Big Sky Breakdown

This week's Akem's Analysis is short and straight to the point, looking at all the FCS players that are getting invites to the combine and the players who are not! I will also be looking at all of the Big Sky football schedules for the 2025 season.0:00 - Intro 1:11 - Looking At All The Big Sky Schedules For 2025 35:02 - All 2025 FCS Combine Invites/Omissions 44:48 -Final Thoughts 47:27 - End

Austin Parr of SWX Montana joins Blake Hempstead of Skyline Sports to talk about his career path and what he loves about being a story teller.

In this latest episode, of "Sports Bite - Inside Montana Media", Blake Hempstead of Skyline Sports sits down with Grace Lawrence, the sideline reporter for Montana State football for Scripss Sports and a sports reporter for MTN, to learn more about her path to Montana.

Montana head coach Bobby Hauck and recruiting coordinator Justin Green introduce UM's 35 football signees on Wednesday February 6, 2025.

Efton Chism III carved out an incredible career at Eastern Washington and he now is looking to take his career to the next level. After a stellar performance at the Hula Bowl, he received an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he also shined. Despite being a small school guy, he was able to make plays and show the NFL scouts his value. 0:00 - Intro 0:44 - Hula Bowl & Shrine Bowl Experience 3:13 - Picking An Agent And Draft Training Place 6:54 - Upbringing In Seattle 11:46 - His Recruitment 15:13 - Freshman At Eastern Washington 17:25 - Playing As A Freshman At EWU 20:19 - Staying Loyal To EWU 21:28 - Leaving A Legacy At EWU 25:04 - His Production At EWU 27:38 - Focus For Pro Day 29:09 - The Competition At The Shrine Bowl 32:28 - Significance of Setting Records At EWU33:51 - Efton’s Dream Team To Play For 34:25 - Meetings With Scouts 37:16 - Impact of Being A Draft Prospect 38:44 - Most Impactful Moment In Football Career 40:51 - Most Impactful Coach/Mentor In Life 42:14 - Message To Younger Self 44:32 - Favorite Play From College 49:08 - Final Messages 50:13 - The End

Montana State lost offensive coordinator Tyler Walker and offensive line coach Al Johnson to Temple earlier this off-season. MSU head coach Brent Vigen officially announced the hiring of their replacements, including OC Pete Sterbick. Sterbick worked at Montana Tech from 2014-2018 before coaching at Colorado School of Mines from 2019 until last season, serving as head coach the last two seasons. He joined Colter Nuanez of Skyline Sports.

Montana State head football coach Brent Vigen addressed the media after his program signed six more new recruits, bringing the total combined between the early signing period in December and Wednesday to 30 new Bobcats. Vigen addressed the media about the class as well as his new coaching staff hires. New MSU offensive coordinator Pete Sterbick (49:13) makes his press conference debut after Vigen's address.

In this week's interview with Keelan White, he and Samuel Akem looked back on his college football career and talked about his pending professional career. Keelan went from being a freshman walk-on to becoming a top receiver on a Big Sky championship team. Being from Canada is special in its own right, but it also comes with challenges that made the road difficult for him. 0:00 - Intro 0:57 - How He Is Doing Since Season 4:09 - Picking An Agent 7:34 - CFL Combine vs College Pro Day 9:22 - Thoughts On Being A Top Ranked CFL Prospect 13:27 - NFL Projection 15:05 - Young Keelan Growing Up 17:32 - Getting Recruited 23:12 - Betting On Himself 24:34 - Getting A Scholarship After 1 Season 31:06 - Being A Freshman At Montana 33:30 - Turning Into The Player He Wanted To Be 35:41 - Playing For A National Championship 37:55 - Winning A Big Sky Championship 40:07 - No NIL For Canadian Student-Athletes 42:10 - Spiderman/Spidey Persona 43:55 - Funny Memory From Montana Career 45:50 - Message To Young Canadian Athletes47:36 - Giving Keelan His Flowers 50:08 - End

In the latest edition of "Sports Bite - Inside Montana media with Blake Hempstead", Blake sits down with Keaton Gillogly, the Voice of the Montana State football and men's basketball teams to talk about going from the Big Ten to the Big Sky as well as riding the bus during minor league baseball and much more.

In this week's Akem's Analysis, Samuel Akem talks about some of the big name FCS Transfers that are taking their talents elsewhere, the impact of going to an all-star game for FCS prospects. The CAA is opting into the House settlement. What does this mean for the FCS 0:00 - Intro 2:38 - FCS Transfer Portal Tracker 20:19 - Keelan White & Hayden Harris CFL Prospects24:25 - All Star Games For FCS Players 31:15 - Biggest What Ifs From The 2024 FCS Season42:45 - Sac State President Dr. Luke Wood Comments47:06 - CAA Opting Into House Settlement52:36 - Nebraska Likely Cancelling Their Spring Game58:07 - Final Thoughts 59:32 - End

Ryan Tootell joins Colter Nuanez to talk about building a roster with both transfers and high school players in Big Sky Conference football, plus a conversation about Tommy Mellott, Junior Bergen and Marcus Wehr's NFL prospects & more.

