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Thought this was a good article worth reading and good for I-AA
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Big Sky finding the right way to lose
By TOM STUBER - IR Sports Writer - 09/14/05
http://www.helenair.com/articles/200...1091405_03.txt
Seems like the best way to get attention in the Big Sky Conference is by losing well.
In week one Montana State moved up two spots in the Division I-AA poll after a 15-10 loss to Oklahoma State. Now week two has Idaho State just missing the Top 25 on the heels of a 41-29 - it was much closer than that - loss to Kentucky.
The Bengals (1-1) pushed around the Wildcats in front of nearly 60,000 Bluegrass State fans. ISU controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, but was denied mostly because their special teams allowed two big kickoff returns that produced TDs. One after the opening kickoff was returned to the ISU six-yard line, the other after ISU took a one-point lead with just over five minutes to go.
"We competed with an SEC team," running back Ken Cornist simply told the Idaho Journal. "We'll learn a lot from that."
All Big Sky fans are apt to learn all about ISU in two weeks when the Bengals start a three-game trek against Eastern Washington, Montana State and Montana. Only the MSU game is on the road and ISU will prep for it all this week against UM-Western of the Frontier Conference.
Big Sky league play gets under way this week when Portland State gets a visit from Sacramento State. The Vikings, picked by some to finish third in the league, struggled last week against UC-Davis.
The Bobcats (1-1) moved up five spots in the poll to No. 11 after a weekend of upsets in I-AA, but MSU will be challenged in the coming days. This week's opponent Cal Poly (2-0) is ranked 18th and the following week MSU hosts No. 12 North Dakota State, which beat then No. 9 Northwestern State 35-7 on the road. NDSU hosts Weber State this week.
"I was just trying to waste some time this morning, so I was looking at some stuff from our game with (Cal Poly) last year," Kramer conceded after MSU's win over Stephen F. Austin. "I'd do anything to win this game by one point. We have to find a way to not beat ourselves."
UM (1-1) fell one spot to No. 4 after a tough game against I-AA Oregon. The Grizzlies played well against the run and in the red-zone, but couldn't get anything going on offense until late in the game.
South Dakota State should provide a good test for UM this week. The Jackrabbits went 6-5 last year and are 2-0 this season with lopsided wins over Wisconsin-Lacrosse (42-13) and Valparaiso (69-6).
EWU (0-1) will tune up for its upcoming game at ISU against Western Oregon this week. The Eagles were idle last week, but moved up a spot in the poll to No. 5.
Northern Arizona looks to regroup with a home game against Southern Utah after losing to Arizona 31-12. SUU lost to ISU 38-13 in their season opener. NAU is looking to win this week and then take road games against Weber State and SSU to set themselves up well for the rest of their schedule, which features home games against EWU, UM and ISU.
[hr]
Big Sky finding the right way to lose
By TOM STUBER - IR Sports Writer - 09/14/05
http://www.helenair.com/articles/200...1091405_03.txt
Seems like the best way to get attention in the Big Sky Conference is by losing well.
In week one Montana State moved up two spots in the Division I-AA poll after a 15-10 loss to Oklahoma State. Now week two has Idaho State just missing the Top 25 on the heels of a 41-29 - it was much closer than that - loss to Kentucky.
The Bengals (1-1) pushed around the Wildcats in front of nearly 60,000 Bluegrass State fans. ISU controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, but was denied mostly because their special teams allowed two big kickoff returns that produced TDs. One after the opening kickoff was returned to the ISU six-yard line, the other after ISU took a one-point lead with just over five minutes to go.
"We competed with an SEC team," running back Ken Cornist simply told the Idaho Journal. "We'll learn a lot from that."
All Big Sky fans are apt to learn all about ISU in two weeks when the Bengals start a three-game trek against Eastern Washington, Montana State and Montana. Only the MSU game is on the road and ISU will prep for it all this week against UM-Western of the Frontier Conference.
Big Sky league play gets under way this week when Portland State gets a visit from Sacramento State. The Vikings, picked by some to finish third in the league, struggled last week against UC-Davis.
The Bobcats (1-1) moved up five spots in the poll to No. 11 after a weekend of upsets in I-AA, but MSU will be challenged in the coming days. This week's opponent Cal Poly (2-0) is ranked 18th and the following week MSU hosts No. 12 North Dakota State, which beat then No. 9 Northwestern State 35-7 on the road. NDSU hosts Weber State this week.
"I was just trying to waste some time this morning, so I was looking at some stuff from our game with (Cal Poly) last year," Kramer conceded after MSU's win over Stephen F. Austin. "I'd do anything to win this game by one point. We have to find a way to not beat ourselves."
UM (1-1) fell one spot to No. 4 after a tough game against I-AA Oregon. The Grizzlies played well against the run and in the red-zone, but couldn't get anything going on offense until late in the game.
South Dakota State should provide a good test for UM this week. The Jackrabbits went 6-5 last year and are 2-0 this season with lopsided wins over Wisconsin-Lacrosse (42-13) and Valparaiso (69-6).
EWU (0-1) will tune up for its upcoming game at ISU against Western Oregon this week. The Eagles were idle last week, but moved up a spot in the poll to No. 5.
Northern Arizona looks to regroup with a home game against Southern Utah after losing to Arizona 31-12. SUU lost to ISU 38-13 in their season opener. NAU is looking to win this week and then take road games against Weber State and SSU to set themselves up well for the rest of their schedule, which features home games against EWU, UM and ISU.