Right of passage

MISSOULA - The late Dee Andros, who coached Oregon State in the 1960s and 70s, was famous for (among other things) saying that the Oregon-Oregon State game (dubbed "the Civil War") was not just a game, but for the right to live in the state.

Having grown up in Oregon, attended Oregon State and been at six Civil War games as either a fan or reporter, I knew that the Great Pumpkin was only half kidding.

(And after meeting Andros in his twilight years, I'm not sure he was joking at all.)

Judging by the e-mails I received leading up to my first 'Cat-Griz Brawl of the Wild, the Washington Grizzly Stadium record crowd of 23,867, in full throat and on its feet for much of the game, and the enthusiasm of fans everywhere, this rivalry is worthy of that description.

UM coach Bobby Hauck is well aware of the importance of the game statewide, and after saying earlier in the week that the Griz would prepare just like any other week, he revealed there's a little more to it than that.

"This game is personal to me," he said. "I'm a third-generation alum. I grew up around it. On a personal note, it's a huge game for me. It takes a huge amount of discipline from me to keep it low key."

The Griz took their cues from their coach, playing disciplined, but with desire; intelligent, but with intensity; balanced, but with flare.

The payoff is at least one home playoff game, continuing a I-AA record run in the postseason, now at 12 years.

Perhaps more importantly, though, is the Griz re-establishing their rule in the rivalry. After losing two in a row to MSU (which was preceded by a 16-game UM winning streak), there was nothing Bobcats fans liked to bring up more often, nor was there anything that grated so on the nerves of Griz fans.

Now that order has been restored from Montana's perspective, the Bobcats are faced with somewhat of a rebuilding project on defense. For all the strides that program has made in the last few years under Mike Kramer, the last three weeks has to be considered a regression.

"Our defensive persona is gone," Kramer said, cognizant of the task ahead.

All is not despair for Montana State, however. Quarterback Travis Lulay, who blossomed into one of the finest passers in the nation during the season, will be back for his senior year, and despite all the injuries and departures, the Bobcats played only one true freshman.

"We didn't panic and start playing our young pups," Kramer said.

There is some promising talent in the redshirt class, highly-touted cornerback Eddie Smith should be healthy and all of the young players who battled with inexperience now have, well, experience.

Kramer noted that he and his staff will do their most important coaching in the next few days as they salve the wounds of the last three games and instill the desire to achieve next year.

As the Bobcats head into the offseason and the Griz into the postseason, you have to feel good about the state of college football in the state of Montana.

This week's top 10, Rivalry Week games with cool nicknames edition.

- 10. The Iron Bowl. Auburn 21, Alabama 13 in the 68th meeting in the series.

- 9. The Holy War. Utah 52, BYU 21 in the 76th meeting in the series.

- 8. The Apple Cup. Washington State 28, Washington 25 in the 97th meeting in the series.

- 7. The Battle of the Palmetto State. Clemson 29, South Carolina 7 in the 102nd meeting in the series.

- 6. 'Cat-Griz Game. Montana 38, Montana 22 in the 104th meeting in the series, though if you've read this far and didn't already know that, your skills of comprehension need a little polish.

- 5. The Big Game. California 41, Stanford 6 in the 107th meeting in the series.

- 4. The Old Oaken Bucket. Purdue 63, Indiana 24 in the 107th meeting in the series.

- 3. The Civil War. Oregon State 50, Oregon 21 in the 108th meeting in the series.

- 2. The South's Oldest Rivalry. William & Mary 38, Richmond 14 in the 114th meeting in the series.

- 1. The Game. Harvard 35, Yale 3 in the 121st meeting in the series.

Andrew Hinkelman is a sports writer for The Daily Inter Lake. He can be reached at hink@dailyinterlake.com