MISSOULA — A number of milestones took place in Montana's rout of Indiana State last week.
That included one for Missoula native TJ Rausch, who scored his first collegiate touchdown on a strip-sack that was served up on a silver platter in the end zone, a memorable moment for an athlete living out a dream in his final season for his hometown school.
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"It meant everything to me," Rausch said. "This was my dream as a kid to be here, playing here. I've went to every Griz game I can remember since I was a kid. So to finally get out there and play has been awesome and a great opportunity."
Rausch was a standout at Sentinel High School, and was a senior helping lead the team to the 2020 Class AA state title, which snapped a drought dating back to 1972.
"It reminds me a lot about this team as well, like that we got now (at Montana)," Rausch said. "It's just a family oriented team and we're all out there playing for each other instead of just for ourselves. And I think that really wins games and gives people opportunities to go make plays because everybody else trusts you to do it."
Rausch knew where he wanted to suit up after high school, and that was right down the road at UM.
His mother, Ann Lake Rausch, is a hall of famer at Montana after a decorated Lady Griz basketball career, and TJ has had a chance to add to what's been a family affair.
"I knew about it. She always told me about it, especially when I was playing basketball growing up," Rausch said with a laugh. "While I was playing here, she got inducted to the hall of fame. So that's when I kind of really got to know more about her career and how good she was. So yeah, it's been pretty cool."
Rausch cut his teeth on special teams early on in his Griz career, and last year cracked the defensive rotation as a backup safety where he started seeing all of his hard work come to fruition.
"You never really feel like you're like that guy. I guess at least I didn't," Rausch said. "And it was pretty cool to finally feel the validation that you're good and have an opportunity to play at the next level, and that's something you've dreamed about your whole life.
"I needed it for my confidence for sure. It's a long grind of college football. So, to finally feel the validation that you are good enough to play college football was an awesome feeling. And now I have the confidence from starting and everything else."
Now a starter for a 3-0 Griz team that ranks in the top five of the FCS, life is good for Rausch and Co. as he looks to make this final run last as long as possible.
"It was kind of surreal. It doesn't feel like I've been here for five years, but I have," he said. "So it was kind of just put everything on the table, give it all I got, and see what happens from there."
