fairly predictable with all the teams going through quarterback changes that it was not going to be the usual. I know that when I was making my rankings, it was really difficult because there is a lot of really good coaches in the league. Everybody already had a lot of respect with Coach Barnum and what he’s done with Portland States offense over the years. In one way, it’s a surprise and it’s great for the Big Sky and it’s great what he is doing but it’s not a shock to anyone that knows him.
“Really, when anyone in this league gets it going, it’s not a surprise because almost everyone in the league has a good program run by a good coach.”
Entering the season, the only proven commodities under center lived in San Luis Obispo (Brown at Cal Poly), Bozeman (Dakota Prukop at Montana State) and Cedar City, Utah. Lamb’s team returned senior Ammon Olsen at the helm from last year’s 3-9 squad. Every other team in the 13-squad league broke in a different opening day starter in 2015.
It’s caused for a roller coast ride thus far. Portland State kicked off the chaos the second week of the season with a 34-14 win over then-No. 23 Idaho State. The week after Montana toppled four-time defending national champion North Dakota State, then Griz lost to Cal Poly, who turned around and lost to Montana State the next week. North Dakota beat Portland State only to lose two straight to ISU and Weber. MSU lost to Northern Arizona; NAU lost at winless UC Davis the next week and on and on.
“No question the craziest year I’ve seen. You name it, it’s been unpredictable,” Northern Colorado head coach Earnest Collins said. “That’s what this conference is. Someone can beat you every weekend. It’s all about whose up to par that day. It’s challenging as a coach. But at the same time, it’s rewarding because when you see guys getting better, you know you are close to being a top echelon team in the conference.”
Southern Utah offense vs. Weber State defense/SUU Media Relations
Southern Utah’s hot start is a return to the success the Thunderbirds experienced in 2013, their second in the Big Sky. That season, SUU advanced to the FCS playoffs thanks to a bruising defense and a physical offense that controls the clock. In the off-season, athletic outside linebacker Mike Needham returned from an LDS mission to bolster the defense. Inside linebacker Matt Holley, a 2013 All-Big Sky selection, missed last season with a knee injury but is back to full health. The duo have joined a unit that also features likely future NFL players in All-America defensive end James Cowser, All-Big Sky cornerback LeShaun Sims and All-Big Sky safety Miles Killebrew. Killebrew is a potential third or fourth round draft pick and is ranked among the top seven safeties in the country, all levels, by most scouting agencies.
“Last year, we were a really talented team but the offense and the defense were never clicking together,” said Olsen, who threw for five touchdowns in a 44-0 win over Sac State last week. “Either the offense would be rolling and the defense would be down or the other way around. We were never on the same page last year for some reason. It’s a completely different story this year.”
Southern Utah’s defense has been a revelation. Under the direction of long-time assistant and first-year defensive coordinator defensive coordinator DeMario Warren, the Thunderbirds currently lead the FCS with 13 interceptions. SUU scored twice on defense in a 44-0 win over Weber State three weeks ago.
Last season, SUU ranked dead last in the country in total defense. Much of the poor season was a product of early struggles. SUU began its season 0-4 with losses to FCS ranked teams South Dakota State and Southeast Louisiana along with FBS teams Nevada and Fresno State. Injuries mounted, confidence was shot and the Thunderbirds never could recover.
This season, a punt return late in the fourth quarter by Utah State cost SUU an FBS upset in a 12-9 loss in Logan. The next week, Southern Utah was obliterated 55-10 at South Dakota State. But the Thunderbirds responded and have not lost since.
“We have an identity and we lost that last year,” Lamb said. “I failed as a coach. We had very few seniors that were able to carry the load when times got difficult. The teams we played early in the season last year were really good and we were competitive. That wasn’t the issue at all. It was just that losses began to mount. We lost our identity and we as coaches began to address our deficiencies with scheme instead of focusing on fundamentals. Having a little more success in the win-loss column early this year has helped us keep and maintain an identity.”
Weber State won two games each of the last three seasons. Last fall, Jay Hill’s first at the helm, the young head coach felt his team was knocking on the door. Weber’s average margin of defeat was less than two touchdowns during a 2-10 campaign. This season, Weber played well in a 26-7 loss at FBS Oregon State before NDSU destroyed the Wildcats, 41-14. But Weber bounced back with a 38-17 win over Sac State. The next week, Southern Utah shut out WSU in Odgen. Again, Weber has bounced back.
Weber State defense ft. linebacker Emmett Tela vs. NDSU/Robert Casey
Two weeks ago, Tre’Von Johnson forced a fumble in overtime, leading to a game-winning field goal to lift Weber to a 24-21 win over Montana. It was WSU’s first win in Missoula since 1987. Last week, Weber trailed UND 24-10 with 12 minutes left. The Wildcats rallied behind a pair of touchdown passes from junior quarterback Jadrian Clark in the game’s final eight minutes to pull out a 25-24 win.
“We are putting ourselves in situations where we are winning the close ones,” Hill said. “What we need to do in the progression of the program is we have to put ourselves in situations where we can execute a little better in the first half and not have to pull out a miracle in the end to win. I’m super proud of that and that will make us a better team, much more resilient going forward. We have to figure out now how to execute for the duration of the game. That’s the next step in the progression.”
“I expected to be better this year, which we are and I just believe that our No. 1 goal is if we can take each week one at a time and abide by our process and handle things the right way, we are going to have a chance to win. If you don’t in this league, you are going to get beat.”
Weber’s good start has come with a slew of young players making key contributions. Sophomore Eric Wilkes and true freshman Treyshawn Garrett make up one of the league’s top running back duos. The defense is flush with young players, including stud sophomore middle linebacker Emmett Tela and a secondary that might be the Big Sky’s most athletic.
“We have come together as a team and everyone has become responsible for their individual responsibilities,” Tela said. “This year, everyone has that drive and that want to get better. It’s paying off.”
“We always try to keep the hope of the title alive. That’s definitely in our vocabulary.”
UNC entered the season with six Big Sky wins in four seasons under Collins. This season, the Bears’ strength of schedule has been lacking — UNC started 2-0 with wins over Division II Western State and new FCS program Houston Baptist — but the four wins are the second-most in a single season under Collins already. UNC had won 11 Big Sky games since joining the league in 2006, including four in 2012.
UNC running back Brandon Cartagena rushes against UC Davis/UNC Athletics
“It’s very satisfying to prove people wrong and when you are the underdog going in every week, it gives you that extra motivation,” said UNC sophomore running back Brandon Cartagena, who rushed for 112 yards and scored three total touchdowns in the Bears’ 56-27 win over UC Davis last week. “It gives you extra fire to come out and play.”
“We have a lot of team chemistry and the cohesiveness is better this year. Everyone is playing for each other and everyone is playing more as a family. We are playing as brothers, playing as one. I think that’s really showing.”
UNC’s two league wins have come over Sac State and UC Davis, teams that are appearing to be the bottom dwellers more and more each week. This week, Northern Colorado gets its first real test of the season with No. 7 Eastern Washington coming to Greeley.
“This is what you want as a head coach when you are trying to build a program,” Collins said. “You have a couple of conference victories under your belt and here comes the best team in the conference. You have to go out and try to be the best team that day. That’s what we look forward to.”
“We’ve been working on it since we got here. We’ve had some things go our way and our kids are starting to believe in one another. That’s the most important thing. We are starting to get some leadership on and off the field that we needed. We are trying to play together. We talk about family. The kids are starting to understand the concept of playing for each other and not worrying about anything else. We are only playing football and we know how to play football.”
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