Granted, Indiana State is not good, but I think we saw a good glimpse of things coming together on offense that give me some great hope as this team progresses into October. We saw peak performances from guys like Ah Yat & Gillman, and we saw more Griz newcomers really start to look far more comfortable in their roles like Wortham, Gale, Wing, and Tuliapupu. After a nail-biting UND win it was good to see the Grizzly offense catch fire and show off their potential. On the other side, the defense FINALLY got to the QB a few times and they continued to force turn overs - still some concerns here, I'll give into that in a bit. Lots to unpack from this win, which is interesting bc usually blowout wins don't have a ton of takeaways from them.
1. This was Ah Yat's very best game (so far). Usually the early scripted drives for Montana get them into the flow of the game but yesterday they resulted in two very short and ineffective drives, then possible more freedom / free flow through the game, and with Pease's guidance, the Grizzly offense really took off. Ah Yat was dealing all day, his throws and reads were on the money, he was scanning the field incredibly well, and he was keeping his eyes down field when forced to move in the pocket or out of it. His late 1st half TD showed it all, being flushed, reading the whole field, and finding Gale wide open finally. 313 passing, 2 passing TDs, and a rushing TD as well on a nicely designed QB keeper. This is the kid we need this year, the games and defenses will be tougher in the months ahead but so far he's rising to meet the occassion.
2. Defensive tackling has to get better. How many times did the Grizzly defender have an ISU ball carrier by the hips, waist, or shoulders - just to have him break free and keep going? The two late / garbage time TDs were against younger guys but it was happening a little too much for liking in the first half too. ISU almost had 200 again on the ground, that's 3 teams in row that have gained about 200 rushing per game against Montana - one of the Grizzlies growing glaring defensive issues is getting running backs and running QBs to the ground quickly.
3. The Eli Gillman GOAT convo has to start soon. In this modern era of NIL and college football it's hard to say what Eli's final numbers may end up at, but what he showed yesterday was elite skills that only a handful of former Griz RBs have also had. I think he's already in that top 5 grouping alongside Lex, Chase, Yo, and Green (to me). The speed, the cutbacks, the reads - and putting up the numbers he's doing with half the carries these others had. He is a complete running back and he will be a top prospect that just about every FBS team will want next year. If he leaves or not, he has to be considered to be one of the very best.
4. Newcomers are settling in. Peyton Wing another pick and also blows up a handful of plays with his burst speed through the line. Tolbert just another ho-hum day at the office again leading the team in tackles (and I think sharing a TFL with Wing?). Tuliapupu (Solo) with a monstrous strip sack that TJ Rausch picks up for a Griz TD. Hayden Schwartz with a 1/2 sack in the game. Josh Gale settling in even more with 57 yards and a score, Bohannon looking like a great safety net for Ah Yat on some key 3rd down grabs (hope he's ok). And then of course there's Money Mike Wortham who was a few shoestring tackles away from a couple of rushing TDs. Wortham was used really well all over the field and he continues to show his versatility.
5. Let's settle on a center, please. In the 1st quarter the offense *appeared* to be running more efficient with Klimczak, but maybe that's an uninformed fan's opinion who didn't see things correctly. Botner's reps after the first two series resulted in success as well too. I worry this rotation at center could cause continuity issues as the opponents get far better (like... Idaho for example). Yesterday's game was one of the better showings for the OL - no sacks allowed, but ISU did have 7 TFLs on Grizzly ball carriers.
6. Tommy Running Rabbit's score was possibly an historic milestone. To my knowledge, and to others as well, this very well might be the first Montana reservation-born player on offense to score a TD for the Grizzlies. There was Tuff Harris from the Crow Agency who had some ST scores, and there's Tommy and I think that's it - at least in the modern era of Grizzly football. My social media from area friends who have native heritage or lineage was on fire with how excited they were to see a tribal member score a TD for the Grizzlies. I know for this coaching staff it's not like them to celebrate and elevate an underclassman's individual achievement like that, I wish it would've been. I can't image a single person in Browning or a single member of the Blackfeet wasn't cheering and celebrating what he did yesterday.
7. Props to Eric Taber. That was maybe the first Griz game I'd been to where Peter Christian wasn't the PA announcer. Taber stepped up and once he found his stride he kept the fans engaged really well. Big shoes to fill and he did well!
8. Griz WR corps is still taking shape. Hello Jordan Dever - have a day! Also Corbin Hendrix with some grabs. Bohannon's status going forward I assume will be unknown until the Idaho game starts but we're going to need some of these newer guys to step in. Can we get Gurnsey back soon? It was a quiet day for Brooks Davis, that can happen with younger guys though a little up and down.
9. Montana put a lot of new stuff on film. Probably by design, the use of Wortham was different, we had fake end arounds, an attempted show at a 2 point conversion, new blitz packages, a QB draw, Everett Johnson split wide as a WR "decoy" (great acting by him). There was a lot new "stuff" on the field that now Idaho and others will probably dedicate some film time / prep time too. The trickery and creativity is creeping out and there's a lot of games at times in the coaching staff showing some stuff to future opponents. Props to the coaching staff on both sides of the ball, I think once the game got beyond it's scripted series Pease had a hell of a gameplan and Cooper's dialed up pressures were a thing of beauty.
