UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA GRIZZLY FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 1995, 2001 2017 GRIZ SCHEDULE (2-2 overall, 0-1 Big Sky) @ DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT 9/2 Valparaiso W, 45-23 9/9 @ Washington L, 63-7 9/16 Savannah State W, 56-3 GAME 5 9/23 Eastern Washington* L, 48-41 Montana (2-2) @ Portland State (0-3) 9/30 @ Portland State* 3 PM (MT) 10/7 @ Idaho State* 2:30 PM Sept. 30, 2017 - Hillsboro Stadium (7,600) 10/14 North Dakota* 1 PM HIllsboro, Ore. - 2 PM (PT) 3 PM (MT) 10/28 @ Weber State* 2 PM TV: ABC Montana | Web: WatchBigSky.com / Pluto TV 11/4 Northern Arizona* 3:30 PM Radio: Montana Grizzly Radio Network 11/11 Northern Colorado* 1 PM 11/18 @ Montana State* Noon GRIZ LOOK FOR REDEMPTION ON THE ROAD IN PORTLAND * = Big Sky Conferece game The Montana Grizzlies continue Big Sky Conference play this week, traveling to Portland MONTANA QUICK FACTS State in the team’s first road game of the league season, looking to right the ship after a Location: ...................................................Missoula, Mont. tough loss to rival Eastern Washington. Enrollment: ....................................... 12,419 (Spring 2017) Against the Eagles - who moved up to No. 9 in the national polls this week – Montana Founded: ......................................................Feb. 17, 1893 put up over 500 yards of total offense led by freshman QB Gresch Jensen’s 358 yards of Nickname: ....................................................Grizzlies, Griz passing. School Colors: ...................................Copper, Silver, Gold For the second-straight week, Jensen’s offensive firepower earned him an Honorable Spirit Colors: .....Maroon (PMS 209) and Silver (PMS 8 C) Mention for the STATS FCS National Freshman Player of the Week. Defensive end Tucker Stadium/Capacity: ..Washington-Grizzly Stadium / 25,217 Schye also earned an Honorable Mention for the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Week with a three-sack performance against EWU. Playing Surface: Field Turf - Revolution 360 with CoolPlay President: ................................Dr. Sheila Stearns (Interim) Both Jensen and Schye will be called on once again to lead the Griz against a Viking team Athletic Director: .......................................... Kent Haslam that was on the cusp of upsetting a pair of FBS teams to start the season. Head Coach: .................... Bob Stitt (Doane College, 1987) “They played BYU very well, and they should have beat Oregon State,” said Montana head Record at Montana (Years): ............................... 16-12 (3) coach Bob Stitt. “They’re a good team, and they went toe-to-toe with a couple FBS pro- Overall Record (Years): .................................. 125-74 (16) grams. We’re definitely going to have our hands full. They’re loaded with a lot of talent.” Football Office Phone: ............................. (406) 243-2969 THE GAME: The Griz (2-2, 0-1 BSC) travel down the Columbia River to Portland, Ore., to 2016 Record: ............................................ 6-5, 3-5 Big Sky face the Portland State Vikings (0-3, 0-0 BSC) for the first time since 2015, and for only the Big Sky Titles* (18): ..........1969, 1970, 1982, 1993, 1995, fourth time since 2011 due to an unbalanced Big Sky schedule. Both teams will be looking for their first conference win of the year when the two meet on Saturday, Sept. 30, in Rip .............................................1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, City. .............................................2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, .............................2007, 2008, 2009. *Includes shared titles The UM/PSU game was moved to Hillsboro Stadium (7,600) due to scheduling conflicts with the Portland Thorns soccer team at Providence Park, the usual home of Portland State NCAA/FCS Playoff Apperances: ...........23 (FCS Record) football. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. (PT), 3 p.m. (MT). NCAA/FCS Championships (2): .....................1995, 2001 NCAA/FCS Championship Appearances (7): 1995, 1996, TAILGATE IN PORTLAND: The Grizzly Scholarship Association is hosting a tailgate party for Griz fans in Portland for Saturday’s game. Admission is free, with proceeds from food ......................................................................................2000 and beverage sales going to support scholarships for student-athletes. .........................................................2001,2004, 2008, 2009 FCS Postseason Record: .....32-21 Over, 29-7 at Home (.805) The GSA tailgate will take place at Ron Tonkin Field, home of the Hillsboro Hops minor league baseball team, located right next to Hillsboro Stadium. The party starts two hours All-time WGS Stadium Record: .................. 