The 123rd rendition of the fiercest rivalry in college football will once again highlight some of the best football players who grew up in the Treasure State. Those Montana-made products will certainly influence a contest that has huge playoff ramifications on both sides and will determine if Montana State can complete its first-ever undefeated regular season.
A total of 96 in-state products (including Montana State senior Cole Sain, who grew up in Darby but went to high school at St. John Bosco Prep in Southern California) will play in Saturday’s rivalry showdown at Bobcat Stadium. A total of 30 Montana towns will have native sons representing them in one of the fiercest rivalries in college football.
“I’ve been watching this game most of my life and we are excited to go try to get our ninth win, the 75th over the rival,” Montana senior captain Trevin Gradney, No. 37 this year, said earlier this week.
A total of 49 players from the No. 9 Grizzlies hail from in-state, two more than last season and two more than Montana State boasts. No. 2 Montana State’s roster features 47 in-state products entering the game on Saturday, up from 45 a year ago.
The rivalry game has postseason ramifications for the fifth year in a row.
During the Big Sky Conference era beginning in 1963, Montana State won the first six rivalry games against Montana and 12 of the first 15. Montana won in 1978 and again in 1981 and 1982 before MSU ripped off a recent three-game winning streak between 1983 and 1985.
In 1986, Montana won 59-28 in Missoula, starting an era of domination that reached 16 consecutive victories during a stretch that became known as simply: “The Streak.”
Since Montana State won in Missoula 10-7 in Missoula in 2002, the rivalry is dead even with 10 wins for each side. Montana’s 2011 win in Bozeman was technically vacated because of NCAA violations. And the rivalry was not played in 2020 because of the global pandemic.
MSU had won in four of its last five trips to Missoula before the 2021 loss, while Montana had four straight wins in Bozeman between 2007 and 2015 but lost in 2017, 2019 and 2022.
Montana State has won six of the last eight, although fourth-year head coach Brent Vigen is 1-2 in the rivalry and 0-2 in Missoula. Hauck is 7-5 against the Bobcats in his career that includes stints between 2003 and 2009 plus the current stretch that began ahead of the 2018 season.
When Hauck first took over at Montana leading up to the 2018 season, the Griz roster boasted 29 in-state players. Now UM has more than 45 for the fourth year in a row.
Former Montana State head coach Jeff Choate consistently recruited Montana players during his four-year tenure. His last team, in 2019, featured 46 Treasure State products. The 2016 Bobcats had 52 Montana kids while the 2017 team had 46 and the 2018 team featured 45, two fewer than this season.
This year’s Griz team features 10 starters, including a quartet of Montana-made safeties (Ryder Meyer, Jaxon Lee, Jace Klucewich, Tyson Rostad), who hail from in-state. The Griz have 16 players on the two-deep from in-state.
“I’m very appreciative, very blessed to be in this position and to play in this game,” Gradney said. “Being able to play this game as long as I have and being able to be in this rivalry game for four years now, it has been tremendous. I couldn’t ask for anything else. And winning them is even better.”
This year’s Bobcat team has 12 total starters from Montana. Nine more in-state players are on the two-deep including specialists and special teamers.
Between the two rosters combined, there are a total of 30 Montana towns represented. A total of 64 in-state players (34 for MSU, 30 for Montana) played Class AA football in high school.
Class A has 12 representatives, including nine Grizzlies. Griz safety Jace Klucewich spent three seasons at Frenchtown before graduating from Missoula Sentinel.
A total of 12 players cut their teeth in the Class B ranks, including six on each side.
And a total of 8 players prepped in the Class C ranks, including five for the Bobcats, although Montana safety Jaxon Lee has Class C roots. The Griz DB grew up in Philipsburg and won two Class C state championships at Flint Creek before playing his senior year at Missoula Sentinel.
Bozeman and Missoula are the two most represented Montana towns once again. A total of 19 players from Bozeman, including 14 from Bozeman High School, will suit up. All five Gallatin alums play for Montana State, including Brent Vigen’s son, Jake. Nine ex-Hawks will suit up for Montana State while all five of UM’s Bozeman players went to Bozeman High.
Missoula is the next-most represented town with 18, including 12 who play for the Grizzlies. Missoula Sentinel has 14 alums in the game if you count Klucewich and Lee, and a total of five Sentinel alums play at Montana State while there’s nine ex-Spartans playing for the Grizzlies. There’s one former Hellgate Knight on each side while both Missoula Loyola alums play for the Griz. The Griz used to have a Big Sky trio but not any longer.
Billings boasts 14 players in the game, including nine that went to West, two that went to Senior and three that went to Central, but none that went to Skyview. Seven former Golden Bears are now Bobcats and two more are Griz while UM and MSU each have one former Senior Bronc suiting up. Central is the most well-represented Class A school with three players in the game, including two for the Griz.
