Griz ride the momentum of Hauck’s return to electric first half

MISSOULA — What played out Saturday night under the Washington-Grizzly Stadium lights might’ve been nostalgic if it wasn’t such a stark reality within the present.

One might have expected a Montana Grizzlies team shrouded in mystery to march down the field on its opening drive of their opener against No. 13 Northern Iowa.

When Dalton Sneed exploded through the line, into the open field and then into the South end-zone, a student section adorned in maroon exploded like it was decade earlier. The return of Bobby Hauck was off and running.

While a scripted drive for a team with a new coaching staff is nothing new, the energy UM’s opening drive elicited from the sellout crowd here was palpable. Over the last half dozen years, the unparalleled excitement for Griz football had grown stagnant. For most of the first 30 minutes of action Saturday, it seemed the lit fuse had already ignited an entire fan base.