This is the 87th matchup in for the Little Brown Stein in a rivalry that’s now 118 years old. As many know Idaho holds quite the series advantage here overall with a 55-29-2 standing in this series. Montana has won the last 6 and 10 of the last 12 but that dates all the way back to 1990.
This is a fascinating game as Montana needs to rebound after a tough home loss while Idaho appears to be in a free-fall with fans demanding the firing of Paul Petrino. There’s suggestion that the players have quit on the staff too coming on the heels of an ugly loss against EWU. However I’d venture that a rivalry win could be a good spark for this Vandals team. I’m expecting a physical game this Saturday evening.
Idaho Vandals 2-4
68-0 win vs Simon Fraser – A Canadian D2 school with now 1 win under their belt so far (MSU Northern) as expected was no match for Idaho. UI had 600 total yards and SFU had 90 total yards. Yeah…
14-56 loss @ Indiana – Some odd stuff from the box score, Indiana had just 180 rushing and 160 passing on the game, they only out-gained Idaho in total by 80 yards. So how did they put 56 points on the board? Special teams. Indiana had a punt return TD, what I think is a blocked punt scoop and score, and on their 3 kickoff returns they averaged almost 40 yards per return. Continual short field all day.
0-42 loss @ Oregon State – OSU ran for 250, passed for 200 and held Idaho to less than 200 yards of total offense. OSU scored on 6 of their 7 first possessions. Meanwhile Idaho would continually cross mid-field but had 4 turnovers on downs on the Oregon State side.
20-27 loss @ UC Davis – Idaho saw a 20-13 lead in the 3rd fall apart as UCD scored 14 unanswered to win the game. Idaho’s last 2 possessions once trailing resulted in a missed field goal and an interception. Idaho really out-gained Davis in this game, they had 232 rushing & 255 passing for 487 total yards while Davis had 100 less total yards in the game. Idaho missed two closer field goals in the game and had a turnover on downs.
42-35 win vs Portland State – At one point Idaho was up 35-7 in the 2nd quarter, PSU scored going into the half to make it 35-14. The 2nd half PSU started with the ball but turned it over on downs, another drive later and the 3rd quarter was already over, come the 4th they got rolling and scored 21 points to get the game to 42-35. Idaho got the ball back and attempted to run out the clock but wound up losing a fumble with 27 seconds left in the game – but it was deep in PSU territory. PSU got to midfield but failed on a hail mary and the game was over. PSU had 425 passing yards in the game.
21-71 loss @ Eastern Washington – This one was ugly. It was 43-14 at the half. Barriere passed for 600 yards and 7 TDs. Idaho simply could not stop EWU as the Eagles essentially scored 7 TDs consecutive possessions (save one that sent the game to halftime).
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General Stats
Passing yards per game Montana (193 for IDAHO vs 208 for UM)
Rushing yards per game Idaho (190 for IDAHO vs 155 for UM)
Total offense Idaho (383 for IDAHO vs 362 for UM)
Passing yards allowed per game Montana (282 for IDAHO vs 267 for UM)
Rushing yards allowed per game Montana (164 for IDAHO vs 76 for UM)
Total defense Montana (446 for IDAHO vs 343 for UM)
Idaho gets 2 while Montana gets 4, although as you can see they’re close in a few categories.
Offense points scored Montana (27.5 for IDAHO vs 29 for UM)
Defense points allowed Montana (38.5 for IDAHO vs 16.2 for UM)
Turnover margin Montana – (-7 for IDAHO / +4 for Montana)
Fieldgoal % Montana (20% for IDAHO vs 60% for UM)
Punt Returns Montana (12.9 yards for IDAHO vs 13.1 yards for UM)
Kick Returns Montana (24.7 yards for IDAHO vs 29.3 yards for UM)
T.O.P. Idaho (28:13 for IDAHO vs 28:10 for UM)
Red Zone defense (touchdowns) Montana (85% IDAHO / 50% UM)
Red Zone offense (touchdowns) Montana (68% IDAHO / 50% UM)
3rd down offense Idaho – (37% for IDAHO / 36% for UM)
3rd down defense Montana – (50% allowed for IDAHO vs 33% allowed for UM)
Some are pretty close but Montana picks up a big group here with 9 while Idaho gets just 2 – although that was pretty similar to the difference in the Sac matchup and that wound up not being a factor either. Total categories goes 13 Montana and 4 Idaho.
