(Editor’s note: release from Montana Athletics)
MISSOULA – The 2018 Montana Grizzly football season officially gets underway Monday, August 6, when players report for the first fall camp under head coach Bobby Hauck. The Griz take the field for their first practice on Wednesday, August 8.
Hauck and his staff will run the Grizzlies through a schedule of 21 practices in the leadup to the home-opener on Sept. 1. This year, fall camp practices will be held at Dornblaser Field and are scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m.
The Grizzlies will hold their first practice in full pads on Sunday, Aug. 12, and will hold a pair of closed-door scrimmages during fall camp, the first on Aug. 18 and the final on Aug. 24.
On Aug. 22 the Grizzlies will wrap up practice and head to Washington-Grizzly Stadium for the 23rd Great Griz Encounter, the annual preseason pep rally where fans can meet the team and get this year’s schedule poster autographed.
This year, fans will get the chance to meet both the UM football and volleyball teams and will be treated to a screening of the hit movie Black Panther on the Griz Vision jumbotron later that evening, with local food and beverage vendors on hand to give the event a festival-like atmosphere. The Great Griz Encounter is FREE and open to the public.
On Aug. 30, Hauck and the Grizzly staff will hold a “Football 101” event, designed to give UM students the opportunity to experience a Griz football practice for themselves and be in the running for door prizes and access to prime student seating. Following the event, students will get a tour of the Washington-Grizzly Champions Center.
Montana opens the season under the lights at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Sept. 1 in a highly-anticipated contest against Northern Iowa. The Panthers come to Missoula ranked as high as No. 11 in various preseason national polls, and picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason poll.
The Sept. 1 home opener is a “MAROON OUT” game when the first 1,000 students in the gate will get a FREE maroon t-shirt.
GRIZZLY PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Practices are open to the public and generally last for two hours. Fall scrimmages are closed to the public. Times and locations are tentative and subject to change.
Monday, Aug. 6 Players report
Tuesday, Aug. 7 Meetings
Wednesday, Aug. 8 Practice 1
Thursday, Aug. 9 Practice 2
Friday, Aug. 10 Practice 3
Saturday, Aug. 11 Practice 4
Sunday, Aug. 12 Practice 5
Monday, Aug. 13 OFF
Tuesday, Aug. 14 Practice 6
Wednesday, Aug. 15 Practice 7
Thursday, Aug. 16 Practice 8
Friday, Aug. 17 Practice 9
Saturday, Aug. 18 Practice 10
Sunday, Aug. 19 OFF
Monday, Aug. 20 Practice 11
Tuesday, Aug. 21 Practice 12
Wednesday, Aug. 22 Practice 13 – Great Griz Encounter
Thursday, Aug. 23 Practice 14
Friday, Aug. 24 Practice 15
Saturday, Aug. 25 Practice 16
Sunday, Aug. 26 OFF
Monday, Aug. 27 Practice 17
Tuesday, Aug. 28 Practice 18
Wednesday, Aug. 29 Practice 19
Thursday, Aug. 30 Practice 20 – “Football 101” for UM Students
Friday, Aug. 31 Practice 21
Saturday, Sept. 1 Game Day vs. UNI
