“It was kind of surreal,” the Hardin product says now. “You just hit the ground running and tried to keep up.”
Biermann did exactly that, making a fumble recovery for a touchdown in his fourth game, at Sam Houston State. Since then the 6-foot-2, 238-pound blend of speed, balance and strength has more than kept up. He’s forced opposing offensive lines to account for him at all times.
By the time he’s done at Montana, Biermann could be the most productive end in school history. He’s already up among the best that came before him: Tim Bush, Mike Murphy, Andy Petek, Corey Falls, Ciche Pitcher.
Not that he worries much about that, or any particular season, or any certain play after the whistle blows.
“I’m not quite sure what happened,” he said last Saturday after he pried the ball away from Northern Arizona running back Alex Henderson, then fell on it. “I think I got a drive block from my tackle. He (Henderson) just ran through my hole and I wrapped onto him and ripped it out.”
The Griz took over at their 13-yard line late in the third quarter. It was a critical play in their 21-16 victory.
As the fourth-ranked Grizzlies prepare for Saturday’s game against Portland State, they know no one will be more prepared than Biermann, who has 13 sacks among his 49 tackles.
He’s always been like that, to hear his parents, Kathy and Keith, tell it. The two, married for 35 years, took a Forest Service transfer from St. Louis to Hardin before Kroy was born.
They liked the area and the small-town feel. Both parents had graduated from small high schools in Kansas and Missouri. Hardin was similar, and a far cry from St. Louis.
Not that Kroy didn’t get in trouble. He was in either fifth or sixth grade. There was a touch football game, and he kept tackling the ball carrier to the ground.
“I remember the principal called,” Kathy said. “I said, ‘You know, that’s so much of who he is.’ That competitiveness and that will to win. Even as a little boy, he was really competitive.”
There has been plenty to hone that approach. Biermann grew up watching his two sisters n Krista and Kelsey n make all-state in volleyball and go on to play in college. He absorbed two state-championship match losses in wrestling, and suffered through an 0-8 football season as a senior.
Dozens of standout athletes have had similar careers, forged in frustration and many times forgotten. But former Grizzly tight end Duane Walker was Hardin’s activities director and he told Kraig Paulson, UM’s defensive coordinator, to keep an eye on Biermann.
“I think small towns get overlooked a lot,” Keith Biermann said this week. “And I think Kroy was fortunate to get the chance he was given.”
Kroy’s choice came down to Montana and Oregon. His visit to Missoula in the fall of 2003 sealed the deal.
“I really enjoyed the coaches and the players when I came here on my recruiting trip,” he said. “I felt really at home here. It just felt right.”
The fall of 2004 was full of promise, and the Grizzlies were stocked at defensive end. Then injuries hit Dustin Dlouhy, Michael Potts and Lance Spencer, and before he knew it, Biermann was getting reps at end as well as on special teams.
The Sam Houston State game provided a glimpse of what was to come. The Bearkats had a “jailbreak” n a punt snap sailed into the end zone n and Ryan Bagley drilled the punter to set up Biermann’s recovery.
It was a high point in a game the Grizzlies, then ranked No. 1, lost 41-29. It was also the first of many times Biermann was in the right place at the right time.
Against Weber State a year later, Biermann filled a gap on an end-around and jarred the ball loose from tight end B.A. Harrell, then recovered it. It set up a crucial touchdown in a 24-19 victory.
Fast forward to last week’s game. Biermann recovered both of the Lumberjacks’ fumbles and recorded the game’s only sack, to go with four tackles. This was despite being double-teamed, with the tackle getting help from a tight end or back most of the game.
He’s drawn plenty of attention this season n Albany coach Bob Ford had his scout team defense line up offside to duplicate Biermann’s quickness n but the results don’t show it. Biermann has forced five fumbles, broken up a pass, blocked a field goal, recorded 13 sacks and made 14˝ tackles for loss. His career totals of 30 sacks and 42 tackles for loss leave him in range of Bush’s UM records of 34˝ and 50.
One measure of his value to this year’s Griz team is this: He has 65 percent of their sacks.
Biermann credits his wrestling background. Fellow ends Jace Palmer and Mike Stadnyk have been in position to get sacks and have a pair each. Yet a couple got away.
“When you’re not used to maybe taking a guy down in the sense of wrestling, it’s easier to lose your grip,” Biermann said a couple weeks back. “I get excited when I get up there. I get a hold of the guy and I’m not going to let go. It’s something that’s been ingrained in my head: Just don’t let go.”
That was a rare moment of glibness for Biermann, who generally lets his play on the field and red contrast contacts speak more (“Is there something wrong with his eyes?” asked one member of the media in Flagstaff). Asked about his off-the-charts weight room numbers, he defers.
“I don’t want to toot my own horn,” he said, before allowing, “I worked really hard to get where I am.”
He came to UM as a 215-pounder. He’s bulked up and kept his speed. He has the full package, according to Paulson n motor, hand strength, agility. Biermann hopes to play football professionally, with an eye toward law enforcement if that doesn’t work out.
He’s also been durable. The only game Biermann has missed was the Grizzlies’ first-round playoff game against Northwestern State in 2004.
That season ended with a trip to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the national championship. The Griz lost to James Madison 31-21. Last year they came close to returning to the title game, but lost to Massachusetts in the semifinals 19-17. Biermann had 11 sacks for the 12-2 Griz in 2006.
Now they’re 8-0, and working on a 13-game win streak in Big Sky play. Their testament to alliteration n looking for a “k” name, his mom picked Kroy out of the Billings phone book n leads the league in sacks.
He also has the end of a whirlwind college career in sight.
“As the years go by, you notice how much hard work it takes to get where we were in ’04,” Biermann said. “National championships are hard to get, obviously. For us to get there would be great. I know the guys are willing to put the work in, and have been putting it in. We’ll see how it goes.”
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