Griz, Cats face Big Sky's best

Cliché’s are thrown around a lot in college football, but for the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats, cliché’s have meaning this week.

Both the Bobcats and the Grizzlies have big games with a lot at stake, and that’s putting it mildly.

For the Cats (2-5, 0-4), what’s at stake is starting to salvage what’s left of their season. With four straight Big Sky Conference losses, MSU cannot achieve many preseason goals, such as winning the Big Sky or making the FCS playoffs. But, head coach Jeff Choate’s team can make a big statement Saturday when the Cats host No. 3 Eastern Washington (5-1, 3-0) at Bobcat Stadium.

“We’re going to find out who the guys that want to fight are. That’s what this last four games is about. Finding out who wants to be a part of this thing moving forward,” Choate said after the Cats were blown out at Weber State last Saturday.

That fight starts Saturday, and it won’t be easy. A struggling MSU offense, led by sensational freshman QB Chris Murray, is banged up on the offensive line, banged up at wide receiver, and even star running Chad Newell isn’t one hundred percent. On the other side of the ball, in comes a rested EWU team fresh off their bye week, and possessing one of the best offenses in FCS football. Led by star wide receiver Cooper Kupp, as well as sophomore standout QB Gage Grubrud, and a bevy of talented skill players around the, EWU comes in averaging 48 points and 580 yards of total offense per game. And an even an improved Montana State defense will have a hard time slowing the Eagles down.

So, it’s up to MSU’s offense to keep pace, and the Cats have struggled to do that thus far. MSU is 10th in the Big Sky in scoring, 12th in total offense and 12th in passing. And yet, there’s no doubt the Bobcats will show fight and determination Saturday. With the exception of last Saturday’s game against Weber State, MSU has been in every loss until the very last play, and a surprising win over the Eagles would certainly be the start to turning things around.

Montana doesn’t need to turn things around. Instead, the No. 10 Griz (5-1, 2-1) need to move forward. Winners of three straight blowouts at home, the Griz strike back out on the road and face a daunting challenge Saturday night at Northern Arizona (3-4, 2-2).

The Lumberjacks, after a brutal start to the season, which included losing star QB Case Cookus to a shoulder injury, are starting to come on strong, and, they have two of the best WR’s in the conference on offense, and one of the top defenses in the league.

So, the Griz, who have scored 127 points in their last eight quarters of football, need to be as sharp as they’ve been all season, and, if they want to have any chance to win the Big Sky title, they have to find a way to earn a breakthrough road victory in conference play, something they haven’t done much of in recent years, and are 0-1 so far this conference season.

Much of that breakthrough will start with Montana’s stingy defense, which is first in the Big Sky in scoring, total defense and pass defense. But, UM must also score points in a hostile environment, which means Brady Gustafson, running backs John Nyguen and Jeremy Calhoun, and Montana’s band of wide receivers must keep the torrid pace they’ve been on, even against a fast, hard-hitting NAU defense.

And if the Griz can do that, if they can find a way to get out of the Walkup Skydome with a win, then they will be in a position to go after the Big Sky title in next week’s huge showdown at EWU. If the Griz fall Saturday, any chance of a Big Sky title is likely gone.

So there’s no doubt, the NAU game is certainly the biggest one of the season for the surging Grizzlies.

“It’s the biggest game of the year,” Montana’s Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week Josh Buss said. "Why?" Buss, asked rhetorically. "Because it's the next one, ya know?"

Saturday’s game between the Griz and Lumberjacks kicks off at 5 p.m. M.D.T. in Flagstaff, Arizona, and can be seen on all Cowles Media Affiliates. The Bobcats game with EWU Saturday in Bozeman kicks off at noon and can be viewed across the nation on Root Sports NW.