Dec. 16, 2005

The Bottom Line - Post-Season Awards
By Chris Kelly

The Cal Poly loss a week ago to Texas State a week ago ended another tremendous season for the Great West Football conference. The battle for the conference crown went down the final league game of the season, which resulted in a split between UC Davis and Cal Poly. There were impressive wins against Northwestern State, Montana State, Nicholls State, Eastern Washington, and, of course, Stanford. Cal Poly first I-AA playoff birth was also the conference's first birth in its short two year span. That's impressive considering only two teams are post season eligible. And the Mustangs didn't settle for just making the show, they went into Missoula and won impressively, which is one of the toughest places to win in I-AA. Even though the Cal Poly playoff run ended in a seven point road loss, I don't think many can deny the future is bright for the GWFC.

Northern Colorado, the team to finish last in both of the first two seasons, moves on to join the Big Sky next season. The pessimist in me realizes that the loss of UNC is huge - it removes the sixth team require to be an "auto-bid" conference after six seasons. However, the optimist understands that as UNC leaves, the conference actually gets stronger. Plus, anyone who has followed this group of teams over the last two years should know that an auto-bid won't be needed among this group. These teams have already proven they can play with pretty much anyone across the nation. How good will this group of teams be when North Dakota State, South Dakota State, and UC Davis are fully funded in terms of scholarships? It's not far fetched to think as soon as next year this could be the best I-AA conference in all of the land.

Before we get too far into 2006, let's step back and reward those who excelled this season. Listed below are the 2005 media all-conference teams, followed by my specific individual awards.

First Team
Offense
WR Tony Kays, UC Davis, 6-1 188, Jr. *
WR Andy Birkel, Northern Colorado, 6-2 180, Jr.
TE A.J. Cooper, North Dakota State, 6-1 239, Sr. @
OT Tim Popowski, North Dakota State, 6-2 310, Sr.@
OT Mitch Erickson, South Dakota State, 6-6 290, So.
OG Beau Finato, Cal Poly, 6-0 255, Sr. #
OG Taylor Murray, South Dakota State, 6-3 295, Sr. &
C Stephen Field, Cal Poly, 6-1 270, Fr.
QB Jon Grant, UC Davis, 6-2 198, Jr. #
RB James Noble, Cal Poly, 5-6 180, Fr.
RB Kyle Steffes, North Dakota State, 5-11 204, Jr. #
FB Andy DelaBarre, North Dakota State, 6-2 246, Sr.

Defense
DL Chris Gocong, Cal Poly, 6-3 268 Sr. * #
DL Justin Frick, North Dakota State, 6-3 292, Jr.
DL Chris White, Cal Poly, 6-3 273, Jr.
DL Matt Chachere, Cal Poly, 6-0 235, Sr.
LB Kyle Shotwell, Cal Poly, 6-1 235, Jr. * &
LB Joe Mays, North Dakota State, 5-11 242, So.
LB Steve Smith, Southern Utah, 6-0 215, Sr. &
LB Kole Zimmerman, North Dakota State, 5-11 221, Sr.
DB Reed Doughty, Northern Colorado, 6-1 210, Sr. * #
DB Hank McCall, South Dakota State, 5-11 195, Sr. &
DB Kenny Chicoine, Cal Poly, 6-1 205, Jr. #
DB Nevan Bergan, UC Davis, 5-11 170, Jr. v

Special Teams
K Parker Douglass, South Dakota State, 5-8 170, So. &
P Mike Dragosavich, North Dakota State, 6-5 190, So. &
RS Shamen Washington, North Dakota State, 5-6 140, So.

Second Team
Offense
WR Josh Davis, South Dakota State, 6-0 170, Sr. @
WR Ramses Barden, Cal Poly, 6-6 210, Fr.
TE Daniel Fells, UC Davis, 6-4 252, Sr. #
OT Elliott Vallejo, UC Davis, 6-8 295, Jr.
OT Brett Gauld, Cal Poly, 6-4 300, Sr. @
OG Paul Keizer, South Dakota State, 6-4 291, Sr. &
OG Shaun Farner, Northern Colorado, 6-4 271, Sr. & **
Justin Buckwalter, North Dakota State, 6-4 315, Jr. &
C Hugh Medal, North Dakota State, 6-1 280, Sr.
QB Steve Walker, North Dakota State, 6-1 207, So. ^ @
RB Cory Koenig, South Dakota State, 5-10 195, So.
RB Andre Wilson, Northern Colorado, 6-1 190, Jr. &
FB Adam Martinez, Cal Poly, 6-2 225, Sr.

