The Griz are rolling after a 53-16 Homecoming blowout of the Portland State Vikings that kept Montana in the top three of the national polls and ran their season-long point differential to plus-136 through four games.
On the other end of the spectrum are the Grizzlies’ opponents this week, the Idaho State Bengals. In head coach Charlie Ragle’s first season, the Bengals are 0-4 with a negative-98 point differential and are already down to their third-string quarterback, Sagan Gronauer.
They competed with Northern Colorado, the other team expected to be at the bottom of the league, for three quarters last week before giving up 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points. The Bengals lost 59-20 in Missoula in the last meeting between the two teams, and haven’t beaten the Griz since a 43-40 double-overtime classic in Pocatello in 2003, a run that’s now up to 13 straight losses.
“Idaho State is definitely not off to the start they want,” Montana head coach Bobby Hauck said. “I’m sure they’ll be excited to get us down there. Start of a new week, excited to get going and try to get to 2-0 in the conference.”
QUICK HITS
Mascot: Bengals
Location: Pocatello, Idaho
Founded: 1901
Enrollment: 12,157
Stadium: Holt Arena, opened in 1970, is the oldest enclosed stadium still in use in the country. Idaho State started a multi-year renovation program on Holt in 2022, which includes all-new seating and new turf. Named after former athletic director and Big Sky Conference Hall of Famer Milton “Dubby” Holt, the stadium seats 12,000.
Famous alumni: Jared Allen, pass rusher; Stacy Dragila, Olympic gold medalist; Dirk Koetter and Marvin Lewis, former NFL head coaches. Between Allen, Dragila and Holt, ISU had as many inductees in the Big Sky’s inaugural Hall of Fame class as any other school.
THE COACH
Charlie Ragle (first year at Idaho State, 0-4)
Rob Phenicie lasted five years with the Bengals despite winning just 16 games (his .314 winning percentage, in fact, was better than each of his predecessors), but the bell tolled for the former Montana offensive coordinator after the 2021 fall season. Phenicie returned to the Griz as an offensive analyst on Bobby Hauck’s staff, and the Bengals handed Ragle his first college head coaching job. He comes to Pocatello from Cal, where he was on staff for the prior five years, primarily as the special teams coordinator. Before that he spent five years at Arizona. His prior experience before Tucson was primarily as a high school coach.
PLAYERS TO WATCH – OFFENSE
QB Sagan Gronauer, 6-1, 207, So.
Gronauer had enough potential as a true freshman in 2019 to back up Matt Struck and make a start as Struck melted down late in the season, but has since been passed on the depth chart by transfer Tyler Vander Waal and Class of 2020 walk-on Hunter Hays.
WR Xavier Guillory, 6-2, 197, So.
Guillory, who spent a year at Air Force Prep before getting to Pocatello, is leading the league with 377 receiving yards, already a career high, and also has three touchdowns.
PLAYERS TO WATCH – DEFENSE
CB Josh Alford, 5-10, 180, So.
Alford has started for the Bengals since he got on campus for the spring 2021 season and leads the team with three pass breakups this year.
S Quantraill Morris-Walker, 6-2, 200, So.
Morris-Walker is a rangy safety who covers a lot of ground and, like Alford, he’s already got plenty of experience despite being a sophomore.
“Offense, defense, most teams are doing most of the same things so it comes down to the set up of the game,” Hauck said. “I’m sure we will be favored in the game. But we have to realize there are a lot of teams this season who have been favored in games and gotten beat. We aren’t going to get caught up in all of that.”