Helena has eight players in the game, including five for the Griz and three for the Cats. Helena High has four alums in the game, including three that play for the Griz, while Helena Capital has four graduates — two for each team.
In terms of the other three Montana “cities”: Butte has five representatives, all of whom went to Butte High and three of whom play for the Griz; Kalispell has five, all Glacier alums who play for Montana; and Great Falls has three total, including two ‘Cats (one CMR, one Great Falls High) and one former Great Falls High Bison who plays for Montana.
Billings Central and Red Lodge (3) are the only non-AA schools with more than two representatives. Class B Florence and Class C Philipsburg feature two each.
Class A is also represented with one player from a player each from Dillon, Columbia Falls, Polson, Whitefish, Havre, Libby, Laurel, Browning, Hamilton, and Frenchtown.
Class B has two reps from Florence (both Bobcats), plus Bobcats from Jefferson County (Dalton Noble, who’s from Clancy) and Manhattan, and Grizzlies from Red Lodge, Huntley Project, and Whitehall.
Class C communities represented in the game include Melstone (the Grebe brothers play for MSU), Savage, Philipsburg (two if you count Lee), Fairview, Darby (Sain), and Brockton (MSU’s Mason Dethman, who graduated from Froid-Lake).
Here’s a look at the 49 Montana products on the Griz roster headed into the 123rd rendition of the fierce rivalry in Missoula on Saturday afternoon.
The Stars
Junior Bergen, Billings Senior, wide receiver, senior
Bergen is one of the most captivating players to ever play for the Grizzlies. He has accounted for 24 total touchdowns and he’s scored in basically every way, including setting a Big Sky Conference record with six punt return touchdowns.
He has 2,246 yards from scrimmage, including 1,721 yards receiving in his illustrious career. He also has established a reputation as one of the great returners in Griz and Big Sky history. The former high school quarterback was at one time committed to Montana State. Now, he’s the lone Billings Senior representative for the Grizzlies.
Ryder Meyer, Fairfield, safety, senior
The former Class B superstar led a team coached by his father, Les Meyer, to a pair of state championships before bringing that winning mentality to Montana.
Meyer waited in the wings for his first three seasons, cutting his teeth on special teams and starting to earn more reps at safety. Last season, he had a breakout year and finished fourth in the Big Sky Conference with 91 total tackles for a Griz defense that led the conference in scoring and total defense.
This year, Meyer has battled back from injury to be a steady leader on the back end. He is the oldest player on the Grizzlies. Despite missing three games, Meyer is fifth on the team with 56 tackles. He also has 2.5 tackles for loss and an interception.
Trevin Gradney, Billings West, cornerback, senior
The son of former Bobcat Joe Gradney has carved out a football career highlighted by winning.
He led the state of Montana with nine interceptions during West’s run to the 2018 state championship. He led the Big Sky Conference in interceptions a year ago on UM’s run to the league title and the FCS national championship game.
In between, he’s defied the odds by being the latest Montanan to first break through on special teams (first-team All-Big Sky in 2021) and then into the starting lineup at cornerback. He’s the first corner to wear Montana’s vaunted No. 37 jersey and he’s working on a second straight all-conference campaign.
He’s battled lower body dings for most of the season but still has 40 tackles, eight pass breakups and a pick.
Jaxon Lee, Phillipsburg/Missoula Sentinel, safety, senior
The former Class C superstar turned Class AA slash back burst onto the scene last season, scoring two defensive touchdowns, including one in a playoff win over Delaware.
This season, he’s been a stalwart and the most consistent safety as Meyer, Klucewich and Rostad have all battled injuries.
Lee is second on the Griz with 68 tackles. He has two tackles for loss to go with a forced fumble. And his over the shoulder interception against Northern Colorado is one of the highlight-reel plays of the season for the UM defense.
Jace Klucewich, Frenchtown/Sentinel, safety, junior
Like many safeties before him, Klucewich had to wait his turn. He even switched positions, playing cornerback for a time. But now he’s back at safety and it could be argued that the rancher from Frenchtown is having the best year of any of Montana’s defensive players.
He was the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week last week after snaring two interceptions against Portland State in a 28-17 UM win. He has shown a great ability to adjust in coverage and has used the speed and athleticism that made him a track champion in high school to stand out in the Griz secondary.
His four interceptions lead the Big Sky Conference and he’s done it despite missing time on two occasions this season. Klucewich’s father and uncle both played for the Griz in the early 1990s.
Ryan Tirrell, Missoula Loyola, linebacker, senior
Bobby Hauck’s nephew has carved out his own reputation as a tough, solid-tackling inside linebacker as a starter in the middle of the Griz defense the last two seasons.
Tirrell is UM’s leading tackler entering his final rivalry game. He has 89 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. He’s also broken up three passes. He has 168 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks in his career.
