No. 4 Montana (9-2) at Montana State (6-5), 2:05 p.m. Whether you call it Griz/Cat, Cat/Griz, or "Brawl of the Wild," Montana/Montana State is as intense as any rivalry in college football. There will be a whispered mutual respect among the players and coaches on the field this Saturday at Bobcat Stadium, but that premise doesn’t quite carry over to the two fan bases, which absolutely despise each other. The divide between Cat and Griz fans is much wider than the 200 miles that separates Missoula from Bozeman. I’ll be stuck somewhere in the middle of this tug of war, as I travel to take in the 103rd installment of the series on a day in which the temperature is expected to climb to a balmy 12 degrees with a few snow showers (just a few?). Gloves? Check. Scarf? Check. Winter jacket? Check. Fear? Yeah, I’ll bring some of that too.
Montana will travel to Bozeman ("Bozo," as it is flippantly referred to by Griz fans) needing a win to wrap up sole possession of the Big Sky title and an automatic bid. The Grizzlies were in the same position last season, but lost to Montana State, 10-7, in a game that marked MSU’s first victory in the series since 1985. UM was in a late-season slide at that time, but this year appears to be peaking as the regular season draws to a close. Since losing to Idaho State in mid-October, Bobby Hauck’s team has won four straight games by an average of 30.8 points per, with last week’s 41-10 thrashing of Eastern Washington the latest in the string. Running back Justin Green rushed for 175 yards and four touchdowns in the win, helping make up for a lackluster day for quarterback Craig Ochs (7-16, 103 yards, 2 INT). The defense also came to play, limiting normally high-flying EWU to 10 first downs and 168 total yards. Safety Dave DeCoite had three sacks on the day, and is a key member of a unit that now ranks third in I-AA against the run (86.18 yards per game).
Although it might seem impossible given the forecast, Montana State also enters this week’s battle as a hot team. MSU has won five of its last seven since a typical slow start, with last Saturday’s 25-14 victory at Portland State helping Mike Kramer’s crew head into its regular season finale with a chance to earn a piece of the Big Sky title and an automatic bid. The Bobcats were dominant on the defensive end against PSU, giving up just 112 yards on the day. Safety and Buck Buchanan Award candidate Kane Ioane registered a game-high 12 tackles, and defensive end Adam Cordeiro chipped in with four tackles and a sack. MSU is eighth in the nation in total defense (274.18 yards per game). On offense, the ‘Cats had just 264 yards, though running back Bruce Molock did have 94 of them along with two touchdowns. Quarterback Travis Lulay passed for 178 yards and a touchdown in the win. Return man extraordinaire Corey Smith provided a huge spark once again, bringing back his fourth punt return touchdown of the 2003 campaign.
I know Montanans are better accustomed to deal with frigid conditions than most, but you can’t discount the role that the weather will play in this game. You don’t see many prolific passing attacks thrive when the weather dips toward zero, and the difficulty of catching the football will probably also rule out the option sets that have worked well in spurts for the Grizzlies. I expect this game to be a between-the-tackles smashmouth running battle, similar to last year’s 10-7 affair. Simply put, Montana is a better running team than Montana State, and Green (955 yards, 12 TD on the year) should be able to find a couple more holes than will Molock and David Mayfield. Special teams will also be key, and the game could come down to whether Montana’s return duo of Levander Segars and Jefferson Heidelberger outperform Smith. This one should be close, but I simply can’t pick against a team that has played as well as Montana over the last month. The Griz will win, but by single digits
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Montana will travel to Bozeman ("Bozo," as it is flippantly referred to by Griz fans) needing a win to wrap up sole possession of the Big Sky title and an automatic bid. The Grizzlies were in the same position last season, but lost to Montana State, 10-7, in a game that marked MSU’s first victory in the series since 1985. UM was in a late-season slide at that time, but this year appears to be peaking as the regular season draws to a close. Since losing to Idaho State in mid-October, Bobby Hauck’s team has won four straight games by an average of 30.8 points per, with last week’s 41-10 thrashing of Eastern Washington the latest in the string. Running back Justin Green rushed for 175 yards and four touchdowns in the win, helping make up for a lackluster day for quarterback Craig Ochs (7-16, 103 yards, 2 INT). The defense also came to play, limiting normally high-flying EWU to 10 first downs and 168 total yards. Safety Dave DeCoite had three sacks on the day, and is a key member of a unit that now ranks third in I-AA against the run (86.18 yards per game).
Although it might seem impossible given the forecast, Montana State also enters this week’s battle as a hot team. MSU has won five of its last seven since a typical slow start, with last Saturday’s 25-14 victory at Portland State helping Mike Kramer’s crew head into its regular season finale with a chance to earn a piece of the Big Sky title and an automatic bid. The Bobcats were dominant on the defensive end against PSU, giving up just 112 yards on the day. Safety and Buck Buchanan Award candidate Kane Ioane registered a game-high 12 tackles, and defensive end Adam Cordeiro chipped in with four tackles and a sack. MSU is eighth in the nation in total defense (274.18 yards per game). On offense, the ‘Cats had just 264 yards, though running back Bruce Molock did have 94 of them along with two touchdowns. Quarterback Travis Lulay passed for 178 yards and a touchdown in the win. Return man extraordinaire Corey Smith provided a huge spark once again, bringing back his fourth punt return touchdown of the 2003 campaign.
I know Montanans are better accustomed to deal with frigid conditions than most, but you can’t discount the role that the weather will play in this game. You don’t see many prolific passing attacks thrive when the weather dips toward zero, and the difficulty of catching the football will probably also rule out the option sets that have worked well in spurts for the Grizzlies. I expect this game to be a between-the-tackles smashmouth running battle, similar to last year’s 10-7 affair. Simply put, Montana is a better running team than Montana State, and Green (955 yards, 12 TD on the year) should be able to find a couple more holes than will Molock and David Mayfield. Special teams will also be key, and the game could come down to whether Montana’s return duo of Levander Segars and Jefferson Heidelberger outperform Smith. This one should be close, but I simply can’t pick against a team that has played as well as Montana over the last month. The Griz will win, but by single digits
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