Griz host Bison for a trip to the chipper

The Montana Grizzlies take on the North Dakota State Bison on Saturday in a battle of FCS bluebloods with a trip to the National Championship on the line. Let that sentence sink in.

It's an epic clash with the highest of stakes as both teams look to keep a postseason run rolling south to Frisco.

It's no secret NDSU has been one of the best teams in the nation over the last decade and has been there, done that when it comes to postseason play. But the one place they haven't been in the postseason in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Montana enters the FCS semifinal with one of the best home field advantages in the west, holding a 34-7 postseason record in "the mecca of FCS football" and sitting at 8-0 in the friendly confines this season.

The Griz (12-1), winners of nine-straight and one of the hottest teams in the nation, earned homefield advantage throughout the playoffs as the No. 2 overall seed. They host a Bison team (11-3) in the unusual position of having to play Thanksgiving weekend after not receiving a seed with three losses during the season.

Faced with that challenge, all the Bison have done is stampede their way to the semi, rolling over Drake of the Pioneer League 66-3 in the first round before hitting the road and knocking-off Montana State in an OT thriller in Bozeman, and avenging a loss to No. 3 South Dakota in Vermillion, overwhelming the Yotes 45-17.

But they'll take on a Grizzly team that's white-hot and looking to avenge a loss to the Bison in the 2022 playoffs, this time with the backing of Griz Nation behind them in Missoula.

Montana has won nine-straight, with six of those wins coming over ranked opponents. They'll take momentum from an overtime win of their own against Furman last week, building on that from a demolition of Delaware in the quarterfinals.

It has the makes of two freight trains heading toward each other on the same track at full speed, and the collision is one we'll all want to witness.

Kickoff at Washington-Grizzly Stadium is set for 2:30 on Saturday, Dec. 16.

IMPLICATIONS: The road to Frisco continues through Missoula this week with the Grizzlies looking to book the program's first trip to the national title game since it moved to Texas, and for the first time since 2009.

A win for the Griz puts UM into the national championship for the eighth time in program history, searching for its third win. Standing in their way is NDSU, winners of nine FCS titles.

The winner of the Montana/NDSU game will face the winner of the Albany/South Dakota State game in the other semifinal. Albany advanced after beating Idaho in Moscow last week to earn the program's first berth in the semis.

This year's FCS title game is set for Sunday, Jan. 7, in Frisco, Texas. Kickoff is set for noon mountain time.

WATCH: Montana returns to the national spotlight again this week for a semifinal showdown with NDSU broadcast to millions of basic cable and satellite viewers on ESPN2 and streaming without blackout on ESPN+.

Lowell Galindo, the lead anchor for the Texas Longhorn Network and longtime ESPN Anchor will have the call for the second-straight week. 12-year NFL veteran D-lineman Tyoka Jackson will serve as analyst. And how's this for a small world: Dawn Davenport, who appears regularly on Nashville radio with Montana's own Marc Mariani, will report from the sidelines.

LISTEN: It's business as usual in the playoffs for Montana's radio crew. "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.

The Bobby Hauck Radio Show also returns this week to the banks of the Clark Fork River at FINN, inside the DoubleTree Hotel. The show will air live at 6:30 Wednesday.

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.

LAST MEETING: Montana's season came to an end in Fargo a year ago when the Bison beat an injury-depleted Grizzly squad in the second round of the 2022 FCS Playoffs.

In a game that was closer than the scoreline would indicate, NDSU gashed the Griz with big plays in the second half to run away with a 49-26 victory.

Momentum was on the side of the Grizzlies when QB Lucas Johnson left the game injured. Back-to-back scoring drives for Montana had them down just 14-10 in the final minutes of the first half. The Griz had a chance to score at the end of the half and then get the ball first to start the second half.

Instead, a sack knocked Johnson out of the game and the ball out of his hands, allowing the Bison to scoop it and score. The Griz put together a good first half to be right in the game, gaining 179 yards to NDSU's 192. They held the Bison to just 21 second quarter yards and only 11 on the ground but would get away from them over the final half hour.

Johnson ran for a touchdown, Corbin Walker had his second-career playoff pick-six and Keelan White caught a late pass from Daniel Britt for the Grizzlies scores. Nico Ramos was also 2-for-2 on field goals in the game.

