Griz look to clip wings of soaring Ducks

Fresh off a pair of confidence-boosting wins to start an already tough season 2-0, Montana travels to Eugene this week to face the biggest challenge of the year (and one of the biggest challenges in program history), as the Grizzlies face the Pac-12 favorite Oregon Ducks.

At No. 15 in this week's AP poll, the Ducks are the second-highest ranked FBS team the Grizzlies have faced in modern history, an event that doesn't roll around that often for UM. In the last 20 years, the Griz have only played nine FBS teams, and just four not named Idaho.

Saturday's matchup at Oregon will be the team's third FBS game since 2014 when UM nearly upset Wyoming in Laramie. It's also only the third time UM has faced a nationally ranked team after facing No. 16 Iowa in 2006 and No. 7 Washington in 2017.

But this year's Ducks are a bird of a different feather. Led by Heisman Trophy candidate and presumed first-round NFL Draft pick Justin Herbert (who is protected by the most experienced offensive line in college football with 163 combined starts), Oregon entered the season expected to be the Pac-12's College Football Playoff representative.

After a second-half stumble against Auburn in the season opener, the Ducks exacted revenge last week with an 11-touchdown, 77-6 drubbing of the Nevada Wolfpack last week to prove they have offensive firepower as advertised.

But Montana's offense has also been clicking along at one of the best paces in program history with senior QB Dalton Sneed under center. After an upset win at South Dakota and a second-half trouncing of North Alabama, the Griz lead the nation in first downs with 64 and are ranked seventh nationally in total offense, averaging 520 yards over two games.

The defense has also been superb, allowing just seven points to be scored in the second-half of the first two games of the season, and sitting third in the nation (first in the Big Sky) in passes intercepted with four on the year.

"I liked how our guys responded to a team that was in here and wanted to play and play hard. I thought that it was just a good all-around effort for our team," said head coach Bobby Hauck at Monday's press conference.

"We just need to keep progressing and improving and getting better. That's what good teams do throughout a season. And certainly, to go in and play the Oregon Ducks we're going to need a great effort."

Kickoff from Autzen Stadium (54,000) is set for 7:45 p.m. local time (8:45 p.m. MT), giving the Grizzlies their second-straight game under the lights.

WHERE TO WATCH: The #Pac12AfterDark game will be shown exclusively on the Pac-12 Network, with a stream available at Pac-12.com/live and on the Pac-12 Now App.

Veteran announcer Roxy Bernstein will have the play-by-play call, with analysis from Anthony Herron. Jill Savage will report from the sideline.

GRIZZLY CONNECTION: The history of Montana athletics won't be totally foreign for at least one member of the Pac-12 Network commentary crew on Saturday. Bernstein served as the long-time voice of Cal Basketball under former Grizzly head coach Mike Montgomery and current Griz hoops head coach Travis DeCuire.

LISTEN: "Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran and Greg Sundberg will bring you the action Autzen over the airwaves on the Montana Grizzly Radio Network and its 13 affiliates across the state. Fans can also listen worldwide via the internet at GoGriz.com/listen and via TuneIn.com and the TuneIn App.

SERIES HISTORY: The Montana/Oregon all-time series is a long one that dates back to the first meeting in 1928 when both schools were members of the old Pacific Coast Conference along with California, Washington, Oregon State, Washington State, USC, Idaho, and later, UCLA.

The Griz are 0-7-1 against the Ducks, with each of the eight meetings played in Eugene. Coach Ed Chinske's Montana team picked up the only tie between the two programs (14-14) in his first season at UM in 1952.

Other notable meetings between UM and OU include the second-to-last meeting in 1993, when Dave Dickenson (coached by current Grizzly assistant head coach Brent Pease) entered the game late and sparked a second-half comeback that nearly saw the Griz pull off one of the biggest upsets in program history, and led help cement Dickenson's legendary status.

TAILGATE TOWN: The Montana Grizzly Scholarship Association kicks-off its 2019 away game tailgate party slate this week in Eugene. The official GSA Griz fan tailgate will be located at Oregon's "Pregame Tailgate Headquarters" Essig Field, north of Autzen Stadium. Essig Field is located across Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from Autzen, and opens four hours prior to kickoff at 3:45 p.m. local time.

