Cats return to Bozeman, Griz travel to WIU

For the second time in the first three weeks of the 2018 season, a Montana football team is playing Western Illinois. It's also the third straight week that a team from the Treasure State is playing a Missouri Valley Conference foe.

For the last two weeks, the Montana State Bobcats have battled teams from the MVC, and now, it's Montana's turn for the second time this season, as the No. 15 Grizzlies (2-0) travel to Macomb, Illinois, to face WIU (0-2). It's the Griz' first road trip of 2018 after home wins against Northern Iowa and Drake, and UM will try and upend the Leathernecks, just as MSU did two weeks ago in Bozeman.

"I like their team. They're good. I like their defense. They've got good players at all three layers on the defense," Montana coach Bobby Hauck said.

The Leathernecks, despite their 0-2 start, which also includes a loss at Big Ten Illinois last Saturday, are good. Defensively, they are big up front, which is going to present challenges for Montana's struggling offensive line, which now starts freshman Cole Sain. The Griz are averaging just 73 yards rushing per game, which is 11th in the Big Sky at this point. And, senior tailback Jeremy Calhoun, will once again not play this week due to off the field issues from last spring. So once again, the Griz will have to rely on the arm and feet of quarterback Dalton Sneed, who has been off to a great start.

Saturday's first road game will also be about Montana's defense continuing its sizzling start. Led by linebackers Dante Olson, the reigning FCS Player of the Week, and senior Josh Buss, the Griz defense is ranked Top 10 nationally in many categories. But WIU brings a fast, experienced offense, led by quarterback Sean McGuire, who is considered an NFL prospect.

"They've got a lot of skill," Hauck said. "They've got good team speed. They play hard. They do things right. They went toe to toe with Illinois out of the Big Ten last week until a blocked punt kinda undid them. It was a heck of a game. We know we have our hands full and we've got to be ready to go. I love their nickname."

The Griz do indeed have their hands full, but they also have a golden opportunity to come home from Macomb with a 3-0 record, and given how young and inexperienced the Griz are that would be huge, especially with two wins over the MVC. But the task against WIU will be tall.

And a tall task was what Montana State (1-1) ran into in a 48-14 loss to South Dakota State last Saturday night. Now, the Cats come home to face Wagner (1-1) in the last non-conference game of 2018.

The Cats have had their struggles offensively and with injuries. Troy Andersen didn't play quarterback last week due to an injured hand, and head coach Jeff Choate had to undergo an emergency appendectomy after returning to Bozeman from Brookings Sunday. However, both Choate and Andersen should be ready to go this weekend, as the Cats look to stay undefeated at Bobcat Stadium so far this fall.

And while Wagner doesn't present the kinds of challenges the Jackrabbits did last week, Choate said Wednesday that his team certainly knew then, and know now, just how much better they have to play.

"Obviously that's in our rearview mirror right now, but there's still some things that I think are important to take away from that," Choate said. "Clearly, that was not a performance that we're proud of. That's not a performance that I think is indicative of what this team is about. The lack of preparation that we showed, the lack of intensity, the lack of focus, the lack of basic fundamentals in terms of defensive alignment problems that we had, offensive execution on simple things, 12 guys in the huddle, getting delay of game penalties coming off the sideline, those things can't happen.

"That falls squarely on my shoulders as the head coach in terms of making sure that we inspect what we expect, that we clean up our operation, and that's been a major emphasis for us this week. And I think that will have a large impact on our ability to move forward in a positive way."

And the Cats will look to move forward in a positive way. Offensively, with Andersen back at QB, the Cats will look to continue improvements in the passing game, but it's his legs that make MSU such a dangerous team. The Cats failed to rush for 100 yards last week, the first time a Choate-coached team has done that.

Defensively, MSU must rebound as well. And with outstanding play from Bryce Sterk, tackles Tucker Yates and Zach Wright, and Belgrade's Brayden Konkol playing at a high level at safety - Konkol is currently the leading tackler in the Big Sky - the Cats will be ready to shut down a Wagner squad that so far, has been blown out by FBS Syracuse and beat NCAA DII Bowie State.

Saturday's game between the Bobcats and Seahawks kicks off 1 p.m. inside Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman. The game will be televised statewide on Montana SWX. Saturday's game between Montana and Western Illinois kicks off at 2 p.m. in Macomb. The game can only be viewed on the ESPN+ App.