The Starters
Journey Grimsrud, Huntley Project, offensive guard, junior
The former Class B discus champion has gone from a project to a solid starter to a stalwart since switching to the offensive line. The 6-foot-3, 302-pounder enters Saturday having started 31 games at offensive guard for the Grizzlies.
Hank Nuce, Kalispell Glacier, defensive end, junior
The Maine native spent his last few years of high school prepping for Grady Bennett at Glacier and developed enough to get a shot with the Griz. He rose through the ranks to become a rotational player in 2022 before suffering an injury that cost him all of last season during fall camp last August. He’s steadily worked his way back in the fold and has started the latter half of the season this year. He has 31 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack this season.
Tyson Rostad, Hamilton, safety, sophomore
The former high school state champion quarterback was one of the breakout players of the last off-season. That’s helped him forge his way onto the field in the crowded safety group for the Griz.
This season, he has 27 tackles and a sack and has started when Meyer or Klucewich have missed time.
Dillon Botner, Whitefish, offensive tackle, senior
The 6-foot-6, 290-pounder suffered a season-ending injury before fall camp ahead of last season. He’s reemerged and has been in the starting lineup a few times this season with dings to starter Cannon Panfiloff.
Botner was part of Whitefish’s 2015 Class A state title team.
The contributors
Jake Olson, Butte, tight end, junior
The 6-foot-7 son of former Griz basketball player Bob Olson caught his first career touchdown in UM’s 52-49 win over Eastern Washington earlier this season. He’s caught three passes for 18 yards this season.
Drew Deck, Kalispell Glacier, wide receiver/returner, junior
Deck is likely going to see a drastically larger role next season after Montana graduates at least five wide receivers. He’s found his way into the rotation regardless and has five catches for 60 yards. He has also been UM’s punt returner when Bergen is not 100 percent. Deck has seven returns for 82 yards and is averaging 11.7 yards per return.
T.J. Rausch, Missoula Sentinel, safety, junior
The son of former Big Sky Conference MVP Anne (Lake) Rausch has ascended the depth chart to consistently be in the rotation. The former all-state wide receiver for the Spartans has 28 tackles this season.
Kade Boyd, Billings Central, safety, redshirt freshman
Boyd was one of the best running backs and returners in the state in high school. Originally committed to Montana Tech, he was a late commit to the Griz. He’s found his way into the secondary, although he hasn’t played the last month-plus. He has appeared in three games and made three tackles.
Ryan Simpson, Bozeman High, wide receiver, senior
The 6-foot-6 former standout basketball player has seen his opportunities dip after having 19 catches for 247 yards in 2021. He’s managed to snare 37 catches for 494 yards and two touchdowns in his Griz career.
Austin Buehler, Helena Capital, offensive tackle, redshirt freshman
Buehler — whose father Eric Buehler was a four-year letterman at D-end for Montana from 1995-1998 and whose mother is Greta Koss, the 1996 Big Sky MVP for the Lady Griz — has worked his way rapidly up the depth chart. A few years after leading Helena Capital to a state championship, the offensive tackle is backing up Brandon Casey at right tackle.
Drew Klumph, Missoula Sentinel, wide receiver, sophomore
The former state champion hurdler has had to wait his turn, but has played on special teams this season, where he has five tackles covering kicks and punts.
Clay Oven, Billings Central, linebacker, redshirt freshman
The former standout 400-meter runner was one of the players Hauck talked about in the off-season as a potential breakout contributor on special teams, which has held true. Oven has two tackles on special teams, and his work in the return games has earned the praise of his head coach.
Geno Leonard, Missoula Sentinel, linebacker, junior
The former Class AA Defensive Player of the Year helped Sentinel go undefeated and looked to be in line to be next Montana-made player in UM’s linebacker pipeline. But injury has cost him the last two seasons.
The Montanans (30)
Kash Goicoechea, Kalispell Glacier
Gabe Longin, Great Falls High
Kaden Huot, Helena High
Owen Reynolds, Red Lodge
Chase McGurran, Helena High
Cody Schweikert, Columbia Falls
Padraig Lang, Bozeman High
Gage Sliter, Kalispell Glacier
Beau Dantic, Laurel
Cameron Guernsey, Butte
Tanner Huff, Butte
Kade Cutler, Phillipsburg
Tommy Running Rabbit, Browning
Talen Reynolds, Missoula Loyola
Grady Walker, Missoula Sentinel
Marcus Evans, Helena
Kellen Detrick, Havre
Isaac Keim, Kalispell Glacier
Cy Stevenson, Libby
Braunson Henriksen, Polson
Hayden Opitz, Helena Capital
Torin Jeske, Bozeman High
Tate Templeton, Missoula Sentinel
Brady Lang, Bozeman
Ian Finch, Missoula Hellgate
Joe Weida, Missoula Sentinel
Danny Sirmon, Missoula Sentinel
Jaxon Tucker, Billings West
Sloan McPherson, Savage
Dylan Smith, Whitehall
