MISSOULA — Montana kicks off its football season with a showdown that will showcase teams from what are widely regarded as the top two FCS conferences.
The Grizzlies are picked to win the Big Sky and ranked No. 3 nationally after finishing as the FCS runner-up last year. Missouri State ended up ninth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with a 4-7 overall record in 2023.
The Griz opened as a 16.5-point betting favorite in the first meeting between the programs on the gridiron. The teams will square off under the lights at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
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“We’re always concerned that we won’t be ready to execute at a high level,” Montana coach Bobby Hauck said. “That’s just the way it is with first games. We try to be prepared and we’ll prepare right up ’til kickoff to try to get that done.
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“With that being said, I think we’ve had good work with our team this summer. I like that the older players have taken charge in a real leadership role in trying to get us where we need to be. So this Saturday we’ll get to find out exactly where that sits.”
Hauck is the winningest coach in Big Sky history as he heads into his 13th season as UM head coach across two stints. Ryan Beard enters his second season leading the Bears, who were picked ninth in the MVFC preseason poll.
The Bears count 10 returning starters on offense and 10 on defense. They brought in 22 transfers, with 12 from the FBS, five from the FCS and five from junior college.
“I think they’re a tough team,” Hauck said. “They have many returning starters. I always think that veteran football teams are good football teams. They’re very veteran so I know that this will be a major challenge this weekend. I really think at the end of October we’ll see them as a contender in the Missouri Valley.”
This is Missouri State’s final season at the FCS level before moving up to the FBS and Conference USA next year. The Bears are eligible for the MVFC title but not for the FCS playoffs this season.
Missouri State has a 1-34 all-time record against teams ranked in the top five of the I-AA/FCS poll. Its only win came against No. 3 McNeese State in 1996.
“I’m excited,” UM right tackle Brandon Casey said. “I think everyone’s excited. We haven’t played anyone else other than ourselves since January. We’re all ready.”
Montana wide receiver Aaron Fontes (14) runs the ball after catching a pass during the Big Sky Conference football game between the Grizzlies and Sacramento State on Nov. 4 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The Griz open the 2024 season against Missouri State at 7 p.m. Saturday in Missoula.
BEN ALLAN SMITH, Missoulian
Here are five things to watch in the Grizzlies’ season opener.
Quarterback play
UM is replacing a one-year starting quarterback for the third season in a row.
Redshirt freshman Keali’i Ah Yat and junior Logan Fife have been battling it out along with sophomore Kaden Huot. Hauck said Monday that Ah Yat and Fife would both play in the season opener.
Ah Yat, the son of Grizzly Hall of Famer Brian Ah Yat, came off the bench last season but has yet to start a game. Fife is a transfer from Fresno State, where he played in 21 games and started six times, posting a 3-3 record. Huot is a Helena native who has yet to appear in a game.
How those QBs will be utilized throughout the game remains to be seen.
“I think there’s a chance that you see two or maybe three,” Beard said. “They all can change the game in their own ways. I think they’re all extremely capable. They all do a great job in their own right.”
However the snaps are divvied up, the quarterback will see a secondary with some talented players.
Safety Todric McGee earned second-team All-MVFC honors last year as he was MSU’s first player since 2021 to reach 100 tackles in a season. He also led the conference in solo tackles per game.
Cornerback Avery Powell was tabbed a Freshman All-American last year. Safety P.J. Hall is a preseason All-MVFC second-team pick this season.
Fortunately for UM’s quarterback, he will have a bevy of talented weapons in the passing game. There’s the standout receiver trio of Junior Bergen, Keelan White and Aaron Fontes. Then there’s the return of decorated tight end Cole Grossman and versatile playmaker Xavier Harris.
“When you talk about the quarterback, it kind of makes you forget about the dynamic pieces around them,” Beard said. “They got an all-conference running back, great player. Their wide receivers are probably the best in the Big Sky, possibly in FCS.”
Offensive front
Montana’s offensive line is replacing its quarterback in three-year starting center AJ Forbes. Liam Brown has appeared to step up and improve his play since spring camp. Now he gets his first start at the position.
The Griz return All-Big Sky first-team right tackle Brandon Casey and All-Big Sky honorable mention right guard Journey Grimsrud. Cannon Panfiloff has taken over at left tackle and Central Michigan transfer Cade Klimczak grabbed the left guard spot after joining the team over the summer.
Hauck said he feels the offensive line is nine to 10 players deep, but how much the Griz rotate across the line remains to be seen. They have a first-year position coach in Joe Pawlak, but they had their typical physical camp.
“Football’s a physical game,” Casey said. “I think you have to train that way. I think it sets us up well for the first game.”
UM’s O-line averages 301.4 pounds across its projected starting five to pave the way for running backs Eli Gillman, Nick Ostmo and Stevie Rocker Jr. That group will see a front four in the Bears’ 4-3 defense that has only one projected starter over 270 pounds.
Defensive lineman Darion Smith is a preseason All-MVFC second-team pick. The Bears added defensive tackle Ryan Williams, a transfer who had been at Colorado and Western Kentucky. They did lose all-conference defensive end Devin Goree.
Third-year starter Tahj Chambers is a preseason All-MVFC honorable mention and the veteran of a young linebacker group.