LAST MEETING IN MISSOULA: If you were there, you remember. If you were watching the ESPN broadcast with the legendary Brent Musburger, now-uber famous Jesse Palmer, and future star Maria Taylor on the sidelines, you remember. It's one of the most epic moments in Grizzly history, and everyone remembers where they were when it happened.

Smoke-filled skies… Griz sitting fourth and goal at the NDSU one… Six seconds on the clock… UM trailing the Bison (led by future overall No. 2 NFL Draft pick Carson Wentz) 35-31… Power left…. Joey Counts… Musburger screaming TOUCHDOWN, MONTANA… Pandemonium… Griz win 38-35.

In front of a then-record crowd in Washington-Grizzly Stadium, Montana pulled off a win for the ages with 544 yards of total offense, 434 of which were passes from Brady Gustafson who completed 30 of 55 throws for three TDs. Receivers Ellis Henderson and Jamaal Jones combined for 252 yards on 15 catches and a touchdown each.

Kendrick Van Ackeren led the charge defensively with 10 tackles and two fumble recoveries. Tyrone Holmes had a sack on Wentz and Derek Crittenden and Tucker Schye also combined on one.

/// GRIZ TRACKS ///

ALL-AMERICA: The first batch of FCS All-America accolades were released on Tuesday, with the Associated Press placing three Grizzlies on one of its three teams.

Alex Gubner, the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year and unanimous all-conference pick, earned first team honors on the D-line from the AP.

Junior Bergen, also a first-team all-conference pick, was named a second-team All-American as an all-purpose player just days after setting Montana's punt return touchdown record.

Braxton Hill, a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award and the second-leading tackler in the Big Sky this season earned a place on the third defensive team with 106 tackles to date and 2.5 sacks.

More All-America squads are expected to be announced in the coming week.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: After one of the best rushing seasons of any player in the Big Sky and THE best of any freshman in FCS football, Eli Gillman was named the 2023 recipient of the Jerry Rice Award on Dec. 6, honoring the national freshman player of the year.

Gillman was a runaway winner of the 13th annual Rice Award. A national, 56-member panel voted Gillman with 203-point total, No. 1 among 22 finalists, and nearly 100 points more than the runner-up.

Gillman's 899 yards on 165 attempts the week the award was announced stand as the 18th-best single-season rushing performances in program history among all players and are the most of any freshman in team history. The native of Dassel, Minnesota, also caught 11 passes for 103 yards and even returned a kick for 19 yards to total 1,021, the 11th most all-purpose yards in the Big Sky at the time of announcement.

He's had three 100-yard rushing games to date in his first season in the Grizzly lineup and missed out on a fourth by three yards at Portland State. His 10 rushing touchdowns were tied for the fifth-most of any individual in the Big Sky as well. Gillman has already entered Montana's record books, breaking free for the longest touchdown run in program history at UC Davis from 85 yards out.

• At the conclusion of the regular season he was named the Big Sky Freshman of the Year and earned a place on the second all-conference team. He was also honored by his peers as the winner of the 2023 Terry Dillon Award for the team's outstanding back or receiver at the Grizzly Awards Banquet.

• Gillman is the first Rice Award winner in Montana history, and the fifth in Big Sky Conference history since the award began in 2013. As the winner, Gillman will be celebrated at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Banquet on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas – the eve of the FCS championship game.

• Gillman also appeared in 2 games as a true freshman in 2022, including the playoff game at NDSU where he rushed for 36 yards on five carries. After the game against Furman, he's now closing in on 1,000 career yards with 966 to date and needs 345 more to already become one of Montana's top-25 rushers of all-time.

• With 11 rushing touchdowns to his name, he's also now among Montana's top-20 all-time leaders in that category.

OUTSTANDING OSTMO: Senior Nick Ostmo will hang up his cleats at the end of the season with a year of eligibility left after battling injury and quietly putting together one of the greatest rushing careers in Montana history.

With 1,795 rushing yards he passed his position coach Justin Green to move to No. 12 on UM's career rushing list. He needs just 32 more yards to move into the top-10 passed Jeremy Calhoun.