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It's going to get far tougher for these Grizzlies in the weeks ahead. We've got a top 10 matchup under the lights on Saturday against Idaho and then a road game against a very potent ISU offense. Lots to enjoy from this win and hopefully the Griz can keep this success rolling into this coming Saturday. We're going to need Griz Nation to show up in force!
Go Griz!
1. This was Ah Yat's very best game (so far). Usually the early scripted drives for Montana get them into the flow of the game but yesterday they resulted in two very short and ineffective drives, then possible more freedom / free flow through the game, and with Pease's guidance, the Grizzly offense really took off. Ah Yat was dealing all day, his throws and reads were on the money, he was scanning the field incredibly well, and he was keeping his eyes down field when forced to move in the pocket or out of it. His late 1st half TD showed it all, being flushed, reading the whole field, and finding Gale wide open finally. 313 passing, 2 passing TDs, and a rushing TD as well on a nicely designed QB keeper. This is the kid we need this year, the games and defenses will be tougher in the months ahead but so far he's rising to meet the occassion.
2. Defensive tackling has to get better. How many times did the Grizzly defender have an ISU ball carrier by the hips, waist, or shoulders - just to have him break free and keep going? The two late / garbage time TDs were against younger guys but it was happening a little too much for liking in the first half too. ISU almost had 200 again on the ground, that's 3 teams in row that have gained about 200 rushing per game against Montana - one of the Grizzlies growing glaring defensive issues is getting running backs and running QBs to the ground quickly.
3. The Eli Gillman GOAT convo has to start soon. In this modern era of NIL and college football it's hard to say what Eli's final numbers may end up at, but what he showed yesterday was elite skills that only a handful of former Griz RBs have also had. I think he's already in that top 5 grouping alongside Lex, Chase, Yo, and Green (to me). The speed, the cutbacks, the reads - and putting up the numbers he's doing with half the carries these others had. He is a complete running back and he will be a top prospect that just about every FBS team will want next year. If he leaves or not, he has to be considered to be one of the very best.
4. Newcomers are settling in. Peyton Wing another pick and also blows up a handful of plays with his burst speed through the line. Tolbert just another ho-hum day at the office again leading the team in tackles (and I think sharing a TFL with Wing?). Tuliapupu (Solo) with a monstrous strip sack that TJ Rausch picks up for a Griz TD. Hayden Schwartz with a 1/2 sack in the game. Josh Gale settling in even more with 57 yards and a score, Bohannon looking like a great safety net for Ah Yat on some key 3rd down grabs (hope he's ok). And then of course there's Money Mike Wortham who was a few shoestring tackles away from a couple of rushing TDs. Wortham was used really well all over the field and he continues to show his versatility.
5. Let's settle on a center, please. In the 1st quarter the offense *appeared* to be running more efficient with Klimczak, but maybe that's an uninformed fan's opinion who didn't see things correctly. Botner's reps after the first two series resulted in success as well too. I worry this rotation at center could cause continuity issues as the opponents get far better (like... Idaho for example). Yesterday's game was one of the better showings for the OL - no sacks allowed, but ISU did have 7 TFLs on Grizzly ball carriers.
6. Tommy Running Rabbit's score was possibly an historic milestone. To my knowledge, and to others as well, this very well might be the first Montana reservation-born player on offense to score a TD for the Grizzlies. There was Tuff Harris from the Crow Agency who had some ST scores, and there's Tommy and I think that's it - at least in the modern era of Grizzly football. My social media from area friends who have native heritage or lineage was on fire with how excited they were to see a tribal member score a TD for the Grizzlies. I know for this coaching staff it's not like them to celebrate and elevate an underclassman's individual achievement like that, I wish it would've been. I can't image a single person in Browning or a single member of the Blackfeet wasn't cheering and celebrating what he did yesterday.
7. Props to Eric Taber. That was maybe the first Griz game I'd been to where Peter Christian wasn't the PA announcer. Taber stepped up and once he found his stride he kept the fans engaged really well. Big shoes to fill and he did well!
8. Griz WR corps is still taking shape. Hello Jordan Dever - have a day! Also Corbin Hendrix with some grabs. Bohannon's status going forward I assume will be unknown until the Idaho game starts but we're going to need some of these newer guys to step in. Can we get Gurnsey back soon? It was a quiet day for Brooks Davis, that can happen with younger guys though a little up and down.
9. Montana put a lot of new stuff on film. Probably by design, the use of Wortham was different, we had fake end arounds, an attempted show at a 2 point conversion, new blitz packages, a QB draw, Everett Johnson split wide as a WR "decoy" (great acting by him). There was a lot new "stuff" on the field that now Idaho and others will probably dedicate some film time / prep time too. The trickery and creativity is creeping out and there's a lot of games at times in the coaching staff showing some stuff to future opponents. Props to the coaching staff on both sides of the ball, I think once the game got beyond it's scripted series Pease had a hell of a gameplan and Cooper's dialed up pressures were a thing of beauty.
---------------------
It's going to get far tougher for these Grizzlies in the weeks ahead. We've got a top 10 matchup under the lights on Saturday against Idaho and then a road game against a very potent ISU offense. Lots to enjoy from this win and hopefully the Griz can keep this success rolling into this coming Saturday. We're going to need Griz Nation to show up in force!
Go Griz!
