Griz, Cats fight to keep Big Sky momentum

Twelve-game seasons are rare in the Football Championship Subdivision. But, that's what the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats are grinding through right now.

And, after big wins last weekend, both teams are still very much in the hunt for a Big Sky championship.

The No. 6 Grizzlies (4-1, 7-2) are a leg up on the Cats in that race, but even after an impressive road win at Portland State last Saturday, the Griz can ill-afford to trip up. Montana can also ill-afford to look past arch rival Idaho this Saturday and toward what would be a massive showdown with Weber State Nov. 16.

"We only have one game this week, so that's the one we'll talk about," Montana coach Bobby Hauck said at his Monday press conference.

That game is the Vandals, and it's the first time since 2003 that Idaho has graced Washington-Grizzly Stadium with its presence. The Vandals moved up to FBS a few years before Hauck arrived at UM, but the two teams continued to meet occasionally for the Little Brown Stein. That game in 2003, Montana was down three quarterbacks, and eventual MSU-Northern star Kyle Samson was pushed into QB duty, to run an option game Idaho was not prepared for, in what turned out to be a rousing Griz victory. The next time the rivals would meet was last season, when the Griz trounced the Vandals in Moscow in Idaho's return to the BIg Sky.

But, even with a lot of success in the series, and the Vandals (2-3, 4-5) coming to Missoula with only pride left to play for, Hauck isn't letting his team take the game the least bit lightly.

"They're really well coached," Hauck said. "These coaches at Idaho know what the heck they're doing. So, they'll have their team ready. We know that they spent time on us in spring ball and fall camp. So, they'll be well prepared. They'll be ready to go. They'll be fired up to play this weekend in Missoula. We know that we better be the same."

With the Griz a game back of Weber State in the Big Sky title chase, they'll be fired up. The question remains, though, who will be running the high-octane Grizzly offense?

It's been backup quarterback Cam Humphrey the last two weeks, and he's looked sharp in place of the injured Dalton Sneed. However, now more than 20 days removed from his ankle sprain at Sacramento State, Sneed appears ready to take the reigns back from Humphrey. Either way, Montana can't let up, as the Griz try to chase down the Big Sky title for the first time in a decade, and an FCS playoff berth for the first time in four years.

The No. 12 Bobcats (3-2, 5-3) are chasing those things, too, they just have a little more ground to make up. But the Cats certainly made up for back-to-back losses in their explosive, 42-7 win over Southern Utah last week.

Still, MSU couldn't celebrate for long. The Cats have back-to-back road games, starting with a Saturday visit to Greeley, Colorado, against a dangerous Northern Colorado (2-3, 2-7).

The game will likely be a battle of quarterbacks, with UNC starting a standout in veteran Jacob Knipp.

However, MSU appears to have a passing quarterback of its own in sophomore Tucker Roving, who had his best outing as a Bobcat in last Saturday's win over SUU. Roving was sharp in throwing for four touchdowns, and while MSU will still use its bevy of runners under center, Troy Andersen, Travis Jonsen and Kevin Kassis, Rovig may have finally taken control of the Bobcat offense with last Saturday's performance.

And, if MSU can stay diverse on offense, then it could be lights out, not just for the Bears, but for the rest of their opponents this season because that stingy Cat defense, led by Andersen, Bryce Sterk, Brayden Konkol and more, has allowed just 17 points in the last eight quarters. So, a balanced offense, and that defense would spell doom for a lot of teams upcoming.

Still, Bobcat head coach Jeff Choate, just like Hauck, isn't worried about upcoming games. He's focused solely on Northern Colorado, and he knows the Cats have to play at a high level to get out of Greeley with a win.

"Dangerous team. A very dangerous team," MSU coach Jeff Choate said at his weekly press conference. "You can't let your guard down. This is a big game for us."

The Cats visit Northern Colorado Saturday with a Noon kickoff. The game will be televised on all SWX Montana affiliates. The Grizzlies meet Idaho Saturday in Missoula, with a 1 p.m. kickoff. That game will be televised nationally on Root Sports.