• With 21 career rushing TD's he's already top-10 all-time at UM in that category. He needs one more to tie Green and Jody Farmer's mark at 22.

• He's also logged three touchdown catches in his career for a total of 24 total TDs for the Griz, tied with four others at No. 20 on Montana's career list.

A RECORD FOR CLIFF: Quarterback Clifton McDowell has emerged as a true dual threat for the Grizzlies and hasn't been afraid to use his feet to help Montana pick up a total of 131 rushing first downs. Undefeated as a starter at UM, McDowell is currently having a record rushing season for a Grizzly QB.

His 734 net rush yards are currently the most in a season in modern Grizzly history since 1991, surpassing Dalton Sneed's 2018 total of 675 yards against Furman. Jordan Johnson (506 yards, 2011), Cole Bergquist (383 yards, 2007), and Dave Dickenson (336 yards, 1993) round out the top five rushing QB seasons ever at Montana.

MORE McNUGGETS: McDowell has been efficient with the pass this season, throwing only his third interception of the year against Furman, the fewest INTs of any starting QB in the Big Sky.

• He enters the NDSU game as the most efficient passer in the Big Sky with a 145.6 rating, completing 122 of 205 passes with just three picks. He's also the Big Sky leader in yards per pass attempt at 8.3, a top-20 mark in the FCS.

• To date he's responsible for 21 Grizzly touchdowns (12 passing, 9 rushing), five away from entering Montana's top-15 all-time best seasons for a QB.

• The Houston, Texas-area native was named the Big Sky's Newcomer of the Year after going undefeated as a starter and leading the Griz to an outright conference championship under center.

HAUCK EARNS MORE ACCOLADES: After winning his eighth Big Sky Conference championship and becoming the league's all-time winningest coach in 2023, Bobby Hauck has been voted by his peers as the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Region 5 Coach of the Year, the organization announced on Dec. 6.

It's the third regional Coach of the Year honor for Hauck, with the previous two coming in 2006 and 2009. He is one of just 11 coaches in the 2023 class to earn regional honors multiple times in their careers.

It's been a season of accolades for the Missoula native and UM alum, who enters this weekend's contest with a 128-35 overall record at Montana. At the end of the regular season, coaches around the league unanimously voted him the Big Sky Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career. Stats Perform also named him a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award that goes to the media's pick for FCS Coach of the Year.

PLAYOFF PARTICULARS: Montana makes its 11^th all-time appearance in the FCS/1-AA Semifinal round this week holding a 7-3 record in program history.

• Hauck is 3-1 in semifinal appearances at UM, but this is the first trip to the penultimate round since returning to Montana in 2018.

• Montana has advanced to the FCS Playoffs more than any other team, now playing in the postseason for the 27th time. The Griz also hold the record for most consecutive playoff appearances, rattling off 17-straight from 1993-2009.

• Last week's game was Montana's 15th trip to the quarterfinal round

• The Furman game was Montana's 61st playoff game in program history. The Griz are now, appropriately, 37-24 all-time in the postseason, but hold a phenomenal 34-7 record at home, a .829 win percentage.

• Seven of UM's 15 quarterfinal appearances have come under coach Bobby Hauck, who now sits at 5-2 in the round and 16-10 overall in the postseason at Montana.

• Montana has faced NDSU four times in postseason play. The Griz lost in Fargo in the second round in both 2022 and 2015. UM also went 0-2 versus the Bison in the 1969 and 1970 Camelia Bowl, then the NCAA's College Division national title game held in Sacramento. Montana was without the use of some key transfer players in both of those contests.

COMIN' IN HOT: Montana enters the semifinal as one of the hottest teams in the nation right now as winners of nine straight with six of those wins coming against ranked teams. It's a streak that includes two playoff wins, a rivalry win over Montana State and a road win at Idaho, who also advanced to the quarters.

Including the win over Furman, the Griz have outscored their last six opponents 229-71.

If you take out the fourth quarter against Idaho and two big plays against Furman, UM has outscored opponents 249-57. In total, Montana has more than doubled-up its opponents this season with 420 points for, and 206 points against.

• Delaware was the first team out of Montana's previous five opponents to put up more than 300 yards of total offense, dating all the way back to the October 28 game against Northern Colorado where the Griz allowed just 94 total yards.

