Energy simmers as Griz open fall camp

On a cool, clear, Missoula summer evening that was as pristine as they come, the Montana football team turned up the heat for its opening practice of fall camp on Monday.

As you'd expect from an opening day of the football season, the energy was palpable at Dornblaser Field as the Griz powered through a crisp two-plus hour training session in the cool of the evening.

But after so long without a full season ahead of them to prepare for, the energy at today's camp felt a little extra.

"When you get something you love taken away from you – whether you're a player or coach or anybody that's out here involved with us – when that gets taken away from you, I think there's a little more excitement to get back at it. And I think to a man, everyone here is excited," said head coach Bobby Hauck.

Now the trick for Hauck and his staff is to keep that momentum and energy up as the Grizzlies run through their 18-practice fall camp slate in preparation for the season opener against the University of Washington in Seattle in 26 days' time.

"Everybody is enthused about getting going, and everyone is always excited about the first day. So, we'll see if they can maintain that, and hopefully, they'll have energy every time we come out here," Hauck added.

Gallery: (8-9-2021) FB:: Fall Camp Practice 1

Montana will have plenty of experience to fall back on when it comes to maintaining a high energy level at fall camp, however, with plenty of guys that have been there and done that.

The Griz return 20 starters from the spring season and 14 from the last full season in 2019 to a team picked to finish No. 9 in the FCS on Monday. With an extra year of training under the team's belt due to the extended offseason and some veteran additions to the roster, the Griz enter the season looking like a squad that is keeping its eye on the big picture.

"I like our depth in almost every position. I don't think there is a huge drop-off. We tend to forget about that, but when we're in late October, November, December, we might be talking about guys that then we are in September. If we're getting to play late in the year and play well, it's probably because we've got good depth," said Hauck.

Montana's next three practices will look similar to the first one, with the NCAA-mandated shoulder pad-free break-in period in effect. But pads or no pads, Hauck says that after a strong summer of player-run practices, the Griz are able to maximize their practice time and keep a game-like tempo.

"Our guys have learned how to practice without pads. So, we should have good tempo, and it should be pretty combative. We just need good practices. We'll do almost everything we do with pads on without them," said Hauck.

"I just want us to progress steadily, get great technique work, get all the scheme in, and then start honing in on our game plan."

With day one kicking off at 6:30 p.m., Montana will return the practice schedule to its traditional afternoon timeslot, with most of the remainder of camp scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. at Dornblaser Field.

With players reporting to camp on Sunday, Hauck and his staff moved Monday's practice time back to allow extra onboarding time for players to take care of the pre-camp admin work.

Ones to Watch: Preseason All-American Robby Hauck turned heads on day one of fall camp with a pair of pick-sixes and the creation of general mayhem all over the field for the Grizzly defense.

Incumbent starting QB Cam Humphrey still looked solid in his debut under center, however, threading several tight passes to his receiving corps and marching the offense down the field.

New Numbers: Some Grizzlies have undergone a number change over the offseason. New this year, the NCAA has opened up "0" (zero) as an eligible number on official team rosters. Senior cornerback Omar Hicks Onu made the swap out of the seven jersey and will now be the first Grizzly in the modern era to wear a zero on his chest.

Punter Brian Buschini moved into the 29 jersey, while former QB Carson Rostad made the move to linebacker and into the 33 jersey. Meanwhile, Ascher Croy moves to 34, and tight end Payton Brammer is now in the 89 jersey.

Montana opens the fall season on Sept. 4 at the University of Washington in Seattle before returning home to face Western Illinois on Sept. 11 in Missoula.

Season ticket packages and home and away single game tickets are on sale now at GrizTix.com.

University of Montana Athletics

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Brian Buschini

Robby Hauck

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Cam Humphrey

Carson Rostad

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