Montana State sports information director Bill Lamberty, who has spent more than 30 years at MSU, joins Blake Hempstead to talk about the evolution of his industry and the evolution of media in general.

In the debut episode of "Sports Bite: Inside Montana media", host Blake Hempstead sits down with Brandon Sullivan, an Emmy award winning photo/video journalist for MTN who recently moved to Boise, Idaho.

In this interview, Samuel Akem sits down with former Montana quarterback Clifton McDowell. Sammy & Cliff talk about Clifton's time in college, most notably his time at Montana when he helped to the Griz to the 2023 FCS national championship game. The conversation also touches on McDowell's time at McNeese State which is where he spent his final season of college football.0:00 - Intro 1:00 - The Early Pro Day Prep Process3:00 - Potential Extra Year Of Eligibility 5:16 - Clifton’s College Football Journey 14:28 - Clifton’s Montana Career18:15 - Transferring From Montana23:26 - “National Championship Loading…” 25:57 - National Championship Injury 28:12 - Leaving Temple31:45 - Matchup Against Sam Vidlak33:35 - Season Ending Injury36:20 - Talking To NFL Scouts 37:27 - Speaking To Younger Generation38:07 - Message To Younger Clifton 40:38 - End

In the debut episode of "Sports Bite - inside Montana Media with Blake Hempstead", Blake interviews Colter Nuanez of Skyline Sports about the motivation for this new podcast series delving into the back stories of Montana's media corps + Colter shares the story of the origin of Skyline Sports.

In this week's Akem's Analysis, Samuel Akem looks at some of the transfers leaving the Big Sky Conference and going to the FBS, a former Big Sky coach is cleaning up! We will also be looking at some of MY top offensive FCS draft prospects who are looking to take their game to the next level. Towards the end I will chat about Sac State President Dr. Luke Wood's comments about the house settlement.0:00 - Intro 1:28 - Transfer Portal Tracker 16:50 - Nick Saban Comments On NIL 22:01 - My Offensive FCS Draft Favorites 34:35 - Bobby Hauck Named AFCA President 36:11 - Dr Luke Wood Comments On House Settlement 44:55 - JUCO Player Comments On Diego Pavia Ruling 51:18 - Final Thoughts 52:27 - End

Montana entered Saturday's rivalry game against Montana State with a 9-1 record at home this season and an 8-1 record in Missoula against MSU under Travis DeCuire. The trend of home winning continued for the Griz and the trend of beating Montana State continued for DeCuire, who moved to 15-5 against MSU.

On Saturday in Missoula, Montana State remained undefeated in Big Sky Conference play with a 67-66 win over the Lady Griz, the 9th win in 11 rivalry matchups for MSU. Following the game, MSU's Marah Dykstra (left), Esmeralda Morales & Dylan Phillip, followed by Bobcat head coach Tricia Binford addressed media. Montana head coach Nate Harris along with senior Dani Bartsch (center) and junior Mack Konig also addressed the media. Video filmed by Brooks Nuanez, produced by Colter Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.

Montana and Montana State played for the Big Sky Tournament title game last March. After trailing for much of the first 30 minutes, MSU surged to an 85-70 win to advance to the NCAA Tourney for the 3rd year in a row. This is the first time the two teams have played since. The 309th matchup between MSU and Montana takes place Saturday night in Missoula. The Grizzlies lead the all-time series 156-152. UM swept the regular season last year before MSU won the tournament title game.Montana head coach Travis DeCuire addressed the press corps and Montana State head coach Matt Logie joined Colter Nuanez of Skyline Sports to preview this Saturday's game. Video filmed & produced by Colter Nuanez of Skyline Sports. All Rights Reserved.

Montana dominated Montana State in women's basketball for four decades under Robin Selvig's leadership. Since Selvig retired in 2016, the tables have turned significantly. Montana State has won 12 of the last 15 matchups between the two teams, but Montana won 72-50 in Missoula last year in their last meeting. Montana State has won eight of the last 10. MSU 20th-year head coach Tricia Binford is 20-21 all-time against UM. The Lady Griz will be led by interim head coach Nate Harris. Binford & MSU sophomore point guard Natalie Picton along with Harris addressed the media ahead of the game this week. This video was filmed & produced by Colter Nuanez, Skyline Sports. All Rights Reserved.

