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News you can use
Montana's Jerry Louie-McGee, right, runs with the ball during the 2018 Brawl of the Wild last November in Missoula. That was the last game the Grizzlies played at home, but Saturday night, they'll make their 2019 Washington-Grizzly Stadium debut against North Alabama. The Montana State Bobcats also make their home debut Saturday night, against Southeast Missouri State.
The Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats had very different season-opening experiences last weekend. The Griz came away with a hard-fought road win against FCS rival South Dakota, while the Bobcats had a likely expected drubbing at the hands of Big 12 powerhouse Texas Tech.
Saturday night, however, the two arch rivals are hoping for very similar results.
The 13th-ranked Bobcats (0-1) and 22nd-ranked Grizzlies (1-0) will both play their home-openers Saturday night. The Cats host FCS stalwart Southeast Missouri State (0-1) under the lights of Bobcat Stadium, while the Griz take on FCS newcomer North Alabama in a night game at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
And both games will be big tests.
MSU, with red-shirt freshman Casey Bauman making just his second career start, will look for a much more level playing field after the 45-10 loss to Texas Tech. However, the Cats are hosting a SEMO (1-0) team that is currently ranked No. 12 in the country, making Saturday night's Gold Rush Game one of the biggest in the FCS this week.
The Redhawks, out of the Ohio Valley Conference, thrashed Southern Illinois last weekend, and are a playoff team from a year ago, so the Bobcats will have a big challenge in their home opener.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies too will be severely tested in Missoula.
Montana is riding high after its 31-17 win last Saturday at South Dakota, a game in which quarterback Dalton Sneed threw for over 400 yards, and Montana's offense rolled up 600 yards total. Still, North Alabama (1-0) is a formidable foe. The Lions, for years were an NCAA DII powerhouse, but two years ago, they made the jump to FCS. And, while still transitioning, as a member of the Big South, the Lions are already off to a strong start, beating Missouri Valley stalwart Western Illinois last Saturday.
So, while excitement will be high in both Bozeman and Missoula, as the Cats and Griz play in front of their home crowds for the first time, neither game is a given.
The Bobcats host SEMO at 6 p.m. Saturday night at Bobcat Stadium, while the Grizzlies host North Alabama at 7 inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Both games will be shown on local SWX affiliates.
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