Cats, Griz back at home

For the Montana State Bobcats and Montana Grizzlies, the objective this weekend remains the same — both teams want to play better than they did last week. But there’s a difference. One team is on a two-game winning streak, while the other needs to bounce back from a stinging road loss.

The No. 19 Bobcats (1-1, 2-2) suffered a 49-41 loss at Northern Arizona last Saturday night, but the score wasn’t indicative of how the game went, as NAU rolled to a 42-14 lead by the end of the third quarter.

Now, MSU returns home hoping to turn things around against a struggling Sacramento State team, in a game that will be played under the lights Saturday at Bobcat Stadium. And while the Hornets are just 1-4 this season, and winless in the Big Sky, MSU head coach Rob Ash won’t let his team look past them.

"I don't see a record," Ash said "I see a team with a lot of skill and really good athletes. They're very balanced offensively. They're a tough team to stop."

And stopping opposing offenses has been the issue for the Bobcats thus far. MSU’s young defense ranks near the bottom of the Big Sky Conference in points allowed and total yards. NAU seemed to be able to score at will in the first three quarters of last Saturday’s game, and Ash says that’s something that needs to change if the Bobcats are not only going to beat the Hornets, but continue to contend for the Big Sky title.

"We've got to get more pressure on quarterbacks in passing situations, and there's lots of ways to do that," he said. "Does that mean more blitzes? Does that mean winning one-on-one matchups? There's different personnel (combinations). There's a lot of different ways to do that. The other thing is we've got to mix it up with our coverages and make sure that quarterbacks aren't dialed into exactly what we're going to be in. That's something we've looked at as well."

The Hornets play two quarterbacks, but neither has been able to replace former All-American Garret Saffron. Still, the Hornets are a run-first team this season, yet they rank near the bottom of the league in rushing, total offense and scoring.

On the flip side, Sac. State does have a premier defensive tackle in Darnell Sankey, one of the top run stoppers in the FCS. And, with a defense that is surrendering less than 30 points per game, MSU’s high-octane offense, led by star quarterback Dakota Prukop, who is No. 7 in the FCS in passing and No. 4 in total offense, will need to be sharp from the get-go Saturday night.

Still, with the Hornets struggling mightily on offense, Saturday could be a good opportunity for MSU’s beleaguered defense to make some improvements, and if they do, the Cats should get right back into the win column.

Meanwhile, winning hasn’t been the issue the last two games for the No. 11 Grizzlies (2-0, 3-2), but offensive production and injuries have been.

The Griz struggled to put points on the board at winless UC Davis last Saturday, but still came away with a win. Now, they’ll look to keep that momentum going when they host a much-improved Weber State Wildcats’ team Saturday afternoon at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Saturday will be start No. 3 for Montana’s Chad Chalich, who has been up and down in relief of the injured Brady Gustafson. But, against a good WSU (1-1, 2-3) pass defense, look for the up-tempo Griz to keep pounding it on the ground. UM’s run game has been stagnant early in the season, but the emergence of true freshman Jeremy Calhoun, as well as sophomore Tre Favors, has given the Griz a new element on the ground.

Still, Montana just hasn’t been efficient enough on offense, and the Wildcats have a stingy defense, as they allow just 26 points and 380 yards of offense per game. But Montana’s defense has been even better, especially the play of Buck Buchanan Award nominee Tyrone Holmes, and reigning Big Sky Player of the Week Caleb Kidder. That could spell doom for a WSU offense that ranks near the bottom of the Big Sky, and is coming off a 44-0 shutout loss at home to Southern Utah last Friday night.

Nevertheless, the Griz still haven’t found their stride offensively. Add to that Weber does have a very good defense, especially against the pass, and there’s no way first-year head coach Bob Stitt is going to overlook the Wildcats Saturday.

"They're a good football team," said coach Stitt of Weber. "The score last week is not an indication of what kind of a team they have, and we're going to have to come out and earn it.

"They do a good job with their run game, and I would expect them to try to do that more and get with the short game. They've been pretty good against the pass and will try to stop our run with a few less guys in the box. They're pretty good against the pass, and we've got to be prepared to go in and run the ball.”

Saturday’s game between the Grizzlies and Wildcats will start at 2:05 p.m. in Missoula. The game will be broadcast statewide on Cowles Media. MSU’s game with Sacramento State is set for 5 p.m. in Bozeman. That game will be televised nationally on Root Sports Northwest.