Defense
DL James Amos, UC Davis, 6-3 245, So.
DL John Faletoese, UC Davis, 6-2 260, Fr.
DL Gabe Koenigsfeld, South Dakota State, 6-4 249, Sr. @
DL Alvin Robinson, North Dakota State, 6-0 240, Sr. &
LB Dan Elbanna, UC Davis, 5-11 215, Sr. @
LB Billy Ray Kirch, South Dakota Stte, 6-1 219, Sr.
LB Ben Reece, UC Davis, 5-9 205, Jr.
LB Nolan de Graaff, UC Davis, 6-3 225, Sr. **
LB Jake Duren, Northern Colorado, 6-1 217, Fr.
DB Craig Dahl, North Dakota State, 6-1 207, Jr. &
DB Courtney Brown, Cal Poly, 6-2 205, Jr.
DB Greg Gebhardt, Northern Colorado, 6-1 185, Sr. @
DB Aaron Williams, Cal Poly, 5-10 193, Sr. &

Special Teams
K Nick Coromelas, Cal Poly, 6-1 193, Jr.
P Tim Chicoine, Cal Poly, 6-1 185, So. @
RS Patrick Ealy, Northern Colorado, 5-8 181, Fr. **
JaRon Harris, South Dakota State, 6-1 200, Fr.

** Due to tie in voting

CK's Take: If there's one to glean from the above team it's that the future is again bright next season with all the talent that returns. Seventeen first team players will be back next season, which include some of the guys who will garner player of the year honors. With any vote there will always be arguments as to who should or should not have been there and I was very pleased with how the media vote turned out. I was very surprised at the coach's final vote, which left me scratching my head a bit. I thought some very good players (Andy Birkel, Steve Smith, Nevan Bergan, Hank McCall and Joe Mays) were left off the first team. The only discrepancies I had on my ballot (in terms of first team) versus the final media results were both Andre Wilson and James Amos, who I felt both had first team worthy seasons.

Offensive lineman of the Year. Tim Popowski, North Dakota State.
For the second straight season, another Bison nabs offensive lineman of the year. Tim Popowski has been a dominant tackle the past couple seasons for the Bison ending his career with a stellar 2005 campaign. He ended the season having started 22 of the last 23 games missing only a start against Cal Poly in 2004 due to injury. The Bison tackle is a leader among a very good line and worked hard to improve quickness this season. Despite being hampered by an ankle injury, Popowski finished the season with 73 pancake blocks, including a career high nine against Arkansas-Monticello, Southern Utah, and South Dakota State. He ended his career with 192 pancake blocks in total.

Freshman of the Year. Jake Duren, Northern Colorado.
Already having lost two starters from a season ago, the Bears were hit even harder when senior starter Thomas Smith suffered a season ending knee injury. A glaring hole among the defense was the lack of experience at linebacker, but you wouldn't know it by the play of Jake Duren. The freshman from Littleton, Colorado finished the season second in tackles on the Bears and third overall among backers in the Great West. He was in on over 100 tackles (103), including 3.5 for loss, and a forced fumble. Duren's presence in the middle was a huge lift for a group that needed it, and he will be a big time player for the next three years as the Bears venture into the Big Sky.

Offensive Player of the Year - Tony Kays, UC Davis.
Tony Kays had a monster season as the go-to receiver for UC Davis this season, and his numbers back it up. The junior finished the season with 93 catches and 1213 yards which were both records at UC Davis. Kays finished the season #1 in the NCAA with 8.45 catches per game, as he was consistently quarterback Jon Grant's favorite target whenever the Aggie needed a big play. He finished 6th in the nation with 110 receiving yards per game. Last season, Northern Colorado's All-American wide receiver Vincent Jackson finished the season with 80 catches for 1382 yards. (125 per game) Kays missed portions of two games which makes the numbers even more impressive. Against Cal Poly, Kays played perhaps his most impressive game grabbing 13 balls for 212 yards against one of the toughest defenses in I-AA. His best catch likely came against Stanford (10 for 115) when he made a sick 19-yard grab on a ball thrown behind him to set the Aggies up on the Stanford six yard line on UCD's game winning drive in the 4th quarter.

Defensive Player of the Year - Chris Gocong, Cal Poly.
For the 2nd straight year Chris Gocong is the Great West Conference's defensive player of the year. Last season the defensive end had 71 tackles, including 21.5 for loss. Most impressive was his 17.5 sacks which led the nation. This season he was even more dominant registering 98 tackles from his spot along the line. I hope people realize how impressive that is for lineman to be in on that many tackles. Gocong was a major force along the line, which including his ability to make plays behind the line of scrimmage. He 31 tackles for loss, and once again led the nation in sacks with 23.5. Last year, Gocong finished 2nd to his teammate Jordan Beck in voting for the Buck Buchanan award given to the best defensive player in I-AA. He garnered my vote to win the award this season, and as it was only announced Thursday evening Gocong won the award making it the second year in a row a Mustang has won the award. Impressive.

