Griz look to bounce back against Lumberjacks

Down but not out, the No. 14 Montana Grizzlies return to action this week licking their wounds from an upset loss to Weber State, but at the same time licking their chops for a chance at redemption against No. 24 Northern Arizona, who dealt UM its only loss regular season loss a year ago.

Montana enters the week at 4-2 (1-1 BSC), but in the big picture is a play or two away from potentially sitting pretty at 6-0. While a lot more goes into a game, a 43-yard field goal at North Dakota and a 49-yarder against WSU were keys to those Grizzly losses.

But as they say, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, and the Griz set out on the back half of the season this week with all their goals still in front of them, looking to live up to the preseason hype.

UM takes the field this week humming on offense but in the middle of a defensive dry spell, scoring at a record rate of over 200 points in the last four games, but also giving up big plays that have led to plenty of points for opponents.

With only six games left on the regular season slate, Montana enters must-win territory against a Lumberjack outfit that comes to Missoula at .500 (3-3, 1-1 BSC) also looking to prove itself.

Under first-year head coach Brian Wright the 'Jacks hung with the nationally ranked Arizona Wildcats in a week two 22-10 loss, overpowered Utah Tech 45-17, and upset FCS-ranked Sacramento State 34-16 in Flagstaff this season. Last week NAU narrowly missed out on an upset at Idaho on the final play of the game, setting up Washington-Grizzly Stadium to be the second-straight hostile environment it will travel to in as many weeks.

It's shaping up to be another old school Big Sky bout that holds championship and postseason implications for the Griz as they look to bring a 20^th title to Missoula. Montana has the chance to leave it all on the field this week too, with a bye week to rest the bodies on deck.

Kickoff from Missoula is set for 2 p.m.

HAPPY HOMECOMING: Alumni and friends of the University of Montana flock back to Missoula this week for Homecoming, with a full slate of festivities leading up to Saturday's game. Grizzly Soccer and Volleyball are all competing at home this weekend, and the Yell Night Pep Rally will get everyone set for football on Friday night at 8 p.m. in the Oval, with Hauck and the team in attendance.

The Homecoming Parade gets gameday started on Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. at its traditional starting point on North Higgins and traveling south over Beartracks Bridge and along the Hip Strip before turning left on University Ave to campus. A full list of Homecoming events can be found at GrizAlum.org.

• On the football field, Homecoming has historically been happy hunting season for the Griz with UM holding a 68-33-1 record since 1919 and an exemplary 33-4 record inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

The Griz have won four-straight and 9 of their last 11 Homecoming games, with the last loss against Portland State in 2018 and the previous loss occurring back in 2012 against the very same Northern Arizona. UM and NAU have faced each other on Montana's Homecoming game six times since 1976, with the Griz holding a 4-2 advantage over the Lumberjacks.

Bobby Hauck, a Montana alum, is 11-1 overall on Homecoming, with his only loss in 2018 vs PSU.

WATCH: This week's Homecoming game will air around the state on the MTN Network, available free to air and on DIRECTV. A nationwide stream of the game is also available without blackout on ESPN+.

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.

LISTEN: "Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran is in his ninth season behind the mic at Montana and will bring you all the Grizzly action over the airwaves on the Grizzly Sports Radio Network and its fourteen 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 on the Varsity Network App.

THE SERIES: Two of the oldest members of the Big Sky clash once again this week when NAU comes to Missoula for the 26^th time for the 53^rd overall meeting since the two first squared-off in 1966. In that time Montana has built a 37-15 all-time lead in the series, holding a 20-5 record at UM and an even better 14-2 record in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Montana rattled-off a string of wins in the series in the late 90's and early 00's, but since 2010 its's been a neck-and-neck race, with UM holding a slight 5-4 advantage, with the last meeting being a win for the 'Jacks at NAU…

LAST MEETING: Montana struggled to find offensive rhythm and was gashed by big plays defensively in a 28-14 loss at Northern Arizona in the Big Sky Conference opener for both teams at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff in 2023.

The loss was the first for head coach Bobby Hauck against the Lumberjacks in his career at UM and was the first for the Griz in the series since 2016. Montana saw its three-game win streak snapped in the conference opener to fall to 3-1, while NAU snapped a streak of its own, entering the game on a three-game slide to improve to 1-3.

The loss would turn out to be a catalyst for the Griz, however, as Montana rebounded from the setback to rattle off a string of 10-straight wins en route to the 2023 FCS title game.

UM's offense was under pressure, with the QB's completing 23 of 37 passes for 210 yards in the air with one interception. The NAU defense also logged five sacks against the offensive line, most of which were for a big loss adding up to 33 total lost yards. QB Sam Vidlak was also strip-sacked for a fumble in the first half as the Lumberjacks capitalized off UM's two turnovers with a touchdown from each.

