Griz football spring preview: The offense

Part one of a two-part series previewing Montana's spring football campaign in 2017.
2016 Season Recap

Since the first week of February, the Montana football team has been waking up in the pre-dawn hours and braving the winds in Washington-Grizzly Stadium for 6 a.m. winter conditioning sessions every Tuesday and Thursday while Missoula.

The Griz will soon get the chance to trade in the sweat shirts and cold mornings of winter condo for the pads, helmets and afternoon sunshine of spring ball, set to kick off on March 13 and concluding with the annual spring game on April 22 in Butte.

Montana had of the nation's most productive attacks in 2016, averaging over 482 yards of offense per game, largely driven by the fifth-best passing game in the country that accounted for 327 yards per game and 34 touchdowns over 11 games.

Despite posting eye-popping offensive numbers, Montana's 2016 season didn't meet the expectations of the staff, players and fans alike. With spring ball right around the corner, the Griz are as anxious as ever to restart the engine of Montana football and dive into the details that are required to bring championship football back to Missoula.

"This spring is going to be huge for our program to really get focused on every single rep, to try and seek perfection in everything we do, and for the coaches to hold the kids accountable," said head coach Bob Stitt, who enters his third year at the helm with a 14-10 overall record.

"Just understanding how to practice perfection this spring will carry over into the fall. We play pretty good football for about 98 percent of the snaps, but there will be two, three, four snaps where we don't do a good job, and it hurt us," added Stitt. "We've got to keep doing the things we believe in, and that's going to pay off."

Montana returns 19 players who made three or more starts, and a robust 41 lettermen from last year's 6-5 squad, who produced the 30th winning season in the past 31 years of Griz football. Stitt and his staff also added four high-level transfers in the offseason, giving UM plenty of in-game experience to build on for 2017.

Of those 19 returning starters, eight are back on the offensive side of the ball. One of the areas where UM will benefit the most from returning starting experience is the offensive line, providing key protection for UM's passing attack.

"It all starts up front," said Stitt. "Offensive line-wise, we've got guys back with a lot of starting experience and some young guys we're excited about too."

O-line coach Chad Germer returns three players who started in nearly every game last season in seniors David Reese and Cooper Sprunk alongside sophomore Angel Villanueva, who started all 11 games for UM at left guard as a freshman.

With 35 consecutive starts to his name, Reese is the most experienced player on the field for the Griz at left tackle.

Adding more senior leadership to the offensive line this year is journeyman Mike Ralston, who has transitioned from wide receiver to the O-line in the offseason, having also played tight end and defensive end during his career. On paper, it may seem like an unusual move, but for those who have seen Ralston in recent weeks, it's a no-brainer.

"We're hoping he's a guy that can transition into that right tackle position with ease. Physically he looks the part, and we can't wait to see what he can do this spring," said Stitt.

"He's bought into it, he's excited about it, and he's committed to getting as strong as possible and putting on the weight. He's up over 300 pounds now, and he's a big, athletic guy."

Also expected to compete for starting spots are sophomore Dallas Hart and redshirt freshman Thayne Jackson, who put on 50 pounds before arriving on campus last year, bulking up to a rock-solid 312 pounds. He leads a group of five offensive linemen that were part of the incoming class of 2016 expected to compete for time.

"We expect a lot out of Thayne, and Dallas is a guy who we're excited about too," said Stitt.

"Dylan Eickmeyer is another guy we like. Every time he came across with the upperclassmen last year he was getting a good push. It's going to be fun this spring to see them run the backup group."

The Griz will also get back six of last year's top-10 wide receivers – one of the key ingredients in UM's spread attack. These six returning receivers caught a combined total of 211 passes for 2,475 yards, nearly 70 percent of UM's passing total.

As Montana fans learned last year, the corps of receivers can break a game wide open with explosive young talent, but in this year's group will need to grow up fast.

"We've got a lot of very talented guys that got quality reps last year, but we're still young," said Stitt.

The veteran leadership within the receivers is packed into the "H" backs, the hybrid tight end/receiver position that is filled by seniors Josh Horner and former quarterback Makena Simis, with sophomore Colin Bingham providing plenty of additional depth.

Horner will be Montana's most battle-tested receiver with 11 career starts and 31 total appearances. The rangy 6-foot-5 Great Falls native caught 22 passes for 241 yards in eight games last season before being sidelined with an injury.

Bingham stepped up in his first year and saw playing time in every game, catching three touchdowns and totaling 282 yards.

"Horner and Bingham are big time players, and they've proven that on the field," said Stitt, who is also excited by the progress Simis has made since changing positions last season.

"Man, Simis looks like a million bucks. He's probably 230 pounds now, very lean and he's a tough guy, very athletic. We really feel like we've got three guys who can get it done."

Spring #GrizFootball press conference with @CoachBobStitt https://t.co/rTSjd0byPU
— UM Griz Football (@UMGRIZZLIES_FB) February 28, 2017

No one scored more touchdowns in 2016 for the Griz than junior outside receiver Keenan Curran did, taking it to the house a team-high 10 times. Curran also tied the single-game record with four TD grabs in a game against Idaho State.

Sophomore Justin Calhoun is also back after a breakout freshman campaign where he racked up the second-most receiving yards on the team with 42 catches for 625 yards.

The in-game experience in the group drops off significantly from there, though, but expectations to perform like upperclassmen remains high.

"Justin (Calhoun) had a great year, and we've got two really strong guys in Kobey Eaton and Lamarriel Taylor that we've got to be able to count on, but we're very young." said Stitt.

