Cats, Griz playing up to start

Football Championship Subdivision teams playing up against FBS opponents is nothing new. But FCS squads beating FBS schools is somewhat of a rare occurrence. However, both the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats believe they can do just that.

The Grizzlies and Bobcats both open their season Saturday with games at FBS opponents. The No. 5 Montana Grizzlies take on Mountain West Conference stalwart Wyoming, while No. 19 MSU travels to Arkansas to tangle with the Arkansas State Red Wolves.

And while both games will be uphill battles for the Montana schools, both are win-win situations. A victory for either the Cats or Griz, or both, would go a long way in catapulting the Big Sky Conference powers to a strong season. But even in defeat, both teams will receive sizeable paydays, which is a big reason why FCS schools play up in the first place.

However, both the Griz and Cats are going on the road with every intention of winning.

In Laramie, Wyoming, UM will face a new-look Cowboy squad coached by former North Dakota State mentor Craig Bohl, who led the Bison to the last three FCS national titles. A sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium is also expected and excitement is high surrounding the Cowboy program as Bohl has installed his power-run offense to go with what should be an outstanding defense that returns nine starters from a year ago. Wyoming running backs Shawn Wicks and D.J. May will both get lots of carries against the Griz, while defensive end Eddie Yarbrough is one of the best in MWC.

A hostile crowd and a new-look Wyoming offense isn’t the only thing that will make life tough for the Griz, who are 0-14 lifetime against the Cowboy. UM is breaking in five new starters on the offensive line, against one of the best DLs in the MWC. The Griz are also thin at wide receiver, as they’ll likely be without All-American Ellis Henderson, as well as junior starter Chase Naccarato.

Still, the Griz see Saturday as a golden opportunity, and after a loss to Coastal Carolina in the FCS playoffs ended Montana’s season last December, they are excited to start over. Yet, against Bohl and the rejuvenated Cowboys, it won’t be easy.

“I wouldn’t anticipate them doing anything differently than when they won three national championships,” UM coach Mick Delaney said, referring to Bohl’s FCS career. “That is to be a very, very disciplined, hard-nosed football team that’s going to play from start to finish. I think they have the right guy there to bring that program back to some really good things. We’re looking forward to a real, real challenge, but our guys are excited about it.”

Things won’t be easy for Montana State, which travels to Jonesboro, Arkansas to face the Red Wolves in the first meeting between the schools since they played each other in the Division 1-AA playoffs in MSU’s national championship season of 1984. Now, the Red Wolves are a staunch leader of the Sun Belt Conference and have won two straight GoDaddy.com Bowls.

Still, both teams enter Saturday night’s season-opener in what is a transitional season according to many. The Bobcats are going forward after watching their most successful senior class in school history graduate last spring, and they are starting a brand new quarterback in sophomore Dakota Prukop. Meanwhile, the Red Wolves have a brand new head coach in Blake Anderson, who was the offensive coordinator at North Carolina. ASU is also breaking in a new starting QB in Freddie Knighten, who like Prukop, has little to no experience but is a true dual-threat signal caller.

So, while it’s still a play-up game for the Cats, this is one in which they feel they have every chance to win. ASU has two experienced tailbacks, but the Red Wolves have young wide receivers and a new offensive line. That could bode well for MSU’s defense, which returns the likes of linebackers Alex Singleton and Cole Moore, as well as a secondary that could be one of the best in the Big Sky this fall. On the other hand, MSU is also a young offense. Prukop is making his first career start, while MSU also lost its top two receivers from a year ago, as well as running back Cody Kirk. The Cats are also breaking in a new, up-tempo scheme on offense, so this game could certainly turn into a type of defensive struggle.

But no matter the pace, no matter the lack of experience in some areas, MSU is heading to Arkansas looking for a season-opening win. And that would really start the Cats off right since their next four games are in the friendly confines of Bobcat Stadium.

“It makes you nervous no matter who you’re playing if you don’t know exactly what you’re preparing for,” Ash said. “You just prepare your side of it. It’s generic preparation. You have to get ready for lots of different things, and then we’ll pick out those small pieces (of) whatever happens to fit for what they’re running, and then we’ll try to make the in-game adjustments. “All we know is that they’ve won a lot of games, three straight (conference) championships, and they’re a very talented team.”

MSU’s game against Arkansas State will kick off at 5 p.m. Saturday in Jonesboro. The game can be streamed live via ESPN3. The game between the Grizzlies and Cowboys is set for 2 p.m. in Laramie. That game is televised live on Root Sports.