Griz football returns with first practice of spring season

The Montana Grizzlies took the field for the first time in the 2020 season on Monday for the opening day of the team's 15-practice slate that will culminate with the annual Spring Game on April 10.

The practice marked the first time the Grizzlies have set foot on the turf at Washington-Grizzly Stadium as a team since returning to the FCS Playoffs in 2019 and dominating Southeastern Louisiana 73-28 in December.

It also marks the end of the teams' grueling offseason workout sessions, which were, for head coach Bobby Hauck, a high-energy continuation of UM's 10-win season. Now the Griz are hungry for more.

"Our work session between the end of Christmas break and now has been terrific. I love the culture of our football team and our program. We have a bunch of workers in our locker room, and the work ethic is just flat out tremendous. They want to be great, and they're not afraid to do what's necessary to achieve that," said Hauck.

"I think any time you start having success, human nature is to allow complacency to seep in, and our guys, both players, and coaches have certainly not allowed that to happen. The goal here is to win every time we take the field, and in order to do that, you have to pay the cost this time of year."

While there's no avoiding a little of the first-practice rust, Montana's first practice of the spring season was crisp and high energy as the 2020 Grizzlies officially set out to make a deep run in the postseason. To get there, they know that actions during spring ball speak louder than words.

"I love spring practice. These five weeks are a chance to promote tremendous growth in the individuals on our team," said Hauck.

"Well done is better than well said, and your actions speak so loudly I can't hear what you're saying is the mantra around here."

One group where actions might speak the loudest this spring is the quarterbacks, with Hauck and his staff in the unenviable position of replacing the prolific Dalton Sneed, who has moved on to graduation and is seeking a shot at the professional ranks.

Sneed's heir-apparent is senior Cam Humphrey, who stepped in as an injury replacement last season and led the Griz to a pair of crucial conference wins over Portland State and Idaho as a junior.

But the job won't just be handed down the line. Humphrey will have plenty of competition this spring from dual-threat sophomore transfer Robbie Patterson out of Saddleback College, and pro-style freshman Kris Brown of Bozeman. It's a battle Hauck says he'll be keeping a close eye on as the Griz move through spring.

"One eye will always be on the quarterback position. We'll have a great competition there," Hauck said.

"Obviously, we need to replace a really good player at that position, and hopefully we'll have some clarity coming out of spring ball on that. If not, we'll go into fall camp."

Montana's defensive secondary will also be a position of interest for the coaches this spring as the Grizzlies welcome a pair of transfers from Oregon State at cornerback in TraJon Cotton and Omar Hicks Onu. They'll be in the mix for a starting job with, among others, sophomore Corbin Walker, who turned heads with a 47-yard pick-six against Southeastern Louisiana in the playoffs.

Also in new territory this spring is Garrett Graves, a four-time state wrestling champion who came to Missoula as a quarterback but will be tested out at safety in the spring to take advantage of his athleticism.

"We've got some newcomers we need to get an evaluation on. We've got some guys, both freshmen, and transfers, that were only here with us last fall that we need to continue to see their evolution," said Hauck.

"We have all kinds of guys on this team that we need to bring along. Part of college football is replacing the guys that go out the door. We had a great senior class last that put a lot into this program, so there's a bunch of players who haven't played a lot, and they need to make improvements this spring."

Montana will hold practices at approximately 3 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this spring, with March 16-20 off for spring break. Practices are free to attend and open to the public.

SPRING GAME TICKETS NOW ON SALE – Tickets to the annual GSA Griz Spring Game are now on sale. This year's game takes place at the new Hamilton High School athletic complex in Hamilton, Mont., at 6 p.m. on April 10.

Tickets to the game, which serves as a major fundraiser for the Grizzly Scholarship Association in its mission to provide scholarships to student-athletes, cost $10 each. Kids 10 and under get in free with a paid ticket.

Tickets can be purchased at Hamilton High School or at the GSA office in the Adams Center on the University of Montana Campus.

HIGH SCHOOL COACHING CLINIC – The Montana coaching staff will hold its annual High School Coaches Clinic this week on Friday, March 6, and Saturday, March 7. For registration and more details, contact Julie Tonkin at 406-243-2969 or TonkinJA@mso.umt.edu.

2020 Griz Football Spring Practice Dates
March 4 – Practice 2
March 6 – Practice 3 (High School Coaches' Clinic)
March 9 – Practice 4
March 11 – Practice 5
March 13 – Practice 6
March 16 – 20 – SPRING BREAK
March 23 – Practice 7
March 25 — Practice 8
March 27 – Practice 9
March 30 – Practice 10
April 1 – Practice 11
April 2 - PRO DAY*
April 3 – Practice 12
April 6 – Practice 13
April 8 – Practice 14
April 10 – GSA Grizzly Spring Game – Hamilton, Mont. – 6 p.m.

*Montana's annual Pro Day was initially scheduled for April 6 but has since been rescheduled for April 2.

Gallery: (3/2/2020) FB:: Spring Ball Day 1

University of Montana Athletics

Griz football returns with first practice of spring season

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Players Mentioned

Kris Brown

TraJon Cotton

Garrett Graves

Omar Hicks Onu

Cam Humphrey

Robbie Patterson

Dalton Sneed

Corbin Walker

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