The GSA tailgate is open to the public, and Griz fans of all ages are welcome to attend. There is no cover charge to enter, and Food and beverages will be available to purchase.

GRIZ TRACKS

MOVIN' ON UP: Montana's emphatic win over North Alabama impressed the national panel of voters enough to boost the Grizzlies up to No. 18 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and 20 in the STATS FCS Media Poll. UM started the year unranked in the Coaches' poll and at 25 in the media poll, and slid up to No. 22/23, respectively after winning at South Dakota.

JERRY WATCH: The odds are good that senior receiver Jerry Louie-McGee will become the all-time leader in catches in Montana history this week at Oregon, needing just three more to break Raul Pacheco's record of 192 that has stood since 1998.
Louie-McGee was Montana's leading receiver against UNA, hauling in seven passes for 78 yards, good enough to move him past legends Jamaal Jones and Matt Wells on the all-time list into second place behind Pacheco.

With 1,928 receiving yards to his name throughout his career, "Mr. Electricity" is also now on UM's top-20 all-time list in that category, poised to move into the top-10 with a continued strong season.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The senior from Coeur d'Alene also etched his name in Montana's record book with 150 punt return yards against UNA, highlighted by a 74-yard touchdown that sent the Washington-Grizzly Stadium crowd into meltdown. His 150 yards bested his previous PR of 118 yards set against Northern Iowa in 2016.

It was a performance that earned him the second ROOT Sports Special Teams Player of the Week award of his career on Monday. Now with three punt return TDs in his career, Louie-McGee is now tied for the most of any Grizzly in school history with Marc Mariani and Levander Segars.

BATTLE OF THE RETURNS: With Louie-McGee's fast feet leading the way, the Grizzlies enter the week ranked first in FCS football in total punt return yards with 156 in two games, currently the most total return yardage at any level of college football (FBS, FCS, D-II, D-III).

Thanks to Jevon Holland, the Ducks enter the week ranked first in FBS football, close behind with 139 yards of punt returns over two games.

GOOD KNIGHT: In his first start as a Grizzly sophomore running back Marcus Knight had a breakout game against UNA, rushing 19 times for 89 yards and three touchdowns. After catching a pass for a touchdown in South Dakota, Knight now leads the Big Sky in total TDs with four on the season, good enough to rank fourth in the nation. His three rushing TDs are also a league-best and the sixth most in the FCS.

THE NEED FOR SNEED: Sneed continued the strong start to his senior season with 296 yards of total offense last week. He now ranks second in the FCS in completions per-game (30.5), sixth in the nation and second in the Big Sky in passing yards (696), and fourth in the nation in total offense.

LINEBACKER BATTLE: Montana All-American linebacker Dante Olson won't be the only highly decorated backer on the field when the Griz face the Ducks. Oregon senior LB Troy Dye has led the Ducks in tackles in 19 of his 37 career games at UO and is one of the top returning tacklers in the nation.

Both Olson and Dye were placed on the Butkus Award Watch List for the top linebacker in America in the leadup to the 2019 season.

KICKING ***: Grizzly punter Adam Wilson has been superb early in his senior season, with Montana leading the nation in net punting with an average of 47.6 yards per-punt. Not only that, the former rugby player at Arizona showed his toughness against UNA, lowering his shoulder to fight for yards on a fake put that resulted in a Griz first down.

• Junior kicker Brandon Purdy is also on fire so far this season. The Kalispell native is one of three placekickers in the Big Sky to remain perfect a perfect 10-for-10 on PATs this season. He also tied his career-long field goal with a 47-yard boot against the Lions.

FLOWERS POWER: Malik Flowers continues to lead the Big Sky in kick return average with 133 yards on the season. The sophomore is now averaging 26.6 yards over 5 returns this season, the 12^th-best average in the FCS.

600 CLUB: Montana improve its all-time record to 596-501 (.541) with the win over North Alabama, meaning the Griz need just four more wins this season to join the 600 Club in FCS football, a threshold fewer than 20 teams have ever crossed in the subdivision.

