Some thoughts:

1) We will not win many games turning the ball over like we have so far this year. We are averaging 18 TO's per game. Montana scored 24 points off our TO's.
2) We will not win many games when Pepper is our only consistent scoring threat.
3) We've had miserable first halves in all three games so far this year. TY took over against Pepperdine and pulled us back into the game. He never got untracked tonight: 8 points and 4 TO's.
4) We need Borra and Mani healthy and able to play. We can't win on small ball alone against teams who have talented size.
5) TY is an emotional player. When the ball is dropping for him, he can get on a burner but, when it isn't, he's prone to making mistakes and forcing up difficult shots.

A couple of good takeaways:

1) As poorly as we played in the first half, we came out and made a couple of good runs that prevented the game from being a blowout.
2) Leo DeBruhl played well and it looks like he is playing with more confidence.
3) Pepper was his reliable, talented self as usual.

No Jac Mani either. Montana was simply shooting over the top of our small line up early in the game. It's going to be very tough for us when we have 6'4 guarding 6'9. Small ball can only take us so far...

42-32 Griz at the half.

Just like the first 2 games, the Ags have dug themselves a big hole with a poorly played first half. 11 TO's already. TY with 0 points and 3 TO's.

The Aggies are killing themselves with TO's....9 already with 6 minutes to go in the half...

18-16 Montana with 10:28 to go in the first half. Pepper has 14 of our 16 points. Montana's size is really hurting us plus no offensive help at all for Pepper. He can't beat the Griz single handed...

Slow start for the Aggies as they trail 10-4 in the first 4 minutes with 4 TO's already. 8 of Montana's points have been layups.

I didn't know that games that end with penalty kicks actually go down as a tie on the team's record. So this game is listed as a tie and the penalty kicks determined which team would advance to the NCAA Championship Tournament.

Hawk has a vacation home in the area and travels to Boise regularly. He was interested in the job when Boise State hired Coach Avalos. I really dislike stealing head coaches, but you gotta do what you gotta do. — MarktheBronco

I know Hawk loves the Boise area but I think his heart is in Davis now and it will probably be the place that ends his career some day. I remember his comments when he was hired here. He said it was like coming full circle and coming back home. I could certainly be wrong but I would be surprised if he left now for a another head coaching job that would most certainly bring on much more stress and pressure into his life than he has as the head coach at Davis currently.

There's a lot riding on this game for both teams. Here were everyone stands currently in the Big Sky:

I'm both excited and, to a lesser extent, dreading this game. I'm glad it's being played at home rather than at Sac but the last Causeway game in Davis was no fun at all for my wife and I.

We were surrounded by Hornet fans many of whom were pounding the beers one after another. The guy sitting right next to me was loud and obnoxious. Before the game even started he kept talking to me about how there's no way we would be able to stop, "My boy, Skattebo." Then, during the game, he never stopped talking loudly and would nudge me or pat me on the back and say, "See what I mean, what did tell, you've got no answer, he's unstoppable," and on and on all game long.

We thought about getting up and moving but the stadium was packed and we didn't want to end up standing or searching for a place in the in he end zone grass so we just stuck it out. The whole experience was so unpleasant that, after the game, my wife told me that she would never go to a Causeway game again.

After two years, those feelings are behind us now and we plan to be there on Saturday. We sit in section 124 and there aren't a lot of season ticket holders around us but I'm hoping that we'll get lucky and have a bunch of Aggie fans around us this year.

It looks like it was worse than the beating they gave us and it certainly makes Sac's win over them a whole lot less impressive as well.

Big West Scores for 11/11:

Irvine 91 New Mexico State 74
Long Beach State 77 DePaul 73
UC San Diego 63 San Diego 58
Wyoming 80 Cal Poly 66
Fullerton 78 La Sierra 48

Oops

Montana 34 Portland State 10 - Final

Crushing loss for the Aggies after dominating the majority of the game and applying pressure on Irvine again and again. The game was tied at 0-0 after regulation and 2 OT's and then Irvine won the penalty kicks 10-9.

Soccer can be a cruel game where one team candominate play but the ball just never finds the net. I always feel terrible for the player who either misses a penalty kick or gets the kick stopped by the goalie when games are decided on penalty kicks.

The Aggies are a young team and they made a tremendous run that got stopped 1 penalty kick short. They'll challenge for the title again next year. Great season, Aggies!

I agree but we simply won't know until next year.