What
Missouri State, ranked ninth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason poll after a 4-7 season in 2023, makes the 1,525-mile trip to face Big Sky Conference favorite and 2023 Division I FCS national runner-up Montana.
Where
Washington Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, Montana
When
Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, August 31st at 8:00 p.m. (CT).
Where can I watch?
ESPN+
Who is preferred?
The betting odds had not been published as of Monday, August 26th.
What happened last time?
This is the first meeting in the history of the two programs. In Missouri State’s 115-year football history, the team has played three games against current members of the Big Sky Conference, the most recent meeting being a 40-8 victory over Northern Arizona in 2018.
Exploring Montana
Ryan Beard, who has been Missouri State’s head coach for two years, is expecting a raucous crowd Saturday night in the 26,000-seat arena, one of the most celebrated atmospheres in the subdivision. He’s heard all about it from his in-laws, since he married the daughter of famous Helena, Montana-raised football personality Bobby Petrino.
There is plenty to be excited about in Missoula before kickoff.
The Grizzlies return most of a respectable and award-winning offensive line and a group of All-Big Sky Conference players, including perhaps the most electrifying player in the FCS, wide receiver and return specialist Junior Bergen (pictured above), a candidate for the Walter Payton Award.
The Daily Citizen featured Bergen on August 1 in its preseason list of the most dangerous players MSU faces.
The guy carrying the ball? Reigning FCS Freshman of the Year (Jerry Rice Award) Eli Gillman, who rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.
The big question will be who will get the most snaps behind center for Montana on Saturday night.
After Montana lost its third starting quarterback in three years to either graduation or transfer, the team announced it could use two quarterbacks on Saturday: redshirt freshman Keali’h Ah Yat, the son of Montana Hall of Fame quarterback Brian Ah Yat, and Fresno State transfer Logan Fife. Both are 6-foot-1, 195-pound pocket quarterbacks who were backups at their respective schools last year.
On defense, the Griz lost seven of their top 11 tacklers from the fifth-best FCS defense (17.5 points per game), but have their best cornerback back, All-Big Sky talent Trevin Gradney (five interceptions, seven passes defensed). Of the 17 Division I players Montana brought in from the portal, 11 play defense.
This defense will look to take advantage of Missouri State’s offensive line, which is missing a starter. Left tackle Eric Cade was recently injured and will be out for the season opener.
What Montana said
Head coach Bobby Hauck: “Missouri State is a good football team. I think they’re a tough team. They have a lot of veterans returning, and I always think veteran football teams are good football teams. This weekend is going to be a big challenge. I think by the end of October we’ll see them as a contender in the Missouri Valley. We’ll have our hands full on Saturday.
“As far as their offense goes, their quarterback (Jacob Clark) is a guy who played a lot for four games before he was out for the season. They have an experienced forward with four returning starters. Their running back is really good, good talented receivers. They have a lot of good experienced players coming back who have played a lot of football. They have a good football team. Defensively, they mirror their offense (in terms of experience).”
What State of Missouri said
Head Coach Ryan Beard: “I think there’s a chance we’ll see two, maybe three (Montana quarterbacks). They change the game in their own ways and I think they’re all extremely capable. They all do a great job in their own way. But when you think about the quarterback, you have to think about the dynamic pieces around him. They’ve got an all-conference running back, a great player. Their receivers are probably the best in the Big Sky and FCS. And then you look at their numbers on the offensive line. Just huge mountains of guys that can move bodies.
“(On defense), every single person on their roster that I got this morning is a redshirt senior, so they’re in the system and they know what it means to play Montana Griz football. We have to be good on special teams, too. Junior (Bergen) back there returning kicks is absolutely top-notch. If you look at the playoff game against Furman, he completely turned the game on its head.”
Defensive End Darion Smith: “(Montana is) a highly skilled unit. Look at the wide receivers, one of the best in the country. The offensive line has a lot of good players, some are moved around. But that’s nothing we can’t handle and nothing anyone should be afraid of. To be clear, we have a chance to be one of the best units in the country and I want to show that in Week 1.”
