Griz return to Missoula looking for Homecoming rebound

The No. 16 Montana Grizzlies (3-1, 0-1 BSC) return home this week looking to bounce back after a loss in their Big Sky opener as the Idaho State Bengals (1-3, 1-0 BSC) come to town looking for an upset.

The Griz will have the help of a capacity Homecoming crowd behind them, with fans and alumni returning to campus from around the world for a full week of activity capped by the annual parade and Saturday football game, with kickoff set for 2 p.m.

The extra support will come in handy for the Griz as well, with the pass-happy offense of the Bengals looking to air it out for their second-straight win.

It's never been easy going for ISU in Missoula, however, with Montana leading the overall series 47-13 and the Bengals having never won inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium, with UM holding a 19-0 advantage since 1986.

The Griz have traditionally held the upper hand on Homecoming as well, with a 67-33-1 record dating back to 1919 and a 32-4 mark inside WGS.

But the Bengals have been on an air-raid tear, averaging a Big Sky-best 322 passing yards with the conference's top receiver duo. They'll be going up against a Montana defense that leads the nation in interceptions and is second-best in the conference in scoring defense but was gashed for 260 yards in Flagstaff last week.

Montana's offense, meanwhile, will look to find its rhythm again after the Griz racked up more than 500 rushing yards in their first two games and balanced it with just under 500 yards of passing.

It's gut-check time for the Griz, who will look to stay undefeated at home for the sixth-straight game and send the Homecoming crowd home happy.

HOMECOMING HAPPENINGS: Grizzlies from around the world are coming "Back to the Den" for Homecoming in 2023. Events for Grizzly Athletics begin on Friday night with Griz-Cat volleyball inside Dahlberg Arena (6 p.m.). Montana has won three in a row in the rivalry series and is looking to eclipse last year's attendance record.

Immediately following the volleyball match, fans are encouraged to walk to the Oval, for UM's annual Yell Night Pep Rally (8 p.m.). The free event features an appearance from the football team, remarks from head coach Bobby Hauck, fireworks and more.

Start Saturday off with the annual Homecoming Parade, which begins at 10 a.m. on Higgins Avenue downtown and moves along its traditional route over the Beartracks Bridge and down University Avenue.

The parade unofficially begins at 9:55 a.m., with the start of the Homecoming Hustle 5K, a fundraiser for the Griz track & field/cross country programs that starts downtown and finishes inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

To find links to a complete list of UM's Homecoming activities, visit GoGriz.com.

WATCH: The Grizzlies return to Montana Television Network stations around the state this week. A nationwide stream of the game is also available without blackout on ESPN+.

The Montana Television Network recently launched "MTN" – a new independent television network that will replace the CW and serve as the secondary home of Big Sky Conference games and will carry specific UM games in specific markets.

This week's game against Idaho State will be shown on KPAX in Missoula and Kalispell, KTVQ in Billings, KRTV in Great Falls, and KXLH in Helena. The game will be shown on MTN in Butte and Bozeman.

MTN is available around the state free-to-air for viewers with antennas or on DIRECTV. MTN is not available on Spectrum cable. To find out if MTN is available in your area, visit their Where to Watch page.

Grizzly Sports Hall of Famer and former NFL head coach Marty Mornhinweg serves as the analyst on the broadcast, while longtime Montana newsman Jay Kohn will provide the play-by-play. Kyle Hansen will report from the sidelines.

Where to find Griz football on the Montana Television Network

	Missoula/Kalispell	Billings	Bozeman	Butte	Great Falls	Helena
vs. Idaho State	KPAX	KTVQ	MTN	MTN	KRTV	KXLH
at UC Davis	KPAX	KTVQ	KBZK	KXLF	KRTV	KXLH
at Idaho	ESPN2	ESPN2	ESPN2	ESPN2	ESPN2	ESPN2
vs. Northern Colorado	MTN	MTN	MTN	MTN	KTGF	KTVH
vs. Sacramento State	KPAX	KTVQ	KBZK	KXLF	KRTV	KXLH
at Portland State	KPAX	KTVQ	KBZK	KXLF	KRTV	KXLH
vs. Montana State	KPAX	KTVQ	KBZK	KXLF	KRTV	KXLH

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.

LAST MEETING: The Grizzlies put together a 21-point second quarter to beat Idaho State in Pocatello 28-20 to move to 5-0 in the heart of the 2022 season. The Griz led 28-6 in the fourth quarter but gave up a couple of late touchdowns that brought Idaho State back within one possession at the end.

The Grizzly rushing attack led the way with 246 yards on the ground. Marcus Knight ran for 109 yards and a score while Nick Ostmo added 84 yards on 14 carries, and Xavier Harris had 22 rushing and 17 receiving yards.

Quarterback Lucas Johnson added 208 yards through the air for a total yardage of 454. The downside for Montana was three turnovers, which allowed Idaho State to hang around in the game.

