The 270-pound sophomore out of Spokane, Wash., drew praise from Mettler in fall camp, though he was buried on the depth chart behind the likes of Jesse Carlson, Carson Bender and Austin Mullins.
But when first Mettler, then Bender went down with injuries - it appears Bender, a promising sophomore out of Deer Lodge, will be out quite a while - Hobbs heard his number (99) called.
“I mean, it's tough when other guys get injuries. But you have to step in.”
He stepped onto Woodward Stadium in Cheney, Wash., near his hometown, and applied some pressure to Eastern Washington's star quarterback, Matt Nichols, in a convincing 19-3 Griz win.
“That was a lot of fun getting out there and playing,” said Hobbs. “I had a lot of friends and family there, and I know a lot of people I graduated with are on Eastern Washington.”
Last Saturday he contributed four tackles against an overmatched Sacramento State squad that Montana walloped 43-7.
Those were the first stops of his career, but when he upended Sac State's Bryan Hilliard for a 1-yard loss, he served notice that if Bender is out and Mettler isn't quite 100 percent, it can still be rough work up the middle against the Griz.
Of course Mettler and Carlson, the two senior leaders, have something to do with that.
“Those guys are a big help,” said Hobbs. “They showed me the ropes. They're always chirping in my ear: ‘You need to shorten up that first step, or you need to get that rip lower.' They're always coaching me up here and there.”
Part of the coaching includes not getting too high, and Hobbs knows a dangerous foe awaits Saturday.
“We prepare the same, like they're the champs,” he said of the 1-5 Bears, who are 1-2 in Big Sky play. “We've got to take them down. They could be 3-0 easily. They're going to give us a tough, tough game.”
The Bears, gunning for just their third conference win in their third season in the Big Sky, have been banged up as well. Most telling is the loss of John Eddy, an honorable-mention all-league defensive end last year after making seven sacks.
Northern Colorado coach Scott Downing confirmed Wednesday that Eddy was done for the year.
But Montana coach Bobby Hauck said there's plenty to like about UNC's front four, which includes Ethan Davis, a sophomore who sat out last season with injuries.
“They're better than they've been up front on defense,” Hauck said. “They've done a nice job recruiting. They're better.”
The Bears' two-deep includes a 275-pound junior college defensive tackle named Tony Kolone, whose brother Chris plays D-line for Montana State.
QUICK KICKS: The latest forecast calls for a high of 69 degrees in Greeley, Colo. Š Bears' linebacker Joe Kenney has 227 career tackles, but just 15 have come this fall while he's battled injuries. Š According to the NCAA Web site, UNC's Cristian Sarmento has the third-most total tackles among active players in the Football Championship Subdivision, with 304. UNC actually credits the senior linebacker with 310. Š He doesn't show up in the NCAA stats, but Montana senior Cole Bergquist's 6,035 yards is ninth-best among active FCS quarterbacks. Š UNC was picked to finish last in the Big Sky by both the league coaches and media. Š Safety Shann Schillinger was UM's nominee for Big Sky defensive player of the week, while Marc Mariani was the Grizzlies' special teams nominee. Š Mariani ranks 29th nationally in punt returns (10.8-yard average) but third in all-purpose running, at 185.1 yards per game.
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)