UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA GRIZZLY FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 1995, 2001
@ GAME 9
Montana (4-4, 2-3) @ Southern Utah (1-7, 1-4) November 3, 2018 - Eccles Coliseum (8,500)
Cedar City, Utah - 1 p.m. TV: ROOT Sports Web Stream: DirecTV Now Radio: Montana Grizzly Radio Network / KGVO Missoula Live Twitter feed: @MontanaGrizFB - Official Hashtag: #UMvsSUU
GRIZ REDEMPTION TOUR STARTS AT SOUTHERN UTAH In the midst of the program’s first three-game slide since 1992, the Montana Grizzlies hit the road to redemption this week, looking to put together a complete four-quarter performance against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. The Griz (4-4, 2-3 BSC) travel to Cedar City, Utah, for just the second time in school history on Saturday, looking to dethrone the defending Big Sky Champion T-Birds (1-7, 1-4 BSC) and right the ship on a season that has seen championship-caliber flashes but has suffered from inconsistency. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but for the third time this year we took the lead into the fourth quarter and didn’t hold on,” said UM head coach Bobby Hauck in reference to a second-half surge by #6 UC Davis that led the Aggies past the Griz 49-21 last week. Despite a lopsided overall record, the Thunderbirds enter the game with one of the top rushing attacks in the league and an offense that has averaged over 460 yards and 28 points per game this season. Led by an All-Big Sky offensive line, the T-Birds rushing attack is centered around running back Jay Green and features a Wildcat look centered around one of three of three quarterbacks that could each see the field against the Griz. As 2017 co-conference champions, SUU has also built a culture of winning of the last under third-year head coach Demario Warren. Warren was named AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year and Big Sky co-Coach of the Year last season after he led the T-Birds to the FCS playoffs with a 9-3 record. “We’ve got an opponent that’s been really, really good the last few years. They do a lot of things well, they run the ball well to the point where we have to account for a lot of different personnel groups and formations,” said Hauck. “We’ve got our hands full with them.” But the Grizzlies are also turning the focus inward this week. Montana has suffered four turnovers in each of the three games while trying to work its way through a slump in the game plan. This week, Hauck is looking to keep the pedal down for four quarters. “We’ve just got to make plays. We’re not making plays on either side of the ball. Certainly, it’s not an effort deal, so, we just need to play a little better in the fourth quarter,” said Hauck. THE GAME: Montana embarks on a two-game road stretch seeking a return to the top-25 and the top of the Big Sky table. Both UM and SUU are currently on the outside of the FCS playoffs looking in, with the Griz sitting in a tie for sixth the league standings and the T-Birds at 12th. With a late-season win streak, the Grizzlies can make a case for post-season play, however, and will get the chance to dethrone the defending league champs and pick up a pair of consecutive rivalry wins to close the season.
2018 GRIZ SCHEDULE
(4-3 overall, 2-3 Big Sky, 3-2 Home, 1-2 Away) DATE OPPONENT 9/1 Northern Iowa 9/8 Drake 9/15 @ Western Illinois 9/22 Sacramento State* 9/29 @ Cal Poly 10/6 Portland State 10/13 @ North Dakota* Bye 10/27 UC Davis* 11/3 @ Southern Utah* 11/10 @ Idaho* 11/17 Montana State* * = Big Sky Conferece game
TIME/RESULT W, 26-23 W, 48-16 L, 27-31 W, 41-34 W, 48-28 L, 20-22 L, 41-14 L, 49-21 1 PM 4:30 PM (MT) Noon
MONTANA QUICK FACTS Location: ....................................................Missoula, Mont. Enrollment: ............................................... 10,962 (Fall ‘18) Founded: .......................................................Feb. 17, 1893 Nickname: .....................................................Grizzlies, Griz School Colors: .................................... Copper, Silver, Gold Spirit Colors: . ....Maroon (PMS 209) and Silver (PMS 8 C) Stadium/Capacity: ...Washington-Grizzly Stadium / 25,217 Playing Surface: .Field Turf - Revolution 360 with CoolPlay President: ........................................................ Seth Bodnar Athletic Director: ........................................... Kent Haslam Head Coach: ...................... Bobby Hauck (Montana, 1988) Record at Montana (Years): ....................... 84-21, 49-8 (8) Overall Record (Years): . ................................... 99-71 (13) Football Office Phone: .............................. (406) 243-2969 2017 Record: ............................................. 7-4, 5-3 Big Sky Big Sky Titles* (18): ........... 1969, 1970, 1982, 1993, 1995, ............................................. 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, ............................................. 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, .............................2007, 2008, 2009. *Includes shared titles NCAA/FCS Playoff Apperances: ............23 (FCS Record) NCAA/FCS Championships (2): ...................... 1995, 2001 NCAA/FCS Championship Appearances (7): .1995, 1996, . ................................................ 2000 2001,2004, 2008, 2009 FCS Postseason Record: ..... 32-21 Overall, 29-7 Home (.805) All-time WGS Stadium Record: ................... 200-32 (.869) All-Time Record: . .................................. 595-492-23 (.535) Big Sky Record: . ..................................... 242-135-1 (.643)
MONTANA COMMUNICATIONS
Contact: Eric Taber Office: (406) 243-5402 Cell: (646) 287-7492 Email: eric.taber@mso.umt.edu Website: GoGriz.com Twitter: @MontanaGrizFB - @erictaber Facebook: /UM-Grizzly-Athletics-Football