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Players to Watch:
#13 Zach Borisch, QB – Zach is Idaho’s Troy Anderson, at QB he’s their leading rusher with 317 yards and 4 touchdowns, he averages about 53 yards per game, he’s 5-8 passing on the season with 1 TD.
#18 Giovanni McCoy, QB – It’s rumored that #5 Mike Beaudry is out, so the other QB that Idaho will probably use is true freshman McCoy. He didn’t have a great game against EWU, 7-14 passing and 2 INTs.
#20 Elisha Cummings, RB – Idaho uses a handful of RBs, Cummings has the highest amount of carries of that group. He averages 40 yards per game and has 1 TD, he also has a handful of receptions as well.
#14 Terez Traynor, WR – A bit 6-4 target that transferred from Western Kentucky, he’s the leading WR on Idaho, averaging almost 60 yards per game, and has 1 TD reception. (Idaho’s best WR Hayden Hatton has missed the last 3 games, I think he’s out for the season).
#4 Mekhi Stevenson, WR – A good punt returner that’ll test our coverage unit, he averages 18 yards per return, he also has 106 receiving yards this season as well.
#8 Tre Walker, LB – As Colter told us on the GFP, Walker is one of the 4 best defensive NFL prospects in the FCS. A linebacker we’ve seen before that’s a beast on the field. He leads the team with 55 tackles this season, he’s got 3 TFLs, and 1 forced fumble.
#7 Charles Akkano, LB – Just 22 tackles but 7 TFLs and leads the team with 4 sacks this season. He’s also got 1 forced fumble.
#2 Fa’avae Fa’avae, LB – A Wazzu transfer that’s come on strong late, he’s 2nd best in tackles with 48, he’s got 3 TFLs and 0.5 sacks.
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Keys to a Grizzly win
1. Stop the QB run and keep Idaho’s offense from getting going. Idaho, much like Montana, is dealing with a slew of injuries at key skill positions. If the Montana defense can keep a lid on Borisch then that’ll really bottle up what Idaho can do to move the ball.
2. Get the damn passing game going. Idaho’s pass defense is bad, Montana’s pass offense has been kind of bad as well. Montana has to flush the performance against Sac and get the passing game going. That’s roll-outs, deep shots, accurate slant throws, and probably some simplification of the passing game to help Brown out.
3. Pass protect and get a push. The O-line needs to recover from this tougher stretch and the atrocious Sac game immediately. Idaho’s front 7 is damn good and they’re going to work to pressure Brown as it’s shown that getting him out of rhythm pretty much stops the Montana offense cold in it’s tracks.
4. Bend, don’t break. Idaho’s kicker is 1-4 on field goals this year and they often go for it in areas where most other teams opt for field goals. The defense can have some bend, but keep Idaho from getting into the redzone as best as possible. There’s a good chance if the Griz can get Idaho into 4th down between the 20-35, Idaho will go for it, make a stop, get the ball back.
5. Stop the special teams errors. The Dixie game wiped out a return when Soe tripped Robby and had another great return set up but White trips on his own feet. Then the Sac game Flowers is there for a squib, but McGourin recovers the kick instead – and a punt return TD is wiped out by multiple penalties. Idaho will give up yards on returns, make them pay for it.
6. Break their will to stay in the game. EWU did this and Idaho just quit. If Montana lets Idaho hang around, they’ll start to build confidence that they can pull off the upset. If Montana can figure a few things out and get some early scores, Idaho might just fold up like they’ve done a few times this season.
7. Limit the 3rd and longs. Let’s please not put our freshman QB in a continual 3rd and long situation on every possession.
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As I mentioned on the GFP on Sunday, I was in a dark place on this game. I was thinking Idaho could win this with some ugly score, like 14-10. And honestly, they could. Montana’s offense regressed badly and if they cannot get beyond the errors they’re continually making then it’s only going to be worse as Idaho’s front 7 is far better than Sac’s. On the other hand, Idaho’s secondary is much worse, however can Brown shake off last week and actually get the ball downfield? Can the coaching staff set up plays to help him do that? I sure hope so.
Idaho fans have told me there’s no way Idaho can win, Colter on the GFP didn’t say there’s no way, but he pointed out that Idaho is bad and after the EWU game it’s pretty clear they just want this season to be over. All signs point to if Montana can get focused, they should come away with a win here. I’m warming to that as well. My hope is that this week has been humbling and that hopefully we can get some guys healthy again and have some help for this offense. I don’t think it’s going to be a pretty win, but I think the Griz will win. I’ll say 24-14 Montana.
