Montana’s defense recaptures identity in decisive win

It was nothing short of a snappy defensive response – that is, Montana’s performance on Saturday only a week after being knocked in the mouth by Weber State.
The Griz met Eastern Washington at a crossroads in Cheney, Wash. on Saturday, and when Bobby Hauck’s club emerged with a 19-3 win, it proved to be pivotal. Montana improved to 5-1 (1-1), staying just one game behind of league leaders Weber State and Northern Arizona, while pre-season conference darling Eastern fell to 2-4 (1-2), with their playoff hopes flickering.

But to delve deeper, another decisive result to Saturday’s game was the reemergence of Montana’s defensive identity, which had raised unwelcome eyebrows after going sackless and allowing 80 points in two games. Weber State’s 45 points last weekend were the most scored against Montana in regulation since 1995.
Hauck looked like a master motivator Saturday – his team looked cleaner than a week earlier in Ogden. The offense didn’t commit any turnovers (seven committed in the past two games), established the run (49 carries, 149 yards) and reasserted the fireworks from Marc Mariani (five catches, 118 yards and two touchdowns). Hauck’s special teams also altered two punts that were catalysts to both Mariani scores, as well as won the return battle with 272 yards on four kick returns. 

And amid speculation surrounding their youth and inexperience, the Griz defense imposed their will against perhaps their toughest offensive challenge of the season in Eastern Washington, led by the 2007 Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year, Matt Nichols. They did it on a day when Montana missed three scoring opportunities on offense – two missed field goals and another botched field goal snap that kept Eastern within striking distance in the fourth quarter.

Early on, it was a bend-but-not-break showing from the defensive corps. On their first drive of the game, Eastern Washington penetrated deep into Montana territory, and just as running back Alexis Alexander looked to score, freshman corner Andrew Swink stripped him just short of the goal line, and safety Shann Schillinger recovered the fumble in the end zone. Montana forced Eastern to a three-and-out on the next drive, then was rewarded with a tipped-punt block inside Eastern’s 39-yard line. It was a perfect five-play chain reaction, as on the very next play, quarterback Cole Bergquist found receiver Mariani for a 39-yard touchdown pass, spotting the Griz a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. 

On their next drive, Eastern returned to the Montana 30, but were turned back on a fourth down conversion attempt.

Alexander mirrored his efforts on the first drive with a 48-yard burst down to the Montana 11 at the end of the first quarter, but Nichols and the Eagle’s offense were again stifled by Montana’s defense, which forced them to kick a 24-yard field goal that made it 10-3 Griz.

Nichols and company became antsy in the second half – being turned back on two fourth down calls, including a dicey fourth and 12 attempt from Montana’s 43 with seconds remaining in the third quarter. But Nichols pass sailed high on intended receiver Aaron Boyce. Then on their next drive, Montana’s special teams complemented the defensive effort once again – as senior running back Andrew Schmidt blocked a punt inside the Eagle 10 yard line, and on the very next play, Bergquist went play action and found Mariani to extend Montana’s lead to 17-3.

Hauck said last week that Nichols would be dangerous, but the junior signal caller was anything but, as an unremarkable 199 yards passing was a symbol of Montana’s heat. The Griz only got one sack, a three-yard loss from Mike Stadnyk, which signified Montana’s first sack in three games after recording 10 in the previous three. The Eagles all but abandoned the run (16 rushes) after the first quarter, but the effort to try and carbon copy receiver Aaron Boyce’s historic 17 catch, 234 yard receiving performance last year in Missoula stalled; the junior wide out only had four catches for 56 yards. And although the Griz were playing without injured defensive tackles Craig Mettler and Carson Bender on Saturday, Nichols was hurried all afternoon.

The exclamation point came late in the fourth quarter, when he rolled out into the back of his own end zone and had to intentionally ground the ball due to a suffocating Griz pass rush. The safety made the game 19-3, and the lead would never relinquish.

roman.stubbs@umontana.edu