Griz set to battle Vandals for Little Brown Stein

Saturday, October 14

Moscow, Idaho

8:30 PM (MT)

Montana

Idaho

Photo by: UM Photo/Tommy Martino

10/10/2023 6:40:00 PM | Football

UM Notes

By: Montana Sports Information

Think of everything that's happened in the last 120 years.

The Wright brothers flew the first airplane, World Wars I and II came and went, we harnessed the power of the atom, Americans set foot on the moon, and now we carry all of humanity's collective knowledge in our front pocket.

Through the decades of momentous change, one thing has remained mostly constant: Montana/Idaho football.

2023 marks the 120th anniversary of the first Griz/Vandal game, a series with ebbs and flows of winning streaks punctuated by some of the most epic clashes in either program's history.

Since that first meeting in 1903, Idaho built a 26-win lead in the overall series, set to be played for the 89th time on Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.

The Grizzlies have dominated the series over the last three decades, however, holding an 11-3 advantage since 1991, including matchups when the Vandals played at the FBS level.

All that recent history was erased in 2022, however, when Idaho marched into Missoula and upset No. 2 Montana for its first win in the series since the turn of the millennium to spark a run to the FCS Playoffs.

Now UM (5-1, 2-1 BSC) heads to Idaho looking for redemption and an upset of its own as the No. 10/16 Grizzlies take on the No. 3 Vandals (5-1, 3-0) in the FCS game of the week, with kickoff set for 7:35 p.m. local time (8:35 p.m. MT).

Montana enters the game fresh off a confidence-boosting ranked road win over No. 18 UC Davis in California to climb into the top 10 for the first time this season, hungry return the "Little Brown Stein" to the Treasure State.

The fast and physical Vandals enter the game with a pair of ranked wins of their own and an FCS over FBS upset, having knocked off the Nevada Wolfpack in Reno in early September while outscoring their first six opponents by a combined 83 points.

They say history is written by the victors, and all the above adds up to yet another titanic matchup in a series over a hundred years in the making, with Montana looking to write the next chapter.

TAILGATE WITH THE GRIZ: The Grizzly Scholarship Association is hitting the road to Idaho this weekend and will host a tailgate party for Griz fans traveling to Moscow. This week's tailgate is located in the field on the northwest corner of the Kibbie Dome, outside the new ICCU Arena. The tailgate opens two hours before kickoff (5:30 local time) and will have a no-host cash bar available.

WATCH: Montana will be on the national stage this week, with the Griz versus Vandals game shown on ESPN2, available on most basic cable and satellite packages around the country. A stream of the game is also available via the ESPN App, with a subscription required.

Jorge Sedano, an award-winning play-by-play announcer who called an NBA Championship with the Miami Heat and serves as a contributor on SportsCenter and ESPN Radio, will be on the call.

Orlando Franklin, a seven-year NFL veteran O-lineman who played at the University of Miami before going on to play with the Broncos, Chargers, Saints, and Redskins, will serve as analyst. In addition to calling college football for ESPN, Franklin hosts a sports-talk radio show on 104.3 The Fan in Denver.

Longtime ACC Network and ESPN veteran Marilyn Payne will report from the sidelines.

LISTEN: "Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran is in his eighth season behind the mic at Montana and is once again set to bring you all the Grizzly action over the airwaves on the Grizzly Sports Radio Network and its fifteen affiliate stations around the state.

"Grizzly Gameday" starts two hours before kickoff each Saturday with the official pregame radio show with Ace Sauerwein and Denny Bedard before Corcoran and longtime color commentator Greg Sundberg take over 30 minutes to kickoff.

Griz fans outside the radio footprint can stream all of Montana's broadcasts on their mobile device LIVE and FREE of charge with the Varsity Network App, powered by Learfield and Sidearm Sports.

THE SERIES: The Griz/Vandal series is the second-longest of any Grizzly opponent, dating all the way back to 1903. Idaho is also the only Big Sky Conference team that leads the all-time series against UM, with the Griz trailing 30-56-2.

But in recent times, it's a different story. Montana has won all but one meeting between the two schools in the 21st century, including those meetings when Idaho was an FBS program.

The Griz are 7-1 against the Vandals since 2000 and 11-3 going back to 1991. Idaho leads the all-time series in games played in Missoula, but Montana is 6-4 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, with the last home loss occurring in 1999 when Idaho scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to win 33-30 as an FBS program.