Go Griz!
This is a fascinating game as Montana needs to rebound after a tough home loss while Idaho appears to be in a free-fall with fans demanding the firing of Paul Petrino. There’s suggestion that the players have quit on the staff too coming on the heels of an ugly loss against EWU. However I’d venture that a rivalry win could be a good spark for this Vandals team. I’m expecting a physical game this Saturday evening.
Idaho Vandals 2-4
68-0 win vs Simon Fraser – A Canadian D2 school with now 1 win under their belt so far (MSU Northern) as expected was no match for Idaho. UI had 600 total yards and SFU had 90 total yards. Yeah…
14-56 loss @ Indiana – Some odd stuff from the box score, Indiana had just 180 rushing and 160 passing on the game, they only out-gained Idaho in total by 80 yards. So how did they put 56 points on the board? Special teams. Indiana had a punt return TD, what I think is a blocked punt scoop and score, and on their 3 kickoff returns they averaged almost 40 yards per return. Continual short field all day.
0-42 loss @ Oregon State – OSU ran for 250, passed for 200 and held Idaho to less than 200 yards of total offense. OSU scored on 6 of their 7 first possessions. Meanwhile Idaho would continually cross mid-field but had 4 turnovers on downs on the Oregon State side.
20-27 loss @ UC Davis – Idaho saw a 20-13 lead in the 3rd fall apart as UCD scored 14 unanswered to win the game. Idaho’s last 2 possessions once trailing resulted in a missed field goal and an interception. Idaho really out-gained Davis in this game, they had 232 rushing & 255 passing for 487 total yards while Davis had 100 less total yards in the game. Idaho missed two closer field goals in the game and had a turnover on downs.
42-35 win vs Portland State – At one point Idaho was up 35-7 in the 2nd quarter, PSU scored going into the half to make it 35-14. The 2nd half PSU started with the ball but turned it over on downs, another drive later and the 3rd quarter was already over, come the 4th they got rolling and scored 21 points to get the game to 42-35. Idaho got the ball back and attempted to run out the clock but wound up losing a fumble with 27 seconds left in the game – but it was deep in PSU territory. PSU got to midfield but failed on a hail mary and the game was over. PSU had 425 passing yards in the game.
21-71 loss @ Eastern Washington – This one was ugly. It was 43-14 at the half. Barriere passed for 600 yards and 7 TDs. Idaho simply could not stop EWU as the Eagles essentially scored 7 TDs consecutive possessions (save one that sent the game to halftime).
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General Stats
Passing yards per game Montana (193 for IDAHO vs 208 for UM)
Rushing yards per game Idaho (190 for IDAHO vs 155 for UM)
Total offense Idaho (383 for IDAHO vs 362 for UM)
Passing yards allowed per game Montana (282 for IDAHO vs 267 for UM)
Rushing yards allowed per game Montana (164 for IDAHO vs 76 for UM)
Total defense Montana (446 for IDAHO vs 343 for UM)
Idaho gets 2 while Montana gets 4, although as you can see they’re close in a few categories.
Offense points scored Montana (27.5 for IDAHO vs 29 for UM)
Defense points allowed Montana (38.5 for IDAHO vs 16.2 for UM)
Turnover margin Montana – (-7 for IDAHO / +4 for Montana)
Fieldgoal % Montana (20% for IDAHO vs 60% for UM)
Punt Returns Montana (12.9 yards for IDAHO vs 13.1 yards for UM)
Kick Returns Montana (24.7 yards for IDAHO vs 29.3 yards for UM)
T.O.P. Idaho (28:13 for IDAHO vs 28:10 for UM)
Red Zone defense (touchdowns) Montana (85% IDAHO / 50% UM)
Red Zone offense (touchdowns) Montana (68% IDAHO / 50% UM)
3rd down offense Idaho – (37% for IDAHO / 36% for UM)
3rd down defense Montana – (50% allowed for IDAHO vs 33% allowed for UM)
Some are pretty close but Montana picks up a big group here with 9 while Idaho gets just 2 – although that was pretty similar to the difference in the Sac matchup and that wound up not being a factor either. Total categories goes 13 Montana and 4 Idaho.
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Players to Watch:
#13 Zach Borisch, QB – Zach is Idaho’s Troy Anderson, at QB he’s their leading rusher with 317 yards and 4 touchdowns, he averages about 53 yards per game, he’s 5-8 passing on the season with 1 TD.
