By JOEL CARLSON for GoGriz.com
ROOT Sports announced the kickoff times this week for its 2015 Big Sky Conference package of football games, five of which will feature Montana and first-year coach Bob Stitt.
All five of the Grizzlies’ games on ROOT Sports in the fall — three at home, two on the road — will be early-afternoon starts.
Montana’s Homecoming game against Northern Arizona on Sept. 26 will kick off at 2 p.m. The Grizzlies’ home game versus North Dakota on Oct. 24 will start at 1:30 p.m., and their Nov. 14 contest against Eastern Washington will start at either 1 or 1:30 p.m., depending on the Utah Jazz’s schedule.
Montana’s road games at UC Davis on Oct. 3 and Montana State on Nov. 21 will also be carried by ROOT Sports. The Grizzlies will face the Aggies at 2 p.m. (MT) and the Bobcats at noon.
In other televised games, Montana will host North Dakota State on Aug. 29 at 1:30 p.m. in ESPN’s second annual FCS Kickoff. Montana will host Cal Poly at 7 p.m. on Sept. 5 and play at Liberty on Sept. 19 at 5 p.m. (MT). Both of those games will be carried by Cowles Montana Media.
Montana’s home game against Weber State on Oct. 10 and road games at Portland State on Oct. 31 and Idaho State on Nov. 7 also will be broadcast by Cowles Montana Media. Kickoff times for those three games have not been set.
2015 Montana football schedule
Aug. 29 — North Dakota State, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Sept. 5 — Cal Poly, 7 p.m. (Cowles Montana Media)
Sept. 19 — at Liberty, 5 p.m. (MT) (Cowles Montana Media)
Sept. 26 — Northern Arizona (Homecoming), 2 p.m. (ROOT Sports)
Oct. 3 — at UC Davis, 2 p.m. (MT) (ROOT Sports)
Oct. 10 — Weber State, TBA (Cowles Montana Media)
Oct. 24 — North Dakota, 1:30 p.m. (ROOT Sports)
Oct. 31 — at Portland State, TBA (Cowles Montana Media)
Nov. 7 — at Idaho State, TBA (Cowles Montana Media)
Nov. 14 — Eastern Washington, 1 or 1:30 p.m. (ROOT Sports)
Nov. 21 — at Montana State, noon (ROOT Sports)