From the Fringe: After one day, it's obvious, Cats, Griz built pretty similar

And last year I thought it was close.

Close may not be able to even describe how similar the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats might turn out to be this season.

But after playing two eerily similar teams from the Southland Conference, and taking into account the quarterbacks, the running game and the defenses, it looks like the Stats FCS Poll, which has Montana third and Montana State fourth again this week, might just be really accurate after all.

I know, the sample size is small. It’s only one game. But one game sure did show us a lot, at least that the Cats and Griz mirror each other in so many ways.

It really starts with the defense, and that’s a continuation from last year where both the Griz and Cats were Top 20 defenses in the FCS. And it’s crazy to see how good they both are considering what they both lost. MSU lost a bunch of starters, none bigger than Troy Andersen, as everybody already knows, while the Griz lost All-American Jace Lewis, as well as two starting defensive ends and a starting safety.

And yet, neither team looks to be skipping a beat defensively. Montana, led by All-Americans Pat O’Connell, Justin Ford and Robby Hauck, pitched a shutout and the Cats, led by linebacker Callhan O’Reilly and safety Ty Okada, dominated a strong McNeese State team Saturday night.

Now, I don’t know everything that’s going to happen this season, but I know both defenses are not flukes. The Cats and Griz are really, really good on defense.

They also have really good quarterbacks, too. Tommy Mellott has become a Montana sensation in Bozeman, and he’s just getting started. Meanwhile, the debut of Lucas Johnson, a graduate transfer from San Diego State, couldn’t have gone much better for the Griz. But, above all, you know what I saw? While there’s a big age gap, Mellott and Johnson are very similar players. Both are big, tall and fast, and both have strong arms, too. So now, not only do the Bobcats and Griz have stellar defenses at the same time, they have similar QB1’s as well.

It doesn’t end there, either. Both have really stout running games it appears. UM got back Marcus Knight, and eventually;y the Cats will get back Isaiah Ifanse from injury too. But even without those two All-Americans, both teams are loaded in the backfield.

And loaded is really what both UM and MSU are. I know, again, it was only one game. But, it was pretty evident that, Montana and Montana State are really good. They’re both talented and deep and star-studded. And that means, even after one game, we know thety’re on a collision course.

November 19 in Bozeman is a long, long way off, but after one day in September, it’s obvious that, we should all start getting pumped for the Brawl of the Wild again, because from what I saw last Saturday, it’s gonna be big.

Note: The Montana Grizzlies host South Dakota Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Missoula. The Montana State Bobcats host Morehead State Saturday in Bozeman at 1 p.m. Both games will be televised on SWX affiliates.