Time for a Brawl in Missoula

For the second straight season, the stakes in the Brawl of the Wild are familiar. The Montana Grizzlies are fighting tooth and nail for a shot at the FCS playoffs. The Montana State Bobcats are fighting for pride.

And while both the No. 22 Grizzlies (6-4, 3-4) and the un-ranked Bobcats (3-7, 1-6) have had what many would term, disappointing seasons to this point, Saturday's showdown, which is the 116th meeting between the two bitter rivals, will be no less special, and no less intense.

A record crowd is set to be on hand when the Griz and Cats hook up Saturday, with kickoff set for 12:08 p.m. inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula.

"Growing up, it's bragging rights for the whole year," Montana senior offensive lineman Jackson Thiebes, a Kalispell native said about the rivalry. "Then, you go back home and see guys that play for the other team and you get to rub it in their face a little bit. It's important to all of us. The whole state."

"If you don't have hate in your heart for 60 minutes, then you don't understand this rivalry," added MSU defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak.

Gregorak knows a little something about the rivalry, considering he coached the Montana defense to seven wins in nine years against MSU. Now however, he's on the other side of it, as he left the Griz to take over the same duties at MSU following last season.

And there lies one of the biggest story lines surrounding Saturday's game.

MSU may have only won three times all season, but the Bobcats, who are trying to snap a three-game losing streak to the Griz, with Gregorak now on their side, have a much-improved defense, and one that is much more sound than the one that had to face a juggernaut UM offense in the 2015 Brawl of the Wild, a game Montana won 55-35 in Bozeman.

If MSU is going to turn the series back in its favor Saturday, Gregorak's defense, led by star linebacker Mac Bignell (6-1, 205), who has 91 tackles this year, safety Bryson McCabe (6-0, 205), cornerback John Walker (5-9, 180) and a host of young players, many playing in their first Cat-Griz game, will be the difference.

"They've got 'em playing a lot better," UM head coach Bob Stitt said of the MSU defense. "They fly around, they have a couple really good linebackers. I like their safeties. They fly around and make plays. Their corners can cover. So it's a totally different scheme than what they were doing before. It's going to be a good matchup."

A good matchup indeed. MSU brings to Missoula a defense that's third in the Big Sky in scoring, allowing just 26 points per game, and one that is fifth in total defense, allowing just under 400 yards per outing.

On the other side of that matchup is a helter-skelter Grizzly offense, one that is second in the Big Sky only to Eastern Washington in scoring (43 ppg), total yards (500 ppg) and passing (333 ypg). And yet, even with all of those gaudy numbers, and with tremendous talent, led by the likes of running backs John Nyguen (5-7, 184) and Jeremy Calhoun (6-0, 203), and electrifying playmakers like Jerry Louie-McGee (5-9, 168), Justin Calhoun (5-10, 168) and Keenan Curran (6-2, 200) on the outside, Montana has lost three of its last four games, the Griz sit in eighth place in the Big Sky, and are teetering on the edge of missing the FCS playoffs for the third time in six years.

Montana also has a quarterback situation that's still unknown. Senior Brady Gustafson (6-7, 235) has missed the last two games with an injury, and while fellow senior Chad Chalich (6-0, 200) threw for a school record seven touchdowns in Gustafson's absence against Idaho State two weeks ago, the Griz only managed 25 points in his second start, a loss last week at Northern Colorado. Stitt said earlier this week that if Gustafson, who has thrown for 2,593 yards and 24 TDs is healthy, he will go, but, no one will likely know until kickoff.

And yet, even with UM's roller coaster of an offense, first-year MSU head coach Jeff Choate knows his team is going to have to perform at a very high level to get him his first win in the Cat-Griz rivalry.

"Their tempo is something they thrive on," Choate said of the Griz' offense. "You see it when they really get going on. They start really moving it quickly, so a big challenge is winning on first down. Because once they get that, the tempo picks up and they get it going. So we have to do a good job of slowing that down. But they present a lot of challenges for your defense."

Challenging an opposing defense is also something that Montana State has struggled to do this season. While the Griz have a Top 10 offense nationally, the Bobcats are outside the Top 10 in the Big Sky in most offensive categories, a far cry from a year ago, when the MSU offense was ranked 2nd nationally and had Dakota Prukop at the controls.