Patrick O'Connell and Levi Janacaro each finished the day with 10 tackles while Robby Hauck and Marcus Welnel added eight apiece. Montana limited Bengal quarterback Sagan Gronauer to just a 52% completion rate while sacking him three times and providing four QB hurries. Tyler Flink had an interception as well, the only turnover forced by the Grizzly defense.

Montana crucially held Idaho State to just 31% on third downs, while outgaining the Bengals by 125 yards on the ground to escape Holt Arena with the program's 14th-straight win over ISU.

GRIZ IN THE POLLS: Montana's loss at NAU was one of nine losses for ranked teams in the FCS top 25, leading to plenty of movement in this week's polls.

The Griz slid from No. 11 to No. 16 in AFCA Coaches Poll with 237 points and from No. 13 to No. 18 in the Stats Perform FCS Media Poll with 420 points in this week's voting.

With Eastern Washington upsetting UC Davis in California, the Big Sky now boasts seven teams in this week's top 25, the most of any conference in the FCS. Montana State (3) leads the way after dismantling Weber State (13), Idaho moves up to No. 4 after beating Sac State (8). UC Davis slides to No. 21 while EWU enters the poll at No. 19.

• Montana will face four of the six ranked Big Sky teams in this year's conference slate, having to travel to face UC Davis and Idaho but getting home-field advantage against Sac State and MSU. Due to an unbalanced league schedule, the Griz won't face Weber State or Eastern Washington again in the regular season until 2024.

• Montana has been ranked in the FCS media top-25 now for 32 consecutive weeks, tied for the third-longest streak in the subdivision. Only North Dakota State (177 weeks) and South Dakota State (149 weeks) have been in longer.

• The Griz were picked to finish third by the league's media and sixth by the coaches in the league's annual preseason polls. Montana State was selected to win the title race in both polls.

• Montana slid to No. 16 in this week's Massey ratings, down ten points as the sixth-highest ranked Big Sky team. The Massey Ratings are a computer-generated ranking system that takes into account strength of schedule among other factors to rate teams and is used in various tiebreaking scenarios.

///GRIZ TRACKS///

GRADNEY'S GRABS: Billings native and UM junior Trevin Gradney is making the most of his first year as a starting cornerback, leading the nation in interceptions with four in four games after hauling in another at NAU. Only three other players in the FCS are averaging one pick per game, with Holt Fletcher of Cornell and Cole Wisniewski of NDSU matching Gradney's total.

He also leads the Big Sky Conference and is 13th nationally in passes defended with six, adding a pair of breakups to his four picks. Gradney also tipped a pass at NAU that led directly to Braxton Hill's first career INT.

PICKED OFF: As a program, Montana leads the nation in picks this season as well with 7, a mark that would be tied for the fifth-most in all of D-I football (FCS & FBS) with the likes of Colorado, Washington, and Georgia. In addition to Gradney and Hill, Nash Fouch and TraJon Cotton have each picked off a pass.

Montana's turnover differential remained at +3 on the season this week after going 2-for-2 at NAU, a top-25 margin in the FCS. The Griz are No. 7 nationally and lead the league in total turnovers gained, however, with nine.

Montana has scored 30 points off its nine total takeaways, but so have the Grizzlies' opponents, scoring 30 points off just 6 takeaways.

HILL'S HITS: Speaking of Hill, he's been another bright spot on Montana's defense this season. The Anaconda native has led the Griz in tackles the last two games, putting in a career-high 15 against Ferris State and following that up with 12 more, one TFL, and a pick at NAU.

Hill is now second in the Big Sky and top-30 in the nation in total tackles with, appropriately, 37 to his name this season. He's on pace to far surpass last season's total of 66 stops and has amassed 140 in his career, about 60 shy of becoming one of UM's top 25 all-time tacklers.

JUNIOR'S RETURNS: Despite only having one attempt at NAU, Junior Bergen remains on the top of the Big Sky in punt return by nearly two yards per return. With 113 total yards on seven attempts, the Billings native is averaging 16.1 yards per return, a top-eight total in the FCS.

Bergen has been one of the best return men in program history over the last three seasons. With 435 yards on just 26 attempts, he's averaging 18.9 yards per return, which currently stands as both a program and Big Sky record if he were to have the requisite 35 attempts. Marc Mariani holds the UM punt return record with 1,253 yards on 83 attempts, a career average of 15.01 yards per return.

KEELAN'S CATCHES: Junior receiver Keelan White posted a career-high day at NAU with 92 yards on 9 catches. His previous career day was 54 yards at Idaho in 2021. The Canadian is UM's second-leading receiver so far this season with 183 yards on 16 grabs.

EXPERIENCE MATTERS: Cornerback Corbin Walker made his 20th career start at UM last week against NAU, while fellow defensive back Nash Fouch made his 25th.