194-30 (.866) before kickoff at noon, and runs until 2 p.m. Entrance to the party is located along the right- All-Time Record: ................................... 586-486-23 (.535) field fence. Keep an eye out for the Griz flag flying high. Big Sky Record: ...................................... 235-130-1 (.643) WATCH: Griz fans statewide can watch the game on their local ABC Montana station (SWX in Billings market). MONTANA COMMUNICATIONS Contact: Eric Taber If you live outside the state, the game will be available on in select markets on the Altitude Office: (406) 243-5402 Cell: (646) 287-7492 Sports Network, or you can watch worldwide for free via web stream at WatchBigSky.com or Email: [email protected] Website: GoGriz.com via the Pluto TV app on any over the top device such as Apple TV or Roku. For more details Twitter: @UMGRIZZLIES_FB - @erictaber visit the “Where to Watch” page on GoGriz.com. Check local listings to find the ABC/SWX Facebook: /UM-Grizzly-Athletics-Football Montana channel in your area. GRIZ FOOTBALL 2017 Chris Byers will lead the broadcast play-by-play, with former Griz head coach Mick Delaney and former UM quarterback Grady Bennett providing color commentary and analysis. Shaun Rainey will cover the sidelines. LISTEN: “Voice of the Griz” Riley Corcoran will have the call of Saturday’s game in Portland, supported by long-time color commentator Greg Sundberg in the booth. Fans can tune-in state- wide to hear the call on the Montana Grizzly Sports Network, or visit gogriz.com to listen to the audio-only web stream worldwide. SERIES HISTORY: The Griz lead the all-time series with Portland State 29-12, and are 12-9 in 2017 BIG SKY FOOTBALL STANDINGS Portland dating back to the first meeting between the two in 1965. Since the ikingsV joined the As of Sept. 24, 2017 Big Sky Conference in 1996, the Griz hold a commanding 15-3 lead in the series. LAST MEETING: While Montana holds a comfortable lead over the Vikings in the all-time SCHOOL BIG SKY OVER. series, the Griz travel to PSU with redemption on their minds and dreams of a sunny day in the Weber State 1-0 3-1 Pacific Northwest. Northern Colorado 1-0 2-1 Eastern Washington 1-0 2-2 The Griz last faced the Vikings on Halloween weekend, 2015, in a torrential rainstorm that Sacramento State 1-0 2-2 soaked players, coaches, and fans alike down to the bone. Montana State 1-0 1-2 Northern Arizona 1-0 1-2 Then-quarterback Makena Simis made the second start of his UM career, filling in for the Portland State 0-0 0-3 injured Brady Gustafson and Chad Chalich. After tying a school record for touchdown passes Idaho State 0-1 2-2 in a game the week previous, Simis was tasked with going against a Viking defense led by Montana 0-1 2-2 future professionals Xavier Coleman and Patrick Onwuasor in the driving rain, throwing three interceptions. Southern Utah 0-1 2-2 UC Davis 0-1 2-2 Meanwhile, the PSU offense was right a home in the storm and rushed for over 300 yards in North Dakota 0-1 1-3 the 35-16 win for the Vikings. Cal Poly 0-1 0-4 SEASON TEAM STATS FIRST AND 10 WITH THE GRIZ LET’S PLAY TWO! Montana’s game at PSU is the first in a two-game road stretch for the Griz Team Statistics ..............................UM ................... PSU that both hold important Big Sky implications. After facing Portland State on Sept. 30, the Griz FIRST DOWNS ................................88 ........................60 then head to Pocatello, Idaho, to face the upstart Idaho State Bengals, who defeated the Moun- Rushing ............................................29 ........................30 tain West’s Nevada Wolfpack 30-28 two weeks ago in Reno. Passing .............................................50 ........................27 Penalty ...............................................9 ...........................3 With three of the Grizzlies’ last five games coming at home, the next two weeks of Big Sky play RUSHING YARDAGE ......................543 .....................623 on the road will be key to UM’s playoff hopes down the line. Rushing Attempts ............................147 .....................132 Average Per Rush ........................... 3.7 .......................4.7 OFFENSE IS CLICKING: The Grizzlies have scored an average of 47 points in their first three games against FCS opponents this season, landing them at the top of several Big Sky stats Average Per Game ........................ 135.8 .................207.7 categories. TDs Rushing ......................................9 ...........................3 PASSING YARDAGE ......................1257 ....................473 After four games, UM is ranked No. 1 in total offense in the Big Sky, averaging 450 yards-per- Comp - Att - Int ...........................102-158-5 ......... 44-95-3 game and racking up exactly 1800 yards on the season. Average Per Pass ............................ 8.0 .......................5.0 Average