2016 Year in Review

SEASON NOTES

THE SEASON: The University of Montana Grizzlies finished the 2016 season with a 6-5 overall record and in eighth place in the Big Sky standings at 3-5 in conference play in the second season under head coach Bob Stitt, missing the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2012, and for only third time since 1995.

Montana started the year winning five of its first six games, including a win over the then-ranked No. 3 UNI Panthers, but lost four of its last five games (three of which were on the road) falling out of the STATS FCS Top 25 at the end of the season after being ranked as high as No. 6.

ANOTHER WINNING YEAR: At 6-5 Montana produced its 30^th winning season in the past 31 years. Montana sealed the winning season by beating Idaho State on Nov. 5.

ONE OF NATION'S TOP FRESHMEN: Wide receiver Jerry Louie-McGee sidestepped his way into the hearts of Griz fans with several memorable performances in 2016, sparked by an electric 81-yard punt return for a touchdown at Northern Iowa.

He also broke a pair of Montana records as UM's leading receiver on the season, finishing the year with 651 yards in the air. He broke the school record for receptions in a game with 21 against Cal Poly (tying the Big Sky Conference record) and set a new school record for average receptions per game with an average of 9.1 catches over eight games on the season.

Following his breakout freshman season, Louie-McGee was named the No. 7 freshman in FCS football by STATS in the voting for the Jerry Rice Award for the Nation's top first-year player. After breaking the school record on Sept. 24 at Cal Poly, he was also named the National Freshman of the Week by STATS.

GET ON THE BUSS: With 20 tackles-for-loss, a national-best amongst FCS sophomores, Montana linebacker Josh Buss earned a spot on the HERO SPORTS FCS Sophomore Defensive All-America First Team.

Buss was Montana's leading tackler in 2016, posting 81 total tackles and 5.5 sacks in addition to his league-leading 20 TFLs. His sack total of 5.5 was the fourth most in the Big Sky last season, right behind UM defensive end Ryan Johnson, who had six.

Following his breakout season, Buss was named the co-winner of the 2016 Steve Carlson Award for the team's Most Valuable Player in November. With 10 tackles, 4.5 TFLs and a sack against Sac. State, Buss was also named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 15, an award he was nominated for five times on the season.

GUSTAFSON GETS A SHOT: Quarterback Brady Gustafson, who threw for 37 touchdowns and 4,809 yards as a two-year starter (No. 11 on UM's all-time passer list), was invited to play at the NLF Players Association (NFLPA) Collegiate Bowl on Jan. 21.

2017 marked the fourth-straight year a Grizzly played in the NFLPA Bowl, with Gustafson following in the footsteps of current Seattle Seahawk Brock Coyle, Zack Wagenmann, and Grey Cup Champion Jeremiah Kose.

CHALICH ANSWERS THE CALL: Senior backup QB Chad Chalich broke a longstanding Montana school record, throwing seven touchdown passes against Idaho State while filling in for an injured Brady Gustafson in his first start of the year.

Before Chalich's record-breaking performance, four other Grizzlies had thrown six TDs in a game, but never seven. In a similar situation, Makena Simis was the last to throw six TDs as a backup for Gustafson in 2015.

Most touchdowns – Single game
7.......   Chad Chalich, Sacramento State, 2016
6 ....... Makena Simis, North Dakota, 2015
            Jordan Johnson, Weber State, 2011
            Brian Ah Yat @Stephen F. Austin, 1998
            Dave Dickenson, Boise State, 1995

Chalich also scored a rushing touchdown against Sac. State, giving him a total of eight (8) touchdowns responsible for, the most in school history. In 1998, Briah Ah Yat passed for six and ran for an extra to make him responsible for seven (7) TDs, the previous school record.

CURRAN IN THE BOOKS: Also getting into the record books against ISU was receiver Keenan Curran, who caught four of Chalich's seven touchdown passes. Curran is now tied with five other receivers for most TD grabs in a single game.

Touchdown receptions – Single game
4 ........ Keenan Curran vs. Idaho State, 2016
            Jabin Sambrano vs. Weber State, 2011
            Marc Mariani vs. Southern Utah, 2008
            Joe Douglass @E. Washington, 1996
            Marvin Turk @Idaho, 1991
            Mike Rice vs. Idaho State, Idaho, 1986

GUSTAFSON SETS SEVERAL MARKS: Under head coach Bob Stitt's pass-oriented attack, Brady Gustafson broke Dave Dickenson's school record for pass completions in a game twice and sits behind Dickenson at No. 2 on the pass attempts record list.

