When Bob Stitt was hired as Montana’s head coach in December 2015, memories of the offense Don Read used to put the Grizzly football program on the map danced in the minds of the team’s rabid fanbase.
Read’s offenses routinely racked up yards and points at mind-blowing rates and it was said that the offense Stitt used to build Colorado School of Mines into a competitive Division II program was going to flip the calendars in Missoula back to the mid 1990s.
While there have been glimpses of the offense’s potential in the 17 games Stitt has donned his green hat, even Montana’s head coach conceded he hasn’t seen anything like what took place during the Grizzlies’ 43-20 homecoming win over Southern Utah on Saturday.
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“As far as feeling like you’re having your way with them there for a while, we haven’t really had that feeling very many times,” Stitt said after the Grizzlies ran and threw their way to 627 yards, the most since a 55-17 win over North Dakota in 2013.
For the second consecutive week Montana moved up and down the field at will. Quarterback Brady Gustafson threw for 415 yards, running backs Jeremy Calhoun and John Nguyen nearly split 177 yards evenly between them and wide receivers Jerry Louie-McGee and James Homan gave Montana its first pair of pass catchers to top the century mark in the same game since its rout of North Dakota last fall.
“They spread you out pretty thin and you have to be able to cover and we weren’t able to do that today,” said Southern Utah coach Demario Warren after Montana gouged his defense for 18 plays that picked up at least 15 yards. “They found a matchup they liked and they went back to it over and over and over again. They had a good game plan.”
A 19-yard connection between Gustafson and Homan on Montana’s third play from scrimmage previewed what was to come. Three plays later, the senior quarterback found Calhoun for 28 more, helping the Griz move down the field and set up a Tim Semenza 25-yard field goal.
After Southern Utah forged ahead, Gustafson put the ball in the hands of Montana’s most electric playmaker as McGee picked up 40 yards. Three plays after that he gained 15 more. Then, midway through the second with the Griz trailing 14-9, McGee took a short pass and turned it into a 41-yard breath-taker.
He was targeted nine times in a first-half performance that included seven catches for 106 yards.
“That’s all I’ve heard since the first couple of games is more Jerry, more Jerry,” Stitt said of the team’s leading receiver. “It’s kinda like more cowbell, you know? I think that every time he touches it everybody should act like Will Ferrell and we’ll get the cowbell going — a little Blue Oyster Cult. But if they want more Jerry, we’ll find ways to get him the ball.”
Though McGee racked up yards in the first half, a few other receivers got in the mix. Figuring the Thunderbirds would do what they could to stop McGee, Gustafson shook off an inconsistent start and began finding receivers all over the field. By the half, he completed 17 passes for 291 yards and three scores.
The first touchdown was a rainbow touchpass on a double play-action, one to running back Jeremy Calhoun, the other to Louie-McGee in motion. It covered just three yards and gave Homan his first touchdown as a Grizzly. A route-running technician who transferred from Blinn Community College this offseason, Homan displayed on Saturday the same ability to shake defenders that the coaches had witnessed during his standout spring camp.
On third-and-1 during Montana’s opening possession of the second half, Homan got loose for a 32-yard pickup. The catch helped preserve a drive that ended with Gustafson’s last scoring toss of the day, a 10-yard connection to Josh Horner that gave Montana control.
Later that quarter, Homan took a short hitch, then shook two defenders before he was dragged down for a 15-yard gain. The catch preceded an 8-yard Calhoun run that pushed the Grizzlies’ lead to 36-14 with 6:32 left in the third.
“It’s fun, it’s real fun (playing in this offense),” Homan said. “Our offensive line did a great job and gave Brady time. Brady threw the ball well and the running backs really got after it too. It’s just a lot of fun.”
It might have been the running backs that gave the offense the jump start it was looking for. With one timeout in his pocket, 83 yards in front of his offense and 1:19 showing on the second-quarter clock, Stitt kept it conservative as Gustafson and Nguyen combined for rushes that picked up 12 yards. Another run followed, but Nguyen eluded one tackler, slipped by another, danced away from another for 21 yards to midfield.
All of a sudden Montana was in position to add to its one-point lead.
Gustafson found Colin Bingham for 12 before connecting with Justin Calhoun for a 43-yard touchdown on a wheel route to beat double coverage with 16 seconds left on the clock.
“It’s just really what we wanted to establish. This is what we want to do,” Stitt said. “This is our offense. This is what we did at the other place and this is what we expect every week.”
[/restrict]Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
