The State of the Griz: the red shirt problem

Besides the obvious loss of a Montana great on the field, quarterback Andrew Selle's season-ending injury will have lasting ramifications on the football program in true freshman Jordan Johnson.

The much-hyped recruit was initially redshirted for the season, meaning he'd be unable to take a snap on the field in 2010. This seemed like a perfect plan. A crazy-good freshman quarterback could sit back and learn the speed of the game at the college level, while two veterans in Selle and Justin Roper led the charge.

This notably came to an end with Selle's shoulder injury. And then the role of Johnson, the 6A Oregon player of the year as a senior at Sheldon High School, changed.

The kid's going active, said Montana coach Robin Pflugrad last week. Was Pflugrad willing to sacrifice an extra year of Johnson as starter because there was only Justin Roper taking snaps now?

So it should seem.

It wasn't long before the wunderkind got into the game against Northern Colorado. By the end of the first quarter, he was handing the ball off to running back Chase Reynolds, and taking a pretty good licking on his first pass attempt, which was an incomplete.

Things weren't perfect for the new quarterback, but how could they be? It's the first live action he's faced in nearly a year. Not to mention Saturday's game marked the first time he's played against a defense that is notmade up of high schoolers. Northern Colorado may be perennially awful in the Big Sky Conference, but those guys are still athletes on scholarship.

Johnson's first drive as a Grizzly pretty much epitomized Montana's offense so far this year. There was a rush for a few yards. There was a false start penalty (Montana averages 74 yards in penalties per game—ouch). There was a quarterback-draw play (Johnson's five-yard scamper). Then an incomplete.

A three-and-out for an offense that's really struggled getting its engine to turn over. But on the ensuing punt, place-kicker/punter/stud Brody McKnight became the definition of roughing the punter and the Griz got a fresh set of downs.

It didn't really matter; three plays later they punted the ball away again.

"He was a little up and down, a little flighty," Pflugrad said of Johnson's performance.

Overall, he competed relatively well in his first game. The Oregon product completed four of five passes and ran for 18 yards on four carries. Actually 16 of those yards came on one scramble, but who's counting?

"I was pretty nervous, to tell you the truth," he said after the game. "Then I felt like I settled down … but I felt like I did a pretty good job."

Pflugrad said getting Johnson playing time is necessary in case Roper falters carrying the load as quarterback by himself. Or if the starter goes down injured like Selle did.

And the coach is probably right. It's disappointing that the circumstances are as they are. It would have been ideal for Johnson to have a full four years at the helm, but things don't always work out. Pflugrad made the right call to yank the redshirt distinction and add depth to his quarterback position.

It was also important to get the youngster some reps under center as soon as possible. He didn't baptize Johnson with high-pressure situations and impossible play calls; he tried to set up a rhythm for the freshman, a series of short throws and scrambles. He'll build the kid's comfort in the system and with that will come confidence.

Which will hopefully lead to an effective offense.

anthony.mazzolini@umontana.edu