By Colter Nuanez
With an embittered wave of his hand, Montana athletic director Kent Haslam swiped his winter hat off his head and wiped his reddened face. Haslam looked like a man with a painful decision to make.
By all accounts, that’s exactly what awaits Haslam.
As Haslam stood alone on the fifth floor of Bobcat Stadium, a party not seen in Bozeman in 12 years was in its infancy. Bobcat players and coaches mixed with a tidal wave of fans on the stadium’s turf to celebrate Montana State’s 31-23 win over the Grizzlies. Where the party was going was anybody’s guess. Chris Murray, the sophomore Bobcat quarterback with a million dollar smile and two wins over his rival, was asked how he thought he would celebrate. He didn’t know.
In that way, and that way only, do Murray’s and Haslam’s immediate futures dovetail.
While Murray will certainly revel in Saturday’s outcome, Haslam will deplore it. If it hasn’t happened already, in the coming days Haslam will determine the fate of head coach Bob Stitt, undoubtedly one of the most important decisions during Haslam’s tenure at Montana.
On the eve of Montana’s loss to the Bobcats, its first in Bozeman since 2005, a source texted Skyline Sports that a powerful and well connected booster had met with Haslam. The influential source said he was told that Montana had decided to extend its coach’s contract; Stitt would remain coach for three more years if he beat the Cats, and one year if he lost. According to sources familiar with the conversation, the booster told Haslam that he was risking further donations and putting his job in jeopardy by keeping Stitt in place for another three-year contract.
In the eyes of the donor class, many of whom have made their displeasure with the head coach known, what is at stake is a further slide into a mediocrity that has gripped the program for the better part of the decade. They fear a whitewashing of the prestige the program had built during a wildly successful 25-year run that produced two national championships, 17 consecutive playoff berths, 15 conference championships and what seemed to be a permanent place among the FCS’ most powerful programs.
Montana’s — and Stitt’s — second consecutive loss to the Bobcats further entrenched those fears.
“He should be gone,” said one booster.
“I think the program has gone down hill (sic) since (former head coach Mick) Delaney’s last 2 years,” added another booster.
When Haslam went to sleep Friday night, his defense of Stitt was an understandable one. Haslam has a coach with one playoff appearance, last season’s 6-5 disappointment and what appeared to be a difficult, but winnable game Saturday that would send the Griz back to the playoffs for the second time. The coach has a winning record despite heavily relying on backup quarterbacks. And Stitt has recruited a stable of talented, young players that created a hope for the future. That, according to sources, is what Haslam was going to use as his defense for extending Stitt.
“Haslam is defending the roster number of freshman,” one source wrote.
When Haslam goes to sleep on Saturday, that justification may have crumbled under the weight of a crushing loss that only became more difficult to swallow as the night went on. Six teams Montana was presumably on the FCS playoff bubble with all lost during the final week of the regular season, leaving the question of if the Griz will extend their season unanswered.
Even worse, the loss to the Cats was a glimpse into the rollercoaster ride Montana has been on since Stitt was hired.
A maligned defense again couldn’t solve its rival’s prolific rushing attack. It gave up big plays and worse, it appeared to take unnecessary risks that put the Griz in trouble. Instead of dropping seven or eight defenders, defensive coordinator Jason Semore sent the house on a third-and-21 that resulted in a 71-yard Nick LaSane touchdown that buried Montana in a 14-3 hole.
Stitt’s offense struggled in short yardage situations and was kept well below its season average scoring output by a defense that held it in check for a second consecutive year.
Perhaps the most maddening aspect of the loss to alums and boosters was that in a game that had outsized impact on the program’s playoff chances, the tight-knit team Stitt has described throughout the season looked to onlookers like a group more ready for the off-season than the most important game of the season.
“The sideline was flat. No energy, no will. That’s unacceptable,” a former player wrote in a message to Skyline Sports.
Even Murray noticed something was amiss with the Griz.
“Today we just had that bond,” said the Bobcats quarterback. “I honestly think Montana doesn’t have that type of bond and I think that’s been the difference the past two years.”
Whether or not Haslam has made a decision regarding his coach is yet to be determined. He may be waiting for the FCS selection committee to reveal the 2017 playoff bracket. Or he may have already agreed in principle with his coach. Haslam declined on Tuesday an opportunity to clear the air during an interview with an interview on ESPN Missoula, saying that he and Stitt would discuss an extension after the season.
However Haslam proceeds, there are few who would chose to trade places with him as the 2017 regular season draws to a close. As one booster put it, “(I) wouldn’t want to take all the shit Haslam will take if he extends Stitt.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez and Jason Bacaj. All Rights Reserved.
