University of Montana Grizzly Football National Champions 1995, 2001
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UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA GRIZZLY FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 1995, 2001 2017 GRIZ SCHEDULE (7-3 overall, 5-2 Big Sky, 5-1 Home, 2-2 Away) @ DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT 9/2 Valparaiso W, 45-23 9/9 @ Washington L, 63-7 9/16 Savannah State W, 56-3 GAME 11 9/23 Eastern Washington* L, 48-41 Montana (7-3, 5-2) @ Montana State (4-6, 4-3) 9/30 @ Portland State* W, 45-33 10/7 @ Idaho State* W, 39-31 Nov. 18, 2017 - Bobcat Stadium (17,777) 10/14 North Dakota* W, 41-17 Bozeman, Mont. - 12:08 PM Bye TV: ROOT Sports - Web: None 10/28 @ Weber State* L, 41-27 Radio: Montana Grizzly Radio Network 11/4 Northern Arizona* W, 17-15 Live Twitter feed: @MontanaGrizFB - Official Hashtag: #UMvsMSU | #BrawloftheWild 11/11 Northern Colorado* W, 44-14 - 117th Brawl of the Wild - 11/18 @ Montana State* Noon * = Big Sky Conferece game GRIZ SEEK REDEMPTION AGAINST CATS MONTANA QUICK FACTS Location: ...................................................Missoula, Mont. Back on August 8 - the first day of Montana’s fall football camp had just concluded, and Grizzly head coach Bob Stitt gathered his team around the iconic charging bear that patrols the 50-yard Enrollment: ............................................ 11,865 (Fall 2017) line at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Founded: ......................................................Feb. 17, 1893 Before the players huddled and lifted their helmets to end practice with a final breakdown, Stitt Nickname: ....................................................Grizzlies, Griz had one last message for the team - a number, and a statement of purpose to guide the program School Colors: ...................................Copper, Silver, Gold through the rest of fall camp and into the season. Spirit Colors: .....Maroon (PMS 209) and Silver (PMS 8 C) “It’s 102 days ‘till we brawl,” said Stitt, a not-so-subtle reminder that one of Montana’s top priorities Stadium/Capacity: .. Washington-Grizzly Stadium / 25,217 the year would come around in mid-November. Playing Surface: Field Turf - Revolution 360 with CoolPlay And he’s been saying it ever since. President: ................................Dr. Sheila Stearns (Interim) Athletic Director: .......................................... Kent Haslam That 102-day countdown has slowly ticked away over the course of the Grizzlies’ 7-3 season, and now you only need one hand to count the days until Montana and Montana State square off in the Head Coach: .................... Bob Stitt (Doane College, 1987) 117th Brawl of the Wild. Record at Montana (Years): ............................... 21-13 (3) “When you get to this week, it’s not something you as a coach need to hype up. We’ve been Overall Record (Years): .................................. 130-75 (16) hyping it all year,” said Stitt. Football Office Phone: ............................. (406) 243-2969 2016 Record: ............................................ 6-5, 3-5 Big Sky Since Montana’s 2016 season came to a premature end last November in Missoula at the hands of the Bobcats, the Grizzlies have worked tirelessly to right that wrong. And with near-daily re- Big Sky Titles* (18): ..........1969, 1970, 1982, 1993, 1995, minders of that loss, Stitt believes his team will have the mental focus to go into hostile territory in .............................................1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, Bozeman and come away with a win. .............................................2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, “Now we can focus on preparing for a game like we always do,” Stitt added. “It’s a team with a .............................2007, 2008, 2009. *Includes shared titles scheme, and we can prepare the exact same way we did in the first 10 weeks because I know it’s in their head. We don’t have to talk about it anymore this week. They’ll be ready to go.” NCAA/FCS Playoff Apperances: ...........23 (FCS Record) NCAA/FCS Championships (2): .....................1995, 2001 THE GAME: The Montana Grizzlies (7-3, 5-2 BCS) travel over Homestake Pass on Saturday to NCAA/FCS Championship Appearances (7): 1995, 1996, face the Montana State Bobcats (4-6, 4-3) for the 117th time in program history, with kickoff from Bozeman set for 12:08 p.m. ......................................................................................2000 .........................................................2001,2004, 2008, 2009 In a game that needs little in the way of additional storylines, one stands out the most for Montana: Win and the playoffs are likely. Lose, and the Griz head back to Missoula on the outside of the FCS Postseason Record: .....32-21 Over, 29-7 at Home (.805) postseason looking in for a second-straight year, something that hasn’t occurred since 1991-92. All-time WGS Stadium Record: .................. 