But when Griz receiver Matt Troxel runs out of the tunnel Saturday, he'll have a former Lake City High teammate on the opposing playoff team - a squad that traveled 2,300 miles one way.
Wofford, 8-3 and ranked No. 11, battles the unbeaten and second-ranked Griz at 12:05 p.m. inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium. How ever the game shakes out, Terriers' backup quarterback Ben Widmyer from the proud town of Couer d'Alene, Idaho, could play a prominent role.
He wasn't thought highly enough of to land a scholarship in the Big Sky, however. So the 6-foot, 210-pound Widmyer sent out tapes, including one to the Terriers.
“I saw them play on ESPN in the (2003) semifinal game,” Widmyer said. “I sent them a tape after my senior year and they called me back. And it just went from there.”
“Montana and everybody else said he wasn't big enough, he's not this, he's not that,” added Van Troxel, Matt's father who's also an ex-Griz QB and the coach at Lake City. “He went online and looked up all the option teams he could find.
“He was a smart man and knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to play college football and found a place where he could go.”
Backing up starter Josh Collier, Widmyer has averaged 3.4 yards a carry and has rushed for 242 yards for Wofford. He's also completed 44 percent of his passes for 361 yards and four TDs. One highlight was a 7-yard touchdown run in Wofford's 42-31 win over Appalachian State on Sept. 22.
“Running the option is kind of like playing running back,” Widmyer noted. “We get hit quite a bit and I get called on quite a bit when Josh needs a breather.”
Matt Troxel has four catches for 44 yards in a backup role for the Griz. He caught 14 passes in 2005, and then had an injury-marred 2006.
He sent a text to Widmyer to congratulate him on his TD against Appalachian State.
“I said, ‘Hell of a deal, that's a good job,' and stuff,” Troxel said. “I usually look at their box scores. I saw that he scored so I was pretty excited for him. That's a pretty sweet deal.”
Troxel was at the Grizzlies' postseason awards banquet on Sunday when his cell buzzed. It was Widmyer. “See you Saturday,” it read.
“I told him I bet his parents were excited,” said Troxel. “Shortest trip of the year for them.”
Widmyer said his father has made nearly every Wofford game he's played and his mom made two or three.
“It's definitely easier when you can go down I-90 and drive 2fi hours,” he said.
Widmyer graduated a year behind Matt Troxel, who is a fourth-year junior for the Griz. Widmyer, a third-year junior at Wofford, was the sophomore backup QB at Lake City when the Timberwolves won the 2002 Idaho Class 4A state crown. He took over from there.
“He holds our all-time total offense and passing records,” Van Troxel said. “As a junior we made the semifinals. Then his senior year, we just didn't have the talent we had the year before. But he carried two or three games with his legs.”
For the record, Widmyer has played in Washington-Grizzly Stadium before. On Oct. 23, 2004, Lake City came in and fell flat against a 1-7 Hellgate team, losing 30-8. Widmyer ran for 50 yards and passed for 114 against the Knights. He was intercepted three times.
Matt Troxel, a redshirt that year, was there and won't forget it. Receiver Mike Ferriter won't let him.
“I was like, ‘Yeah, come watch my old high school,' ” Troxel said. “Now whenever we bring up high school football, Ferriter's always like, ‘Yeah, you guys lost to Hellgate.' ”
Widmyer said he wasn't too bothered by the Terriers' low seed and draw in the playoffs.
“Sooner or later you're going to have to play a team like Montana, and you're going to have to go on the road,” he said. “It may not be exactly what we wanted, but it's a challenge we have to face if we want to win a national title.”
Montana seemed a bit frustrated by its No. 3 seed into the playoffs, but may end up liking it if they can come up with a win Saturday. McNeese State, the No. 2 seed, hosts Eastern Washington Saturday. The winner of that seems likely to face two-time defending champion Appalachian State.
The winner of UM's game faces the Richmond-Eastern Kentucky winner. Last year the Grizzlies rode the No. 2 seed to the semifinals and a 19-17 home loss to UMass.
Grizzly receiver Eric Allen feels UM is peaking, health notwithstanding.
“Every game is one and done,” said Allen, who caught two TDs against Montana State in the absence of top receiver Ryan Bagley, out with a broken arm. “Last year we kind of did the same thing. We struggled a little bit at the beginning of the season and then took off.
“Not to make predictions, but that seems to be happening. So we'll see if we can do the same thing again.”
QUICK KICKS: Four of the Grizzlies' five home playoff losses have come in the first round: To Delaware in 1993, Youngstown State in 1999, Western Illinois in 2002 and Cal Poly in 2004. Š The Big Sky Conference is 9-8 against Southern Conference teams in the playoffs, but SoCon teams are 1-7 in Big Sky stadiums. In 1996 Furman won 42-31 at Northern Arizona. Š NAU lost at Appalachian State 34-21 on Sept. 15, and App State lost to Wofford a week later. Š Montana won 21-16 at NAU on Oct. 27. Š The satellite coordinates remain the same: Galaxy 26; 09K Digital; 93 degrees W; downlink frequency 11890.000; SR 6.148936; FEC þ. Š Wofford is 4-1 on the road this season. Š The Terriers are 2-1 in FCS playoff games, all in 2003. Š Wofford has intercepted 19 passes this season.
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