Griz brace for huge game at Eastern

The Big Sky Conference season is winding down, and things couldn’t be any closer. Yes, a total of six teams sit atop the Big Sky standings, each with just one loss.

Two of those teams reside in Montana, and both teams have huge showdowns this weekend.

The No. 11 Montana Grizzlies (6-3, 4-1) will be part of the biggest game in the FCS this weekend when they travel to Cheney, Washington, to face the No. 5 Eastern Washington Eagles (8-2, 5-1). The game between UM and EWU is always a big one because it usually has Big Sky championship and FCS playoff ramifications, and Saturday’s game is no different.

Montana blasted Sacramento State a week ago in Missoula, while EWU took care of North Dakota. The two bitter rivals come into Saturday’s game with the stakes extremely high, but also with plenty of question marks.

The biggest concern is the health of both star quarterbacks. EWU’s Vernon Adams has missed the last four weeks with a broken foot, but has returned to practice this week, and EWU head coach Beau Baldwin hasn’t ruled out Adams playing. Backup quarterback Jordan West has led EWU to a 3-1 record in Adams’ absence, but the EWU offense hasn’t been as potent. Still, whether it’s Adams or West, the Grizzlies’ top-rated defense, which only allows 19 points and 350 total yards per game, will have its hands full with star receiver Cooper Kupp and running back Quincy Forte.

“They are a high-powered offense and we’ve got to contain that to the best of our ability and not give up the big chunks," UM head coach Mick Delaney said. "They seem to get one or two every game."

Eastern’s high-octane offense against Montana’s defense is one big storyline. But there’s a flip side to that coin. UM quarterback Jordan Johnson has missed two days of practice this week, and the speculation is that Johnson re-injured his ankle in last week’s game against Sac State. Even with a healthy Johnson, the Griz’ offense has struggled this season. UM did break out against the Hornets, but overall, Montana is just seventh in scoring, eighth in rushing and sixth in total offense in the Big Sky. However, Eastern’s defense ranks near the absolute bottom of the Big Sky in scoring and total defense, and the Eagles have been particularly poor against the run. So, Saturday’s game, which is a rematch of last year’s thriller in Missoula, won by Eastern 42-37, could come down to key defensive stops, as opposed to two star quarterbacks leading their respective teams up and down the field.

“We have to contain their offense,” Delaney said of a unit that averages a Big Sky Conference-high 44.3 points per game. “They’ve been in the 40s or 50s six times. We’re not going to stop it obviously, like we didn’t Sac State last week. But we certainly contained it and that will be our plan again this week, to try to get Vernon or (backup QB Jordan) West off their mark a little bit and to not be able to run around. We have to tackle well.”

Meanwhile, No. 15 Montana State’s game with Portland State Saturday in Bozeman might not have the attention that the EWU/UM game does, but it is no less important for the Bobcats (6-3, 4-1). Like the Griz, MSU is in the thick of the Big Sky title race, but a 35-27 setback at Cal Poly last Saturday night has now put MSU in the same predicament as it was a season ago. The Cats must likely win their last three games to be certain of an FCS playoff berth.

And that starts with the Vikings (3-6, 2-3). The game is the first of two straight at home for Montana State, and the Cats will be without senior running back Shawn Johnson. Still, MSU’s high-powered offense, led by Walter Payton Award candidate Dakota Prukop, should be too much for PSU’s struggling defense to handle. The Vikings have won a couple of key games this season, but they have been challenged defensively.

Offensively, PSU will look to attack MSU’s struggling defense, which surrendered over 300 yards rushing to the Mustangs last Saturday, with its own running game. Quarterback Kiernan McDonough is a serious threat to run the ball, while running back Steven Long is averaging 78 yards per outing. So the Viking run game will certainly test a MSU defense still trying to find its way deep into this season.

But, the Bobcats are at home, and they are hungry to rebound from the loss to Cal Poly. And that should spell trouble for the visiting Vikings.

Saturday’s game between MSU and Portland State kicks off at 2:05 p.m. in Bozeman. The game can be seen locally on ABC-Fox affiliates. The big showdown between Montana and Eastern Washington will kick off at 1:08 p.m. Saturday. That game will be televised nationally on Root Sports NW.