By MIKE HANSON for Go Griz.com
University of Montana Athletic Director Kent Haslam announced on Wednesday that all 11 games of the 2015 football season will be televised, continuing the tradition of all Griz gridiron contests being on television.
ESPN will televise the season-opener versus North Dakota State on August 29 and Root Sports will broadcast five conference games. Cowles Media and the Big Sky Conference have come to an agreement on the other conference contests, and in addition, Cowles Media has agreed to carry the non-conference games versus Cal Poly and at Liberty.
Montana’s game versus four-time defending National Champion North Dakota State will be ESPN’s second annual FCS Kickoff game. It will also be the first game for new Grizzlies Head Coach Bob Stitt, who was hired in December to replace the retired Mick Delaney. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. Missoula time.
“We are very happy to announce that all Griz football games will be televised during the 2015 season,” said Haslam. “Our fans have become accustomed to being able to watch Griz football each and every week, and it simply wouldn’t be possible without great partners like Root Sports and Cowles Media. We are very excited for this season and it all starts with the great weekend versus North Dakota State on August 29.”
“We are thrilled to partner with the Big Sky Conference and Learfield to bring Montana football in high definition to our viewers once again this season,” said John Fritz, the station manager for Cowles Montana Media’s sports division. “As always, we are extremely excited for the opportunity to deliver Griz games to some of the most passionate fans in the country.”
Root Sports will be televising five games, including five Big Sky contests: Montana’s games versus Northern Arizona on September 26, at UC Davis on October 3, versus North Dakota on October 24, versus Eastern Washington on November 14 and the 115th “Brawl of the Wild,” when the Griz travel to Bozeman to take on the Montana State Bobcats on November 21.
Per the agreement, Cowles Montana Media can distribute its rights to its ABC and FOX stations in Missoula, Kalispell, Butte, Bozeman, Great Falls, Helena and the Billings’ NBC affiliate, in addition to stations in home viewing areas in close proximity to UM.
In the Billings market, the games will be aired on a combination of KULR and SWX. The five Griz games Cowles Montana Media will air this season are two non-league contests pitting Montana versus Cal Poly (September 5) and Montana at Liberty (September 13). In addition, the conference games included are the Grizzlies versus Weber State (October 10), UM at Portland State (October 31) and the Griz at Idaho State (November 7).
