Lex Hilliard

[Jerbearasu]

I saw his stats and wanted to get perspective from Montana fans that saw the game this weekend... How'd he look? Back to his old self? Better? Did anything impress you about any of his touches or typical Lex? It is always good to see guys recover well from a bad injury and I wish him the best this season... Not a bad start with a 100 yard game!

[bshgriz]

I thought he looked good for not playing in a real game in two years.
I think next weeks game he will rack up the stats(Ft.Lewis) and he will get back to where he was two years ago before conference play starts.

[DuckDuckGriz]

I thought he looked good for not playing in a real game in two years.
I think next weeks game he will rack up the stats(Ft.Lewis) and he will get back to where he was two years ago before conference play starts.

I disagree. Look for Hauck to utilize the other RBs (Brooks-Fletcher, Coleman) and keep Lex healthy. He likes to rotate key players against "lower" opponents - also likes to keep atleast film material for future opponents as possible. That's why yesterday the playcalling was redundant, conservative, and simple. Lex shines in the bigger games, he will tear it up, but won't get as many carries against Ft Lewis as you think.

[Peems]

He looked pretty good, the thing that amazes me about him is his burst. He never looks fast, but he just goes through the hole so fast and he is so strong, Da Griz are glad to have him back. On a down note, the other RB's didn't looks great, maybe it was the playcalling(draw plays out of shotgun for TBF, not his forte) But they will get going and will be a huge help for our offense. The Griz looked solid, not great, but solid

[AZGrizFan]

I watched most of the game on the net, I think I remember the announcers saying there were at least 5 backs that got touches in the game....Lex probably won't get used heavily until we approach the end of the season....xcoolx

[Sundown]

I watched most of the game on the net, I think I remember the announcers saying there were at least 5 backs that got touches in the game....Lex probably won't get used heavily until we approach the end of the season....xcoolx

Yeah, Lex, Bradshaw, Coleman, TB-F and Schmidt all got touches. I'd look for Lex to really start getting the majority of downs when the Conference sched. starts. I think Weber is gonna get a dose of Lex, "the Quinn" and Chambers come game-time.

[AZGrizFan]

All I know (aside from the fact the the OC STILL sucks), is that Selle has a MUCH better arm than Berquist....xeyebrowx xcoolx

[Sundown]

All I know (aside from the fact the the OC STILL sucks), is that Selle has a MUCH better arm than Berquist....xeyebrowx xcoolx

"MUCH" better arm? Hmmmm...I don't think so. On par? Sure. Selle has no-where near the level of conditioning that CB does, simply because he has had much less time with Gerber.

I'm also not convinced Selle will beat out Larson once CB is gone, either. I need to see them both play more to tell. After all, they only played one series on Sat.

Fwiw.

[AZGrizFan]

"MUCH" better arm? Hmmmm...I don't think so. On par? Sure. Selle has no-where near the level of conditioning that CB does, simply because he has had much less time with Gerber.

I'm also not convinced Selle will beat out Larson one CB is gone, either. I need to see them both play more to tell. After all, they only played one series on Sat.

Fwiw.


Well, admitedly I was in and out of the home office (where the game was on the internet), and didn't get to see every play, but I never ONCE saw Berquist go downfield. Selle I saw go downfield with a strong arm....I'll readily admit I'm wrong, but I hope to God the OC was just keeping things under wraps and vanilla until we start conference play.... xeyebrowx xeyebrowx xcoolx xcoolx xcoolx

[Sundown]

but I hope to God the OC was just keeping things under wraps and vanilla until we start conference play.... xeyebrowx xeyebrowx xcoolx xcoolx xcoolx

I like throwing in some option in the 3rd quarter, it gives the Griz more "looks" when game tape starts flying around the country later in the season.

But beyond that, and this is just between you and me, I agree. xwhistlex

[mvemjsunpx]

The Griz offense wasn't outstanding Saturday, but it was sufficient.

The playcalling was fine. There wasn't a lot of misdirection or other fanciness, but there didn't need to be. This game was relatively unimportant.

I really liked what I saw from Jeff Larson. He's like what Kyle Samson was in 2003 except he can also throw the ball.

