The real test now comes to town for the Montana Grizzlies, fresh off a good sized beat down of division 2 Central Washington. Portland State comes to Missoula and brings a much better challenge to see where our Griz are at. Montana and PSU played in 2019 where Cam Humphrey started and threw for 335 yards and 4 TDs and the game was quite the wild display of big plays and hard hits on both sides. PSU has a funky “flex” defense that can be tougher for some running teams which will be a test for the O-line and a running game without Marcus Knight who ran for 106 of the 129 Montana had against PSU in 2019.
Also worth remembering the last time PSU was in Missoula, 2018, where they kicked a 52 yard fieldgoal as time expired to beat Montana 22-20 on homecoming.
Once again, not going to recap all of 2019, but a few of interest here, I’ll leave out the game against the Griz but list the ones we had as common opponents in 2019
Portland State Vikings 5-7
24-51 loss @ ISU – (Montana beat ISU 59-20) – PSU put up 505 yards of offense while ISU put up 509, but PSU just could not turn all that offense into points. ISU was up 41-10 at the half and cruised to win from there. Their scores came on big TD plays too, long TD passes of 45, 66, 45, and 35 yards all in the first plus a 66 yard pick-6.
24-0 win vs Idaho – (Montana beat Idaho 42-17) – It was 0-0 at the half, Idaho threw 4 interceptions in the game, each team had very minimal amounts of possessions. PSU had a drive end with a fumble and two more on downs in the first half. In the 2nd half though PSU scored on 4 of their 6 possessions and Idaho did absolutely nothing.
28-45 loss vs UC Davis – (Montana beat UCD 45-20) – It was a close game most of the way, until about the last 7:30 of the game where UCD took a 31-28 lead and scored two late TDs to stretch it out to the final score. Davis had a monster day on offense, 650 total yards (266 rush / 383 pass) to just 435 total yards for PSU. Once again the PSU defense gave up a ton of big scoring plays, 75 yard run, 23 yard pass, 58 yard pass.
46-53 loss @ EWU (Montana beat EWU 34-17) – This game was actually looking like an easy EWU win, up 45-17 in the 3rd. PSU then goes on a charge and gets it to within a score with 2:30 left in the game but was unable to get the ball back and EWU ran out the clock. There seemed to be very little defense in the game, 559 total yards for PSU, 560 for Eastern. What really hurt PSU was 3 turnovers plus two turnovers on downs – all which lead to EWU scores, accounting for 31 of their 53 scored points.
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General Stats (2019 totals)
Passing yards per game Montana (258 for PSU vs 301 for UM)
Rushing yards per game PSU (196 for PSU vs 139 for UM)
Total offense PSU (454 for PSU vs 440 for UM)
Passing yards allowed per game PSU (269 for PSU vs 279 for UM)
Rushing yards allowed per game Montana (139 for PSU vs 120 for UM)
Total defense Montana (409 for PSU vs 399 for UM)
3-3 here, both pretty close overall. PSU runs better but shows a little more issue defending the run which basically tipped the stats each way.
Offense points scored Montana (34.7 for PSU vs 36.7 for UM)
Defense points allowed Montana (30 for PSU vs 25.1 for UM)
Turnover margin PSU – (+2 for PSU / +1 for Montana)
Fieldgoal % Montana (68% for PSU vs 79% for UM)
Punt Returns Montana (5.6 yards for PSU vs 14.7 yards for UM)
Kick Returns Montana (15.9 yards for PSU vs 23 yards for UM)
T.O.P. PSU (34:53 for PSU vs 29:23 for UM)
Red Zone defense (touchdowns) PSU 58% PSU / 62% UM)
Red Zone offense (touchdowns) PSU (71% PSU / 70% UM)
3rd down offense Montana – (43% for PSU / 47% for UM)
3rd down defense Montana – (39% allowed for PSU vs 34% allowed for UM)
The Griz pick up 7 while PSU adds 4 which finishes out the totals at 10 to Montana and 7 to PSU. However worth noting that PSU was certainly the better redzone team.
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Players to Watch:
#6 Davis Alexander, QB – We all know how tough this kid is after the 2019 game where he got hit again and again and kept getting back up. I know for a fact that there’s a lot of respect for this guy from our side of the field. In 2019 he ran for 517 yards and 5 TDs while passing for 244 yards per game, 25 total passing TDs and 8 INTs.
#27 Malik Walker, RB – He had 284 yards and 4 TDs as the #1 backup in 2019, just 2 catches for 19 yards, but he wasn’t mentioned in their spring scrimmage report.
#28 Jobi Malaray, RB – Had an early TD for PSU, he’s a JuCo transfer at RB, 5-11, 215 pounds.
#81 Mataio Talalemotu, WR – The 6-1 junior had a great scrimmage with 3 catches for 75 yards, a bunch of which came in a 55 yard TD. In 2019 he had 459 yards and 4 TDs and was the 3rd option WR on the team. (#1 WR from 2019 Emmanuel Daigbe is said to be out for this game).