Now the Bobcats score just 25 ppg and are last in the Big Sky in passing and 12th in the league in total offense. Part of that is two-fold - injuries to the offensive line, and quarterback issues. FBS transfer Tyler Bruggman (6-2, 190) started the season as MSU's top QB, but he has given way to true freshman Chris Murray (6-2, 180). And while Murray adds an athletic element with his 800-plus yards rushing, he averages just 75 yards passing per game, and has struggled to take advantage of having some strong receivers, like junior Mitchell Herbert (6-4, 205), who is starting his third straight Cat-Griz game.

So, with that, Choate has leaned heavily on MSU's ground game, led by seniors Chad Newell (6-1, 225) and Gunnar Brekke (5-11, 200). Despite injuries, Newell has had a good season, averaging 75 yards per game, and with Murray added into the running equation, Stitt is certainly concerned about his defense stopping MSU's rushing attack, an attack that ranks third in the Big Sky.

"He's a freshman, but he's so dang talented," Stitt said of Murray. "You have to be worried about him. He's the fastest guy on the field."

Sustaining drives with the ground game and letting Murray get loose are two big keys for the Bobcat offense. But, not turning the ball over will probably be the biggest factor if MSU is going to have success in Missoula, a place the Cats have won in two of their last meetings with the Griz. MSU has 11 fumbles and a league-worst 18 interceptions this season, and, a revamped Montana defense, which has forced 20 turnovers this season, is hoping to take advantage of that on Saturday.

Only three starters on the UM defense, star senior DE Caleb Kidder (6-5, 260), corner J.R. Nelson (6-2, 170) and safety Yamen Sanders (6-4, 220), started in last year's Brawl. So, a new wave of Montana defenders, led by star sophomore linebacker Josh Buss (6-2, 200), who leads the Big Sky in tackles for loss, transfer safety Justin Strong (5-11, 185), and the team's leader in sacks, DE Ryan Johnson (6-3, 245) will look to make their own mark in the rivalry. Montana's defense has been stout this season, as the Griz are first in the conference in total defense and first against the run.

"I like their front seven," Choate said of the UM defense. "They have a very good defensive line, very good linebackers who are very active. They've really done a nice job this season."

Of course, all the intangibles for any big game will be there. The stakes, including a potential playoff berth for the Griz, who doesn't turn the ball over, and who might make a big kick or big play on special teams, those will once again be big factors in what happens in this latest edition of the Cat-Griz rivalry. Obviously, Montana's home field advantage comes into play, too, and the weather can always be an issue on the third Saturday in November.

But, when it boils down to it, the game itself is really the biggest factor. Nerves will be jangled, feelings will be intense, and the passion both teams will display in the game will have a lot to do with the outcome. The unpredictability of Cat-Griz is always there, and so is the intensity, and both of those things will come into play when the two bitter rivals, Montana's version of the Hatfields and McCoys, link up once again.

"It's a tough deal," Newell said about his being on the losing end of the last three Brawls. "To me, as somebody that's come up around this game and really knows the background of the game, the last three years have not been just disappointment but more a feeling like I let down so many people who had such high hopes of winning this game. It's a let-down to thousands of people. Everyone's disappointed in that, but nobody is more disappointed than me, especially having a hand in the outcome of the game. I think that's extra motivation. You have to prepare and you have to make sure your teammates are preparing the same way.

"It's a forever game, for our players and us as coaches," Choate said as he prepares to coach in his first Brawl. "And it's a 365-day-a-year deal, so I know this, the first thing I'm going to get told or asked about wherever I go from the end of the season on in the state of Montana is, how did that game go.

"The people in this rivalry, it's on their mind every single day," Stitt said of the Cat-Griz game. "Not just in the football season, it's every single day. It's a way of life here, and it is so important. And that's why you just want to win so badly. You want to win so badly for all of the great people in this state. You want to win this game so badly for your fans, and we feel that. We feel we have a responsibility to our fans to go out and play great football in this game."

Saturday's 116th Brawl of the Wild, between the Grizzlies and Bobcats, will kick off at 12:08 p.m. inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula. The game will be broadcast nationwide on Root Sports NW.