Sheryl Bergquist hardly sleeps on the eve of her son's starts at quarterback.
Still want to be a Griz football parent?
“I've always told Cole from the time he started playing, ‘there's a lot of glory playing quarterback, but you live by the sword and die by the sword,' ” said Craig Bergquist, Cole's father and a former QB at Washington State.
Craig's son not only lived by the sword Saturday, he carved out a perfect afternoon in completing all 13 of his pass attempts for 163 yards and a touchdown. It seemed fitting the Bergquists and all Griz parents got a vacation from their usual game-day nerves with a 49-0 gimme win on Parents' Day at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
“It was a good time to have a good game,” said Cole, a southern Californian whose mom once sent him a coin with an angel on it for good luck. “I actually had a ton of family in today. Some even flew in from Texas. I had to get eight tickets.”
Heaven knows there will be nervous times for Griz parents and fans as the weather turns cold. But if only for a moment Saturday, Elvis Hilliard, whose football career never passed high school, experienced a little of what his son did in running for Montana's first three touchdowns.
Before the game, Elvis was introduced along with Lex's mom as part of the traditional Parents' Day proceeding. The applause of Griz Nation was enough to give you chills.
“Weak legs,” said Elvis, a Kalispell resident. “I walked on every line just so I wouldn't trip on one.
“Lex is loved by so many, it just kind of feels like he belongs to the state. I'm just the father. He's a student of the game. He's got life pretty much figured out. I just appreciate having him as my son.”
Well, most of the time anyway. Elvis Hilliard was feeling a little like Elvis Presley before his '68 Comeback Special last week. Most Griz fans, including Elvis, wondered how Lex would fare in his first game back from a serious injury to his Achilles.
“I walk in the press box an hour before the game, and here I am in the bathroom puking,” recalled Elvis, smiling underneath his 10-gallon cowboy hat. “I couldn't believe it. I had butterflies.”
Like most Griz parents, Craig Bergquist credits his son for his work ethic, raw talent and resilience in challenging situations. But as a former big-time college quarterback, Craig also appreciates the fact his son has been blessed with good fortune in Missoula.
“A lot of it is being in the right place at the right time,” Craig suggests. “I think there are a lot of talented athletes that don't get the opportunity that Cole has gotten.
“There's often times an excellent fit for players, and Cole was fortunate enough to find a great fit here.”
You don't have to be the father of the star quarterback to feel that same way. Consider Griz senior reserve lineman Ryan Gustafson of Billings, who plays on special teams and saw some time at offensive tackle in the fourth quarter Saturday.
Ryan could have easily called it quits prior to this year. He hurt his right shoulder so seriously that he was forced to sit out the 2006 season. Then earlier this year, he hurt his left shoulder so badly that it will need surgery.
But Ryan put off the procedure so he could run through the tunnel one more season.
“It's hard as a senior to see him get a limited amount of play because of his injuries,” said Ryan's dad, Bill, at Saturday's game. “At the same time, it's a great experience for him to be around the players he's been able to associate with over the past five years, and for us to be around the parents.”
Ryan's mom feels equally blessed.
“To be part of such a supportive community, I don't know if you can explain it in words,” said Barb Gustafson, who also has a daughter on the Montana volleyball team.
“It's just an awesome feeling. We're proud of all of the players, and we'll really miss some of these families we've been with the last few years.”
The trouble with Saturday's Griz game, like so many in college and prep football, is there was no second-half suspense on the scoreboard. More than a few fans left early, probably wondering why they didn't wait a few weeks until Weber State comes to town.
On the other hand, a refreshing number of fans stayed. I like to think those are the most educated ones. Ones who can appreciate the significance of someone like Ryan Gustafson taking the field.
College football is about more than just winning and tight games. If you don't believe it, just ask the Hilliards, Bergquists and Gustafsons.
Columnist Bill Speltz can be reached at 523-5255 or by e-mail at bill.speltz@lee.net.
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