Big Sky play begins

Big Sky Conference play is finally here. And Saturday couldn't be any bigger for both the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats.

In Missoula, the Grizzlies (2-1) will go under the lights to take on their second-biggest rival, the Eastern Washington Eagles. But, they'll do it without senior quarterback and team leader Reece Phillips.

In UM's 56-3 blitzing of Savannah State last Saturday, Phillips, a fifth-year senior from the University of Kentucky, suffered a horrific lower leg injury, one that ended his season in the blink of an eye.

Now, with the biggest challenge of their young season in front of them, Montana and head coach Bob Stitt turn the reigns over to red-shirt freshman Gresch Jensen. The former Seattle area prep star was a highly sought after recruit and has always been the heir apparent to UM's coveted quarterback job. But, with Phillips' injury, Jensen has been thrust into the spotlight much sooner than expected.

"He's special, he's different," Stitt said of Jensen earlier this week. "This is a big stage for him, conference opener, a night game, it's going to be rockin' in there, a really good Eastern Washington team, there probably doesn't get to be any more pressure than that. But he's ready. He's very prepared for this moment.

"We have the utmost confidence in Gresch," added UM senior Ryan McKinley.

Fortunately, Jensen has a high-powered offense around him, led by star receiver Jerry Louis-McGee and running back Jeremy Calhoun.

But the big question mark of the night will come with Montana's defense. Can the Griz slow down EWU (1-2) quarterback Gage Gubrud (Reigning Big Sky MVP) and the Eagles' arieal assault. UM couldn't do it last season in Cheney, and the Eagles, even without star Cooper Kupp, or departed head coach Beau Baldwin come to Missoula fresh off a 700-yard, 50-point explosion at Fordham last week. EWU has also beaten the Grizzlies in six of the last seven meetings. Montana last won in 2015 in Missoula.

So, there's little doubt that Saturday night's battle will come down to who gets stops. Both the Griz and Eagle defenses have given up too many big plays so far this season, but, both also have tremendous playmakers up front, like UM's Tucker Scheye and EWU's Albert Havili. And that means it's very likely the star-studded show in Missoula will be a tug of war of between two embattled defenses.

Defense will also play a crucial role in Montana State's Big Sky opener at North Dakota. The Bobcats (0-2) are off their bye week, and before that, nearly knocked off then fourth-ranked South Dakota State, in a game sophomore quarterback Chris Murray really started to come of age as a passer.

And, when the schedule was released in the summer, MSU's trip to Grand Forks looked like a game in which the Cats would be heavy underdogs. However, UND, the defending Big Sky champions, has lost 11 players, either fulltime starters, or key reserves to injury, and most of them were on the defensive side of the ball. That led to UND getting walloped by South Dakota last Saturday, and now the Fighting Hawks, once the unanimous pick to win the Big Sky, look like the underdogs against the Bobcats.

And yet, defense will still play a big role, as both the Cats and Hawks are hard-nosed, defensive-minded teams. MSU relies heavily on senior linebacker Mac Bignell, who is a terror on the football field. UND, while banged up, still has senior safety Cole Reyes, the reigning Big Sky Defensive MVP.

Both teams also love to run the football. UND (1-2) has two of the best in the Big Sky in John Santiago and Brady Oliveira, and the Hawks will lean on the tandem heavily Saturday. Meanwhile, Murray is once again leading the Bobcats in rushing, but, junior college transfer Edward Vander is starting to find his stride as well.

So, with two teams with such similar styles, on both sides of the ball, expect a grind-it-out, old-school, physical football game inside the Alreus Center Saturday afternoon. And, with both teams coming into the game off tough losses, expect both teams to be extremely hungry to get into the win column.

Saturday's game between the Bobcats and No. 19 UND will kick off at 1 p.m. in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The game can be seen state-wide on all SWX affiliates. Saturday night's game between Montana and 12th-ranked Eastern Washington starts at 6:05 p.m. in Missoula. That game will be televised nationally on Root Sports.