Griz finding a punter (again)
Aug. 18—In July, Montana Grizzlies coach Bobby Hauck said he had a couple punters transferring in, though because fall camp was a few weeks away — and they were still recruitable — he didn't name names.
Senior Travis Benham from San Jose State and freshman Grant Glasgow from Kansas are the guys that came in, along with freshman Brayton Boyer out of Madison, New Jersey.
Benham averaged 39.8 yards a punt for the Saprtans in 2022; in 2018 he averaged 35.7 yards on 50 punts with Lewis-Clark State College, and also threw 15 innings of relief for the Pioneers' outstanding baseball program.
Nobody else has college stats, and Hauck allowed on Monday that: "Benham's probably in front. I kind of expect him to be that guy, if he can hit the ball."
Benham being a senior means at this point next August the Griz will be looking for their fifth punter in six years. Not optimal, and certainly not what Hauck prefers, but also not necessarily unexpected.
"Hell, in college football today you can plan on replacing everybody every year and see if you can't keep a few kids around," Hauck said. "It's the way it is."
Last year the Grizzlies had the FCS Punter of the Year for a second straight season: Patrick Rohrbach out of Glacier High in Kalispell. The year before it was Brian Buschini, who transferred to Nebraska and — after averaging 44 yards a punt last season — is on this year's Ray Guy Award watch list.
Rohrbach stepped right in as a true freshman and led the Big Sky Conference at 45.2 yards a punt. Then he shocked Griz nation by announcing that he was transferring to Arizona State for its "Flyin' Devils" Air Force ROTC pilot program, with the goal of flying military jets.
"I talked to Pat numerous times this summer and I'm fired up for him," Hauck said. "He'll get to probably three or four games this year."
Closing the gaps
The Grizzlies' 2022 season ended with a convincing 49-26 loss at North Dakota State, the eventual FCS runner-up.
The Grizzlies allowed an average of 154.4 rushing yards a game last season, but its losses at NDSU and two weeks earlier at Montana State allowed 453 and 439 yards on the ground.
On Monday Hauck was posed the question: What can the Griz do to close the gap with the Bison?
"Stop the run in the fourth quarter and score more points," said Hauck, who enters this season with new coordinators on defense (Ronnie Bradford) and offense (Brent Pease). "Our plan was a little flawed, first of all, and then we were down a few guys. And we just didn't play very well.
"We were not a full-strength crew but whatever, that's the way it is. I didn't think our plan was very good."
Backing Up
The linebacker corps seems to be shaping up, with Hauck signaling out five: junior Carson Rostad out of Hamilton; senior Braxton Hill out of Anaconda; senior Levi Janacaro from Missoula Big Sky; Ryan Tirrell of Missoula's Loyola Sacred Heart; and Hawaii transfer Riley Wilson, a sophomore.
"After that five we kind of try to figure out who's next," Hauck said.
Janacaro inherited the coveted No. 37 jersey; Tirrell happens to be Hauck's nephew.
Wilson is a talent.
"In the spring he made a lot of plays," Hauck said of the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Texan. "He has great speed and has a knack for getting on and off blocks. He has phenomenal speed. I'm fired up about him."
