Shortly before kickoff against Morehead State on Saturday, the weight of the moment hit Tyson Rostad.
With Ryder Meyer out, the redshirt sophomore safety from Hamilton was about to make his first career start for Montana.
“When I finally got warmed up and stuff like that, it really kind of hit me that, hey, this is going to be the first time I ever get a start for the Montana Grizzlies,” Rostad said. “It’s crazy to be a kid watching all the Griz games and whatnot, and then to think forward to now and get to have that first start with the Griz. … It’s something I’ve always looked forward to and it finally happened.”
Rostad made his first tackle midway through the first quarter and finished with four stops, tied for fourth on the team in Montana’s 59-2 blowout win.
“I thought he played pretty well, especially for a young guy that had to come in and do a lot of different things,” Montana head coach Bobby Hauck said. “He did a nice job.”
It was a breakout moment in what’s been a slightly bittersweet season for Rostad. For the first time in his Griz career, his older brother Carson isn’t one of his teammates. Carson Rostad, a linebacker who played in 38 games over the previous three seasons with Montana, stepped away from football in the offseason, right before he was heading into his senior year.
“I definitely do miss him,” Tyson Rostad said. “He kind of paved the way for me, and the reason I am doing what I am this season probably has more to do with what he did, showing me the ropes. And yeah, it definitely does suck. He kind of wanted to take a new spin on life, which, he’s happy and good for him. But yeah, it’s special, not only getting to play high school football with your older brother, but then getting it to go play it at the Division I level. It’s something that not a lot of people get to experience, and I’ll cherish it for the rest of my life.”
Both Rostad brothers were brought up in the church of Griz football. Their cousin, Jordan Tripp, is one of the all-time great Griz linebackers. Raised in Missoula, Tripp starred at Big Sky High School, received two first-team all-Big Sky selections, and was drafted in the fifth round by the Miami Dolphins before playing parts of three seasons in the NFL. His father Bryan Tripp – the Rostads’ uncle – was also a starting linebacker for the Griz in the early 1990s.
“Obviously, I grew up watching Griz games my entire life, watching Jordy play, and now being able to be out there on the field, it’s just crazy how things come to fruition,” Tyson Rostad said.
Both Rostad brothers matured into football stars themselves at Hamilton High School, just 45 minutes down the Bitterroot Valley from Missoula.
Carson was a three-time all-state selection at quarterback and the 2018 Montana Gatorade Player of the Year. When he left, Tyson replaced his brother at quarterback for one season, leading the Broncs to an 11-0 record and the Class A state title. He threw for 27 touchdowns, ran for 18 more and was named first-team all-state at both quarterback and safety.
As many Montana high school quarterbacks do, both brothers quickly switched to defense when they got to the Griz.
Carson finished with 22 total tackles over his three years with the Griz, mostly on special teams.
After a redshirt season, Tyson had seven tackles in limited action a year ago and is just starting to break out this season.
“I remember coming in my freshman year in fall camp, and coach Hauck told the freshmen, he just said: survive,” Rostad said. “Catch it on the fly. And that’s the truth. Once I really got down to doing my 1/11th, and with the coaching from Coach Tim (Hauck) and all the other safeties around me, the game really started to slow down and I had a lot of confidence in what I was doing.”
Now, the younger Rostad looks like a big part of a safety group that has plenty of Montana ties. Meyer is from Fairfield, while Jaxon Lee, who started next to Rostad on Saturday, is from Philipsburg. Jace Klucewich, from Frenchtown, and TJ Rausch, from Missoula, also got plenty of snaps and finished with five tackles apiece.
All will be expected to keep contributing throughout the rest of the season – and that could lead to plenty more special moments for Rostad.
“Coming out of high school, you don’t really know necessarily what you’re getting yourself into … and it’s just such a shock with everything coming at you, the speed Division I football is played at and things like that,” Rostad said. “Some of the older kids that I played with, having Robby (Hauck) around, some of the older safeties like Nash (Fouch), they just kind of showed me the ropes and kind of, and I just sat in there and grinded, did what I was supposed to do. And then to have this season come around and get these opportunities that I’m getting is just something super special.”
