Brawl of the Wild: Big Sky’s Greatest Game

It’s time once again for your neighbor to become your enemy.

For the second year in a row, both the Cats and the Griz are ranked in the Big Sky’s top 5, an occurrence that has happened all but once in the last 5 years (not including the season that was cut short due to COVID).

While both teams are seeing success in this season, the stories couldn’t be further apart. For the Cats, they’re looking to tie the bow on their perfect regular season, one that included a 35-31 win over the FBS New Mexico Lobos (who is 4th in the Mountain West) and a decisive Big Sky Championship.

On the other side of the coin, the Grizzlies are looking to finish their season strong after a shaky start, including an early 27-24 loss to UND, followed up just a few weeks later with an OT thriller loss 55-48 at home against Weber State. With bragging rights on the line for every resident of Montana, both teams will be looking to throw Haymakers in this year-ending match.

A must-win for the University of Montana.

The Grizzlies will need to play one of the best games they have all year, as they look at missing the playoffs all together at their 8-3 standing. Already 4th in the Big Sky, another loss could knock them out of the top 24 and see them out of the playoffs for the first time since 2018 (not counting the Pandemic season).

The Griz are currently ranked #16 for offense on the NCAA’s official website, with 51 TDs on the year off of 4836 yards. The offense has been littered with questions this year, as they’ve had a rotation between QBs Logan Fife and Keali'i Ah Yat. Luckily they’ve had Eli Gillman in the backfield, on pace to crack 1,000 yards on the season, as well as three wideouts over 350 yards in Keelan White (494), Junior Bergen (486), and Aaron Fontes (382).

Their Defense will be the catalyst of the game on Saturday, as the Griz rank #56 in total defense, well behind the 8-ball and allowing over 350 yards from the opposing offenses. The trenches will be tested on the UM side of the ball, as they’ve allowed 137 rushing yards per game.

Can the Bobcats remain undefeated?

For the home team, the Cats have already clinched the Big Sky title with their 30-28 win over UC Davis last week, and look strong heading into the postseason. Led by QB “Touchdown” Tommy Melott. With only 1862 yards through the air to Tommy’s name, the Cats’ ground-and-pound style has proven effective in every match so far this season with 317 yards per game.

Get our free mobile app

With Scottre Humphrey and Adam Jones joining Melott in the backfield, the Cats’ will be drooling with the opportunity to take on a squishy Grizzlies running defense. Alongside the #1 offense in the nation, the Cats also boast a top-15 defense, with LB McCade O'Reilly and DB Rylan Ortt leading the way in tackles.

Look for the Cats to work the possession game, ranking #5 in time-of-possession throughout the season, limiting the Griz opportunities at big-yardage plays.

Cats vs. Griz - Gameday summary.

While College Gameday won’t be attending MSU this time, the atmosphere at Bobcats Stadium is set to be one of the toughest environments the Grizzlies have played in this year. While the Grizzlies lead the matchup 74–42–5, they’ve split the last 10 years 5-5 and the last 20 matches 10-10.

After last year’s 37-7 defeat in Missoula and losing the Big Sky title with it, the Cats will be out for revenge. With an expected 95% cloud cover and 14 mph gusts, it’ll be a true Montana experience out on the Gridiron this weekend for the Brawl of the Wild.