Get ready for the 2010 football season with the 2010 prospectus.
2010 Prospectus PDF
National Off-Season News
2010 marks the first season of a 20-team FCS playoff. Champions from the Northeast Conference and Big South will now receive automatic bids to the FCS playoffs. The other two sports will go to at-large teams. The playoffs will begin on Saturday, Nov. 27, with eight teams in action. Twelve teams will receive first-round byes.
The 2010 Division I National Championship will be played on Friday, Jan. 7, 2011, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. The NCAA awarded the championship game to Frisco for three seasons this past winter. The change ends Chattanooga’s 13-year run of hosting the event.
Eastern Washington Eagles
The Eagles are looking for their fifth FCS playoff appearance in seven seasons in 2010.
Linebacker J.C. Sherritt, who led the nation in tackles in 2009 and finished second in voting for the Buck Buchanan Awards, returns to anchor the defense.
Running back Taiwan Jones returns looking to build on a fantastic sophomore campaign. Jones earned All-America honors as an all-purpose player in 2009, after scoring 19 touchdowns and ranking second nationally in all-purpose yards per game at 195.4.
Eastern Washington must replace four-year starting QB Matt Nichols, who finished his career as the Big Sky’s all-time leader in passing yards and total offense. Junior college transfer Greg Panelli and SMU transfer Bo Levi Mitchell appear to be the leading candidates to lead the offense.
Idaho State Bengals
Idaho State has recorded back-to-back one-win seasons, winning each year in the final game of the season. The Bengals should win their first time out in 2010, as they open at home against NAIA Montana-Western. Idaho State faces two Football Bowl Subdivision squads once again. ISU is at Utah State on Sept. 11 and at Georgia on Nov. 6.
The Bengals are slated to return 13 starters and 35 lettermen from last year’s squad. Among those slated to return is All-Conference linebacker A.J. Storms, who recorded 120 total tackles in 2009.
Idaho State coach John Zamberlin is entering his fourth season. He was awarded a two-year contract extension following the 2009 season. Zamberlin’s coaching staff under went some off-season changes. Phil Earley takes over as the offensive coordinator, while Jon Clark is the new offensive line coach. Josh Fetter takes over as the defensive line coach.
Montana Grizzlies
The Grizzlies, who’ve advanced to the playoffs a record 17 straight seasons and won or shared a record 12 straight Big Sky titles, will be under the direction of first-year coach Robin Pflugrad. The former UM assistant takes over for Bobby Hauck, who left for UNLV after compiling an 80-17 record in six seasons.
Montana, participants in the national championship game each of the past two seasons, finished the last decade with 119 victories, the most of any Division FBS or FCS team.
The Grizzlies’ top offensive returner is running back Chase Reynolds. The senior has rushed for 3,075 career yards with 47 touchdowns.
Mike Breske, the Grizzlies’ defensive coordinator from 2000-02, returns to the post this season. Breske, who helped UM to the 2001 National Championship, was the defensive coordinator at Wyoming from 2003-08, and served in that role last season at North Dakota State.
Montana State Bobcats
Montana State fourth-year coach Rob Ash is four victories away from recording his 200th career win. Ash recorded 125 of his victories in 18 seasons as the head coach at Drake, the Bobcats’ opponent in Bozeman on Sept. 18.
Sixteen starters return from last season’s squad, which finished 5-3 in the Big Sky and 7-4 overall. Among those returning are eight defensive starters. MSU has led the Big Sky in fewest yards allowed each of the past two seasons.
Brian Wright has assumed the role of offensive coordinator, taking over for Jim Svoboda, who is now the head coach at Central Missouri. Wright spent the previous nine seasons at Youngstown State, serving as offensive coordinator the final five seasons.
Montana State’s offense returns four of its five offensive linemen, three of the squad’s top four running backs from last season, as well as two of the three top tight ends, the top three wide receivers, and part-time starting QB Cody Kempt from last season.
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
Senior quarterback Michael Herrick returns under center after putting up sensational numbers as a junior in 2009. Herrick completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,356 yards with 22 touchdowns and just eight interceptions in his first season as a full-time starter.
Herrick will have a new crop of skill players around him. Leading rusher Alex Henderson has exhausted his eligibility, as has the top three receivers from last season – Ed Berry, Conrad Meadows and Curt Sweeney. San Jose State transfer Khalil Paden, senior Daiveun Curry-Chapman, and junior Austin Shanks should all excel at the WR spot.