Montana's rushing attack also failed to keep the chains moving with just 31 yards on the ground. It was the second straight game UM has tallied less than 100 yards on the ground. Eli Gillman, who went on to win the Jerry Rice Award, had just 12 yards on four carries, while Nick Ostmo, now a top five rusher in UM history, had just two carries.

The Grizzly defense came up with some big plays in big moments, with Braxton Hill and Trevin Gradney each picking off passes. Gradney's pick, his fourth in as many games, resulted in a touchdown shortly after for the Griz, but it wasn't enough as UM struggled with a varied offensive attack from NAU.

It was UM's second trip to Flagstaff in the span of three years. In 2021 the Griz went to NAU and dominated in a 30-3 victory.

LAST TIME IN MISSOULA: You have to go all the way back to 2017 to find the last time NAU visited Missoula, prior to Hauck's return to the Montana sidelines. In a must-win situation, the Griz pulled-out a thrilling 17-15 victory over the No. 9 'Jacks, who came to UM at 5-0 in league play that season.

It was a wild game that included Montana using a wide receiver at quarterback and NAU starting quarterback Case Cookus (now a 9-year pro) being ejected for targeting. The Grizzlies got their first touchdown on a punt-return score by Jerry Louie-McGee, but the stout defense was the story of the night.

The unit forced eight punts, two turnovers, a turnover on downs and a missed field goal. Following NAU's second scoring drive to go up 9-7, the Griz defense didn't allow another point until the final minute of the game. Those eight drives produced just 56 offensive yards for NAU.

Leading the defense was Connor Strahm, who had 15 tackles, 2.5 for loss and a sack. He was one of four players in double figures for tackles, including Josh Buss (11), James Banks (11, 1.0 sack) and Jesse Sims (10, 2.0 sacks). He also had an early blocked point-after attempt, which turned out to be important as NAU was forced to go for a two-point conversion in the final minute of the game instead of a traditional PAT. The defense totaled 95 tackles in the game, including 10 for lost yards. Seven of those were sacks. It also had five pass breakups, a fumble recovery and an interception on a Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the first half.

The offense, without the use of its top two quarterbacks, did just enough to win despite being limited to 218 total yards. Receiver Makena Simis took over for the UM backup just two drives into the game. Simis came to Missoula as a quarterback before being converted to a wide receiver. Prior to that day, he had taken only a handful of snaps under center that season in the wildcat formation. He'd go on to lead the team in rushing and passing with 101 yards on the ground and 44 in the air.

///GRIZ TRACKS///

GRIZ IN THE POLLS: Montana slipped out of the top 10 this week to No. 14 in both the FCS media and coaches' polls following a wild weekend of college football. The Griz are the fourth of a whopping seven Big Sky teams in this week's media poll, with Northern Arizona slotting in at No. 24, up from No. 25 last week.

GRIZ IN THE RATINGS: When the computers take over it's a different story for the Griz, however. Montana is No. 2 in the Big Sky and No. 7 in the FCS in this week's Sagarin Ratings, which account for strength of schedule among its calculation variables. UM is the No. 111 team overall in college football in this week's Sagarin's as well. In the Massey Ratings, UM slots in at No. 9 in the FCS and No. 3 in the Big Sky.

OFFENSE ROLLING: Montana's offense enters this week's clash with NAU firing on all cylinders under coordinator Brent Pease, lighting up the scoreboard for 205 points in the last four games, an average of over 51 points per clip.

It adds up to the No. 2 total offense and scoring offense in the FCS and the tops in the Big Sky this week with a season average of just over 500 yards per game and 43 points.

Just as Pease's offense was last year, Montana is clinically balanced again this season with UM's 3,023 yards of total offense split evenly between the rush (1,595) and the pass (1,428) with just 167 yards separating the two at the midway point of the season.

MOVE THE CHAINS: Led by QB Logan Fife in the last two games, and UM's two-headed monster of a rushing attack with Gillman and Ostmo, the Grizzly offense leads the nation in first downs this week and is on track to demolish the school record for most first downs in a season.

The Griz enter the NAU game having moved the chains a total of 158 times, just 14 shy of breaking the school record of 171 set all the way back in 1970. At the halfway point of the season UM also has the Big Sky record for most first downs in the crosshairs of 372 set by Eastern Washington in 2016.

POUND THE ROCK: After Gillman's three TD day against WSU, Montana now has two of the top 10 leaders in rushing touchdowns in program history on the roster, and another on the coaching staff.

Gillman's career-high day gave the sophomore (!) 23 rushing touchdowns to slot in at No. 9 all-time at UM. He's now just one behind Ostmo and Tony Rice's career totals of 24 rushing scores, and one ahead of running back coach Justin Green's 22.

With still two and half seasons to play, it won't be long before Gillman is in the conversation to join Lex Hillard (50) and Chase Reynolds (52) at the top of the all-time list.

