Veteran coach Mike Ayers isn't convinced any of that will make a difference for the No. 11 Terriers when they kick off against the No. 2 Montana Grizzlies on Saturday in the first round of the FCS playoffs.
“It's not the distance that's going to be a factor, it's the football team and the way we play against it,” Ayers said. “A lot of people have a tendency to make all these scenarios: What about the distance, what about the weather, what about dehydration, are your hands going to get cold, do you have enough warmers on the sideline?
Wofford has the speed and players to match up with the unbeaten Griz, it appears. The Terriers also have a unique, multiple-formation option offense going for them. It's a running game that no one - not Appalachian State, not Georgia Southern - has come close to stopping.
“There's really nobody we've played who looks like these guys,” said Bobby Hauck, Montana's fifth-year head coach. “It's really different from anybody. Northern Arizona's had some spread option components, and Southern Utah did as well, but it's not like these guys.”
Wofford, whose 8-3 mark includes a 42-31 win over App State, averages 318 rushing yards and 37.4 points a game. Kevious Johnson is the main threat in a many-pronged attack, averaging 7.0 yards per carry on the way to 1,029 yards this season. But stop one halfback and another - Adrian Young (403 yards, four touchdowns) or perhaps converted quarterback Dane Romero (8.2 yards per carry) - is likely to step up.
There's also the danger presented by quarterback Josh Collier, who has run for nine touchdowns and thrown for five, and his backup Ben Widmyer (two TDs rushing, four passing).
“They've gone up and down the field on everyone they've played, for the most part,” Hauck said. “Against Appalachian State they ran the ball well and on defense they got off their blocks and got after them.”
The Grizzlies have their speedy and active defense, a balanced offense and a documented homefield advantage going for them.
“It's not a lot different from most teams in that you have to be sound in what you do,” senior linebacker Loren Utterback said of defending Wofford. “The emphasis will be on run fits, and responsibilities for an option team - understanding where people are coming from and knowing where our help's at.”
The danger for any defense is trying to do too much individually against an option attack. The dangers for an option attack are falling behind or turning the ball over.
Hauck would like to stop Wofford from playing keep away with the ball and let his own offense - led by the power running of Lex Hilliard (1,013 yards) and the throwing of Cole Bergquist (2,412 yards, 17 touchdowns) - make some hay.
Wofford plays a five-man front and mixes in plenty of looks, including a variation of the flex defense. The Terriers have given up points at times, including 38 in a loss to Georgia Southern. Ayers expressed some concern with UM's size, both up front and with Hilliard, who has 15 touchdowns.
“I think gang-tackling is the biggest key to them,” said Wofford defensive end James Gonsoulin. “But we've played against some big backs. Furman had a great fullback (222-pound Stephone LaFrance).”
Hauck said the Terriers played a solid brand of defense, concentrating on keeping things in front.
“They're not a gambling defense, for the most part,” he said. “They're just very solid Š very assignment-oriented and you're not going to trick them. You have to go win and play better than they do.”
The Terriers can expect temperatures in the 20s, and a crowd that may approach the 20,077 the Griz drew last year for their first-round playoff game against McNeese State.
“It can get pretty loud at a place like South Carolina, where there's 82,000,” counters Ayers, whose offense doesn't necessarily rely on “audible” audibles, but rather hand signals at the line of scrimmage. “We've played in different venues where the crowd is big.
“That's just part of the game. The thing we're trying to focus on isn't where it's going to be blowing or snowing, or the crowd is loud, but finding a way to get a first down and a way to get a stop on defense.”
Cold-weather blues
Montana is 24-15 in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, including a 22-5 mark at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. A majority of those wins came against teams from warmer climes.
Here's how teams from the South have done at WGS:
1989 - Montana 48, Jackson State 7
1994 - Montana 30, McNeese State 28
1995 - Montana 48, Eastern Kentucky 0; Montana 45, Georgia Southern 0; Montana 70, Stephen F. Austin 14
1996 - Montana 48, Nicholls State 3; Montana 44, Eastern Tennessee State 14; Montana 70, Troy State 7
2000 - Montana 34, Richmond 20; Montana 19, Appalachian State 16 OT
2001 - Montana 28, Northwestern State 19; Montana 49, Sam Houston State 24
2002 - Montana 45, Northwestern State 14
2004 - Montana 56, Northwestern State 7; Montana 34, Sam Houston State 13
2006 - Montana 31, McNeese State 6
Record - 16-0
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