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Around FCS: Montana, WSU heating up rivalry
By David Coulson, FCS Executive Director
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - In most true rivalries, there is a moment, or a series of plays that takes a matchup and lifts it to another level.
Rivalries are also made more intense when the stakes of a game are raised to new heights, like playing for a league championship, or meeting in the playoffs.
The other element needed to increase the heat of a rivalry is to have both teams find some success. Having one team win too many games over the course of years ruins the intensity of such matchups.
Until the last couple of years, the games between Montana and Weber State were lacking most of those elements. But one incident in 2007 heated things up for the two Big Sky Conference competitors and two great games last season between the Grizzlies and Wildcats have pushed this contest to another dimension.
When Weber State travels to Montana on Saturday, first place in the Big Sky will once again be at stake, along with playoff aspirations, national rankings and even postseason seeding.
At this point, probably no matchup other than the Brawl of the Wild against Montana State fires up the Grizzlies as much as playing Weber State. And there is little doubt now that Montana is the most hated team that the Wildcats play.
SPARKING A RIVALRY
The sparks for this heated rivalry were set in 2007 in the most unlikely of scenarios at Montana's Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Weber State came in with an 0-3 record and was 0-1 in the Big Sky Conference. A rookie quarterback named Cameron Higgins was making his first college start in the most hostile of Football Championship Subdivision venues.
But the Wildcats held Montana to just one touchdown and four Dan Carpenter field goals and were threatening to tie the game at the Montana seven-yard line late in the fourth quarter when a series of penalties derailed them as the Grizzlies held on for an 18-10 victory.
There was also an ugly incident when Montana offensive lineman Cody Balogh threw a cut block on WSU defensive tackle Derek Johnson, while Johnson was engaged with Grizzly blocker J.D. Quinn.
Wildcat coaches, players and fans were outraged when Johnson had knee ligaments shredded by Balogh's block and had to undergo massive reconstructive knee surgery just to return last season.
EXACTING REVENGE
Johnson earned some revenge last season in Ogden, UT. when he helped the Wildcats to a 45-28 victory that earned Weber State a share of the Big Sky title and the BSC's automatic bid to the playoffs. It was WSU's first win over the Grizzlies since 1998, breaking a string of nine consecutive losses.
The fire of this burgeoning rivalry were enflamed some more when Weber State dropped its final regular-season game to Eastern Washington, enabling Montana to grab its slice of the conference crown for an NCAA-record 11th consecutive season and to earn the No. 4 seed in the playoffs, despite the fact Weber State had beaten Montana in the regular season and had won the league's auto bid.
Weber State and Montana ended up in the same quarter of the playoff bracket and met again in Missoula, MT. This time, Montana took advantage of three Wildcat turnovers and controlled the game on the ground to carve out a 24-13 second-round victory, on the way to the national championship game.
THE NEXT MEETING
There has been plenty of talk on both sides to stir things up since last year's game, probably none as inflamatory as those of Montana coach Bobby Hauck before the season.
When asked in a teleconference if he relished a chance to play a team like Weber Stare year after year, Hauck responded with a terse reply.
"Theyve been in the league as long as we have," Hauck said. "Weve played them a lot of times, obviously. I could look up in a media guide and see what the record is. Our record is pretty good against them."
Since that December day, the two teams have awaited their next meeting, which finally comes around on Saturday.
OFFENSIVE FIREWORKS
Weber State brings a No. 14 national ranking and one of the most talent- laden offenses in FCS (eighth nationally) back to Missoula, with Higgins at the controls, Trevyn Smith and Bo Bolen in the backfield and receivers Tim Toone and Mike Phillips.
Higgins and Smith are among the 20 candidates on the Walter Payton Award watch list. After a shaky start to his season, Higgins has 10 TD passes and just one interception in his past three games.
The Wildcats are also holding their own defensively, despite injuries an inexperience, with Buchanan Award nominee Josh Morris at cornerback, All- American Kevin Linehan at defensive end and Beau Hadley at safety.
Weber State has tightened up on the defensive side since entering conference play, allowing a league-low 19 points per game.
WSU nearly pulled upsets in back-to-back weeks against FBS opponents Wyoming and Colorado State, but has rolled off wins in five of the past six games. The only loss was a 26-21 setback to Montana State when the Bobcats stopped the Wildcats on a fourth and goal from the one.
RELOADING AGAIN
No. 2-ranked Montana has reloaded from its runner-up national finish last fall, winning its first seven games, even with some difficult moments in games against UC Davis, Northern Arizona and Eastern Washington. The Grizzlies needed an interception in the end zone at the end of the game to hold off UCD, a touchdown with 1:18 left to get past EWU and overtime to outlast NAU.