197-30 (.866) Montana enters the game as a team on the rise, winners of two straight after stubbing its toe All-Time Record: ................................... 591-487-23 (.535) at Weber State, but finding its stride last week in all three phases of the game in a drubbing of Big Sky Record: ...................................... 240-131-1 (.643) Northern Colorado. MONTANA COMMUNICATIONS Freshman quarterback Gresch Jensen returned from injury against Northern Colorado and was almost flawless in his first half of action back, throwing for 172 yards, a pair of touchdowns and Contact: Eric Taber adding another rushing score. Office: (406) 243-5402 Cell: (646) 287-7492 Email: [email protected] Website: GoGriz.com Montana’s offense is now one of the most potent in the land, ranked in the FCS at No. 10 in pass- Twitter: @UMGRIZZLIES_FB - @erictaber ing, No. 14 in scoring and No. 13 in total production. Facebook: /UM-Grizzly-Athletics-Football GRIZ FOOTBALL 2017 The Bobcats, on the other hand, enter the game reeling from a pair of losses. MSU fell at home two weeks ago to an upstart Kennesaw State team who is now making its way up the top-25 ladder, and followed that up with a tough loss at Northern Arizona. At NAU, the Cats scored a touchdown on their final drive of the game to pull within a single point of the Lumberjacks. Quarterback Chris Murray’s game-winning two-point conversion attempt would fail, however, and the ‘Jacks held on to a 37-36 win. While UM’s passing attack is its strength, MSU’s rushing game is its bread and butter, ranked as the No. 11 rushing offense in the FCS. The Cats are ranked No. 107 in passing offense, however. 2017 BIG SKY FOOTBALL STANDINGS One team playing for their playoff lives, and one team seeking nothing but the joy of ruining a rival’s As of Nov. 12, 2017 party. One team is pass-happy, while the other grinds it out on the ground. This year’s Griz/Cat game may not be for a conference championship, but it’s none the less important for both teams. SCHOOL BIG SKY OVER. After winning in Bozeman two years ago, Montana also heads to Bozeman still smarting from a home Southern Utah 6-1 8-2 loss last year in Missoula that put an abrupt halt on the Grizzlies’ season, and a sour taste in their Weber State 6-1 8-2 mouths in the offseason. Northern Arizona 6-1 7-3 Montana 5-2 7-3 “We had a lot of success our first game at MSU, and not a lot in the second game,” said Stitt. “That makes it different for me. It’s been a tough year, and we’ve been preparing for this game for a long Eastern Washington 5-2 6-4 time. I think our guys are ready.” Sacramento State 5-2 6-4 Montana State 4-3 4-6 LAST MEETING: Montana State pulled off an improbable 24-17 upset over the Grizzlies in Missoula UC Davis 3-4 5-5 last year behind Murray and the Bobcat’s tenacious rushing attack. Idaho State 2-5 4-6 North Dakota 2-6 3-8 Montana started the game perfectly, forcing an MSU three-and-out and responding with a 58-yard Northern Colorado 1-6 2-7 touchdown pass from Brady Gustafson to Justin Calhoun on the first play from scrimmage. Cal Poly 1-6 1-9 But the Cats ground out 368 yards rushing on 62 attempts, led by Murray’s 142 yards on the ground, Portland State 0-7 0-10 and the Great Divide Trophy returned to Bozeman for the first time since 2012. SEASON TEAM STATS COMPARISON SERIES HISTORY: Over a century of tradition, pride and success defines Montana’s series history with Montana State. These two teams have gone at it nearly every year since 1897, with Montana Team Statistics ..............................UM ...................MSU holding a commanding 72-38-5 overall lead in the series. FIRST DOWNS ...............................224 .....................190 In Bozeman, the series is a bit closer, however. Montana has the chance to put five games between Rushing ............................................81 ...................... 115 them this week, with the Griz holding a 23-19-3 lead of Griz/Cat games played at MSU. Passing ............................................122 .......................66 Penalty ..............................................21 ..........................9 HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE? In the last decade, the team hosting the Brawl of the Wild has only won RUSHING YARDAGE .....................1532 ..................2422 three times, with the visitor coming away victorious seven times. Montana will be looking to make it Rushing Attempts ............................416 .....................425 three-straight victories for the visiting team in 2017. Average Per Rush ........................... 3.7 .......................5.7 Average Per Game ........................ 153.2 .................242.2 WATCH PARTIES: The Montana Office of Alumni Relations has once again partnered with alumni around the nation to host Griz/Cat watch parties in 41 different