2017 Cat-Griz Preview: United Griz seek a return to glory

The Montana Grizzlies don't miss the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs very often. Even more rare is a finish in the bottom half of the Big Sky Conference standings.

And yet, that's exactly where the Griz ended up in 2016, going 3-5 in Big Sky play, 6-5 overall, and missing the playoffs for just the third time in over two decades. And the culprit was four losses in their last five games, including a heartbreaking home loss to Montana State in the Brawl of the Wild in Missoula.

Needless to say, third-year head coach Bob Stitt doesn't want to see any sort of repeat of last year's swoon, so Stitt has been preaching togetherness and mental toughness to his 2017 Griz since the day last season ended.

"We didn't deal with (adversity) very well," Stitt said of last year's Griz team. "It's human nature sometimes to when adversity strikes is to blame someone else. ... I want our guys to stick together. You have adversity all the time off the field, on the field, in games. When it happens, you stick together and you try to right the ship."

And as the Griz prepare to open their season Saturday against Valparaiso, the chemistry of this year's team appears to be air-tight, and, the feeling that Montana will handle adversity better, is very high.

"If you're a fan, coach, or just a bystander, you can tell how much different we are from spring practice," UM starting quarterback Reese Phillips said. "If we have a mistake, it's so much better; we just bounce back. We forget it, we flush it and move on. We saw a couple of times, the defense stopped us, and we're in third and long, second and long, but we made plays. It's progression. That's what it is. We're starting to get comfortable, and I think we're starting to realize how good we can be."

And Montana can be good, because, in Stitt's third season, the Griz are loaded with talent, though much of it young.

Phillips will replace two-year starter Brady Gustafson at quarterback. He was a backup last season after transferring from SEC Kentucky two years ago. And he has an incredible amount of weapons to throw to in returning All-Conference performer Jerry Louie-McGee, Keenan Curran and Justin Calhoun, who combined for nearly 2,000 yards receiving a year ago. Senior Josh Horner is also back, while fellow senior Makena Simis, and red-shirt freshmen Sammy Akem, Brennan Corbin and Samouri Toure, as well as sophomore Koby Eaton will all figure into the passing game.

The Griz are also led at running back by talented junior Jeremy Calhoun, who has 19 career touchdowns in two seasons playing behind then starter John Ngyuen. Senior Tre Favors and Washington State transfer Alijah Lee will also play a prominent role in the running game, while, for the first time in ages, UM has a veteran offensive line, with four senior starters, led by All-Conference left tackle David Reese and center Cooper Sprunk.

The Griz' offense, which was fifth in the FCS in passing and eighth in total offense a year ago, figures to be potent again this season, but, fans may be even more high on the Grizzly defense, which is shaping up to be very stout.

Led by veteran defensive end Tucker Schye, who will wear the famed #37 this season, the Griz have a huge front four that also includes transfer DE Chris Favoroso and returning starting tackles Brandt Davidson and Jesse Sims. Add in 6-5, 314-pound University of Maryland transfer David Shaw, and the Griz are bigger than big up front. But the fun for Montana's defense doesn't end on the line of scrimmage either.

The Griz return all three starting linebackers, including Preseason All-American Josh Buss, who had 22 tackles for loss a season ago. And the coaching staff is just as high on backups like sophomores Vika Fa'atuiese and Dante Olson, who will see plenty of playing time behind starters James Banks and Connor Strahm.

The secondary also returns a wealth of talent, led by the safeties. Senior Justin Strong was one of Montana's top tacklers a year ago, while Bigfork sophomore Josh Sandry is a star in the making. UM also returns both its starting corners in senior Ryan McKinley and junior Markell Sanders. Montana also has an excellent punter in Eric Williams, while Brandon Purdy and Tim Semenza will handle the kicking duties for the second straight season.

But as talented as Montana's defense may be this season, and with how explosive the offense can be, Stitt is interested and determined to see his team be just that – one team, throughout the entire season.

He also wants to see his squad handle adversity much better than it did a year ago, especially on the road, where tough losses at Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado probably cost UM a trip to the playoffs. This year, Montana will get many of the Big Sky powers at home, including a huge matchup with Eastern Washington on Sept. 23. The Griz also have defending Big Sky champ and preseason favorite North Dakota coming to Washington-Grizzly Stadium, as well as NAU and Northern Colorado. So, the home schedule is favorable, but again, this season will be about how UM deals with the tough times, not just the good times at home.

"You can look at your schedule and circle certain games, (saying) 'these are big games,'" well, they're all big," Stitt said. "We want our guys to take some pride in how they play the game by just playing good football and doing their job. The end result will be success on the scoreboard, but you can't say 'hey, we want to win a game' without being able to advocate your position and doing your job. I think in the past that hurt us."

And being one, united team, as Stitt has been preaching for nearly 10 months now, will help the Griz go far, and hopefully, have them in the right position heading into their featured matchup with the Montana State Bobcats on Nov. 18 in Bozeman.

"The team's coming together," Stitt said. "That's the key word - it's a team. It's not an offense or defense or position groups. It's a team. It's a long process and we've come a long way. They're very talented, but now, they're having a lot of fun together."

The Griz open their season Saturday at 1 p.m. against Valparaiso in Missoula. Montana then heads to play FBS powerhouse, the University of Washington Sept. 9 in Seattle before returning home to play Savannah State Sept. 16.