Of course, all of those games were on the road.
Though only 13th in total offense, the Grizzlies are second nationally in scoring, averaging 38 points per game.
Quarterbacks Andrew Selle and Justin Roper have both shown the ability to move the offense, though both have been susceptible to slow starts.
Payton Award nominee Chase Reynolds is still piling up yards and touchdowns (a league-best 13) behind a solid offensive line and Thomas Brooks-Fletcher gave the Griz a lift with 133 yards in last week's win at Sacramento State.
"They have a huge NFL-size offensive line, which opens a lot of big holes for their running backs and gives great protection for their quarterbacks," said WSU coach Ron McBride.
All-American Marc Mariani is dangerous as a receiver and returnman and has the ability to make momentum changing plays.
Like Weber State, Montana has struggled at times on defense. Both teams are allowing 21 points per game. But the Grizzlies still have that capacity to turn on the after-burners in the fourth quarters of games.
"They are solid in every phase of the game," McBride said. "Number one, they just don't make mistakes and they really take advantage of your mistakes."
It might not be the same type of defense that Montana fans have grown accustom to, particularly with its pass rush, but the Grizzlies still have playmakers like safety Shann Schillinger, linebacker Shawn Lebsock and defensive end Jace Palmer.
If there is a concern for the Grizzlies, heading into this game, it is a pass defense that has allowed a Big Sky-worst 356 yards per contest as it prepares for a Weber State passing attack that is fourth in FCS with a 307-yard average per game.
FACING THE GRIZZLY CROWD
After last year's win, the Wildcats know they can beat the Grizzlies. But now they have to prove they can do it at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Montana has dropped just 20 games at home since the stadium opened in 1986 and hasn't lost a Big Sky home game since 2005, a string of 15 straight games.
Weber State hasn't won in Missoula since forging a 29-26 victory in 1987 and has lost 10 in a row since then. The Wildcats have dropped 19 of the past 22 games against Montana and are 12-36 lifetime in the series.
"They obviously have great fan support," said McBride. "We will need to keep ourselves focused on what is happening on the field and not in the stands."
However things ultimately turn out, Saturday's game is expected to ratchet this burgeoning rivalry a few more notches.
10/28 19:30:57 ET
Around FCS: Montana, WSU heating up rivalry
By David Coulson, FCS Executive Director
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - In most true rivalries, there is a moment, or a series of plays that takes a matchup and lifts it to another level.
Rivalries are also made more intense when the stakes of a game are raised to new heights, like playing for a league championship, or meeting in the playoffs.
The other element needed to increase the heat of a rivalry is to have both teams find some success. Having one team win too many games over the course of years ruins the intensity of such matchups.
Until the last couple of years, the games between Montana and Weber State were lacking most of those elements. But one incident in 2007 heated things up for the two Big Sky Conference competitors and two great games last season between the Grizzlies and Wildcats have pushed this contest to another dimension.
When Weber State travels to Montana on Saturday, first place in the Big Sky will once again be at stake, along with playoff aspirations, national rankings and even postseason seeding.
At this point, probably no matchup other than the Brawl of the Wild against Montana State fires up the Grizzlies as much as playing Weber State. And there is little doubt now that Montana is the most hated team that the Wildcats play.
SPARKING A RIVALRY
The sparks for this heated rivalry were set in 2007 in the most unlikely of scenarios at Montana's Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Weber State came in with an 0-3 record and was 0-1 in the Big Sky Conference. A rookie quarterback named Cameron Higgins was making his first college start in the most hostile of Football Championship Subdivision venues.
But the Wildcats held Montana to just one touchdown and four Dan Carpenter field goals and were threatening to tie the game at the Montana seven-yard line late in the fourth quarter when a series of penalties derailed them as the Grizzlies held on for an 18-10 victory.
There was also an ugly incident when Montana offensive lineman Cody Balogh threw a cut block on WSU defensive tackle Derek Johnson, while Johnson was engaged with Grizzly blocker J.D. Quinn.
Wildcat coaches, players and fans were outraged when Johnson had knee ligaments shredded by Balogh's block and had to undergo massive reconstructive knee surgery just to return last season.
EXACTING REVENGE
Johnson earned some revenge last season in Ogden, UT. when he helped the Wildcats to a 45-28 victory that earned Weber State a share of the Big Sky title and the BSC's automatic bid to the playoffs. It was WSU's first win over the Grizzlies since 1998, breaking a string of nine consecutive losses.
