Big Sky Conference

Griz finalize 2017 football schedule

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The Montana Grizzlies will once again play a full Division-I schedule in 2017, with the addition of Savannah State, an FCS program out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), to complete next season’s slate of games.

Montana has also agreed to a future home-and-home series with Western Illinois out of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Montana will open the 2019 season at Western Illinois on Aug. 31, with the return game on Sep. 11, 2021, in Missoula.

The addition of Savannah State on Sept. 16 completes the Grizzlies’ 2017 schedule, with UM playing a total of six home games. Montana opens the season on Sept. 2, hosting Valparaiso of the FCS Pioneer Football League.

The Griz then head to Seattle for a formidable challenge against the defending Pac-12 champion Washington Huskies. The last time Montana played a Pac-12 team was in 2005 when the Griz fell to Oregon 47-14 in Eugene.
“I am pleased we are once again playing a full Division-I schedule of games. I am also excited to bring a pair of teams in the non-conference schedule to Missoula who have never competed at Washington-Grizzly Stadium,” said Montana Director of Athletics Kent Haslam.

“This is a great home schedule featuring not only all D-I opponents but two teams who have never been to Missoula, along with the two teams who tied for the 2016 Big Sky Conference championship. Combine those with back-to-back home contests against Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado in November, and this is shaping up to be a fun slate of games for Griz fans.”

Next season’s exciting home schedule starts on Sept.23 with defending Big Sky co-champion and FCS semifinalist Eastern Washington. The league’s other co-champion, the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, pay a visit to Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Oct. 14, followed by Northern Arizona on Nov. 4 and Northern Colorado on Nov. 11.

The Sept. 16 game against Savannah State marks the first time the Griz have played a team from the MEAC, and only the second time UM has played one of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the regular season, after hosting Mississippi Valley State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in 2016. The Griz hosted Jackson State of the SWAC in the 1989 playoffs.

Savannah State, located in Savannah, Ga., finished the 2016 season at No. 8 in the MEAC standings. North Carolina Central won the league at 8-0 and finished at No. 22 in the final STATS FCS media poll of the year.

N.C. Central lost to Grambling State 10-9 in the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17, 2016, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta in front of 31,096 fans. The Celebration Bowl is played annually between the winner of the MEAC & SWAC and is the de facto national championship for HBCU schools.

The MEAC also produced a 2016 FCS playoff team in North Carolina A&T, who finished the year ranked No. 20 in the nation after losing to Richmond in the first round, 39-10. Richmond went on to beat North Dakota 27-24 in Grand Forks, before falling to Eastern Washington in the FCS quarterfinals, 38-0.

Looking ahead to 2019, Montana will open the season in Macomb, Ill., on Aug. 31, for the first leg of the home-and-home series with Western Illinois. The Griz then head to Eugene to face Oregon a week later on Sept. 7.

The return matchup with the Leathernecks in 2021 completes UM’s non-conference slate that year. The Griz travel to face Washington in Seattle on Sept. 4, followed by home games against Western Illinois on Sept. 11, and Missouri State on Sept. 18, giving UM two consecutive games against teams from the MVFC.

“I really like the idea of securing another home-and-home with a Missouri Valley Football Conference opponent,” added Haslam. “Western Illinois is a quality opponent and sticks with our philosophy of challenging the team in the non-conference schedule.”

Montana travels to face Missouri State in Springfield on Sept. 12, 2020, and hosts Morehead State a week later on Sept. 19.

Montana has faced Western Illinois twice in program history, with both meetings occurring in the D-1AA/FCS playoffs. The Griz are 0-2 against WIU, with the Griz losing 52-9 in Macomb in 1998 in the first round of the playoffs.

The Leathernecks came to Missoula in the first round of the playoffs in the 2003 season, with WIU pulling out a thrilling 43-40 win in double overtime.

Ticket information for the 2017 season will be announced in the near future.

2017 Montana Football Schedule

9/2/2017 Valparaiso TBD
9/9/2017 Washington TBD
9/16/2017 Savannah State TBD
9/23/2017 Eastern Washington* TBD
9/30/2017 Portland State* TBD
10/7/2017 Idaho State* TBD
10/14/2017 North Dakota*# TBD
10/28/2017 Weber State* TBD
11/4/2017 Northern Arizona* TBD
11/11/2017 Northern Colorado* TBD
11/18/2017 Montana State*$ TBD


Home games in BOLD
*= Big Sky Conference Game
#= Homecoming
$= 117th Brawl of the Wild

Press release courtesy of Eric Taber – Montana Sports Information. All Rights Reserved. 

About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

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