MISSOULA — Brawl of the Wild 2.0 is officially a reality in the Treasure State, an outcome folks knew was possible and just under a month later is now happening as Montana and Montana State get set to rematch over in Bozeman in the FCS playoff semifinal round.
For the Grizzlies, they've made no friends in the state of South Dakota this playoff run as they find themselves ready to take on their rival once again with a trip to the national championship game on the line.
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"We played well in those games," UM head coach Bobby Hauck said. "I mentioned what I thought of the Dakota schools. We played three of the four of them. They're all very physical. They're tough. They know what they're doing. They play hard. They're resourced. You know, they have good players. They have good coaches.
"So to be able to win both those games convincingly I think was really a good effort by our staff and our players."
Montana put up 102 points in its two playoff matches against the Jackrabbits and Coyotes as the offense appears to be on another level behind quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat, running back Eli Gillman, do-it-all receiver Michael Wortham and more.
Defensively, UM buckled down after a rocky first quarter against SDSU, and through the other seven quarters appeared to have taken their play to another level with the help of some players — like cornerback Kyon Loud and linebacker Elijawah Tolbert — returning from injury.
And in the third phase of special teams, the Griz cracked through in that realm with a score for the first time this season against USD on a punt return score from the surging Drew Deck, as the team as a whole rolled through it's first two playoff games and is playing its best football and it begins to hit its peak.
"I think that's just a standard here at Montana," UM safety Tanner Huff said. "We play physical, we practice physical. That's what's expected. So we just go out there and play the way we play. That's what we're going to do this Saturday as well."
That leads us to the biggest meeting ever between these two programs, as the Cats and Griz line it up at 2 p.m. on Saturday where it's win and go to Nashville, or lose and go home.