The fire of this burgeoning rivalry were enflamed some more when Weber State dropped its final regular-season game to Eastern Washington, enabling Montana to grab its slice of the conference crown for an NCAA-record 11th consecutive season and to earn the No. 4 seed in the playoffs, despite the fact Weber State had beaten Montana in the regular season and had won the league's auto bid.
Weber State and Montana ended up in the same quarter of the playoff bracket and met again in Missoula, MT. This time, Montana took advantage of three Wildcat turnovers and controlled the game on the ground to carve out a 24-13 second-round victory, on the way to the national championship game.
THE NEXT MEETING
There has been plenty of talk on both sides to stir things up since last year's game, probably none as inflamatory as those of Montana coach Bobby Hauck before the season.
When asked in a teleconference if he relished a chance to play a team like Weber Stare year after year, Hauck responded with a terse reply.
"Theyve been in the league as long as we have," Hauck said. "Weve played them a lot of times, obviously. I could look up in a media guide and see what the record is. Our record is pretty good against them."
Since that December day, the two teams have awaited their next meeting, which finally comes around on Saturday.
OFFENSIVE FIREWORKS
Weber State brings a No. 14 national ranking and one of the most talent- laden offenses in FCS (eighth nationally) back to Missoula, with Higgins at the controls, Trevyn Smith and Bo Bolen in the backfield and receivers Tim Toone and Mike Phillips.
Higgins and Smith are among the 20 candidates on the Walter Payton Award watch list. After a shaky start to his season, Higgins has 10 TD passes and just one interception in his past three games.
The Wildcats are also holding their own defensively, despite injuries an inexperience, with Buchanan Award nominee Josh Morris at cornerback, All- American Kevin Linehan at defensive end and Beau Hadley at safety.
Weber State has tightened up on the defensive side since entering conference play, allowing a league-low 19 points per game.
WSU nearly pulled upsets in back-to-back weeks against FBS opponents Wyoming and Colorado State, but has rolled off wins in five of the past six games. The only loss was a 26-21 setback to Montana State when the Bobcats stopped the Wildcats on a fourth and goal from the one.
RELOADING AGAIN
No. 2-ranked Montana has reloaded from its runner-up national finish last fall, winning its first seven games, even with some difficult moments in games against UC Davis, Northern Arizona and Eastern Washington. The Grizzlies needed an interception in the end zone at the end of the game to hold off UCD, a touchdown with 1:18 left to get past EWU and overtime to outlast NAU.
Of course, all of those games were on the road.
Though only 13th in total offense, the Grizzlies are second nationally in scoring, averaging 38 points per game.
Quarterbacks Andrew Selle and Justin Roper have both shown the ability to move the offense, though both have been susceptible to slow starts.
Payton Award nominee Chase Reynolds is still piling up yards and touchdowns (a league-best 13) behind a solid offensive line and Thomas Brooks-Fletcher gave the Griz a lift with 133 yards in last week's win at Sacramento State.
"They have a huge NFL-size offensive line, which opens a lot of big holes for their running backs and gives great protection for their quarterbacks," said WSU coach Ron McBride.
All-American Marc Mariani is dangerous as a receiver and returnman and has the ability to make momentum changing plays.
Like Weber State, Montana has struggled at times on defense. Both teams are allowing 21 points per game. But the Grizzlies still have that capacity to turn on the after-burners in the fourth quarters of games.
"They are solid in every phase of the game," McBride said. "Number one, they just don't make mistakes and they really take advantage of your mistakes."
It might not be the same type of defense that Montana fans have grown accustom to, particularly with its pass rush, but the Grizzlies still have playmakers like safety Shann Schillinger, linebacker Shawn Lebsock and defensive end Jace Palmer.
If there is a concern for the Grizzlies, heading into this game, it is a pass defense that has allowed a Big Sky-worst 356 yards per contest as it prepares for a Weber State passing attack that is fourth in FCS with a 307-yard average per game.
FACING THE GRIZZLY CROWD
After last year's win, the Wildcats know they can beat the Grizzlies. But now they have to prove they can do it at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Montana has dropped just 20 games at home since the stadium opened in 1986 and hasn't lost a Big Sky home game since 2005, a string of 15 straight games.
Weber State hasn't won in Missoula since forging a 29-26 victory in 1987 and has lost 10 in a row since then. The Wildcats have dropped 19 of the past 22 games against Montana and are 12-36 lifetime in the series.
"They obviously have great fan support," said McBride. "We will need to keep ourselves focused on what is happening on the field and not in the stands."
However things ultimately turn out, Saturday's game is expected to ratchet this burgeoning rivalry a few more notches.
10/28 19:30:57 ET
