It took all of about two weeks of tours through the Treasure State for Bob Stitt to realize the pressure and expectations that comes with his new job.
“You come to Montana to win them all and that is the expectation,” Montana’s first-year head coach said in an interview in June. “The reason I came to Montana is I wanted to coach at a place that mattered, a place with passion. I needed that in my career. I knew there was passion for football here, but after going through the spring tour here, it’s a lot bigger than I thought.”
Mick Delaney
At the end of last season, Mick Delaney announced his retirement after nearly five decades as a coach in Montana. Between 1995 and 2009, Montana won or shared all but two Big Sky Conference titles. The Grizzlies went to the playoffs 18 straight times and played for the national title seven times, winning in 1995 and 2001.
This decade hasn’t been so kind. Amid controversy and NCAA regulations, UM saw Robin Pflugrad get fired, making way for Delaney to take over first as an interim, then as the head coach the last three seasons. Montana finished below .500 for the first time since 1985 in 2012.
With 2011’s Big Sky Conference title nullified because of NCAA violations, the Griz haven’t had a new league banner to hand in half a decade. Montana went to the playoffs in 2011 and each of the last two seasons but mustered one win — a drubbing of non-scholarship San Diego in last season’s first round — since Bobby Hauck left in 2009. UM posted two wins to advance to the semifinals in 2011, victories that were also negated by the NCAA.
Enter Stitt, a Division II pillar who developed somewhat of a cult following nationally due to his reputation as an offensive innovator. In 15 seasons as the head coach at Colorado School of Mines, Stitt won 108 games and three Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles. The man acknowledged as the creator of the “fly sweep” offensive play made it to the Division II playoffs three times, claiming his lone postseason victory in the first round in 2004.
Now Stitt is faced with sky-high expectations. And his tenure will not begin with a cupcake. Montana opens its season on Saturday against four-time national champion North Dakota State.
Matt Hermanson
The Grizzlies will be buoyed, especially early, by a defense that returns a handful of standouts. Holmes, senior captain defensive end Derek Crittenden and junior defensive tackle Caleb Kidder will anchor a defensive line that loses All-Big Sky defensive tackle Tonga Takai and All-America defensive end Zack Wagenmann. Senior linebackers Kendrick Van Ackeren, Jeremiah Kose and Herbert Gamboa return; each earned All-Big Sky honors last season. Senior Nate Harris and senior strong safety Justin Whitted return to bolster the back end.
Montana led the league in scoring defense by a wide margin, giving up 21 points per game. Northern Arizona was next in the Big Sky, surrendering 25.7. The Griz were also second in total defense (359.4 yards per game).
The defensive unit will also receive a boost from the retention of defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak and defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa. Gregorak has been the DC since 2012 and has been a Montana assistant for every season since 2003 save 2010.
“Those guys staying means the world to all of us defensive people here,” said Kidder, the 2011 Montana Gatorade Player of the Year at Helena Capital. “The system hasn’t changed. I’ve been running the same defense for four years. We are all confident, we are all ready to go and we are all veterans to this system. We should have a great defense.”
JR Nelson
Although Montana returns key players on its defense, Gregorak is weary about anointing the Griz as the Big Sky’s best unit just yet.
“We have some continuity, Coach Legi and I have been together yes, but there’s three new guys on the coaching staff,” Gregorak said. “I have been hearing how much we return on defense. Think about what we lost. We lost Tonga Takai (first-team All-Big Sky at defensive tackle), Trevor Rehm and Zack Wagenmann (Big Sky Defensive MVP at defensive end). We lost Matt Hermanson (All-America safety) and Josh Dennard (second-team All-Big Sky cornerback) and one was an All-American. That’s five of 11 that are gone. Everyone is saying we return everyone. We have some BIG holes to fill.”
Those holes will be filled by a host of players. Jamal Wilson, a converted fullback, is the starter at defensive tackle next to Kidder. Sophomore Nate Bradley and junior Zach Peevey should get ample time. Redshirt freshman Manu Rasmussen will slide into Hermanson’s spot at strong safety. Junior JR Nelson will start at cornerback opposite Harris. With Gamboa suspended for the first game because a violation of the team’s code of conduct, senior Connor Lebsock will make his first start at outside linebacker.
Montana’s implementation of Stitt’s up-tempo spread offense is much more a work in progress. The Grizzlies are transitioning from a pro-style offense that used fullbacks and tight ends prevalently to Stitt’s four-wide hurry up attack that averaged more than 35 points per game five times at Mines.
“We’ve come a long way on the offensive side,” Stitt said. “Defensively, we were pretty strong. Offensively, we are pretty sharp right now and Brady (Gustafson) is executing things pretty darn well.”
“We are close and every day, we get more reps and the quarterbacks get more comfortable, are able to check us into more things. Our offense is going to grow as the season goes on.”
The attack promises to rotate a slew of skill players with four wide receivers on the field at almost all times. But the one spot that isn’t up for grabs is under center. Gustafson, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound junior with a powerful arm out of Billings West, will make his first start for Montana on Saturday.
Trayvon Van & Jamaal Jones
“Right now, Brady is killing it,” UM senior captain Jamaal Jones said. “He’s throwing the ball good, signaling with confidence. Right now, I like what I see.”
Gustafson will have a collection of weapons at both the inside and outside wide receiver spots. Ellis Henderson, an explosive but fragile junior with speed to burn, is back after missing most of last season due to medical issues. He caught 14 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2013. Senior Ben Roberts, a 6-foot-4 Missoula Sentinel product who spent the last four seasons playing baseball at Washington State, will provide an interesting option behind Jones. Junior Chase Naccarato is back to at the slot receiver spot. Reese Carlson, a 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman, is the listed starter at the other inside receiver spot. Redshirt freshman Caleb Lyons and sophomore Josh Horner are the backups at the inside spots while junior Ryan Burke is Henderson’s backup on the outside.
In the backfield, junior John Nguyen and sophomore Lorenzo Longwood emerged as the top two running backs.
Senior John Schmaing is expected to be the anchor at left tackle on an offensive line otherwise trademarked by question marks. Sophomore Robert Luke will start at center with slated starter Ben Weyer out indefinitely with a knee injury. Junior Max Kelly will start next to Schmaing at left guard while junior Devon Dietrich will start at right guard. David Reese, a starter as a true freshman last fall, will play right tackle again.
“Our third scrimmage, we moved the ball well,” Stitt said. “Our defense is pretty good and we moved the ball up and down the field on them. When you are doing that, it is because of the offensive line.”
It remains to be seen how quickly Montana can get Stitt’s offense up to game speed. The Griz team will face a stiff test right off the bat. North Dakota State loses eight starters from its nationally-ranked defense but the Bison have been among the stoutest defensive squad in all of college football for the past five seasons.
North Dakota State played 10 teams in the FCS top 25 last season alone. The Bison won nine of those games. Over the last three years, NDSU is 58-3 with a national-record four straight national titles.
“I’m excited to see where we are at because they are the best and when you are at Montana, people expect to be the best,” Stitt said. “So we will be able to gage where we are at immediately. I’m really excited about coaching a game because I don’t feel a part of it yet. We’ve done a lot of talking and people are so excited but we really haven’t done anything yet.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