#18 Giovanni McCoy, QB – It’s rumored that #5 Mike Beaudry is out, so the other QB that Idaho will probably use is true freshman McCoy. He didn’t have a great game against EWU, 7-14 passing and 2 INTs.
#20 Elisha Cummings, RB – Idaho uses a handful of RBs, Cummings has the highest amount of carries of that group. He averages 40 yards per game and has 1 TD, he also has a handful of receptions as well.
#14 Terez Traynor, WR – A bit 6-4 target that transferred from Western Kentucky, he’s the leading WR on Idaho, averaging almost 60 yards per game, and has 1 TD reception. (Idaho’s best WR Hayden Hatton has missed the last 3 games, I think he’s out for the season).
#4 Mekhi Stevenson, WR – A good punt returner that’ll test our coverage unit, he averages 18 yards per return, he also has 106 receiving yards this season as well.
#8 Tre Walker, LB – As Colter told us on the GFP, Walker is one of the 4 best defensive NFL prospects in the FCS. A linebacker we’ve seen before that’s a beast on the field. He leads the team with 55 tackles this season, he’s got 3 TFLs, and 1 forced fumble.
#7 Charles Akkano, LB – Just 22 tackles but 7 TFLs and leads the team with 4 sacks this season. He’s also got 1 forced fumble.
#2 Fa’avae Fa’avae, LB – A Wazzu transfer that’s come on strong late, he’s 2nd best in tackles with 48, he’s got 3 TFLs and 0.5 sacks.
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Keys to a Grizzly win
1. Stop the QB run and keep Idaho’s offense from getting going. Idaho, much like Montana, is dealing with a slew of injuries at key skill positions. If the Montana defense can keep a lid on Borisch then that’ll really bottle up what Idaho can do to move the ball.
2. Get the damn passing game going. Idaho’s pass defense is bad, Montana’s pass offense has been kind of bad as well. Montana has to flush the performance against Sac and get the passing game going. That’s roll-outs, deep shots, accurate slant throws, and probably some simplification of the passing game to help Brown out.
3. Pass protect and get a push. The O-line needs to recover from this tougher stretch and the atrocious Sac game immediately. Idaho’s front 7 is damn good and they’re going to work to pressure Brown as it’s shown that getting him out of rhythm pretty much stops the Montana offense cold in it’s tracks.
4. Bend, don’t break. Idaho’s kicker is 1-4 on field goals this year and they often go for it in areas where most other teams opt for field goals. The defense can have some bend, but keep Idaho from getting into the redzone as best as possible. There’s a good chance if the Griz can get Idaho into 4th down between the 20-35, Idaho will go for it, make a stop, get the ball back.
5. Stop the special teams errors. The Dixie game wiped out a return when Soe tripped Robby and had another great return set up but White trips on his own feet. Then the Sac game Flowers is there for a squib, but McGourin recovers the kick instead – and a punt return TD is wiped out by multiple penalties. Idaho will give up yards on returns, make them pay for it.
6. Break their will to stay in the game. EWU did this and Idaho just quit. If Montana lets Idaho hang around, they’ll start to build confidence that they can pull off the upset. If Montana can figure a few things out and get some early scores, Idaho might just fold up like they’ve done a few times this season.
7. Limit the 3rd and longs. Let’s please not put our freshman QB in a continual 3rd and long situation on every possession.
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As I mentioned on the GFP on Sunday, I was in a dark place on this game. I was thinking Idaho could win this with some ugly score, like 14-10. And honestly, they could. Montana’s offense regressed badly and if they cannot get beyond the errors they’re continually making then it’s only going to be worse as Idaho’s front 7 is far better than Sac’s. On the other hand, Idaho’s secondary is much worse, however can Brown shake off last week and actually get the ball downfield? Can the coaching staff set up plays to help him do that? I sure hope so.
Idaho fans have told me there’s no way Idaho can win, Colter on the GFP didn’t say there’s no way, but he pointed out that Idaho is bad and after the EWU game it’s pretty clear they just want this season to be over. All signs point to if Montana can get focused, they should come away with a win here. I’m warming to that as well. My hope is that this week has been humbling and that hopefully we can get some guys healthy again and have some help for this offense. I don’t think it’s going to be a pretty win, but I think the Griz will win. I’ll say 24-14 Montana.
Go Griz!
