Moving on: it will be essential for both the big winner and the heartbroken loser as the FCS playoffs come to Montana next weekend.
In the 119th edition of the fierce rivalry between Montana and Montana State in Bozeman last weekend, the Bobcats destroyed the Grizzlies. The 48-14 MSU win marked the largest margin of victory in the rivalry for the ‘Cats since 1966. And Montana State did it in startling fashion, rushing for 382 yards against the Big Sky Conference’s top-ranked rushing defense.
The magnitude of the matchup this season was heightened as both teams entered last Saturday’s showdown ranked in the Top 10 in the FCS national polls for the first time since 2011. But that scenario actually made the result of Saturday’s game less consequential in terms of the continuation of each team’s season.
Both teams are into the FCS playoffs simultaneously for the first time since 2014.
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“I think it’s always good to go into the tournament hot,” Montana State fourth-year head coach Jeff Choate said after the Bobcats sewed up a second straight playoff spot with a fourth straight rivalry game victory. “A victory like this can provide momentum and hopefully, it can be a catalyst for us to continue our run.
“I think this is a really good football team. And I think if we played like we did today, we could make a run in the playoffs.”
Although the Grizzlies got whipped in a fashion unseen in the modern era by their bitter rival, Saturday’s result did not ruin an otherwise stellar season. Montana won nine of its first 10 FCS games, the lone loss coming to eventual Big Sky champion Sacramento State. Even with Saturday’s lopsided defeat, the Griz still finished the regular season with an identical record to the Bobcats – 6-2 in Big Sky play, 9-3 overall with one of the losses (35-3 at Oregon) coming to an FBS opponent.
“I’m glad both teams are in the playoffs,” UM head coach Bobby Hauck said following his second straight and fourth overall loss to the Bobcats. “I’m interested to see how that all comes out tomorrow. We just have to simmer on this one for 24 hours and then we can get on to the next one.
“It’s not one game. We have been a pretty dominant football team this year. We will see what (the FCS Playoff selection committee) thinks.”
With the announcement of the 24-team playoff bracket, both Montana schools will have a bye and a Top 8 seed for the first time since 2011. That year, when the bracket only had 20 teams, the Griz were the No. 4 seed while the Bobcats were unseeded but still got a first-round bye.
This year’s Bobcats are the No. 5 seed. MSU will host the winner of Northeast Conference champion Central Connecticut State (11-1) and Albany (8-4) of the Colonial Athletic Association.
“It’s time to move on with life,” Choate said. “We have to focus on now.”
Choate said he wanted his players to focus on their academics this week. Because Thanksgiving fell a week later than usual, next week is playoff week AND finals week at Montana State.
“There’s three things this thing is all about: No. 1 is family. Our internal family and hopefully those guys get a chance to spend some time with their family over Thanksgiving. School, school, school – dig in on the academic piece and remember why you are here,” Choate said. “And lastly, focus on us between the white lines, our fundamentals, our DNA and sharpening the saw a little bit as we get ready for either Central Connecticut State or the University of Albany.”
The Grizzlies received the No. 6 seed. Montana will host the winner of Villanova (9-3) of the CAA and Southeastern Louisiana (7-4) of the Southland Conference.
“It’s nice to be seeded sixth,” Hauck said right after hearing the announcement of the seed last Sunday. “I’m not sure, you know, when I took the job that I thought we’d be in that position this soon. So, I’m excited about it. We’ve had a great year, a great season. I’m glad for our team.”
In 2011, UM rode momentum into the postseason, beating former No. 1 Montana State 36-10 in Bozeman to spark a run to the semifinal of the FCS playoffs.
That same year, Montana State blocked an extra point to earn a 26-25 win over New Hampshire, the first playoff win of former head coach Rob Ash’s career.
In 2014, the Bobcats and the Grizzlies each made the playoffs and each played in the first round. Since then, the rivals have not made the playoffs in the same season. Until this year.
“Last year, we rode the momentum of the Cat-Griz game to a first-round playoff win but last year after the Incarnate Word game, our guys were gassed, not just physically but emotionally and mentally drained,” said Choate, whose team eliminated Montana from playoff contention three years in a row until this season. “I think that having this chance to get away from it for a couple of days even, hopefully our guys come back more fresh and excited.”
Following last week’s result in Bozeman, Hauck came to his post-game press conference by himself. He did not bring players for interviews. He answered questions cordially but the emotion and disappointment was written on his face.
When asked about moving on from a devastating loss, he said:
“We won’t be moving past it. It will be hard to do. I can tell you we are going to be just great next week. We won’t be.”
Hauck did not hold a press conference on Monday, following “in-season procedure” of no media availability during a bye week.
Choate said he has reached out to colleagues to help him learn how to navigate having a week off following a 12-game regular-season. He said he talked to Courtney Messingham, the offensive coordinator at Kansas State that held the same position on Choate’s staff in 2016 and on North Dakota State’s staff in 2017 and 2018. Choate said he also reached out to Weber State head coach Jay Hill, who has the Wildcats as the No. 3 seed in this upcoming tournament with a bye for the third year in a row.
Choate said his team “put the Montana game to bed” on Monday, then had normal morning practices on Tuesday and Wednesday. The MSU coaches gave the players Wednesday afternoon, Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning off.
Meanwhile, MSU film coordinator and director of creative services Garrett Becker has provided film for the staff to review on both Central Connecticut State and Albany. Choate said his staff will prepare “mini game plans” on each team, then watch the game that kicks off at 11 a.m. MST.
After the opponent is known, MSU will begin preparation. The Bobcats have won four total playoff games — one each in 2006, 2011, 2012 and last season — since their historic run to the 1984 Division I-AA national championship.
Earning a playoff bye, a top-five seed and taking a four-game winning streak is the necessary step Choate wanted his program to take in his fourth season.
“I think it’s meaningful and impactful for the growth of our program,” Choate said. “I think it’s a logical next step for us in terms of learning how to play in this tournament and learning how to win in this tournament.”
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Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
