Montana Grizzlies
Big Sky
Montana made a big splash to open the season when they knocked off North Dakota State 38-35. But after that things got bad in a hurry. The following week the Grizzlies lost to Cal Poly at home and, after a week off, lost at Liberty. At the time, neither of those losses seemed too bad, but both Cal Poly and Liberty struggled later. By the end of October Montana was 4-4 and not at all in a good position to make the playoffs. But they won their last three games against Idaho State, Eastern Washington and rival Montana State to finish 7-4 and earn a trip to the playoffs.
2015 Record: 7-4, 6-2
Coach: Bob Stitt
Big Wins: 9/26 Northern Arizona (23-14), 11/14 Eastern Washington (57-16)
Bad Losses: 9/5 Cal Poly (19-20), 9/19 at Liberty (21-31)
Strengths:
Few teams in the nation get to the quarterback better than Montana. Defensive end Tyrone Holmes is impossible for most teams to stop. On the year he has tallied 14.0 sacks, 20.0 tackles-for-loss and seven quarterback hurries. Players like Ryan Johnson and Caleb Kidder can take advantage of the opportunity when the opposition forgets about the rest of the line and keys in on Holmes a little too much. But the leader of the defense is senior linebacker Kendrick Van Ackeren. He has tallied a team high 125 tackles, with fellow senior Jeremiah Kose close behind with 95 tackles. The consistent pressure has turned Montana’s secondary into one of the best in the Big Sky. J.R. Nelson and Nate Harris are very good cornerbacks and throwing on this Montana team is not easy.
Weaknesses:
Montana has shuffled through a few quarterbacks this year with Chad Chalich, Makena Simis and Brady Gustafson all making some starts. But it is Gustafson who will take control of the Grizzlies offense when he is healthy. After suffering a broken foot, Gustafson returned for the Eastern Washington game and threw for 266 yards and a touchdown. Receivers Jamaal Jones, Ben Roberts and Chase Naccarato have been relatively productive despite the quarterback carousel. However, a lot has been asked of the passing game. Running back John Nguyen has struggled at times and on many occasions the ground game has been basically abandoned. Nguyen is a speedy little back who can make plays, which is why Coach Bob Stitt will get him involved in the passing game as well, but Montana needs to be able to establish a run game if they want to make a serious playoff run.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: John Nguyen, RB, 752 yards
Passing: Brady Gustafson, QB, 1,460 yards
Receiving: Jamaal Jones, WR, 1,092 yards
Tackles: Kendrick Van Ackeren, LB, 125
Sacks: Tyrone Holmes, DE, 14.0
Interceptions: Kendrick Van Ackeren, LB, 2; JR Nelson, CB,2; Eric Johnson, S,2
2015 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 152.6 (64th in nation, 9th in conference)
Passing Offense: 275.8 (20, 5)
Total Offense: 428.4 (27, 6)
Scoring Offense: 29.7 (43, 7)
Rushing Defense: 190.9 (87, 8)
Pass Defense: 186.5 (24, 2)
Total Defense: 377.4 (56, 4)
Scoring Defense: 23.1 (43, 3)
Turnover Margin: 0.20 (50, 3)
Sacks: 3.60 (3, 1)
Sacks Allowed: 2.60 (91, 12)
Recent Playoff Appearances:
2014 First Round Defeated San Diego
2014 Second Round Lost to Eastern Washington
2013 Second Round Lost to Coastal Carolina
2011 Second Round Defeated Central Arkansas
2011 Quarterfinals Defeated Northern Iowa
2011 Semifinals Lost to Sam Houston State
2009 First Round Defeated South Dakota State
2009 Quarterfinals Defeated Stephen F. Austin
2009 Semifinals Defeated Appalachian State
2009 Championship Lost to Villanova
2008 First Round Defeated Texas State
2008 Quarterfinals Defeated Weber State
2008 Semifinals Defeated James Madison
2008 Championship Lost to Richmond
2007 First Round Lost to Wofford
2006 First Round Defeated McNeese State
2006 Quarterfinals Defeated Southern Illinois
2006 Semifinals Lost to Massachusetts
2005 First Round Lost to Cal Poly
2004 First Round Defeated Northwestern State
2004 Quarterfinals Defeated New Hampshire
2004 Semifinals Defeated Sam Houston State
2004 Championship Lost to James Madison
2003 First Round Lost to Western Illinois
2002 First Round Defeated Northwestern State
2002 Quarterfinals Lost to McNeese State
2001 First Round Defeated Northwestern State
2001 Quarterfinals Defeated Sam Houston State
2001 Semifinals Defeated Northern Iowa
2001 Championship Defeated Furman
2000 First Round Defeated Eastern Illinois
2000 Quarterfinals Defeated Richmond
2000 Semifinals Defeated Appalachian State
2000 Championship Lost to Georgia Southern
1999 First Round Lost to Youngstown State
1998 First Round Lost to Western Illinois
1997 First Round Lost to McNeese State
1996 First Round Defeated Nicholls State
1996 Quarterfinals Defeated East Tennessee State
1996 Semifinals Defeated Troy
1996 Championship Lost to Marshall
1995 First Round Defeated Eastern Kentucky
1995 Quarterfinals Defeated Georgia Southern
1995 Semifinals Defeated Stephen F. Austin
1995 Championship Defeated Marshall
1994 First Round Defeated Northern Iowa
1994 Quarterfinals Defeated McNeese State
1994 Semifinals Lost to Youngstown State
1993 First Round Lost to Delaware
1989 First Round Defeated Jackson State
1989 Quarterfinals Defeated Eastern Illinois
1989 Semifinals Lost to Georgia Southern
1988 First Round Lost to Idaho
1982 First Round Lost to Idaho
*all team stats through 11/14