#14 Anthony Adams, S – Adams had 5 INTs last year and was 2nd best on the team with 56 tackles, he also had 19 total defended passes which is a crazy high number.
#54 Jake Porter, LB – a 6-4, 250 pound LB he had just 35 tackles (no defender on PSU amasses a ton of tackles) but he also had 8.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, 1 FF and 1 recovery.
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Keys to a Grizzly Victory
1. A fast start. The Grizzlies should have an early advantage of having played someone already this year where they *should* look a little less rusty than PSU. Getting out the gate and putting up some early points and making a few fast stops will be a great way to set the tone.
2. Contain Alexander. This will be a fascinating test on this newer defensive unit, a QB that can beat them both ways if they aren’t careful. Don’t let this guy run all over you or it could be a long day.
3. A better running game. This will be yet another challenge for an O-line that took a bit to get going last week. The PSU defensive front is very different and will pose some new challenges. Ostmo and Harris will be facing much more pressure and the OL has to adapt better and more quickly this week.
4. +2 or better in turnovers. I have a feeling PSU with a veteran QB will be less prone to mistakes. Also if Humphrey has as errant of a start as he did against CWU that could lead to trouble. The Griz need to play cleaner on offense, especially in the passing game, and continue to force a few turnovers on PSU. If Cam has issues with accuracy and leads to some costly turnovers, don’t wait until it’s against the 2s – show me what Kris Brown can do as well.
5. Win in the redzone. I say this a lot in many scouting reports but the stats here from 2019 show this is where the game could be decided. PSU’s defense would stiffen up in the redzone and force fieldgoals, while their offense would remain much more efficient once they’ve made the trip. The team that executes better in the redzone will probably be the winner on Saturday.
6. Force 3rd and long for PSU. They’ve got enough weapons on offense that they’ll be far tougher to stop on 3rd and short than CWU was.
7. Expect the unexpected. From their scrimmage last week it sounded like Barneyball was in full effect with option plays, jet sweeps, trickery all over. You’d better believe he’s got some tricks up his sleeve for this game. Our defensive secondary has to be ready and not get fooled too much or else they could get burned deep for some big scores
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I honestly expect this to be a battle. I think we have some questions that need to be answered/addressed that PSU could attack – which could work, or could fail miserably. The biggest concerns for our offense coming out of the CWU game was running efficiency and the somewhat erratic play of our #1 QB – which this PSU defense can possibly thrive on. Now if Cam locks it in like he did in 2019, it could be quite the show. On the other hand, PSU hasn’t had the luxury of a game where they can test things out and clean things up. That should play into Montana’s hands well.
I expect this to go down to the wire, two good offenses on display in a warm spring afternoon. I’m hoping we can get as many as allowed in, if not more, and can make it a fun environment. I’m going to give the Griz a slight edge here and say they come away with a hard-fought win, 38-35.
Go Griz!
Also worth remembering the last time PSU was in Missoula, 2018, where they kicked a 52 yard fieldgoal as time expired to beat Montana 22-20 on homecoming.
Once again, not going to recap all of 2019, but a few of interest here, I’ll leave out the game against the Griz but list the ones we had as common opponents in 2019
Portland State Vikings 5-7
24-51 loss @ ISU – (Montana beat ISU 59-20) – PSU put up 505 yards of offense while ISU put up 509, but PSU just could not turn all that offense into points. ISU was up 41-10 at the half and cruised to win from there. Their scores came on big TD plays too, long TD passes of 45, 66, 45, and 35 yards all in the first plus a 66 yard pick-6.
24-0 win vs Idaho – (Montana beat Idaho 42-17) – It was 0-0 at the half, Idaho threw 4 interceptions in the game, each team had very minimal amounts of possessions. PSU had a drive end with a fumble and two more on downs in the first half. In the 2nd half though PSU scored on 4 of their 6 possessions and Idaho did absolutely nothing.
28-45 loss vs UC Davis – (Montana beat UCD 45-20) – It was a close game most of the way, until about the last 7:30 of the game where UCD took a 31-28 lead and scored two late TDs to stretch it out to the final score. Davis had a monster day on offense, 650 total yards (266 rush / 383 pass) to just 435 total yards for PSU. Once again the PSU defense gave up a ton of big scoring plays, 75 yard run, 23 yard pass, 58 yard pass.
46-53 loss @ EWU (Montana beat EWU 34-17) – This game was actually looking like an easy EWU win, up 45-17 in the 3rd. PSU then goes on a charge and gets it to within a score with 2:30 left in the game but was unable to get the ball back and EWU ran out the clock. There seemed to be very little defense in the game, 559 total yards for PSU, 560 for Eastern. What really hurt PSU was 3 turnovers plus two turnovers on downs – all which lead to EWU scores, accounting for 31 of their 53 scored points.
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General Stats (2019 totals)
Passing yards per game Montana (258 for PSU vs 301 for UM)
Rushing yards per game PSU (196 for PSU vs 139 for UM)
Total offense PSU (454 for PSU vs 440 for UM)
Passing yards allowed per game PSU (269 for PSU vs 279 for UM)
Rushing yards allowed per game Montana (139 for PSU vs 120 for UM)
Total defense Montana (409 for PSU vs 399 for UM)
3-3 here, both pretty close overall. PSU runs better but shows a little more issue defending the run which basically tipped the stats each way.