Runner Up: Reed Doughty, Northern Colorado.
I'm not mentioning runners up for any other award except this one because Doughty deserves it. In many other leagues the Bears safety would be the defensive player of the year, but playing in a league with most dominant defensive player in the land (the past two seasons) has really hurt him. Doughty, a first team Sports Network All-American, led all of I-AA in tackles with 159 (14.45 per game). He ranked in the top ten in conference play in forced fumbles, fumbles recovered, passes defended, and interceptions. He is also one of 16 finalists for the Draddy Trophy, which is the equivalent of the I-AA Academic Heisman.

Coach of the Year - Rich Ellerson, Cal Poly.
Just like Gocong, Rich Ellerson has coach of the year honors, and well deserved. Last season's 9-2 record was good enough to win the GWFC title, and should have been good enough to earn a playoff birth. This season 8-3 (with a brutal schedule) was again good enough to capture the GWFC title, but also earn that trip to the playoffs. Ellerson made good on the birth winning in Montana, and hanging tough in Texas against a very good Texas State team. The fact that Ellerson lost so many key faces defensively and the group didn't lose a stride is to be commended. However, to get this team to go 4-1 down the stretch after losing their veteran quarterback (in favor of a red-shirt freshman) may have been his most impressive feat to date.

Most Valuable Player - James Noble, Cal Poly.
I love saying it, but let's remind everyone the person I'm naming the most valuable player of the Great West Football conference is a freshman. James Noble was the heart and soul of this offense, and carried his team on his back when the Mustangs quarterback, Anthony Garnett, went down with a season ending knee injury at Montana. Noble ended the season 4th in the nation rushing at 143 yards per carry, with an impressive 7.06 yards per carry. He scored 16 touchdowns and his 1576 yards rushing in total was third best nationally. All these numbers are terrific, but let's remember why Noble is in this spot. The freshman stepped in during the second game of the year and jump started a struggling running game. He provided balance to what became a very prolific offense as the season moved along, but most importantly put his team on his back in their run to the playoffs. After Garnett went down, and the Mustangs lost to UC Davis (Noble did not play in that game) the Mustangs tailback stepped his game up a notch. Realizing the pressure his freshman quarterback Matt Brennan would be under to win the final three games, Noble went for 196 yards per game over the final three games in dominating fashion. He then went to Montana and ran for another 188 yards and four more scores. What this kid did in 2005 for Cal Poly can't be understated - he was a stud. For Noble's performance he deserves to be the MVP of the Great West.

Mr. Underrated. Steve Smith, Southern Utah.
With Southern Utah struggling this season, everyone forgot about Steve Smith. The senior came into his final season for the Thunderbirds having never failed to register at least 60 tackles in each of his first three years. In the off-season the Thunderbirds moved Smith to linebacker after losing three big time players to graduation in 2004. Smith willingly made the move even though he knew his final season at safety could have been a dominant one. Of course he didn't miss a beat finishing 4th in the league in tackles with 89 in total, which included eight for loss, two sacks, and an interception. He was a consistent contributor and playmaker on a young Thunderbird defense. Steve Smith is the ultimate team player, one heck of a safety, a darn good linebacker, and a guy you want on your side. Underrated? Sure, the coaches didn't even have him on the first team all-league selections. Hmmm.

Biggest Win: Cal Poly 35 Montana 21.
The Mustangs win over Montana was big in so many ways. The game marked the first ever trip to the playoffs for Cal Poly so a win in that game scored an important victory for the program which sent to them to Texas in a nationally televised game. But more importantly, the Mustangs avenged an earlier loss in Missoula where they lost their starting quarterback, Anthony Garnett. To win in one of the most difficult places to play in all of I-AA was one thing, but scoring the first win against the Grizzlies in 11 attempts is another. 1st trip to the playoffs, 1st playoff win, and 1st win against Montana removes that proverbial monkey from the Mustangs back.

Most Impressive Win: UC Davis 20 Stanford 17. One national radio host called it the "biggest upset in the history of college football". That about says it all.

Top offensive play: Last year it was Jon Grant last second game winning pass against a then top ten and undefeated Cal Poly. This year Grant finds himself involved in the top offensive play of the year when he hit Blaise Smith on a 3-yard scoring pass with eight seconds to go against Stanford. The pass propelled the Aggies to a seemingly impossible victory over the I-A Cardinal, and scored a big win for I-AA as a whole.

