The Bob Stitt era started with a resounding bang in Missoula the final Saturday in August. The Montana Grizzlies scored with two seconds to play to seal a signature victory over the previously invincible Bison. For a moment, the Griz were on top of the college football world.
UM quarterback Brady Gustafson stands tall in the pocket vs. EWU/by Evan Frost
Just as soon as Stitt, Montana’s first-year head coach, and his Grizzlies burst onto the national scene, the season seemed to come crashing down. After the 38-35 win over four-time defending national champion North Dakota State, Montana had a letdown in a 20-19 home loss to Cal Poly the next week. The end of the third game stamped the Stitt’s first losing streak as junior quarterback Brady Gustafson broke his leg in the second quarter of a 31-21 loss at Liberty. For the first time all season, Stitt confirmed the injury during a conference call with media from around the nation.
The Griz stood at 4-4 at the beginning of November, a virtual start to the playoffs a full three weeks early. Montana has rallied, pulling off a miraculous win at Idaho State before beating the tar out of rivals Eastern Washington (57-16) and Montana State (54-35) to earn a first-round playoff game.
Following last week’s 24-17 victory over South Dakota State, the Griz now have a rematch against North Dakota State, this time in the Fargodome.
UM wide receiver Ben Roberts high points a touchdown pass vs. NDSU/by Brooks Nuanez
“Beating North Dakota State gave us a lot of confidence early but we’ve been through so much with the injuries and the ups and downs and the close losses that the North Dakota State game seems like two years ago,” Stitt said during the conference call. “It was great at the time. But we came back and lost a real disappointing game the next week. It smacked you right in the face. We feel good because we’ve played them before but it really means nothing now because you wipe the slate clean.”
Still, the victory set the tone for Montana’s season and for Stitt’s first campaign at the helm, showing the Big Sky Conference and the FCS that Montana is a contender when clicking on all cylinders. Montana has been in a must-win situation for nearly a month. Despite the fond memories of August 29, extending the season is the primary thing concerning the Griz.
“It was an incredible game, one I’ll never forget,” Montana defensive end Tyrone Holmes, the nation’s sack leader with 17 including two against NDSU, said during Tuesday’s conference call. “It was the first game of my senior season on ESPN with Brent Musberger calling the game. It was an unreal experience. The stadium was loud. The win at the end was unbelievable. But coming into this game, that game doesn’t really do a whole lot for us. We just have to come into this one and try to get another win.”
The season-opening win over NDSU showed a glimpse of the talent and ability the Grizzlies do possess. In games when Gustafson plays the duration, the Griz are 4-1 with an average score of 43 to 26. Gustafson helps the Montana offense run in an up-tempo fashion with a variety of checks and audibles at the line of scrimmage. Montana’s high-pressure defense has been hot of late as well, forcing 13 turnovers during its recent four-game winning streak. Montana’s 41 sacks are tied for the second best total in the nation.
UM wide receiver Ellis Henderson makes a leaping touchdown catch vs. SDSU in a playoff win last weekend/by Brooks Nuanez
“Playoff football is a lot of fun and really gets your juices going when it really matters,” Stitt said. “We’ve been playing playoff football and really good football for awhile now and we have played some really good teams. We are playing at a high level. We knew we had that in us as a team. We showed flashes for quarters or in a half. Now we are starting to put that all together.”
Montana ran 92 plays and piled up 544 yards of total offense in the win over NDSU. The week after losing in Missoula, North Dakota State smothered Weber State, holding the Wildcats to six first downs in a 41-14 win. Weber rushed for 253 yards in a 24-21 overtime win in Missoula over Montana a month later. Against NDSU, the Wildcats managed just 2.4 yards per carry on 22 rushes.
The following week, NDSU played in-state rival North Dakota for the first time since 2003 and the Bison defense was even stouter. In a 34-9 win, NDSU held UND to three first downs. North Dakota rushed for four yards on 26 carries. The defensive suffocations continued the following week as North Dakota State held South Dakota State to 12 first downs and allowed -4 yards rushing on 15 carries to the Jackrabbits.
NDSU, the No. 2 overall seed, had one other misstep: a 24-21 loss to South Dakota in Fargo, NDSU’s fourth home loss this decade. NDSU surged into the playoffs by beating ranked Indiana State and Youngstown State teams on the road before finishing its season with a 55-0 win over Missouri State at home.
UM defensive end Tyrone Holmes blast NDSU quarterback Carson Wentz/by Brooks Nuanez
“We know we can play with them,” Stitt said. “I don’t think too many people thought we could play with the four-time national champions going into that game but we proved we could. I know we are a better football team than we were then. And they are still really good.”
North Dakota State has been the best team in the nation for the last four years running. This year’s Bison are 9-2, raising NDSU’s record since the beginning of 2011 to 67-5. The last time North Dakota State’s season ended without a national championship trophy came during a 38-31 overtime loss to Eastern Washington during the quarterfinals of the 2010 FCS playoffs.
“I still think we all have the same amount to play for,” Holmes said. “We are all trying to get a national championship. I don’t really see how they are playing for more at this point. If we lose, all our seniors are done. If they lose, all their seniors are done. I feel like we are playing for the same thing.”
Montana will be short one pivotal senior, outside linebacker Kendrick Van Ackeren, UM’s leading tackler with a school-record 130 stops, suffered a broken arm in the second half against South Dakota State. He had surgery earlier this week and is doubtful for Saturday’s game.
North Dakota State’s dynasty has been built on the backs of defensive studs like Buck Buchanan Award winner Kyle Emanuel, All-America cornerback Marcus Williams and high-motor linebacker Travis Beck. All are no longer with the team as defensive end Greg Menard is the biggest star on a workman defense.
NDSU quarterback Carson Wentz hands off to running back King Fraizer in Missoula/by Brooks Nuanez
Offensively, quarterback Brock Jensen (Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League) won three straight national titles before giving way to Carson Wentz. Wentz enters this season, his senior year, as a true NFL Draft prospect projected to go as high as the second round. He injured his ankle against Montana, limiting his mobility during the second half as the Bison scored seven points after intermission.
Against South Dakota, Wentz broke his throwing (right) wrist, which required surgery. That was in mid-October. The initial diagnosis was that he would miss six to eight weeks. Saturday would be the eight-week mark since the injury. In his place, redshirt freshman Easton Stick has completed 60 percent of his 95 passes in five starts (19 passes per game) for 826 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. North Dakota State head coach Chris Klieman said Wentz “has no chance to play on Saturday.”
“Their program has an advantage but their quarterback has no advantage,” Stitt said. “You go as your quarterback goes. It will be interesting how he handles going against a team most of them have heard about for a long time. It’s the same with our team. We’ve heard about North Dakota State and it’s all we’ve talked about since I’ve been here. We’ve played a lot more playoff football than they have. We’ve had our back against the wall for a long time. All the talk was about if you lose, you aren’t making it in. It started when we thought we needed eight. Then it got to seven. And then we hung on. Our guys are ready.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez or noted. All Rights Reserved.
