Montana Tries To Bounce Back vs. Idaho
The Montana Grizzlies are coming off a disappointing 28-21 loss to the Sacramento State Hornets that dropped them to 4-2 on the year.
The Hornets committed more penalties (nine for 67 yards, Montana six for 57 yards) and turnovers (three against Montana’s two). However, they dominated the time of possession (36:55), as the Grizzlies had no answer for Sacramento State’s rushing game that compiled 154 yards on 44 carries.
Grizzlies quarterback Kris Brown completed 29 of 36 passes for 188 yards and zero touchdowns. Both of Brown’s scores came on the ground.
On Monday, Montana head coach Bobby Hauck took responsibility for the offensive struggles and emphasized his need to fix it.
“We made some plays but when you come up short it is not good enough, it is not good enough by anybody and then you look in the mirror,” Hauck said, per Alexa Belcastro of KTVH. “That all starts with me. So if we are coming up short, whether that is on the scoreboard or any position, that is me. I gotta get it fixed.”
The Grizzlies will visit the struggling Idaho Vandals (2-4) this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EST. The Vandals, coming off a 71-21 blowout loss to the Eastern Washington Eagles, have lost four of their last five outings.
Montana’s offense has struggled with consistency, to say the least. They opened the season with a defensive slugfest and 13-7 victory over Washington.
The Grizzlies then erupted for 42 points in a week 2 win over Western Illinois. That was followed by a 39-7 blowout victory over Cal Poly.
Montana then lost a thrilling 34-28 high-scoring affair to the Eagles that dropped them to 3-1 on the year. The offense did more than enough in a 31-14 win over Dixie State a week later before being limited to 21 points against Sacramento State.
Furthermore, no Montana quarterback has hit 300 passing yards in an outing this year. The offense is being carried by running back Xavier Harris (396 yards on 77 carries) and the receiving duo of Samuel Akem (19 catches for 275 yards and three touchdowns) and Mitch Roberts (23 catches for 245 yards and one touchdown).
Entering Week 8, the Grizzlies are seventh in the Big Sky Conference. Eastern Washington sits at the top with a perfect 7-0 record.
With a Caesars review, Montana football fans can learn more about betting odds and information.
Grizzlies Fall In FCS Rankings
Montana’s loss to Sacramento State caused them to drop in the latest FCS Coaches Poll. After placing fifth last week, the Grizzlies fell out of the top 10 and down to 11th.
The top 10 rankings are (in order from one to 10) Sam Houston, Eastern Washington, North Dakota State, Southern Illinois, Villanova, South Dakota State, James Madison, Montana State, Southeastern Louisiana and UC Davis.
Sam Houston (5-0), Eastern Washington (7-0) and North Dakota State (6-0) are all undefeated.
The Grizzlies don’t face any of the current top 10 teams until Nov. 20, when they’ll host Montana State (2:00 p.m. EST). After visiting Idaho State, Montana will host Southern Utah the following Saturday before they hit the road for two games against Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona.
Brown & Patterson On Two-Deep Depth Chart
The Grizzlies have been without starting quarterback Camron Humphrey in each of the last two games. Humphrey was injured in the team’s aforementioned 34-28 home loss to Eastern Washington on Oct. 2.
Humphrey was injured in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be a leg injury. Without the main starter, Hauck had no choice but to use Brown, a freshman.
Per Frank Gogola of 406mtsports.com, Brown and Robbie Patterson were listed on the team’s two-deep depth chart on Monday.
Patterson, a sophomore, has completed one pass all season — an eight-yard completion in the 31-14 win over the Dixie State Trailblazers on Oct. 9. Patterson also had one carry for five yards in that game.
There isn’t an update on Humphrey’s status for Saturday. At this point, Brown will likely get his third start of the season.
In five game appearances, Brown has attempted 84 passes (58 completions) for 515 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions to go along with four rushing scores.