Offense points scored Montana (34.7 for PSU vs 36.7 for UM)
Defense points allowed Montana (30 for PSU vs 25.1 for UM)
Turnover margin PSU – (+2 for PSU / +1 for Montana)
Fieldgoal % Montana (68% for PSU vs 79% for UM)
Punt Returns Montana (5.6 yards for PSU vs 14.7 yards for UM)
Kick Returns Montana (15.9 yards for PSU vs 23 yards for UM)
T.O.P. PSU (34:53 for PSU vs 29:23 for UM)
Red Zone defense (touchdowns) PSU 58% PSU / 62% UM)
Red Zone offense (touchdowns) PSU (71% PSU / 70% UM)
3rd down offense Montana – (43% for PSU / 47% for UM)
3rd down defense Montana – (39% allowed for PSU vs 34% allowed for UM)
The Griz pick up 7 while PSU adds 4 which finishes out the totals at 10 to Montana and 7 to PSU. However worth noting that PSU was certainly the better redzone team.
--------------------
Players to Watch:
#6 Davis Alexander, QB – We all know how tough this kid is after the 2019 game where he got hit again and again and kept getting back up. I know for a fact that there’s a lot of respect for this guy from our side of the field. In 2019 he ran for 517 yards and 5 TDs while passing for 244 yards per game, 25 total passing TDs and 8 INTs.
#27 Malik Walker, RB – He had 284 yards and 4 TDs as the #1 backup in 2019, just 2 catches for 19 yards, but he wasn’t mentioned in their spring scrimmage report.
#28 Jobi Malaray, RB – Had an early TD for PSU, he’s a JuCo transfer at RB, 5-11, 215 pounds.
#81 Mataio Talalemotu, WR – The 6-1 junior had a great scrimmage with 3 catches for 75 yards, a bunch of which came in a 55 yard TD. In 2019 he had 459 yards and 4 TDs and was the 3rd option WR on the team. (#1 WR from 2019 Emmanuel Daigbe is said to be out for this game).
#14 Anthony Adams, S – Adams had 5 INTs last year and was 2nd best on the team with 56 tackles, he also had 19 total defended passes which is a crazy high number.
#54 Jake Porter, LB – a 6-4, 250 pound LB he had just 35 tackles (no defender on PSU amasses a ton of tackles) but he also had 8.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, 1 FF and 1 recovery.
-------------------------------
Keys to a Grizzly Victory
1. A fast start. The Grizzlies should have an early advantage of having played someone already this year where they *should* look a little less rusty than PSU. Getting out the gate and putting up some early points and making a few fast stops will be a great way to set the tone.
2. Contain Alexander. This will be a fascinating test on this newer defensive unit, a QB that can beat them both ways if they aren’t careful. Don’t let this guy run all over you or it could be a long day.
3. A better running game. This will be yet another challenge for an O-line that took a bit to get going last week. The PSU defensive front is very different and will pose some new challenges. Ostmo and Harris will be facing much more pressure and the OL has to adapt better and more quickly this week.
4. +2 or better in turnovers. I have a feeling PSU with a veteran QB will be less prone to mistakes. Also if Humphrey has as errant of a start as he did against CWU that could lead to trouble. The Griz need to play cleaner on offense, especially in the passing game, and continue to force a few turnovers on PSU. If Cam has issues with accuracy and leads to some costly turnovers, don’t wait until it’s against the 2s – show me what Kris Brown can do as well.
5. Win in the redzone. I say this a lot in many scouting reports but the stats here from 2019 show this is where the game could be decided. PSU’s defense would stiffen up in the redzone and force fieldgoals, while their offense would remain much more efficient once they’ve made the trip. The team that executes better in the redzone will probably be the winner on Saturday.
6. Force 3rd and long for PSU. They’ve got enough weapons on offense that they’ll be far tougher to stop on 3rd and short than CWU was.
7. Expect the unexpected. From their scrimmage last week it sounded like Barneyball was in full effect with option plays, jet sweeps, trickery all over. You’d better believe he’s got some tricks up his sleeve for this game. Our defensive secondary has to be ready and not get fooled too much or else they could get burned deep for some big scores
-------------------------------
I honestly expect this to be a battle. I think we have some questions that need to be answered/addressed that PSU could attack – which could work, or could fail miserably. The biggest concerns for our offense coming out of the CWU game was running efficiency and the somewhat erratic play of our #1 QB – which this PSU defense can possibly thrive on. Now if Cam locks it in like he did in 2019, it could be quite the show. On the other hand, PSU hasn’t had the luxury of a game where they can test things out and clean things up. That should play into Montana’s hands well.
I expect this to go down to the wire, two good offenses on display in a warm spring afternoon. I’m hoping we can get as many as allowed in, if not more, and can make it a fun environment. I’m going to give the Griz a slight edge here and say they come away with a hard-fought win, 38-35.
Go Griz!