The one problem I noticed was one that existed the last two years as well: the O-Line has trouble opening holes on runs up the middle. We ran very well outside the tackles, but our middle runs often gained nothing. Part of this could be on Lex since he's more of a momentum runner & acceleration isn't his strong suit (he doesn't hit the holes very quickly). However, as I said, this problem was there last year without Lex, as well.

[Green26]

Hilliard looked good, but was a bit rusty. He was not in the game for more than half of the possessions. In skimming the drive chart, it looks like he played in the 1st (TD), 3rd, 5th (first part) (TD) and 7th of the possessions in the first half. In the 2nd half, he was in the 2nd (FG), 3rd (FG) and part of the 4th possessions. The Griz went to him alot when he was in the game. The Griz were more productive when he was in the game. He admitted that he was sucking wind a bit at times.

UM will likely keep his playing time/rushes down in the early part of the season, unless he is needed. UM has lots of good backs. I think UM will try to save Hilliard so that he is healthy and not banged up later in the season. I think the coaches would like to help him get the all-time rushing record too, so I suppose that could be at cross-purpose with bringing him back slowly and saving him.

I think it will take Hilliard a number of games to get used to game conditions and get back to where he was when he last played.

I disagree with the comment about Hilliard's acceleration and how he hits the holes. I think one of his strengths is his acceleration and how he hits the holes.

Bergquist has a stronger arm than Selle, in my opinion. Bergquist went downfield at least 3 times, and 2 were TD passes to Allen. I couldn't tell if the coaches were intentionally having Bergquist not look downfield more, or if the defense was giving more room for shorter passes.

[twentythreeOh4]

I saw his stats and wanted to get perspective from Montana fans that saw the game this weekend... How'd he look? Back to his old self? Better? Did anything impress you about any of his touches or typical Lex? It is always good to see guys recover well from a bad injury and I wish him the best this season... Not a bad start with a 100 yard game!

It was great to see Lex back on the field. My impression is he may have been a little rusty to start, but he got better as the game went on. His best gains (14 and 15 yards) came early in the 4th quarter. I think he's back to his pre-injury form.

[Ronbo]

I was more interested in Cole Bergquist's performance than Hilliard's. Lex looked like Lex and rushed for his career average 5.1 yards a carry. Cole Bergquist was very efficient throwing for 68% completion (15-22), 2 Td's (both beautiful passes), and no picks. He also rushed for 26 yards on 5 carries and ran in a 14 yard TD. So he passed for two and ran for one.

[GtFllsGriz]

I think Hilliard will be a force as the season moves along. I think BH said it perfectly when he said he wanted the team to be efficient and mechanical. That was just the way they played. The game looked to be a glorified scrimmage against a good opponent. The season will progess with a lot of players seeing game time and additional dimensions being added weekly.

The season is a marathon, not a sprint. Lex will be the stud when he is needed.

[Ronbo]

I was more interested in Cole Bergquist's performance than Hilliard's. Lex looked like Lex and rushed for his career average 5.1 yards a carry. Cole Bergquist was very efficient throwing for 68% completion (15-22), 2 Td's (both beautiful passes), and no picks. He also rushed for 26 yards on 5 carries and ran in a 14 yard TD. So he passed for two and ran for one.

[elkmcc]

Well, admitedly I was in and out of the home office (where the game was on the internet), and didn't get to see every play, but I never ONCE saw Berquist go downfield. Selle I saw go downfield with a strong arm....I'll readily admit I'm wrong, but I hope to God the OC was just keeping things under wraps and vanilla until we start conference play.... xeyebrowx xeyebrowx xcoolx xcoolx xcoolx

I think someone mentioned it already but Bergquist threw downfield only a few times but 2 of them were touchdowns, to Eric Allen. They were great throws and catches. EA is a stud and could be the guy that puts the Griz over the top this year. What I found interesting is that EA only played sparingly and was not the starter. I Felt like the Griz could have thrown downfield all day, had they chose to.

What I saw in Bergquist that I liked most was his ability to run. His draw plays were very Johnny Montana'ish and if I recall correctly it was JE's running ability that played a big part in bringing home the trophy in '01. CB will be a good one for us. I am very confident of that.