Unlike the winless Northern Colorado Bears, the Lumberjacks, who host the third-ranked and unbeaten Griz on Saturday at 4:05 p.m., are sitting alone in second place in the Big Sky Conference, at 4-1. They're 5-3 overall.
And they have offensive talent in running backs Alex Henderson and Lionel Scott, receiver Alex Watson and tight end Shaun Fitzpatrick. But the guy that seems to concern the Griz the most is quarterback Lance Kriesien.
His presence has opposing coaches waxing poetic.
“Their quarterback might be the best runner, the best passer and the best blocker on the field,” said Portland State coach Jerry Glanville.
“I haven't been able to look at him too closely on film,” UM defensive end and Buchanan Award candidate Kroy Biermann said Tuesday. “I've talked to a couple guys that have already played against him this year and they said he's fast and can move well, when he's healthy. And I imagine he will be.”
Kriesien missed half of the Lumberjacks' lone league loss, a 38-9 setback at Sacramento State, with an injury. His running and throwing out of NAU's spread option look is clearly a key.
He stepped in for the graduated Jason Murrietta and has run for five touchdowns while throwing for eight.
“He's big, too,” noted Montana coach Bobby Hauck. “I mean, he's 6-3, 225. He's a good-looking kid. He's a good quarterback. He's the hardest to defend we've played this year.”
Bergquist's offensive output in the Grizzlies' 52-7 rout of Northern Arizona was award-winning - he was offensive player of the week for the Big Sky - and a confidence boost. His numbers for the season include two touchdowns rushing and 11 passing.
It also appears that the new conditioning program, implemented after the Grizzlies' 35-14 win over Albany, is paying dividends. Bergquist ran down UNC's Max Hewitt after the cornerback made an interception late in the first quarter.
“You don't have a choice,” Bergquist said, then laughed. “That was like a new gear I didn't even know about.”
He missed the tackle but allowed his teammates, most notably center Colin Dow, to catch up. The Bears ended up getting a field goal blocked by Biermann.
“I didn't know who the tackler was until I watched film,” Bergquist said. “You've got to have a short memory when you're a quarterback. You don't want to be thinking about that stuff on the sideline.”
That mindset helped in the second quarter. Perhaps lost amid Marc Mariani's one-handed touchdown catch was that Bergquist nearly had a pass picked off by UNC's Quincy Wofford on the previous snap. He got over that fast enough to hit Mariani on a post pattern.
“I got lucky on that one that the guy dropped it because I basically threw it right in his hands,” Bergquist said. “I would've had to chase him down, too.
“But once that play happens, you look at the sideline, get the play from Coach (Craig) Ochs and it's forgotten about. You're trying to score, just like before. And you have your guy make a one-handed catch for you.”
Biermann had an excellent game Saturday, but was trumped by linebackers Sterling Mennear of Idaho State and Cyrus Igono of NAU.
Igono, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound junior who spent last season at Scottsdale Community College, had 14 tackles, a fumble recovery and returned an interception for a score in the Lumberjacks' 29-20 win at Weber State last week.
“What he did against Weber State - I don't know if I've heard of a game that productive,” NAU defensive end Blair Boynton said.
Biermann's numbers against UNC weren't pedestrian. He had three sacks, six tackles, a forced fumble and a blocked field goal. He barely played in the second half.
“He had 28 plays,” Hauck said. “That's a season for some guys, and he did it in 28 plays.”
QUICK KICKS: It's homecoming for NAU this Saturday at the Walkup Skydome. Š Biermann was nominated for defensive player of the week honors, as was Dan Carpenter on special teams. Š Biermann was UM's pick for defensive player of the game against UNC, while Cody Balogh - who played left guard most of the game after 32 straight games at left tackle - was the offensive pick. Tony Kazmierczak and Andrew Schmidt shared the special teams honors. Š Griz RB Lex Hilliard continues to pile up the numbers. His 3,456 career rushing yards rank him sixth among active players in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision. His 44 rushing touchdowns tie him for fifth with Yale's Mike McLeod. Š Hilliard has 46 touchdowns rushing and receiving, leaving him two behind Yohance Humphery's school record for total TDs (48, in 1998-2001).
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