One week after suffering a crushing upset on Homecoming, the Montana Grizzlies’ margin for error is suddenly much thinner than it’s been at any point this season.
A last-second loss to Portland State in thrilling fashion has left the Griz at 4-2, 2-1 coming into this week. To have a good shot to make the FCS playoffs, they’ll likely be able to lose just one of their next four before a season-ending showdown against Montana State on November 17.
“There’s no such thing as a good loss,” Montana head coach Bobby Hauck said. “It doesn’t matter who you’re playing. Regardless of who we lose to — and that’s part of competing, you lose games — but you can’t get them back. There’s no good way to go about it, but you can utilize the film and the experience to get better and that’s what we’ll do.”
That stretch starts this week with a road trip to Grand Forks to play the 3-2 North Dakota Fighting Hawks, who will present several interesting matchups for the Griz.
North Dakota running back John Santiago (22) vs. Montana in 2015/by Evan Frost for Skyline Sports
Although the Fighting Hawks are no longer part of the Big Sky Conference — they’re playing this season as an independent in preparation for a move to the Missouri Valley Conference — they’re playing for the same playoff spots as the jumble of mediocre-to-good Big Sky teams behind conference leader Eastern Washington.
Montana is one of those teams looking for footing, meaning the outcome of Saturday’s game could swing a season, catapulting the winner into serious postseason consideration or putting the losers’ season on life support.
To be the former, the Griz will need to bounce back from a putrid offensive performance in the Portland State game, when they recorded a season-low 289 total yards and had more lost fumbles (four) than scores (three).
“For us, it’s a conference game, so it counts, and it’s a big game, a huge game for us,” Hauck said.
Hauck said in his press conference Monday that starting quarterback Dalton Sneed is “as close to 100 percent as anyone is” at this time of the season, after Sneed looked hurt at times in the first half against the Vikings last week.
Running back Jeremy Calhoun has also looked healthy in practice this week and is listed on the depth chart, although Hauck said Tuesday that the staff still wasn’t absolutely sure that he would play.
Montana center Cody Meyer (50)/by Brooks Nuanez
The biggest injury issue is on the offensive line, after center Cody Meyer went down against Portland State. Dylan Eickmeyer has replaced him as the starting center on the depth chart.
That will be a big blow for an offensive line that looked to be finding its footing in recent weeks but then regressed against Portland State.
Making things more difficult, North Dakota loves to bring exotic disguised blitzes, and couples that pressure with a talented defensive line.
Because of that, North Dakota is fourth in the FCS with 4.2 sacks per game, one of four teams in the nation to average over four. Junior defensive lineman Mason Bennett is third in the country with 6.5 sacks in just five games, 1.3 per contest.
That will be the big matchup to watch. If Bennett and the UND defensive line can dominate the Montana offensive line, it might, like last week, shut down the Griz offense before it can even start.
“You have to be able to run it into the blitz, and you have to be able to hit some passes into it and over and around it,” Hauck said. “We basically need to handle it. You’ve got to get bodies on bodies, and then you’ve got to win. It’s something we need to make sure we do. They’re going to give us some opportunities for some big plays, I hope, and whether we seize those, or are able to seize those, might define the game.”
North Dakota cornerback Deion Harris/by Brooks Nuanez
All-league corner Deion Harris is also back for North Dakota after missing last year with an injury.
On the other side of the ball, North Dakota again has an easily-definable strength, but this time it’s one that plays more in the Grizzlies’ hands.
The Fighting Hawks are 14th in the country with 247.4 rushing yards per game. Three-time first-team all-Big Sky selection John Santiago has 399 yards in just four games, and is backed up by fellow senior Brady Oliveira, himself averaging over 75 yards a game, and Minnesota transfer James Johannesson.
Santiago is the premier speed back in the league, while both Oliveira (220) and especially Johannesson (250) are big bruisers.
“I really like their backs,” Hauck said. “Santiago … [he’s] been there for a long time. He’s a good player. They’ve got a couple of big backs too that they want to hammer on you with.”
There should be some good battles as the Fighting Hawks try to run the ball down the throat of a Montana defense that has two of the best linebackers in the country with Dante Olson and Josh Buss.
It will be Hauck’s first time coaching at the Alerus Dome in Grand Forks, and the coach is expecting a sellout crowd, which could also swing the game.
The Griz are 1-1 on the road so far this season, losing to Western Illinois but beating Cal Poly.
North Dakota running back Brady Oliveria (5) vs Montana State in 2016/by Brooks Nuanez
Three of the four games in this stretch before the Brawl of the Wild will be away from home for Montana, making Saturday’s game even more important.
“It’s a big week for us, certainly, having to come off a loss at home and go on the road to get a win,” Hauck said. “There’s things that are stacked against us, with them having the open date. Us, we’re nursing some things, obviously, and this will be a tough trip.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
