Big Guns in the Big Sky

NCAA Football Betting Lines

07/20/2010 - Ogden, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Big Sky Conference will not be short on offensive firepower this coming season. From the top down, the conference is laden with talented, proven, and productive offensive threats.

Preseason favorite Montana boasts two Walter Payton Award watch lists members. Running back Chase Reynolds was a finalist in 2009, finishing 13th in the voting. A senior, Reynolds has rushed for 3,075 yards and 44 touchdowns over the last two seasons.

Joining Reynolds on the Payton watch list is senior quarterback Andrew Selle. Selle manned an offense which finished first in the Big Sky in scoring last season. He threw for 3,043 yards, 28 touchdowns and just six interceptions, while leading the conference in passing efficiency.

Despite those gaudy numbers, first year head coach Robin Pflugrad describes himself as "cautiously optimistic" about his team's prospects this season. To Pflugrad, roster turnover is the main cause for concern. Most notably, the Grizzlies are without First Team All-American wide receiver Marc Mariani, who recently took his talents to the NFL's Tennessee Titans. Also gone are key offensive line components Levi Horn and Chris Dyke. In speaking of his team's inexperience, Pflugrad says, "We have some guys who haven't been in the war together."

Still, as the battle for the Big Sky title nears commencement, Montana appears poised to prevail. The going may get tough however, as many teams in the conference have weapons to burn.

Montana first runs into a stalwart Big Sky gun when they visit Eastern Washington on September 18th. Waiting on EWU's new red turf will be the Eagles' own Payton watch member, Taiwan Jones.

Says Pflugrad of Jones, "When he turns the corner we don't have anyone that can catch him." The numbers bear this out. In 2009, Jones averaged 7.5 yards per carry and scored 15 touchdowns. Originally a cornerback, Jones also proved to be a dual threat for Eastern Washington, catching 40 passes for 561 yards.

Perhaps the biggest threat facing any Big Sky defense this year is Northern Arizona senior quarterback Michael Herrick. Herrick, a Payton nominee, has also been named first-team preseason all-conference. Herrick had a sensational year in 2009, completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,356 yards and 22 touchdowns. Sure to add quake to defensive coordinators' kneecaps is the word out of Flagstaff that Herrick appears to have improved his accuracy leading into the 2010 season.

Not to be outdone, senior Weber State quarterback Cameron Higgins will look to create some fireworks of his own. Higgins has been a candidate for the Walter Payton Award each of the past two seasons. He has also guided Weber State to two consecutive FCS playoff births. Higgins will meet Herrick on November 13, in Flagstaff. The meeting is sure to be a summit of gunslinging prowess.

In all, it appears there are many gunners aiming for the well-adorned bull's eye on Montana's back. With the Grizzlies facing some significant question marks, the battle for the Big Sky could come down to who has the biggest weapon to hit that target.

2010 Preseason Conference Poll (coaches and media)

1. Montana 2. Eastern Washington 3. Montana State 4. Weber State 5. Northern Arizona 6. Sacramento State 7. Northern Colorado 8. Portland State 9. Idaho State

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Police report: Terrell Owens hospitalized after attempt

Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.

The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.

Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.

NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.

"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.

The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.

But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.

The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.

Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.

The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.

The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.

The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.

Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.

Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."

Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.

"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."

Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.

It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.

"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."

Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.

"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."

At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.

According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.

Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.

Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.

When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.

He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.

Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.

Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.

Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.

While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.

"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.

Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.

Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

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