Top defensive play: It always seems the big names are the guys making the biggest plays and this year is no different. Hank McCall, the Jackrabbits standout corner, made a huge play in the end done against UC Davis wide receiver Blaise Smith to preserve an important win for South Dakota State. The Aggies bid to mount a comeback in South Dakota stood at 16-14 with a two point conversion pending to tie the game. In what appeared to be a successful conversion, McCall went up with Smith wrestling the ball free to make sure the Jacks revenged a big loss a year ago, and kept their run at a conference championship alive.

Great West Bowling
A few players have been invited to play in post season bowl games, and here is the most up to date list. There may be additions made to this list as invitations continue to come out.

Las Vegas All-American Classic - Chris Gocong, Cal Poly, Reed Doughty, Northern Colorado, TE Daniel Fells, UC Davis

A look ahead...
Well the end of the football season means one thing for fans, the next season is just around the corner. Over the next few months teams will announce their recruiting classes, go through spring drills, and prepare for another year of ball. Here's a quick look at each teams key loss, and pressure points as we look toward 2005.

(alphabetical)

Cal Poly
Key Loss - Chris Gocong. This is blatantly obvious as was the loss of Jordan Beck last season. Gocong led the nation in sacks each of the last two seasons, and finding someone as dominant as him along the line is near impossible. Throw in three of four DB's, and Matt Cachere and this unit will need to replace some big time players. Good thing Kyle Shotwell is back. He may be the third Mustang in a row to win the Buck Buchanan if he has another huge year in 2006.

Pressure's on - Matt Brennan. Brennan stepped in to a starting role with minimal expectations, and performed pretty well overall. Next season, teams will focus on James Noble putting everything in the box to slow him. And Mustang fans will expect that Brennan will be an improved passer able to beat defenses that stack the box. Brennan will be the difference in a good Cal Poly team and one that contends for the national championship.

North Dakota State
Key Loss - D Ends. The loss of Isaac Lavant and Alvin Robinson are big for the Bison because it takes away two big physical defensive linemen who were tremendous against the run. The two combined for 92 tackles, 13 of which went for a loss. NDSU has been solid in plugging holes along the line, especially with ju-co transfers but LaVant and Robinson will be sorely missed.

Pressure's on - Steve Walker. I discussed a couple weeks ago but Walker's play over the back half of the year wasn't at the same level he ended '04 and started '05. The sophomore quarterback struggled down the stretch leaving fans wondering if something was wrong. Then at the end of the year, he tore up his knee badly so besides having to get his game straightened out, successful rehab will be a huge. Steve Walker is a talent at quarterback, but fans expect Walker to return to his top form come kickoff 2006.

South Dakota State
Key Loss - Josh Davis. It seems like he's been around forever putting up great numbers for the Jacks. Davis leaves as the career leader in catches with 225 and led the team in receptions his freshman, sophomore and senior seasons. He missed two games his junior or he would have led the team that season finishing only 100 yards behind the leader. The Jacks have proven they can run the ball effectively with a strong offensive line and two great backs. But losing that go-to receiver in an offense that lacked a big passing game hurts.

Pressure's on - Jacks Quarterbacks. South Dakota State never seemed to find a consistent rhythm whether is be Andy Kardoes or Ryan Berry taking snaps. The two youngsters combined to complete just 51% of their passes, and threw 13 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. With a thriving run game that should be just as strong next season, an improved passing game could make this offense extremely dangerous.

Southern Utah
Key Loss - Steve Smith. Is there any doubt here? Last season losing three talented linebackers was as big a loss as any team saw in the conference. Now another very good linebacker and the T-Birds best defensive player are graduating. Someone will need to step up as to lead a unit that will be in need of leadership.

Pressure's On - The offense. Last season, Casey Rehrer injected great life into the SUU offense, but this season they took a step back. The Thunderbirds were loaded with youth and inexperience and it showed as the group ranked 103rd nationally in total offense. This group returns a big chunk of this season offensive starters - so the T-Birds have to make that translate into better results in 2005.

UC Davis
Key Loss - Aggie linebackers. There's no denying that this seasons Aggie defense has to rank among the best defenses in the school's history, which is a reason this hurts so much. Losing three senior starters in Ben Reece, Dan Elbanna, and Nolan De Graaff means that 155 tackles and a wealth of experience will be gone. UCD will have to rely on youth to plug big losses at `backer.

Pressure's on - The run game. Another year has passed and the Aggies have failed to run the ball. This season the leading rusher tallied 327 yards as the team averaged 2.7 per carry. With talented skill players at wide receiver, and quarterback this team is a rush game away from being a dominant I-AA offense.

Finally, I want to thank former Northern Colorado SID, Colin McDonough, and current UNC SID, Kyle Schwartz for the help and promptness in always posting the column. Good luck to the Bears next season in the Big Sky!

Up Next: 2006 season. Continue to check back to this website for recruiting updates throughout February. Any comments or questions feel free to email me at gwfcfootball@hotmail.com.