Northern Arizona’s defense will be led by senior All-Conference safety Matt Estrada, who tallied a team-high 78 tackles last season. The defense returns eight players who have received all-conference recognition in their respective careers.
The Lumberjacks play four consecutive road games from Sept. 11 until returning home on Oct. 16 against Montana State. NAU closes with three of four at home. The final four games have proven to be a bugaboo for the Lumberjacks each of the past two seasons. NAU lost four straight to close out the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
Northern Colorado Bears
Northern Colorado won three games in 2009, its best season since joining the Big Sky in 2006. Northern Colorado returns 17 starters from last year’s squad.
Greg Peterson is the Bears’ new offensive coordinator. Petersen has been an assistant collegiate coach for more than 20 seasons, including spending the 2008-09 seasons as Colorado State’s offensive coordinator. Peterson served at Kansas State from 1994-2005 before serving two seasons at Washington State.
Northern Colorado defense returns its top four tacklers from 2009, including linebackers Matt King and John Eddy. Eddy, who has battled injuries much of his career, recorded 80 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in just eight games in 2009.
The Bears’ secondary will be led by all-conference safety Mat Hewitt and all-conference cornerback Korey Askew. Hewitt had 75 tackles and three interceptions as a junior. Askew is coming off a season where he recorded 74 tackles, nine pass breakups and three interceptions.
Portland State Vikings
Nigel Burton begins his head coaching tenure with the Vikings, taking over after the three-year reign of Jerry Glanville. Burton, a former Portland State and Oregon State assistant, and Nevada defensive coordinator, will install a “pistol” offense and bring back a traditional 4-3 defense.
Portland State will play all of its home games in 2010 at Hillsboro Stadium, which was also the home of the Vikings during the 2000 season. Portland State’s normal home stadium – PGE Park – is undergoing major renovations that will transform the venue into a football and soccer stadium. PGE Park was previously a baseball-first facility.
Burton and the Vikings face a daunting schedule in 2010. The Vikings will open with road games at Arizona State, UC Davis and Oregon. PSU will play just four game games – its conference contests against Idaho State, Montana, Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado. PSU won’t play at home until Oct. 2 against Idaho State.
The Vikings are set to return six offensive starters and five defensive starters from last season’s 2-9 team. Ray Fry is the top returning wide receiver. Fry caught 67 passes for 904 yards and three touchdowns last year in the run-and-shoot offense.
Sacramento State Hornets
Marshall Sperbeck enters his fourth season with the Hornets, and has his team on the right track. Sacramento State finished 4-4 in Big Sky play last season and 5-6 overall.
Running back Bryan Hilliard returned to the field this spring after missing the 2009 season while recovery from shoulder injury. Hillard rushed for 1,082 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2008, and 826 yards and seven touchdowns in 2007.
Sacramento State’s defense, which allowed 33.7 points per game last season, returns safety Zach Schrader, the 2009 Big Sky Newcomer of the Year. Schrader recorded 104 tackles with four interceptions and three forced fumbles in his first season with the Hornets.
Sacramento State’s Hornet Stadium is losing its grass field this off-season. A Fieldturf surface is being installed this spring in the stadium.
Weber State Wildcats
Weber State has qualified for the FCS playoffs each of the past two seasons. Prior to making the playoffs in 2008, the Wildcats hadn’t reached the postseason since 1991.
Senior quarterback Cameron Higgins has been a candidate for the Walter Payton Award each of the past season seasons. Higgins has thrown for 7,798 yards with 66 touchdowns the past two seasons.
Graduation hit the Wildcats very hard. All-Americans Trevyn Smith, Tim Toone, Kyle Mutcher, Beau Hadley, Kevin Linehan and Josh Morris all exhausted their eligibility. Four other all-conference players have also departed the program. Running back Bo Bolen left on a two-year LDS mission. Defensive tackle Ryan Eastman transferred to Hawai’i. Defensive lineman Caldwell Taylor opted to focus on his studies, and defensive tackle Maiah Fa’atoafe was forced to quit because of health reasons.
For the second straight season, Weber State is playing two Bowl Subdivision teams. The Wildcats open the 2010 season at Boston College of the ACC and close at Texas Tech of the Big 12.