The Griz will also have a group of redshirt freshmen unveiled to fans for the first time this spring who bring length and speed to the position including highly touted recruits Samuel Akem, Brennan Corbin, Jed Nagler, and Samori Toure.

"They are all really, really quality receivers, now we have to see how they handle moving into executing our offense and making plays when it matters," added Stitt.

Stitt says Toure is "athletic enough he can put his foot in the ground and make somebody miss," and could see reps at the "Z" inside receiver position, alongside Jerry Louie-McGee.

"We've got to try guys at different positions, and that's what spring is all about to see who else can play at that spot," Stitt added.

What every fan knows about the "Z" position is that Louie-McGee was really, really good at it in his freshman season.

The sophomore from Coeur d'Alene juked his way into the hearts of Griz nation as UM's leading receiver last season, breaking a pair of school records and being voted the seventh-best freshman in the country by STATS, all this despite missing three games to injury.

Stitt sees no reason "Mr. Electricity" would take his foot off the pedal this spring.

"We expect Jerry to do even greater things this year. He's a dynamic player, and we just have to get him the ball, and he's going to do some incredible things," said Stitt.

"With Caleb (Lyons) behind him, you've got a solid backup, and Mitch McLaughlin is more than capable too."

Even though Montana employs a pass-heavy attack under Stitt, the Grizzlies have greatly benefited from graduated senior running back John Nguyen over the years.

Nguyen finished his career as the No. 6 all-time rusher in UM history with 2,066 yards. He also set a new school record for longest touchdown run in program history, breaking loose for an 81-yard score against Sacramento State as a senior.

Never the less, Montana brings plenty of experience back to the position this spring as Stitt looks to add depth.

The Grizzlies' second-leading scorer from 2016, junior Jeremy Calhoun, will be inactive during spring ball rehabbing injury, but the Montana staff (and fans) are well aware of his capabilities.

Since being forced into action as a true freshman, Calhoun has been one of UM's most dominant ball-carriers with 846 yards and 18 touchdowns to his name in 20 games. Calhoun rushed for nine TDs in 2016 and caught a pass for another to match Curran's team-leading output of 10 scores on the season.

Redshirt senior Treshawn Favors will get his opportunity to move into a starting role for the Griz after three seasons of productive, but injury prone seasons with 17 appearances under his belt.

"Tre is a very good player that hasn't gotten a ton of reps, but we need to find out who the next guy is this spring," said Stitt. "You need two running backs in our offense. We run too many offensive plays for one guy to do it."

While Favors and Calhoun are expected to lead the group, redshirt senior Shane Moody will see reps on the offensive side of the ball this spring, coming over from the cornerback spot. Sophomore Cody McCombs out of Billings West and redshirt freshman Rey Green will also see plenty of time carrying the ball as well.

But perhaps the most intriguing storyline of spring ball 2017 is at the quarterback position.

Gone is two-year starting quarterback Brady Gustafson, who passed his way into the Montana record books, breaking Dave Dickenson's record for most completed throws in a game with 47, and concluded his career at No. 11 on UM's career passing leader list with 4,809 yards.

Montana enters spring drills with three quarterbacks all vying for the starting job in senior Reese Phillips, junior transfer Caleb Hill and redshirt freshman Gresch Jensen.

"It's an open battle," said Stitt, who focuses much of his time with the QBs during practice.

"We've got to come out of spring with a quarterback that can run our offense, take care of the football, but also be very aggressive and take chances and make plays when we need them."

Waiting in the wings under Gustafson and Chad Chalich last year was Phillips, a transfer from the SEC's Kentucky Wildcats who has a leg up on the position in spring with a season of operating Stitt's offense under his belt, appearing in four games in 2016.

But Caleb Hill, who transferred to Montana ahead of the spring semester from football factory Blinn College in Texas, will make the position battle an interesting one. The southpaw QB operated a similar spread offense to Stitt's at Blinn, and at 6-foot-4 strikes an imposing figure in the shotgun formation, while showing mobility as well.

Gresch Jensen, one of Stitt's top recruits from the incoming class of 2016, will also enter the competition in his first year of eligibility after redshirting last season.

"That competition should be very strong, and I hope all three of them push each other and we come out with a guy that can win a lot of games for us," added Stitt.

But for all the facts, figures, stats and analysis that go into finding a starting QB, Stitt and his staff will spend much of spring ball trying measure the unmeasurables that go into making a great quarterback.

"The starting quarterback should elevate everyone's play," said Stitt.

"Coach (Andrew) Selle has some things he does statistically where you can weigh out their production, but you try to get a get a feel for how the other guys rally around a certain quarterback, how our offense runs and how efficiently it's run when this quarterback is in there. Do guys make plays when this certain quarterback is in there or are they not making plays?"

So with an offensive system that ranked in the nation's top five last year returning many key figures from last year, the Grizzlies are set to blow up the scoreboard in 2017. The pieces are in place, but how well the pieces work together to run the machine will be determined in time for the spring game on April 22 in Butte.

University of Montana Athletics

Players Mentioned

Samuel Akem

Colin Bingham

Jeremy Calhoun

Justin Calhoun

Chad Chalich

Brennan Corbin

Keenan Curran

Kobey Eaton

Dylan Eickmeyer

Treshawn Favors

Rey Green

Brady Gustafson

Dallas Hart

Josh Horner

Thayne Jackson

Gresch Jensen

Jerry Louie-McGee

Cody McCombs

Mitch McLaughlin

Shane Moody

Jed Nagler

John Nguyen

Reese Phillips

Mike Ralston

David Reese

Makena Simis

Cooper Sprunk

Lamarriel Taylor

Samori Toure

Angel Villanueva

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