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Many Montana Grizzly football fans have special affection for the old-fashioned work ethic of their small-town heroes, and with good reason.
Defensive leader Shann Schillinger is from Baker (pop. 1,616) and offensive stars Alex Verlanic and Chase Reynolds both hail from tiny Drummond (pop. 319). And all three are excellent players. Reynolds, in fact, is an All-American candidate who is one of the few halfbacks in Grizzly history to produce back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
But the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, who take on the Grizzlies Saturday afternoon in the first round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in Missoula, also have their fair share of big-time contributors from little towns.
Junior halfback Kyle Minett of South Dakota State is similar to Reynolds in a lot of ways. Minett is from tiny Ruthton, Minn. (pop. 257). But he stands pretty tall when running with the football.
"I wouldn't call him flashy," said Montana star middle linebacker Shawn Lebsock. "But he runs really hard and gets north and south in a hurry. Plus this will be the biggest line we'll have faced all year. They try to push people around."
Minett is averaging five yards a carry and has 1,173 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns. The 5-10, 210-pounder also topped the 1,000-yard mark a year ago and currently ranks sixth in all-time rushing yards at South Dakota State with 2,938.
"He's pretty good," said Lebsock, among nine Grizzlies named first team all-Big Sky Conference this week. "Their offense will look to overpower you and outwork you. When teams have that kind of attitude and mindset it's a definite challenge for the defense."
The Jackrabbit offensive line averages 6-5, 310 and features seniors Casey Knips, Nate Koskovich and Casey Bender. But Minett is the one to watch. And he's used to the pressure. He scored 81 touchdowns and ran for 6,176 yards in high school, which ranks No. 2 on Minnesota's all-time prep rushing list.
However, his small hometown may have prevented him from getting a shot
"I'm real glad I was able to grow up in a small town. I like the country," said Minett, whose father farms and has a well-drilling business. "But it probably held me back a little bit as far as football goes. I put up some numbers, but there was always a little doubt when it came to the bigger schools."
Minett, who also scored more than 1,300 points in a great prep basketball career, had interest from the Minnesota Gophers and many other big programs, including Notre Dame, but none offered scholarships.
"I'm real happy with the way it worked out," he said. "South Dakota State gave me an opportunity and I'm really glad they did."
So, too, are the Jackrabbits. On Saturday, Minett will be looking for running room against Montana's great defense.
"It looks like they've got some great linebackers who play fast and run well," said Minett, who carries a 3.6 grade-point average in economics and is a two-time Academic All-American. "And their safeties get downhill in a hurry ... We know Montana's a great team and that stadium is a tough place to play. But we feel we can play with any team in the country."
Perhaps. The Grizzlies, though, are not just any opponent. Montana's defense is tremendous and seems to get a boost when lining up before the partisan crowd at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. For sure it's a big-time atmosphere.
"We've heard it's crazy, just a great environment," said Minett.
And the weather? Well, that might be a factor, too. But don't expect the lads from the Midwest prairie to be intimidated by anything Mother Nature throws at them on Saturday.
"It's snowing today," Minett said the other morning from Brookings, S.D. "Really windy and cold, too. But that's OK. We're used to it. I think both teams are used to that kind of weather."
Defensive leader Shann Schillinger is from Baker (pop. 1,616) and offensive stars Alex Verlanic and Chase Reynolds both hail from tiny Drummond (pop. 319). And all three are excellent players. Reynolds, in fact, is an All-American candidate who is one of the few halfbacks in Grizzly history to produce back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
But the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, who take on the Grizzlies Saturday afternoon in the first round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in Missoula, also have their fair share of big-time contributors from little towns.
Junior halfback Kyle Minett of South Dakota State is similar to Reynolds in a lot of ways. Minett is from tiny Ruthton, Minn. (pop. 257). But he stands pretty tall when running with the football.
"I wouldn't call him flashy," said Montana star middle linebacker Shawn Lebsock. "But he runs really hard and gets north and south in a hurry. Plus this will be the biggest line we'll have faced all year. They try to push people around."
Minett is averaging five yards a carry and has 1,173 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns. The 5-10, 210-pounder also topped the 1,000-yard mark a year ago and currently ranks sixth in all-time rushing yards at South Dakota State with 2,938.
"He's pretty good," said Lebsock, among nine Grizzlies named first team all-Big Sky Conference this week. "Their offense will look to overpower you and outwork you. When teams have that kind of attitude and mindset it's a definite challenge for the defense."
The Jackrabbit offensive line averages 6-5, 310 and features seniors Casey Knips, Nate Koskovich and Casey Bender. But Minett is the one to watch. And he's used to the pressure. He scored 81 touchdowns and ran for 6,176 yards in high school, which ranks No. 2 on Minnesota's all-time prep rushing list.
However, his small hometown may have prevented him from getting a shot
"I'm real glad I was able to grow up in a small town. I like the country," said Minett, whose father farms and has a well-drilling business. "But it probably held me back a little bit as far as football goes. I put up some numbers, but there was always a little doubt when it came to the bigger schools."
Minett, who also scored more than 1,300 points in a great prep basketball career, had interest from the Minnesota Gophers and many other big programs, including Notre Dame, but none offered scholarships.
"I'm real happy with the way it worked out," he said. "South Dakota State gave me an opportunity and I'm really glad they did."
So, too, are the Jackrabbits. On Saturday, Minett will be looking for running room against Montana's great defense.
"It looks like they've got some great linebackers who play fast and run well," said Minett, who carries a 3.6 grade-point average in economics and is a two-time Academic All-American. "And their safeties get downhill in a hurry ... We know Montana's a great team and that stadium is a tough place to play. But we feel we can play with any team in the country."
Perhaps. The Grizzlies, though, are not just any opponent. Montana's defense is tremendous and seems to get a boost when lining up before the partisan crowd at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. For sure it's a big-time atmosphere.
"We've heard it's crazy, just a great environment," said Minett.
And the weather? Well, that might be a factor, too. But don't expect the lads from the Midwest prairie to be intimidated by anything Mother Nature throws at them on Saturday.
"It's snowing today," Minett said the other morning from Brookings, S.D. "Really windy and cold, too. But that's OK. We're used to it. I think both teams are used to that kind of weather."
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