One of the questions that dominated the long off-season for the Montana Grizzlies was simple: After Bobby Hauck’s biggest coaching staff shakeup since he’s been back in Missoula, what would the Griz look like schematically?
Among other moves, offensive coordinator Timm Rosenbach was moved to offensive analyst, with wide receivers coach Brent Pease moving to coordinator.
On defense, coordinator Kent Baer retired, with cornerbacks coach Ronnie Bradford moving to defensive coordinator, analyst Kim McCloud taking his spot with the corners, and Hauck’s brother Tim, a Griz legend and longtime NFL safety, coming on staff to fill the defensive analyst role.
Bradford, McCloud and Tim Hauck gave the Grizzlies three former NFL defensive backs – McCloud went to camp with the Chargers before playing a couple years in the CFL – in prominent positions on the coaching staff.
So far this season, that experience has shown up in a new diversity of coverages for the Griz. The defense has responded, with five interceptions – including three by new starting cornerback Trevin Gradney – in the first three games of the season.
“I don’t think it’s anything too out of the box, but we’re trying some new things coverage-wise those guys have brought to the table, and I think it’s been good,” Bobby Hauck said. “It’s been productive.”
One of the defining features of the Griz defense under Baer was its willingness to put the cornerbacks on an island in man coverage. Some players, like All-American corner Justin Ford, thrived in that scheme. But it also left the Griz open to big plays when their pass rush didn’t get home. Eastern Washington quarterback Eric Barriere threw for 422 and then 530 yards against Montana in 2021, although the second effort still resulted in a playoff loss for the Eagles.
Under Bradford, though, the Griz have started relying more on zone coverages, primarily Cover 2, in which two safeties split the field in half and the corners play zone defense in the flats.
“There has been some new stuff, and I think we’ve handled it really well, and taken it from the film room to the practice field and in the games on Saturdays,” said safety Nash Fouch.
Fouch recorded the fourth interception of his Griz career two weeks ago against Utah Tech in Montana’s road rout of the Trailblazers.
“We were in Cover 2, and we always talk about it, tips and overthrows are the best way to get interceptions,” Fouch said about his pick. “I was lucky, got in the right spot on an overthrow and came down with it.”
Trajon Cotton, the experienced nickel back/safety who transferred from Oregon State a couple years ago, got his first Montana interception in the same game, and described it similarly.
“We were just in a Cover 2, he threw the inside seam. Terrible throw, but, you know, I caught it, so, you know, it’s just a blessing,” Cotton said.
Gradney, the breakout star of Montana’s secondary after backing up Ford and Corbin Walker last season, has made plays in both man and zone coverage.
His diving interception against Butler in the season opener was pure Justin Ford, straight man coverage with no safety help, shadowing the receiver down the field and using his athleticism and nose for the ball to make a play.
A week later, Gradney dropped into flats coverage in a classic Tampa 2 – safeties Cotton and Ryder Meyer splitting the field in half with Fouch dropping through the middle to carry seam routes upfield – but when the Utah Tech receiver didn’t carry his route far enough up the sideline, he sagged off to make a spectacular one-handed pick.
“It turnt us up,” Cotton said. “Every time someone makes a play, it kind of fires up the team and gets us going, so when Trev made that play, it just turnt the whole defense up and set the standard for the whole game.”
Later in the same game, Gradney forced another turnover out of zone coverage, turning and running downfield to force a fumble after Utah Tech exploited Montana’s Cover 2 look with the quarterback dropping a good ball in between Gradney’s flats coverage and Fouch playing deep zone coverage downfield.
So far, the new looks in the secondary have led to a Montana defense that looks a great deal like last year’s. The Griz are first in the conference in rushing defense at 91 yards per game, and middle of the pack in passing defense at 225.7 yards per.
Of course, like most things about this Montana team, it’s way too early to tell how things will work out at the end of the season. The Griz have been heavily favored in all three of their games so far and were only really tested by D-II national champion Ferris State.
Plenty of the attention has been on the offense, where Clifton McDowell and Sam Vidlak are splitting time at quarterback. But the changes on defense have so far been something to follow as well.
“I think you always evolve your scheme, it’s a constant evolution,” Bobby Hauck said (to be fair, he said this specifically about special teams, but I think it applies). “I think the one thing that’s a constant is that our guys play really hard. … I think they care to know what they’re doing and give effort for their team. Schematically, yeah, it changes all the time. It may change week to week. In fact, it does, but the techniques and the fundamentals are the same and the guys doing them are the same.”