At Cal Poly, Gustafson completed 47 of 59 pass attempts, the most completions ever for a Grizzly QB and a tie for the most ever in the Big Sky Conference. At Eastern Washington, he broke Dickenson's completion record of 43 again with 45 connections on 63 attempts.

Pass completions – Single game
47 ...... Brady Gustafson @Cal Poly, 2016
45 ...... Brady Gustafson @Eastern Washington, 2016
43 ...... Dave Dickenson @Idaho, 1995
38 ...... Dave Dickenson vs. Idaho, 1994

LOUIE-MCGEE: FRESHMAN RECORD BREAKER: On the receiving end of the majority of Gustafson's school-record 47 completions at Cal Poly was redshirt freshman slot-receiver Jerry Louie-McGee, who shattered the previous record for receptions in a game with 21, also tying the Big Sky record.

Louie-McGee posted a total of 71 receptions on the season, landing him at No. 6 on the single-season record list despite missing three games to injury. Joe Douglass set that record with 82 receptions in 1996.

Receptions – Single game
21 ...... Jerry Louie-McGee @ Cal Poly, 2016
15 ...... Josh Paffhausen vs. St. Mary's, 1997
14 ...... Joe Douglass @EWU & vs. MSU, 1996
Mike Trevathan vs. Idaho, 1990

Louie-McGee also set Montana's record for average receptions per game with 9.1 catches per contest spread out over eight games. Joe Douglass was that record holder as well, averaging 7.45 catches in 11 games.

NGUYEN RUSHES INTO RECORD BOOKS: Against Sac. State, senior running back John Nguyen broke loose on an 81-yard rush up the middle for a touchdown, the longest ever TD run in UM history. Six other players had TD runs of 80 yards, but Nguyen bested them by a single yard.

Longest touchdown run
81....... John Nguyen vs. Sacramento State, 2013
80....... Jordan Canada vs. Weber State, 2013
            Jabin Sambrano @Northern Ariz., 2011
            Jefferson Heidelberger vs. Idaho, 2003
            Mike Mickey vs. South Dakota, 1975
            Doug Egbert @ Weber State, 1975
            Bob Smith vs. Simon Fraser, 1973

Nguyen finished his career as the No. 6 all-time rusher in Grizzly history with 2,066 career yards. In 2016 he also passed his older brother Peter Nguyen, No. 8 on UM's all-time rushing list at 1,985.

Most yards rushing - Career
4,070… Yohance Humphery, 1998-01
4,067… Chase Reynolds, 2008-10
4,018… Lex Hilliard, 2003-05; 2007
3,435… Jordan Canada, 2011-2014
2,228… Rocky Klever, 1977-81
2,066… John Nguyen, 2013-16
2,033… Steve Caputo, 1969-71
1,985… Peter Nguyen, 2009-12

As a team, Montana's defensive unit set a new school record for fewest rushing yards allowed in a single game, holding Mississippi Valley State to -61 total yards on the ground in the 66-7 Griz win. Montana allowed zero first downs rushing in that game, a feat the program has accomplished five times.

Prior to that game, Montana's best defensive performance was holding Weber State to -43 rushing yards in 1989.

LOTS OF POINTS: For the first time in program history, Montana posted back-to-back 60-plus point wins, beating MVSU 67-7 and Sac. State 68-7 on consecutive weeks. During that span, the Griz scored 128 unanswered points through six quarters of football.

With the addition of a 62 point game against Idaho State, the Griz played three of their top-15 highest scoring games ever in 2016.

Most points – Single Game
133…… vs. Carroll College, 1920
81……. vs. Weber State, 1999
79……. vs. Montana State, 1904
73.…… vs. Idaho State, 1999
              vs. Western State, 2010
70.…… vs. Stephen F. Austin, 1995
            vs. Idaho State, 2012
68……. vs. Southern Utah, 2002
            vs. Sacramento State, 2016
67……. vs. Mississippi Valley State, 2016
63……. @Eastern Washington, 1995
62……. vs. Thomas More, 1990
            vs. Idaho State, 2016

Montana also racked up 33 first downs against Sacramento State in 2016, just one shy of tying the school record of 34 first downs in a game, set against South Dakota in 2012. The Griz moved the chains 21 times in the air against Sac. State, three shy of the school record of 24, set against Weber State in 1995.

University of Montana Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Josh Buss

Chad Chalich

Keenan Curran

Brady Gustafson

Ryan Johnson

Jerry Louie-McGee

John Nguyen

Makena Simis

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