HOMECOMING: Montana has six players on the roster this season who hail from the state of Oregon, including senior preseason Defensive Big Sky MVP Dante Olson (Medford) and receiver Samori Toure (Portland).

GRIZZLIES FROM OREGON
8       Samori Toure - R-Jr. - WR - Portland, Ore. / Westview HS
33     Dante Olson - R-Sr. – LB - Medford, Ore. / Cascade Christian HS
38     Nick Ostmo - Fr. – RB - Portland, Ore. / Lincoln HS
55     Alex Hurlburt - Fr. – DE - Salem, Ore. / West Salem HS
67     Tyler Ganoung - R-Fr. – OG - Hillsboro, Ore. / Sunset, HS
97      RJ Nelson - R-So. – DE - Hillsboro, Ore. / Hillsboro HS

MISSISSIPPI MUD: Montana increased its all-time record in Washington-Grizzly Stadium against visiting teams from east of the Mississippi River to 31-7 after last week's defeat of North Alabama.

The Grizzlies will get the chance to increase that record sooner than later when the Monmouth Hawks visit Missoula on Sept. 21 all the way from West Long Branch, N.J., a little over an hour south of New York City.

KEEPIN' IT CLEAN: Montana was penalized just twice against North Alabama, bringing the team's season total to nine penalties over two games – the fourth-fewest in the Big Sky to date.

LAST TIME IT HAPPENED

• Knight's three-touchdown game was the most of any Grizzly in a single game in a little less than a year, with the last three TD game coming on Sneed's record-setting day against Sacramento State.

• Montana's defense forced North Alabama QB Christian Lopez into throwing three interceptions last week, something the senior signal-caller is not accustomed to. The Lions threw just four INTs in 306 pass attempts during the 2018 season, with Lopez not throwing a pick for 25-straight quarters of football. The last opposing QB to throw three INTs to the Griz? Northern Colorado's Conor Reagan in 2017's 44-14 blowout Grizzly win.

QUICK HITS

• Sophomore Safety Robby Hauck picked up the first interception of his career last week against UNA, hauling in a deflected pass by Dareon Nash in the endzone to thwart a Lion score.

• Dante Olson moved up the all-time leading tackler list at UM with nine tackles against UNA, passing Alex Shaw and Blaine McElmurry to enter the week at No. 31 on the list.

• The Griz are now 8-2 in night games inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

• Junior linebacker Jace Lewis had a big game in taming the Lions last week, totaling seven tackles and asserting himself with a game-high two QB hits, a new career-high.

SCOUTING THE DUCKS

Key Returners
Justin Herbert (QB) 7,622 career passing yards, averages 253.6 yards of total offense per game)
Troy Dye (LB) (332 total career tackles, 12.5 career sacks, 15 tackles against Auburn)
C.J. Verdell (RB) (1,154 career rush yards, 12 touchdowns)
Jacob Breeland (TE) (37 games played, 958 career receiving yards, 8 TDs)
Jake Hanson (OL) (40 games played for Oregon, three-time All-Pac-12 selection

A league-high 13 Oregon players were named preseason All-Pac-12 Conference this year, highlighted by four first-teamers (QB: Herbert, OL: Lemieux, OL: Throckmorton, LB: Dye)

Head coach Mario Cristobal is now in his second year leading the Ducks after spending the 2017 season as Oregon's co-offensive coordinator, run game coordinator and offensive line coach. Previously been named Oregon's interim head coach for the Dec. 16 Las Vegas Bowl against Boise State.

The Ducks are coming off a nine-win season in the first year under Cristobal, and finished the year with three consecutive wins, culminating with a victory over Michigan State in the Redbox Bowl.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Malik Flowers

Tyler Ganoung

Robby Hauck

Alex Hurlburt

Jamaal Jones

Marcus Knight

Jace Lewis

Jerry Louie-McGee

Dareon Nash

RJ Nelson

Dante Olson

Nick Ostmo

Brandon Purdy

Dalton Sneed

Samori Toure

Adam Wilson

University of Montana Athletics