Rebuilt Grizzlies ready to roll

When the Montana Grizzlies began the 2015 season, and the Bob Stitt era with a shocking 38-35 win over then four-time FCS national champion North Dakota State, on ESPN, fans and rivals probably thought the Griz were about to return to national championship prominence.

It didn’t work out though. Yes, the Griz had a strong season, going 8-5 overall, finishing second in the Big Sky Conference at 6-2 and reaching the FCS playoffs. But in a rematch with NDSU, an FCS quarterfinal game in Fargo, N.D., the Griz found out just how far they still had to go, as they were bludgeoned by the Bison 37-6.

And just like that, UM had to go back to work.

Now, with 40 new players on the roster, seven defensive starters, including all three linebackers and FCS Defensive Player of the Year Tyrone Holmes, a star trio of wide receivers and longtime defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak all gone, the Griz are looking at 2016 as an opportunity to change everything.

And even with all that change, Montana was still picked to finish second in the Big Sky and will start the season, which begins Saturday in Washington-Grizzly Stadium against Saint Francis (PA), ranked No. 13 in the FCS. That’s the high expectations that always surrounds the Griz’ program.

"We needed to change some things. Just because we won a lot of championships — six, seven, eight, nine years ago — doesn't help us now," Stitt said. "(The players) trust us, that us as coaches are going to lead them in the right direction."

Not everything in 2016 will be different. Montana returns senior starting quarterback Brady Gustafson, who, when healthy last season, played like an All-American. The Griz also return Stitt’s crazy-fast offense, which is designed to run 100 plays per game, score plenty of points and, most importantly, wear opposing defenses down — things it certainly did when it was clicking last year. Helping to do that will be the return of four running backs in starter John Nyguen, as well as Jeremy Calhoun, who had eight TDs last season, Joey Counts and Tre Favors.

But even on offense differences are noticeable. Stars Jamaal Jones, Ellison Henderson and Ben Roberts are all gone, and Josh Horner returns as the only receiver to catch more than 10 balls a year ago. There is plenty of unproven talent on the roster, but names like Keenan Curran, Nebraska-transfer Lane Hovey, JC transfer James Homan and sophomore Caleb Lyons will be asked to step up and lead an otherwise green group of wide receivers.

Change was also needed along the offensive line. Not in the way of personnel, but more in the way of size. Many of the Griz’ returners, including starters Devon Dietrich and David Reese bulked up for this season, and, the return of senior center Ben Weyer from a knee injury, gives the Griz a line they can truly count on this year.

“We feel very good about where we’re at offensively,” Gustafson said. “I think it’s come together really well.”

If Montana feels good about its offensive prospects in 2016, than the Griz should feel even better about a defense that, though it features many new faces, has been dominant in every practice since fall camp opened.

And the biggest reason the Griz feel good about their defense is the return of senior Caleb Kidder, who wears the traditional No. 37. Kidder was a First-Team All-Conference selection at DT a year ago but has moved outside to play a rush end this season. Kidder was tabbed as the Big Sky Preseason Player of the Year, just as Holmes was a year ago, and he’s going to lead what could be a dominant UM D under new coordinator Jason Semore.

Montana’s D also returns starting safety Yamen Sanders, and, when his six-game NCAA suspension is over, starting CB J.R. Nelson, while senior DT Zach Peevey, DE Tucker Scheye and DE Ryan Johnson have extensive experience. However, the linebacking corps is all new, as Montana lost three All-Conference seniors a year ago. So names like Connor Strahm, Jimmy Banks and Josh Buss step into those roles now, while sophomore safety Josh Sandry and FBS transfers T.J. Reynard and Justin Strong are adding to what should be a great Griz secondary.

And while the Griz defense looks to be very dangerous this season, maybe more so than the one that was in the top half of the league in scoring and yards allowed a year ago, there’s something else brewing in Missoula which could make the 2016 a special one — and no, it’s not the addition of new turf and a new, monster-sized video screen to Washington-Grizzly Stadium, or the construction underway on the $14 million Champions Center, though those things are all nice, too.

"It was a split team, defense on the left, offense on the right," Stitt recalled of last season. "I'd never been in a locker room like that to where it was so split. We're not an offense and a defense any more, and that's what we were. We were a split football team. You've got to become a team, just Griz.

"The thing I'm excited about are the intangibles," he added. "The talent was always there, the talent was there last year, but how close this football team is is like night-and-day. The players will tell you, they're having a blast working together every day; this coaching staff has made it a lot of fun to be around, and work with them. This football team is ready; they've given themselves a chance. Now, we've got to go out and execute and win some ball games, but we've given ourselves a chance to be a pretty good team."

The Griz will find out Saturday night when they host Saint Francis at 7 p.m. in Missoula. Montana then goes on the road for two difficult games at Northern Iowa and Cal Poly, before opening returning home to face Southern Utah Oct. 1. The regular season ends with the annual Brawl of the Wild against Montana State Nov. 19 in Missoula.