• Gillman also caught his first career TD pass on Saturday to put him at 24 total, and at No. 17 on that all-time list, four behind Ostmo who slots in at No. 8 this week.

• Gillman and Keali'i Ah Yat are now tied for the most points scored in a game this year in the Big Sky after Gillman put up 24 against Weber State and Ah Yat 24 against Morehead State, both scoring 4 TDs.

BEST OF THE BEST: Gillman remains No. 2 this week in all of D-I football in rushing yards per carry, trailing only Heisman Candidate Ashton Jeanty of Boise State, who is averaging 10.85 yards per tote.

Gillman has a relatively quiet day rushing against WSU with 69 yards, but added 79 receiving for 148 total yards, the second-most productive day in terms of yards in his career. However, it was his first outing in four games where he DIDN'T rush for 100+, dipping his average per carry down to 9.32 per tote – still the best average in the FCS.

WHITE'S NIGHT: Senior receiver Keelan White had a career-high game against Weber State, hauling in 11 catches on 15 targets for 163 yards and a touchdown. Over the course of the last two games the Canadian Spider has been coming through in the clutch.

In a two-game span White has caught 18 passes for 238 yards. Of those, 15 resulted in a first down and seven were a third down conversion.

Add it all up and he's now broken into Montana's top 30 all-time leaders in receiving yards with 1,570 to his name, 35 yards ahead of...

BERGEN BITES: Junior Bergen is also just 35 yards behind White at No. 30 on UM's all-time leaders in receiving yards list with 1,535 to his name.

The Billings native totaled 200 all-purpose yards last week against WSU to pass Jerry Louie-McGee's career total and move up to No. 7 on UM's all-time list with 3,779. At the halfway point of the season, he's poised to break into the top five and potentially break the 5,000 yard mark.

Bergen, Gillman, and Ostmo are also all among the top 35 point scorers in program history as well.

FIFE FACTS: Logan Fife was named Big Sky Player of the Week after his big day at EWU, and put up another Player of the Week-worthy performance in his second-straight start against Weber State – an award he would have been in the running for if the Griz won.

The junior put down nearly the same stat line as he did at EWU, throwing for 344 yards on 30-for-41 completions and a pair of touchdowns. That brings his two game total to 708 yards passing with 60 completions on 83 attempts – the best two-game total in the Big Sky so far this season. Fife also put up 762 yards of total offense in that two game span, the most in the league vs D-I opponents on the year.

With just a pair of starts, Fife is now top 15 in the FCS and second in the league in passing efficiency (158) and completion percentage (.689).

STOPS ON STOPS: Riley Wilson had a career-high day for the Grizzly defense against Weber State, logging 14 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and a sack to pace Montana.

Fellow linebacker Ryan Tirrell leads the team in overall tackles, sitting second in the Big Sky with 48 at the midpoint of the season.

HARRIS' HIGHLIGHTS: Senior end Hayden Harris also had a big day against the Wildcats with a sack, a half TFL, and a forced fumble. He enters the back half of the year second in the league in sacks with 7.5 and first in forced fumbles with three – both top three totals in the FCS.

STRING OF SELLOUTS: Tickets are once again few and far between for the always popular Homecoming game. The Griz are back home for a second-straight week riding a string of 14-straight regular season sellouts.

Since Washington-Grizzly Stadium expanded to its current capacity of 25,217 in 2008, Montana has sold-out more than half of its home games, exceeding capacity now 60 times in 111 games, including playoff contests.

FALSE START FRENZY: The Grizzly faithful have helped cause a whopping 14 false starts in Montana's three home games so far this season after WSU jumped three times last week.

Montana's opponents were flagged for a false start a total of 26 times in nine home games in 2023, an average of just under three per game (2.8). Keep up the good work Griz Nation.

HOME SWEET HOME: Montana had its string of 15-straight wins inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium snapped last week against Weber State, a streak that dated back to the middle of the 2022 season and was the third-longest active streak in the FCS this year.

15-straight was the fifth-longest streak in WGS history. Between the start of the 1994 season and the midway point of the 1997 season UM ripped off 30-straight at home, a Big Sky record. Between 2000-2002 and 2008-10 the Griz had strings of 23-straight, and between the end of the '87 season and 1990 had a string of 17-straight.

Montana is an incredible 233-36 (.866) inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium, with last week's loss to WSU just the 12^th for Hauck in his home venue. In his 13-year career at UM, Hauck as amassed a 91-12 record in Missoula having coached five undefeated seasons at home.

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Players Mentioned

Keali'i Ah Yat

Junior Bergen

Logan Fife

Eli Gillman

Trevin Gradney

Hayden Harris

Braxton Hill

Nick Ostmo

Ryan Tirrell

Sam Vidlak

Keelan White

Riley Wilson

University of Montana Athletics