The Montana Grizzlies won’t have an easy time getting out of their slump.
After losing two straight games going into a bye week, the Griz will play No. 6 UC Davis Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. And while Montana is trying to haut a sudden skid, the Aggies are riding a high.
At 6-1, Davis has already won more games this year then they have in any full year since joining the Big Sky Conference in 2012. The Aggies’ only loss is to FBS Stanford, and they’re the lone remaining undefeated team in Big Sky Conference play after Eastern Washington lost to Weber State last week. The Davis offense is explosive, which isn’t what Montana wants to see after giving up 41 points to North Dakota two weeks ago. With three losses already, a loss would likely eliminate the Grizzlies from the playoff picture, making the ramifications of Saturday’s game that much more stark.
“It’s a big week for us,” Montana head coach Bobby Hauck said during his weekly news conference on Monday. “We’ve got a Top 10 opponent coming in who has played really well in recent weeks. They are at the top of the league standings. They are going up and down the field on people. They are playing well on defense and certainly we will have our hands full.”
Nickname: Aggies
Location: Davis, California
Founded: 1905
Enrollment: 36,441. UC Davis is considered one of the top public research universities in the country and is known as a “Public Ivy” as one of the top public institutions of higher learning in the country.
Stadium: Aggie Stadium holds 10,743. It hosts the football and lacrosse teams at Davis, as well as a semipro soccer team in the NPSL. It opened in 2007. The Aggies are averaging 8,778 fans per game in three home games, including a sellout crowd of 10,849 two weeks ago against Idaho State, the first sellout in stadium history.
Alumni: Anna Escobedo Cabral, Treasurer of the United States; Urijah Faber, mixed martial artist; Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Stephen Robinson, astronauts
THE COACH
Dan Hawkins, second year at UC Davis
Hawkins, after high-profile stints at Boise State and Colorado, had a short coaching stint in the CFL and was a college football analyst for ESPN before returning to his alma mater UC Davis in 2017 as the head coach. The Aggies were 5-6 in his first season before getting off to a hot start this year. Few coaches in the FCS have higher national recognition than Hawkins, who brought Boise State into the national conversation by going 53-11 in five years as head coach of the Broncos from 2001-2005. He then took the head coaching job at Colorado, going just 19-39 and courting controversy several times before being fired in 2010.
After that, Hawkins moved into broadcasting, working as an analyst for ESPN while also having a short five-game stint as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL and leading the United States national football team to a world championship gold medal in 2015. He accepted the UC Davis job in late 2016 after Ron Gould was dismissed.
Hawkins played fullback for the Aggies, graduating in 1984 and moving onto the coaching staff under the legendary Jim Sochor. He then held a number of assistant jobs before getting his first head gig at Willamette University in 1993. Hawkins’ teams are famous for their high-scoring offenses. His 2002 Boise State team led the country in both yards and points per game, and this year’s Aggies are tops in the Big Sky in points per game with 42.4, including 47.8 points per game in six games against FCS competition.
Players to Watch – Offense
Keelan Doss, WR (Sr., 6-3, 209) – Doss is one of the best receivers in the country and a legitimate NFL prospect. At a jacked 209 pounds, he’s less of a big-play threat and more of a steady, every-down receiver, particularly with the attention he is receiving this season as the reigning Big Sky Offensive MVP. Because of his size, he doesn’t need much separation to make catches, but Doss also has good speed and route-running instincts. He’s averaging nearly nine catches a game, first in the Big Sky by a wide margin, through seven games. His numbers are even down a bit from last year’s campaign, in which Doss averaged over 10 catches and 136 yards per game and was a consensus All-American. With Montana’s starting corners listed at 176 pounds (Justin Calhoun) and 190 pounds (Dareon Nash), Doss will have a physical advantage, as usual, on Saturday.
Peerless season culminates with Payton finalist for Davis WR Doss
Jake Maier, QB (Jr., 6-0, 200) – Maier was the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year in 2017 after transferring from Long Beach City College, but has his sights set higher this year. He’s leading the conference with 2,160 passing yards and 21 touchdowns in seven games and should be the frontrunner for Offensive Player of the Year. Maier has basically been the perfect quarterback for the Aggies thus far. He can take shots downfield, but is also completing nearly 63 percent of his passes and has thrown just three interceptions, despite throwing the ball by far the most of any quarterback in the conference. Scrambling is about the only thing Maier can’t do — he has negative-45 net yards rushing so far this season. Bobby Hauck noted at Monday’s press conference that Montana has faced a lot of experienced quarterbacks so far this year, but Maier is by far the best.
Players to Watch – Defense
Mason Moe, LB (Sr., 6-0, 210) – On a defense that likes to get in the backfield — UC Davis has 52 tackles for loss in just seven games — Moe’s numbers stand out. The senior linebacker from Kanoehe, Hawaii, has five sacks and 10 tackles for loss, both among the top numbers in the Big Sky Conference. He also leads the Aggies with two interceptions. Moe transferred to the Aggies last year from West Hills College, where he was a defensive back. He had just 31 tackles last year despite playing in all 11 games. This year, though, Moe has been key for a defense that’s second in the league in stopping the run.
Vincent White, S (Sr., 6-0, 187) – Despite their success against the run, the Aggies are still middle of the pack in total defense this year, thanks to a secondary that’s had a lot of trouble and given up nearly 300 yards a game through the air. White is going to be key in turning that around. The senior safety leads the Big Sky Conference with 13 pass breakups, after getting a team-high 12 last year. He’s not as well-known or physically intimidating as some of the other safeties in the Big Sky, but those stats show that White is a smart player who’s usually in the right place. Despite the high number of deflections, though, White has picked off only three passes in the last two years. He needs to start turning some of those deflections into picks, and a Montana offense that’s struggled with turnovers recently might be a good place to start.