THE LITTLE BROWN STEIN: A history lesson. Montana and Idaho first squared off 120 years ago in 1903 and meet on the gridiron for the 89th time this week, with the winner taking home "The Little Brown Stein," a wooden traveling trophy.

The Stein was created by UM student newspaper writer John T. Campbell in 1938 for the cost of 25 dollars, paid for by a group of students to be crafted by a local carpenter.

Since then, the trophy has traveled back over Lolo Pass with the winner of the game, with Idaho holding a 38-25-1 advantage in Stein games. Montana held the Stein for more than two decades until last year's loss, keeping it 2000 in Missoula from 2000-2022.

LAST MEETING: Idaho snapped Montana's seven-game win streak in the series with its first win in Missoula since 1999 last season, upsetting the No. 2 Grizzlies 30-23 to recapture the Stein.

The visitors controlled the clock and, in turn, the game, as the Grizzlies struggled to get anything going offensively in a contest that saw them possess the ball for under 20 minutes. The Idaho offense utilized long huddles and snapped deep in the play clock all day, keeping the ball in their own hands for over 42 minutes.

Montana's defense was solid in the effort, holding the opposing offense under 400 yards. Idaho did most of their damage through the air, passing for 286 yards and a couple of scores. The Grizzlies had two sacks and 13 tackles for loss as they limited the Vandal running attack.

Marcus Welnel put forth a massive effort, finishing with 16 tackles and three tackles for loss. Levi Janacaro (11 tackles, four TFL) and Robby Hauck (10 tackles) also reached double-digit tackle numbers, while Patrick O'Connell had eight tackles, a half sack, and an interception in another great all-around game.

The offense just never found its rhythm. Montana had season lows in yards with 220 and total plays with just 56. The Grizzlies also turned the ball over twice, both of which came during a comeback attempt in the fourth quarter.

Lucas Johnson passed for 186 yards and two touchdowns but was picked off twice and completed only 54 percent of his passes. The running game couldn't get going, as no player had more than four carries. As a team, Montana ran for just 34 yards in the game.

GRIZ IN THE POLLS: Montana entered the top 10 in the national polls for the first time this season on Monday, slotting in at No. 10 in the AFCA Coaches Poll, up from No. 13 a week ago.

UM claimed 375 points in the coaches' voting after defeating then-No. 18 ranked UC Davis, which fell out of this week's top 25.

The Griz climbed one spot to No. 16 in the Stats Perform Media Poll this week. In narrow voting, UM totaled 564 points, just three shy of No. 15 North Dakota, a 3-2 team who narrowly beat NAU at home in September and counts losses to Boise State and No. 1 South Dakota State on their record.

The Big Sky Conference has six teams in the media poll and five in the coaches poll, with UC Davis and NAU receiving votes in each as well.

///GRIZ TRACKS///

SATURDAY'S STARS: Linebacker Braxton Hill led the Grizzlies in tackles for the fourth-straight game at UC Davis with 10 total tackles, seven of which were solo. The Anaconda native also added a pass breakup to earn Montana's nomination for Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week, leading a team effort that held the Aggies to just three points in the second half.

Hill is currently third in the Big Sky in total tackles on the season with 55 (also a top 30 FCS mark) and enters the game at Idaho with 158 in his career.

BIG PLAYS = PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Receiver Aaron Fontes was named the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, the first weekly accolade of his career and the first for the Grizzlies this season.

Montana used a near-evenly split offensive attack to help defeat No. 18 UC Davis on the road in California over the weekend with 243 passing yards and 181 rushing yards. But Fontes came up with the biggest, most eye-popping plays right when the Griz needed them most.

The Oxnard native led all receivers in the game with five catches on seven targets for a career-high 99 yards and two touchdowns, with a career-long play of 41 yards. He also carried the ball once for four yards (on what was really a pass behind the line of scrimmage), giving him a personal haul of 103 yards on the day.

Fontes is tied for the most receiving TDs in the Big Sky this season with four, a top 15 mark in all the FCS.

BERGEN BITES: Junior Bergen was once again lights out in the return game, adding up 126 total yards on five combined punt and kickoff returns at UC Davis. He set the Griz up with good field position with 92 yards on four punt return attempts, with a long of 39 yards. The Billings native also totaled 34 yards on one kickoff return.

