MISSOULA — This year, Montana had its first 11-0 start to a campaign for the first time since 2009. But the Grizzlies fell one win shy of claiming the Big Sky Conference title with a 31-28 defeat to rival Montana State in the 124th Brawl of the Wild last week in Missoula.
The Grizzlies, though, are in no way finished. Montana closed the regular season ranked third in the Stats Perform FCS top 25 poll and also earned the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye for the upcoming playoffs.
On this week's edition of the Griz Insider show, MTN Sports' Kyle Hansen and UM play-by-play voice Riley Corcoran provide a regular-season recap and also look ahead to the FCS postseason tournament.
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Montana is off this week but will host either New Hampshire (8-4) of the Coastal Athletic Association or No. 14 seed South Dakota State (8-4) of the Missouri Valley Football Conference in the second round of the playoffs on Saturday, Dec. 6, at noon in Missoula. New Hampshire and SDSU square off in a first-round game this Saturday at noon in Brookings, S.D.
There is also the possibility of a Montana-vs.-Montana State rematch in these playoffs. If the Grizzlies and No. 2-seeded Bobcats each win two playoff games, they'll meet in Bozeman in the semifinal round the weekend of Dec. 20. The Griz have never faced the Cats in a postseason game in the FCS/Division I-AA era (since 1978).
