MISSOULA — For most of the modern generation of Griz football, Montana has lost headlining linebackers only to replace them with players of equal or superior talent.
With the loss of prolific tackler James Banks and hard-hitting hammer Connor Strahm, this year’s Grizzlies faced the question once again. Who would flank All-American Josh Buss in new defensive coordinator Kent Baer’s defense?
Two weeks into the season, the answer has been resounding. Dante Olson has announced his presence on the Big Sky Conference and FCS scene with a pair of prolific games in his first two contests as a starter.
The 6-foot-3, 237-pound redshirt junior earned Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors thanks to his standout effort in Montana’s 26-23 win over No. 13 Northern Iowa to begin the second tenure of head coach Bobby Hauck. Olson outdid himself last week, earning Big Sky and FCS STATS National Defensive Player of the Week honors for his high-volume performance in UM’s 48-16 victory over Drake.
“It’s awesome, those awards and stuff like that but right now, I’m just focused on the fact we are 2-0 as a team and the defense is playing well,” Olson said. “A lot of things to learn and correct from the film. We are moving on to next week with a big matchup against Western Illinois.”
Montana has a history of replacing standout players without much of a hiccup as groups like Adam Hoge, Joel Robinson and Brent Meyers passed the tradition of the Griz linebackers to players like Tyler Joyce, Kyle Ryan and Loren Utterback. That group gave way to Shawn Lebsock, Brandon Fisher and Alex Shaw who passed the torch to Caleb McSurdy, then Brock Coyle, Jordan Tripp and John Kanongta’a. The bridge between Mick Delaney’s last group and Bob Stitt’s best group came in the form of Kendrick Van Ackeren, Jeremiah Kose and Herbert Gamboa.
Every single one of the aforementioned players earned All-Big Sky honors at least once in their careers with McSurdy, Coyle and Tripp all moving on to play in the NFL. Hauck was Montana’s head coach in the mid-2000s, having a hand in developing or recruiting most of Montana’s recent great linebackers.
Olson has shown a nose for the football and good speed during two years as a special teams standout for the Griz. He won Montana’s Hauck Family Special Teams Player of the Year award each of the last two years. He also showed explosiveness off the edge in Montana’s third down packages.
His rise has been stark. But to Hauck, it’s not a shock.
“Nobody in our locker room, either coach or players, is surprised,” Hauck said bluntly at Monday’s weekly meeting with the media.
Olson finished Montana’s momentum-driven, season-opening win over UNI with 13 tackles, a third-quarter interception, a crucial fourth-quarter sack, an additional tackle for loss and a pass breakup.
He had even more highlight reel worthy plays against Drake, racking up 11 tackles in the first half and 16 overall. He finished with two official sacks although video replay and photos reveals he might’ve deserved credit for at least half a sack he shared with Braydon Deming in the first half.
“Their blitz was getting to us all day,” Drake head coach Rick Fox said. “We knew that. We were prepared for the blitz but we didn’t handle it or pick it up very well.”
The Medford, Oregon native had a diving pass breakup on an intended throw over the middle by Drake senior quarterback Grant Kraemer. He had a strip that led to a field goal in the first quarter and finished with a total 3.5 tackles for loss.
“The coaches have done great job – they are great play-callers, great communicators with each other and with us,” Olson said. “As a team, we got seven sacks this week, which is awesome. I’m not concerned about statistics except wins and losses.”
The humble Olson is also a 4.0 student and an All-Academic selection. His father, Jeff Olson, served as the head coach at Southern Oregon for most of his youth, then coached him at South Medford High. Olson enters this week’s matchup at Western Illinois with 29 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.
“It’s cool how it happened and I’m obviously excited about it but two weeks ago, I was focused on getting a win with the team, playing a great team in Northern Iowa and the focus has changed now this week to Western Illinois. Coach Hauck preaches team, being a team and winning. I’m not too worried about the awards although it’s pretty sweet.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez & Jason Bacaj (Main Photo). All Rights Reserved.