For his efforts, he received an honorable mention for the Stats Perform FCS Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday, a well-deserved honor for his consistent excellence in the return game.

Bergen leads the Big Sky by a long shot this season in punt returns, averaging 18.6 yards per return with 205 total yards on 11 attempts. He's third in the FCS in total yards and fifth in the nation in yards per return this week.

RUNNIN' FOR THE RICE: Just past the midway point of the season and coming off the second-best rushing game of his career, it's time to enter running back Eli Gillman into the chat for the Jerry Rice Award, given annually to the top freshman in FCS football.

Gillman broke loose for an 85-yard touchdown sprint that helped put the game out of reach for Montana in its win over ranked UC Davis. The freshman took a pitch around the right side and shed tacklers for an 85-yard score, a career-high and the third-longest rush in the Big Sky this season.

Gillman now has six rushing TDs on the year, tied for the most of any freshman in the FCS. He also sits fourth in overall rushing yards in the Big Sky with 424, averaging 5.2 yards per tote. His personal haul of six rushing TDs is tied for the 11th-most overall in the FCS, and his 424 yards are the most of any freshman in the FCS.

LOCKDOWN GRIZ D: Montana put in one of its best defensive performances of the year last week at UC Davis, holding the potent Aggie attack to just three points in the second half in the 31-23 win.

Davis' three points were the second-fewest allowed by Montana in a half all season and the fewest in Big Sky play. Only the second-half shutout of Ferris State produced less.

Overall, the Griz have been strong in the second half, outscoring opponents 66-50 after the halftime break. UM has done the bulk of its scoring in the first half, however, outscoring opponents 102-64 before the break.

STOPS WHEN IT COUNTS: The Griz head to Idaho allowing opponents so far this season to convert just 33 percent of their third downs (30 of 90) and 44 percent of fourth downs (7 of 16). The third down total is the second-best in the conference and the fourth down is the third-best.

UM's red zone defense is also the best in the league, allowing just 11 of opponents 16 visits to score – a top 10 FCS average.

STOP THE RUN: Part of getting stops on third and fourth down is stopping the run, and the Griz have excelled. After allowing UC Davis - one of the top rushing teams in the Big Sky - to earn just 76 yards on the ground, Montana leads the conference in rush defense and is top 10 nationally, allowing an average of just 88 yards per game.

NO FLY ZONE: While Montana didn't add to its FCS-best interception total at Davis, the Grizzly backfield did put up a season-high eight pass breakups in the win.

The Griz enter the game at Idaho tied for the most INTs in the FCS with nine on the year (also a Big Sky best), a total that is the fourth-most in all of D-I football this week as well. Only Oklahoma (12), Liberty (11), and Iowa State (10) have picked off more passes than the Griz.

GRADNEY'S GRABS: A big reason for that backfield prowess has been Trevin Gradney, who is tied with Cole Wisniewski of NDSU for the most interceptions this season with four, despite not collecting one in the past two games. The Billings native started the year on a four-game streak with a pick in each of his first four starts.

POSESSION, POSESSION, POSESSION: With a pair of fumble recoveries to match a pair of fumbles, Montana remained at +5 in the all-important turnover margin, the second-best ratio in the Big Sky and a top 20 mark nationwide. UM's four fumble recoveries are also the most in the league and a top-30 FCS total.

Combined, the Grizzlies' 13 takeaways are the tops in the conference and top five nationally. Meaning the Griz are getting plenty of possession, and you can't without that.

HAUCK'S RECORD: With the win at UC Davis, Hauck is now No. 3 on the Big Sky's all-time win list in conference games at 69-19, passing College Football Hall of Famer Chris Ault of Nevada.

He's now chasing Tim Walsh (Portland State/Cal Poly) who posted 74 wins in his career, and former Northern Arizona head coach (and longtime UM assistant) Jerome Souers, who totaled 85 Big Sky Conference wins.

Hauck is also one game closer to becoming the Big Sky's overall winningest coach of all time. At 121-35 at UM, he needs just 2 wins to tie, and 3 more wins to break the league win record set by Souers of 123.

Of note: Hauck became Montana's winningest coach of all time on Nov. 10, 2018, when he surpassed the great Don Read's career total of 85 wins after the Grizzlies traveled to Moscow and defeated Idaho 46-27.