By CHRIS WALTERSKIRCHEN
Both the reigning FCS and FBS national champions will open their seasons on the road. While the North Dakota State Bison will be in Missoula in the very first game of the 2015 college football season the Ohio State Buckeyes will open the season looking for a little revenge. On August 29, at Washington Grizzly stadium, the four-time defending champion NDSU Bison will kick off the Bob Stitt ERA in Missoula. The OSU Buckeyes will be in Blacksburg Virginia on Labor Day facing the only team that defeated them last season–the Virginia Tech Hokies–who pulled a shocking, upset at the “horseshoe” in Columbus last September.
By the way, The NDSU-Montana game will be the very first official college game of the 2015 season and will be broadcast nationally by ESPN. Last Season’s overall opener saw the eastern Washington eagles defeat Sam Houston State.
Former UM head coach Bobby Huack had hoped to be back at the helm of the Grizzlies this season, but at least he will get a chance to see the Griz on film as he prepares the San Diego State special teams units for their opener. The Aztecs open at home against the Teroes of the University of San Diego; the Teroes faced UM in the opening round of last season’s 1-AA play-offs and got soundly dispatched by the Griz. Another game Huack can circle on his calendar is San Diego State’s late season visit to Las Vegas to face the coach’s former team.
Speaking of college football in San Diego. It ironic that the Michigan Wolverines hired a former head coach from USD to replace a coach Michigan hired away from San Diego State. Jim Harbaugh spent two seasons at San Diego before being hired at Stanford.
Former Griz head coach Joe Glenn begins his fourth season at South Dakota with a tall task; the Coyotes face Kansas State in Manhattan Kansas to open the season. They both may have young teams this season but the coaching match-up of Glenn and KSU’s Bill Snyder brings together a couple of head coaches who have combined for close to 140 birthdays.
Usually homecoming games are staged near the middle of the season, but for Boise State and the University of Washington it will be September 4th. The majority of the Washington Husky coaching staff spent time at Boise State including head coach Chris Peterson who spent 13 seasons at BSU as head coach. To open the season the BSU Broncos face the Washington Huskies on the Blue turf of Albertson’s Stadium.
Kyle Orton is no longer playing quarterback in the NFL but he hasn’t stop competing. Orton spent time in the NFL with the: Bears, Broncos, Browns, Bills and Cowboys, but injuries ended his career in 2012. Now Orton has thrown his hat (or maybe his helmet) in the political ring. Orton is a candidate for a US Senate Seat from Indiana. Orton a democrat has his eye on the seat currently held by Republican Dan Coats.
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Chris Walterskirchen has been an observer of Montana sports for nearly half a century. A Kalispell native, Chris has worked in various capacities for professional and college sports organization of at various times: ranging from announcing and statistical work to the concessions and even a stint as a costumed mascot.
Chris has academic degrees in communications and elementary education. His style of sports trivia involves more than just who won and who lost, but also focuses on the obscure or human side of sports. In this blog you will learn things like the Grizzly football team has won 210 games over the 19 seasons since they have had Monte as their mascot or that UNLV is the only school that both the Griz and Lady Griz have both faced in the NCAA basketball tournament
When not following sports Chris enjoys taking care of animals of all kinds (a peacock rescue?) and reading to pre-schoolers.