“Look at their numbers on the O-line, huge mountains of men that can move bodies and do a great job up there,” Beard said. “We got to be gap sound. We got to make sure we eliminate explosive plays on our defensive side.”
Montana’s offense in general and offensive line in particular maybe didn’t need any added motivation coming into its first test. The Griz appear to have gotten some bulletin board material from Smith.
“First and foremost they’re a highly skilled unit,” he said. “Look at the wide receiver corps, it’s one of the best in the country. Offensive line, they have a lot of good pieces, a few pieces getting moved around here and there.
“But it’s nothing that we can’t handle, nothing that anybody should be scared of. Point blank, I feel like we have the potential to be one of the best units in the country and I just want to show it that first week.”
Defensive front
Montana’s will have a largely new front six in its 3-3-5 stack as it has to replace five starters. Arguably the biggest loss is nose tackle Alex Gubner, the 2023 Big Sky defensive player of the year.
The Griz hit the transfer portal for some hired guns who are in their final season of eligibility. Slated to start are Monmouth transfer Pat Hayden at nose tackle, Youngstown State transfer Andres Lehrmann at defensive end and San Diego State transfer Vai Kaho at linebacker.
The Griz bring back Hayden Harris at D-end and linebackers Riley Wilson and Ryan Tirrell, who played big roles last year. Then there are potential breakout players in linebackers Cooper Barnum and Isiah Childs.
It’ll be the first game for new co-defensive coordinators Roger Cooper and Tim Hauck, so what wrinkles will they bring to this defense.
Beard is anticipating a raucous crowd, which will try to disrupt his team’s offense.
“You can’t hide from the atmosphere,” he said. “You have to embrace it. You have to understand that it’s going to be loud. People might say some things that you don’t really agree with. That’s one of the great parts of our sport is that fans can sway a game in a positive and negative way.
“We’ve been pumping crowd noise in, making sure we have multiple cadences ready, trying to keep their defensive front off balance, which I think will be key.”
Missouri State has an experienced offensive line that returns four starters. However, the Bears will be without starting left tackle Erick Cade, who recently suffered an injury, Beard said Monday.
Right guard Hutson Lillibridge was All-MVFC honorable mention last year and center Cash Hudson was a Freshman All-American last year.
Behind that line, running back Jacardia Wright picked up second-team All-MVFC honors last year as he ranked fifth in the league with 69.6 rushing yards per game. He made the All-MVFC newcomer team in 2022 after transferring from Kansas State.
Defensive secondary
Just like up front, Montana is replacing multiple pieces on the back end of its defense and will look to keep up its physical play. The Griz return two starters out of five in safety Ryder Meyer and cornerback Trevin Gradney.
Safety Jaxon Lee and cornerback Ronald Jackson Jr. both look to take on larger roles after factoring in off the bench last year. Others will try to step up, including transfers Chrishawn Gordon at safety as well as Prince Ford and Kenzel Lawler at cornerback.
“We always have a tough camp,” Gradney said. “I haven’t been in a camp that hasn’t been tough. It just builds us. It builds a tough team.”
Missouri State led the MVFC and ranked No. 5 nationally with 300.1 passing yards per game last year. That came despite losing starting quarterback Jacob Clark to an injury before the midpoint of the season.
Clark still threw for 1,018 yards and 10 touchdowns in four games. He’s a sixth-year senior who spent his first three years in the Big Ten at Minnesota.
He has lost All-American wide receiver Raylen Sharpe. The Bears do return Jmariyae Robinson, who was a Freshman All-American last year. They added Georgie Tech transfer wide receiver James BlackStrain, who was rated as the No. 38 wide receiver recruit in the nation for the 2020 class by ESPN.
“I’ve been surprised, maybe not surprised but impressed by his poise,” Beard said of Clark. “He’s a hard read. You don’t really see too much emotion, not enough emotion. He’s right there at a really good spot. He understands that it’s our quarterback that people look at in times of trials, tribulation, turmoil.
“You have to understand that you’re the guy they’re going to look to, to make a play or calm the group down or get us in the right check. I think he’s really embodied that from camp as well as last week going into game week.”
Special teams
Special teams play helped lift the Griz to back-to-back playoff victories in their two most-recent games inside Wa-Griz.
Bergen, who authored those punt and kick return scores, is back for his senior season. The Griz have played several others at that position during camp to back him up
“Junior back there returning kicks, he’s absolutely elite,” Beard said. “If you watched the playoff game against Furman, he absolutely blew the game wide open. We have to make sure we’re doing a good job of controlling that phase of the game and making sure that they don’t blow it open on that part.”
Missouri State brings in a punter in Grant Burkett who is a three-time All-American and was a finalist for FCS punter of the year. Its long snapper, Caden Bolz, was a preseason All-American.
Montana is on its fourth punter in four years and is looking for another strong campaign from that position. Ty Morrison, a junior college transfer, earned the starting spot.
Grant Glasgow returns to handle kicking duties for UM. MSU’s field goal kicker, Yousef Obeid, is a Michigan State transfer with zero attempts in college.
Frank Gogola is the Senior Sports Reporter at the Missoulian and 406 MT Sports. Follow him on X @FrankGogola or email him at [email protected].
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Publish date : 2024-08-30 05:45:00
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