Junior Bergen carved out a legendary career on the field for the Montana Grizzlies and now he's taking his talents to the next level. The first step in that process is pro day. We talked about his process of choosing an agent and we also dove into some of his memories from the last few years with the Griz. 0:00 - Intro 2:13 - Picking An Agent 4:09 - Combine Training 5:14 - Reflecting On Montana Career 7:09 - Braking The Punt Record 8:32 - NIL 13:44 - 2024 Football Season 16:18 - Montana QB Controversy 18:53 - Thoughts On Montana State Natty Appearance 21:39 - Reflecting On Montana Career 23:51 - Returning 1st Time Ever vs Cats 30:50 - Message To Next Generation 32:38 - Message To NFL Teams 35:47 - End

In this week’s Akem's Analysis, Samuel Akem talks about the effect that Title IX will have on the new revenue sharing model that is coming in college sports. We also get into schools ending their collectives in anticipation of the revenue sharing model. Also, coaches are going to be discussing fake injuries in the offseason. 0:00 - Intro 1:15 - Power 4 Schools Ending NIL Collectives For Rev Share 7:45 - No More Fake Injuries in CFB? 16:42 - Are Players Foregoing The NFL For CFB Rev Share? 21:46 - UNLV QB Matthew Sluke Transfers To JMU 29:28 - Reacting To Sam Herder’s Biggest Surprises & Disappointments 38:18 - Will Title IX Be Involved w/ New Rev Share Model? 45:51 - New Precedent Being Set For Transfer Portal 51:27 - Final Thoughts 52:12 - End

Colter Nuanez is joined by Andrew Houghton to talk all things Big Sky Conference hoops, including the biggest surprises in the men's and women's basketball leagues, the surging Northern Colorado men's squad, the up-and-down last few weeks for the Montana Grizzlies, the struggling MSU Bobcats plus thoughts on the Lady Griz under an interim head coach and Montana State women's hoops continued dominance.

Brooks Nuanez joins Colter Nuanez to break down all the ins and outs of the 2024 FCS National championship game, a 35-32 North Dakota State win over No. 1 Montana State.

No. 2 North Dakota State exploded to a 21-3 halftime lead and hung on for a 35-32 victory over No. 1 Montana State on January 6, 2025 in Frisco, Texas to claim the FCS national championship. North Dakota State has claimed 10 FCS titles since 2011, and this was its first national championship since beating MSU here in 2021, 38-10. Montana State head coach Brent Vigen, senior QB Tommy Mellott and junior DT Paul Brott along with addressed the media following (15:39) head coach Tim Polasek, senior quarterback Cam Miller, sophomore wide receiver Bryce Lance and junior linebacker Logan Kopp addressed the media.

New University of Idaho head football coach Thomas Ford Jr. joined Colter Nuanez for his "Vandals Weekly" debut about a week after getting hired as the 37th head coach at UI.

Former Montana State All-American and current Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton joins Colter Nuanez to talk all things Bobcat football

Montana State president Waded Cruzado announced her retirement at the beginning of this academic year. She has been the president at MSU since October of 2009. Her guidance has seen record-setting enrollment and unprecedented academic achievement. She joined Colter Nuanez to describe her final football season as Montana State enters Monday's national championship game undefeated.

Former Montana State All-American QB Travis Lulay joined Colter Nuanez to chat about the rise of the Bobcats

Former Montana State play by play man Kris Atteberry, who is currently the play by play voice of the Minnesota Twins, joined Colter Nuanez to talk about his journey as a lifelong Bobcat fan as MSU tries to win its first national title since 1984 when Atteberry was 12 years old growing up in Bozeman.

No. 1 Montana State (15-0) takes on No. 2 North Dakota State (13-2) on January 6 in Frisco, Texas. The Bobcats are looking for their first national title since 1984. NDSU is trying to win its 10th title since 2011 and 15th overall national championship. Colter Nuanez and Brooks Nuanez break down the key factors for the 2024 FCS national title game.

Former Montana State All-American quarterback Dakota Prukop joins Colter Nuanez to break down MSU's historic 2024 football season.

Resident Big Sky Conference historian Mike Kramer, who was an assistant on the 1984 Montana State national championship team and head coach at MSU from 2000-2006, joins Colter Nuanez to break down No. 1 Montana State and No. 2 North Dakota State in the 2024 FCS national championship.

Colter Nuanez of Skyline Sports joined Sam Herder of Hero Sports to talk about the FCS title game. No. 1 Montana State plays No. 2 North Dakota State on Monday January 6, 2025.

Skyline Sports lead analyst Ty Gregorak joins Colter Nuanez to talk about all the ins and outs of Montana State's FCS title game matchup against North Dakota State.