THE LOUDEST FANS IN THE FCS: Griz Nation will once again need to crank the volume up to 11 inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium with the perennial powerhouse Bison coming to town.

After helping force three against Furman, the Montana faithful have now helped cause 21 false start penalties against visiting opponents this season.

NDSU comes to Missoula as the second-most penalized team in the MVFC with 84 flags thrown against the Bison for a total of 737 yards so far this season. Coincidentally, Montana is the second-most penalized team in the Big Sky this season with 88 flags.

POSESSION, POSESSION, POSESSION: Montana has one of the best turnover margins in the nation at +10 this week after breaking even against Furman with one interception for each team. The Griz are No. 10 in the FCS in turnover margin with 22 takeaways and 12 giveaways.

• Montana's Trevin Gradney, who had the game-sealing pass breakup against Furman, has led the FCS for much of the season with 5 interceptions. He was recently surpassed by NDSU safety Cole Wisniewski, who now has 8 picks on the year.

THE NIGHTTIME IS THE RIGHT TIME: Montana extended its program record to eight night games this season against Furman last week, four of which were played in Missoula, also a record. Montana came out smiling, now at 8-0 in night games on the year.

Games under the lights at Washington-Grizzly Stadium have been especially good to the Griz, with UM going 4-for-4 this season at home and now sitting at 15-2 in night games since 2011.

Montana has hosted four playoff night games in the last two seasons, each a banger. In 2021 the Griz hosted EWU in a shootout under the lights, beating the Eagles 57-41 despite over 500 yards passing by the visitors. In 2022 the Griz hosted Southeast Missouri under the lights in the first round of the playoffs and rattled-off 31 unanswered points to beat SEMO 34-24 in a comeback for the ages. This year the Griz trounced Delaware 49-19 under the lights and took a sensational 35-28 overtime win last week against the Paladins.

Four of UM's eight night wins this year came on the road, which marks an impressive reversal of fortune for the Griz in recent years. Montana entered the season at 1-13 in road night games since 2011, and now sits at 5-13 under the lights away from home.

SEND 'EM BACK EAST: Equally as difficult for visitors in night games, Washington-Grizzly Stadium is also a house of terrors for teams from east of the Mississippi River against Montana.

Montana's win over Furman was the 38^th for the Griz in their home venue and the 45^th overall game against an Eastern team, with UM now at 38-7 all time against visitors from "back east."

Furman was Montana's fourth home game against an eastern team this season, also a stadium record. UM is now 4-0 against eastern teams after wins over Furman, Delaware, Butler (Indiana), and Ferris State (Michigan).

FAMILIAR FACE: Montana safety Ryder Meyer will have a friendly face across Montana's sideline on Saturday when his older brother Tucker comes to Missoula as part of the NDSU coaching staff.

After graduating from Rocky Mountain College, Tucker Meyer was a defensive graduate assistant for the Grizzlies under Hauck in 2019 before going on to work as a GA at Mississippi State under Mike Leach. After a year at Charlotte in 2022, he's now the outside linebacker coach for the Bison.

The Meyer brothers are natives of Fairfield, Montana, where their dad Les Meyer was a Hall of Fame coach.

MONTANA vs THE MVFC: Since the start of the Big Sky/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge Series in 2018, Montana has gone 5-1 in regular season games with five-straight wins. The Valley leads the overall series against the Big Sky 4-0-1.

The two conferences are home to two of the winningest programs in FCS history, and both square off on Saturday. Montana is now at 636 all-time wins while NDSU is at 785. The two storied teams are two of just six FCS teams west of the Mississippi with more than 600 all-time wins.

HEADS OR TAILS: That question has befuddled the Griz this season, with Montana losing eight-straight coin tosses, including the overtime toss against Furman. The good news; Montana is 8-0 when losing the toss and putting the offense on the field first, and 4-1 when winning the toss and deferring to the second half.

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Players Mentioned

Junior Bergen

Daniel Britt

Eli Gillman

Trevin Gradney

Alex Gubner

Braxton Hill

Lucas Johnson

Clifton McDowell

Ryder Meyer

Nick Ostmo

Nico Ramos

Corbin Walker

Keelan White

University of Montana Athletics