As the youngest player on Montana's experienced O-line, sophomore Journey Grimsrud made his 10th career start since making the switch from the D-line as a freshman. As the next youngest, junior Brandon Casey is set to make his 20th career start at right tackle against ISU.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Montana has never lost to the Bengals in Washington-Grizzly Stadium, entering this week's game at 19-0 in the venue since 1986.

• Fun fact: ISU was the first game ever played in the stadium that year, with Brent Pease leading the Griz to a 38-31 win at quarterback.

SCORE EARLY AND OFTEN: Montana has done virtually all of its scoring in the first 3 quarters, with the most prolific period being the 2nd quarter, where the Griz have outscored opponents 47-27.

Idaho State, meanwhile, has been a second-half team, outscoring opponents 36-27 in the fourth quarter, scoring 57 total points this season in the second half, but being outscored overall in the second half 71-57. Overall, the Bengals have been outscored 176-108, with the Griz outscoring opponents 109-71.

QUICK HITS: Montana's loss at NAU marked the first time this year the Griz have been outpassed by an opponent, with UM putting up 213 yards in the air to NAU's 260.

• Montana had a punt blocked for the first time since 2019 last week, with the previous block also happening on the road at Weber State in the playoffs.

• Montana hasn't lost its Big Sky opener since 2017 when the Griz fell 41-48 to No. 11 Eastern Washington in Missoula.

• Montana's last loss on Homecoming was 2018 when the Portland State Vikings upset the Griz 22-20. It was the only homecoming loss for Bobby Hauck, who sits at 10-1 in his career on the day.

HAUCK'S RECORD: Hauck is getting closer to becoming the Big Sky Conference's winningest coach of all time. At 119-35 overall at UM, he needs just 5 victories to break the overall win record set by former Northern Arizona head coach (and longtime UM assistant) Jerome Souers (123).

With a 67-19 conference record, Hauck also has the chance to move up the Big Sky wins ladder, needing two more in league play to pass Nevada Hall of Famer Chris Ault at No. 3 on the league's win list. He's chasing Tim Walsh (Portland State/Cal Poly) who posted 74 wins, and Souers, who totaled 85 conference wins.

MORE MILESTONES: Hauck will get the chance to collect his 40th win at UM since returning to coach the Griz in 2018. A win over ISU would also give him a nice, round, 120 overall wins as the Grizzly head coach in combined tenures.

He is 8-1 all-time against Idaho State, with the lone loss to the Bengals coming in his first season back in 2003, a 43-40 double-overtime thriller in Pocatello.

BENGAL BITES: Idaho State comes to Missoula with the most productive passing attack in the Big Sky Conference, averaging over 320 yards per game over the air in four games with 1,289 total passing yards – the third-highest total in the FCS.

• The Bengals are led by first-year head coach Cody Hawkins, the son of UC Davis head coach Dan Hawkins. Cody Hawkins notably played for his dad at the University of Colorado from 2006-2009 where he threw for nearly 2,700 yards in one season (2007).

• ISU employs a two-quarterback system, with Jordan Cooke averaging 207 yards per game, supported by Hunter Hays, who is averaging just over 100 more per game. Hays is also the team's leading rusher, averaging over 26 yards on the ground.

• Christian Fredrickson and Chedon James have been Cooke and Hays' top two targets this season and come to Missoula as two of the top three receivers in the Big Sky this week. With 355 yards, Fredrickson is the leading receiver in the Big Sky Conference and No. 13 nationally, averaging 88 per contest.

• With a blowout loss to Utah State (78-28) on their resume and a total of 176 points scored against them this season, the Bengals enter this week's game with the third-worst scoring defense in the nation, averaging 44 points scored against them per game.

• After four games, ISU has not returned a punt yet this season either. The Bengals have forced 13 punts from their opponents, with each being corralled for a fair catch, downed, or kicked out of bounds, resulting in zero return yards.

ISU's 13 punts are tied with UNC for the second fewest forced in the league this season. NAU has forced the least punts with 12. Montana is tied for the fifth-most forced punts with 19.

Griz return to Missoula looking for Homecoming rebound

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Junior Bergen

Brandon Casey

TraJon Cotton

Tyler Flink

Nash Fouch

Trevin Gradney

Journey Grimsrud

Xavier Harris

Robby Hauck

Braxton Hill

Levi Janacaro

Lucas Johnson

Patrick O'Connell

Nick Ostmo

Corbin Walker

Marcus Welnel

Keelan White

University of Montana Athletics

Griz return to Missoula looking for Homecoming rebound

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Junior Bergen

Brandon Casey

TraJon Cotton

Tyler Flink

Nash Fouch

Trevin Gradney

Journey Grimsrud

Xavier Harris

Robby Hauck

Braxton Hill

Levi Janacaro

Lucas Johnson

Patrick O'Connell

Nick Ostmo

Corbin Walker

Marcus Welnel

Keelan White

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