Griz, Cats both needing a change in momentum

It’s not often that the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats have things in common. But the two heated rivals, now just three weeks away from the annual Brawl of the Wild, have one big thing in common this week. They’re both trying to get over being blasted by the Eastern Washington Eagles in their last game.

The No. 19 Grizzlies (5-3, 2-3) will try and recover from their 35-16 loss last Saturday at EWU by returning to the friendly confines of Washington-Grizzly Stadium for a night game against struggling Idaho State (1-4, 2-6) Saturday night.

In fact, Montana is actually trying to shake off a two-game losing streak that has put the Griz in a win-out scenario. The Griz currently sit in eighth place in the Big Sky standings, and will likely need to win their three remaining games in order to reach the FCS playoffs.

However, even with their backs against the wall, and even after having racked up over 1,000 yards of offense in their last two losses, Griz head coach Bob Stitt wants his team to focus on nothing but execution, and not stress about the playoffs, or what may lie ahead.

“It feels like six months since we've won a game,” Stitt said. We want to get back out there and play ball. We need to execute and not think all about winning or playoffs. It comes down to execution. We need to execute and make plays.”

Making plays is something Montana’s offense didn’t do enough of at EWU last week. Montana had more total yards than the high-powered Eagles, and the Griz ran 93 plays, but, scoring chances went by the wayside, due to penalties, drops in the endzone and turnovers. That’s something the Griz will look to rectify Saturday night. Montana is still averaging 41 points per game and is among the FCS leaders in almost every offensive category. And against an Idaho State defense that allows 39 points per game, and is dead last in the Big Sky in total defense, Brady Gustafson, Jerry Louie-McGee and the Griz offense has to be licking its chops.

Of course, Montana won’t overlook the Bengals either. Defensively, the Griz have taken some lumps in the last two games, and while ISU is last in the Big Sky in scoring and total offense, the Bengals always seem to play the Griz tough, including last year’s thriller in Pocatello, in which the Griz needed a miracle play on a botched field goal attempt to escape with a victory.

“We’re taking this one game at a time,” Griz DE Zach Peevey said. “We’re focused on Idaho State right now and how to win that game. We want to come into every single game the same and treat every game like it's my last.”

The Montana State Bobcats also felt the sting of a blowout loss to EWU last time out, but, MSU also had its bye week to recover. Now, the Cats (2-6, 0-5) have a chance to end a five-game losing streak when they visit Southern Utah (4-4, 3-3). And, being 1-0 each week for the last three is what head coach Jeff Choate is focusing on.

“It’s a three-game season for us now,” Choate said. “And we’ve got to try and find a way to create some momentum going into the offseason. And we have an opportunity to do that this week. We want to be 1-0 every week from here on out.”

To do that, MSU must win on the road, something the Cats have yet to be able to do this season. They also must find a way to stop turning the ball over, and against a stingy SUU defense, one that ranks among the top half of the league in turnovers forced, that won’t be easy. MSU has nine turnovers in its last two games, some of which is due to the youth movement on the Cats’ offense, including true freshman QB Chris Murray, who will make another start for the Cats Saturday.

MSU’s defense is also reeling a bit, though the Cats still allow just 26 ppg, even after the 45 they gave up to EWU two weeks ago in Bozeman. The bye week should have helped with that though, as MSU expects to get nose tackle Tucker Yates back from injury, among others.

Still, DC Ty Gregorak’s defense will undoubtedly get a test from the T-Birds, who beat Montana State last year in Bozeman. Dual-threat QB Patrick Tyler is dangerous, and running back Malik Brown averages close to 90 yards per game on the ground.

Still, with a fresh and rested team, Saturday is a big opportunity for the Bobcats to start the turnaround they’ve been seeking for weeks. A win at SUU, followed by a home game against Big Sky cellar dweller UC Davis would give the Cats a lot of momentum heading into their season-ending game with the Grizzlies Nov. 19 in Missoula.

“We need to find a way to get a win on the road,” Choate said. “We need to get that win so we know what that feels like. I think it’s underrated how hard it is to play on the road in this league. So we need to get that taste of what it feels like to go on the road and do that.”

Montana State and Southern Utah will kick off at noon Saturday in Cedary City, Utah. The game will be televised on all Cowles Media Affiliates. Montana and Idaho State will kick off at 5:10 p.m. Saturday in Missoula. That game will be televised nationwide on Root Sports NW.