Former Montana State head coach Rob Ash, who won 70 games between 2007 and 2015 as the head coach at MSU, joins Colter Nuanez to share memories on helping rebuild the Bobcat football program, the state of affairs in college athletics and thoughts on this year's national championship game between the Bobcats and North Dakota State.

Ryan Tootell takes the reigns for a spirited preview of what's gotten Montana State to the brink of its first national championship in 40 years. The undefeated Bobcats take on second-ranked North Dakota State on January 6, 2025. The Bison are looking for their 10th national title since 2011.

Former Montana State player and coach Michael Rider joins Colter Nuanez to preview No. 1 Montana State vs No. 2 North Dakota State on January 6, 2024.

No. 1 Montana State (15-0) takes on No. 2 North Dakota State (13-2) on January 6 in Frisco, Texas. The Bobcats are looking for their first national title since 1984. NDSU is trying to win its ninth title since 2011 and 15th overall national championship. North Dakota State senior QB Cam Miller, senior DT Eli Mostaert addressed the media on December 30.

No. 1 Montana State (15-0) takes on No. 2 North Dakota State (13-2) on January 6 in Frisco, Texas. The Bobcats are looking for their first national title since 1984. NDSU is trying to win its ninth title since 2011 and 15th overall national championship.North Dakota State head coach Tim Polasek, senior QB Cam Miller, senior DT Eli Mostaert addressed the media on December 30.

No. 1 Montana State (15-0) takes on No. 2 North Dakota State (13-2) on January 6 in Frisco, Texas. The Bobcats are looking for their first national title since 1984. NDSU is trying to win its ninth title since 2011 and 15th overall national championship. Montana State senior safety Rylan Ortt & senior QB Tommy Mellott addressed the media on Dec. 30.

No. 1 Montana State (15-0) takes on No. 2 North Dakota State (13-2) on January 6 in Frisco, Texas. The Bobcats are looking for their first national title since 1984. NDSU is trying to win its ninth title since 2011 and 15th overall national championship. Montana State head coach Brent Vigen addressed the media on Dec. 30.

0:00 - Intro 1:45 - Rather Have Cam Miller or Tommy Mellott? 14:52 - Looking At Sam Herder’s Tale of the Tape38:05 - Hidden Matchups In The National Championship48:15 - Bold Prediction For The Natty 52:20 - Worst Case Scenario For Each Championship Team59:18 - Brent Vigen Signs Contract Extension w/ Montana State 1:06:10 - Final Thoughts1:07:07 - End

Montana State defeated South Dakota 31-17 to advance to the FCS national title game in Frisco, Texas against No. 2 North Dakota State. The Bobcats are 15-0 and the No. 1 seed. Montana State head coach Brent Vigen, Mellott and senior defensive end Brody Grebe addressed the media following the win. South Dakota head coach Bob Nielson also talked following his team's season ending. Video filmed & produced by Colter Nuanez, Skyline Sports. All Rights Reserved.

The University of Idaho introduced Thomas Ford Jr., as its next head football coach on Friday December 20, 2024. The Vandals have been to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs two years in a row.

Skyline Sports lead analyst Ty Gregorak joins Colter Nuanez to talk about Montana State's 52-19 win over Idaho, Tommy Mellott's fabulous senior season, Jason Eck's departure to New Mexico (16:16), and MSU's semifinal matchup with South Dakota. Skyline co-founder Brooks Nuanez (25:17) chimes in to talk all about the Big Sky coaching carousel and how important the hires are at Sac State and Idaho to get right, plus a conversation about Brent Vigen and his team's collective mentality (39:51) and a preview of the semifinal against South Dakota (56:08).

Former player & coach Michael Rider joins Colter Nuanez to break down Montana State's latest victory, musings about the NCAA Transfer Portal particularly when it comes to the University of Idaho + a preview MSU's matchup against No. 4 South Dakota.

0:00 - Intro 1:31 - Montana State vs Idaho Reaction 13:04 - South Dakota vs UC Davis Reaction 19:02 - South Dakota State vs Incarnate Word Reaction 25:36 - NDSU vs Mercer Reaction 30:44 - Which Final 4 Team Has Looked The Best? 40:33 - FCS Semifinals Previews & Predictions48:51 - Who Has The Most To Lose/Gain In FCS Playoffs? 55:03 - Final Thoughts 57:27 - End

Ryan Tootell joins Colter Nuanez to talk about No. 1 Montana State's 52-19 win over No. 8 Idaho and the fall out with UI head coach Jason Eck jumping ship to go to New Mexico less than 24 hours after the loss.

Montana State head coach Brent Vigen addressed the media ahead of his team's FCS Playoffs semifinal matchup against No. 4 South Dakota on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium. Montana State is 14-0 and in the FCS semifinal for the fourth time since 2019.