Big road tests await Bobcats, Grizzlies

In the second half of their home-openers last Saturday night, things might have seemed easy for both the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats.

After all, the Grizzlies turned a 17-16 deficit at halftime into a 61-17 win over North Alabama, while the Bobcats exploded for 21 points in the third quarter to end up routing then 13th-ranked Southeast Missouri State under the bright lights of Bobcat Stadium.

Both the Griz and Cats then moved up in the FCS Stats Poll this week, with MSU (1-1) climbing to No. 10, while the Griz (2-0) rose to No. 20.

However, while both teams were riding high last Saturday night, the term easy has no business being used to desrcibe what faces both Montana teams this weekend.

Montana State will travel to Missouri Valley Conference rival Western Illinois for a Saturday afternoon showdown that could have lasting playoff implications.

Meanwhile, the Griz will make the trek to Eugene, Oregon, to face the mighty Oregon Ducks Saturday night.

"One of the things that I've told these guys really since the season started was what a big game I think this Western Illinois game is," MSU head coach Jeff Choate said to 406 Sports on Monday. "Last week there was some talk about that SEMO game being a statement game. To me, the real statement is going to be made by how we prepare and play this week. We've not been the best road team during my tenure. We've played some very challenging opponents on the road, but that's no excuse. This is the game I think that's going to define who we are as a team. How we prepare, how we play, the type of mindset that we take into this is very critical."

If Saturday's battle will define MSU's season, then the Cats should feel good about one thing - they beat the Leathernecks in a season-opening tilt just a year ago.

Not only that, but WIU has gotten off to a rough start in 2019, losing to the same North Alabama squad the Griz just crushed Saturday night, as well as a money game at Colorado State.

MSU also needs to feel good about its vaunted ground game, led by sophomore Isiaiah Ifanse, and junior do-every-thing man Troy Andersen, who broke 100 yards last weekend on just six touches. The Bobcat defense is also loaded with talent and toughness, including reigning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week Bryce Sterk. Still, WIU (0-2) is a program that beat Montana in Macomb last season, and made the playoffs, and the Leathernecks are coming home for the first time, so while MSU has all the momentum right now, Choate and Co. know full well, there's no way this road trip will be any easier than the others he spoke of in his tenure.

Having said that, perhaps no one in the FCS has it tougher than the Grizzlies do Saturday night. That's because they're playing the 15th-ranked team in all of the FBS - and possibly the most impressive-looking offensive team in all of college football right now.

And they're going into famed Autzen Stadium to boot.

Saturday night's clash with Oregon (1-1) will pit the Griz as huge underdogs, despite Montana's high-octane offense led by Dalton Sneed, Jerry Louie-McGee, Sammy Akem, Oregon native Samouri Toure and newfound star running back Marcus Knight.

No, in spite of all that, the Griz will still be playing the role of David Saturday night, and they know it - especially considering Oregon just scored 77 points against Mountain West foe Nevada, and the Ducks have perhaps the top pick in next spring's NFL Draft in quarterback Justin Herbert. They also have a level of talent that just isn't seen in the FCS, so Griz head coach Bobby Hauck knows full well what his team is up against.

"I've seen a lot of Oregon teams over the years, and to me, this is the best offensive line I've seen in an Oregon uniform. Then, they always have talented guys (at) a lot of different positions. We're familiar with a lot of their players, watched them in high school and onward," Hauck said at his Monday press conference. "The other thing is you've got the quarterback who many thought would be the first player taken in the NFL draft last year had he chosen to enter and didn't. So, I mean, they're a handful."

Montana and Oregon will play in a Pac 12 After Dark game with an 9 p.m. M.S.T. kickoff Saturday night. The game will be televised only on the Pac 12 Network. The Bobcats' road game at Western Illinois will kick at 2 p.m., Saturday in Macomb, Illinois. The game will be available only on ESPN+.