Griz, T-Birds usually high scoring
And so it begins.
The 2007 University of Montana Grizzlies football season starts Saturday in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
"We've been chomping at the bit," UM coach Bobby Hauck said. "Losing by two points at home in the national semifinals left a sour taste in our mouths. We've been hitting each other since March, so we're excited to hit somebody else. We're looking good physically."
The Griz open against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds of the Football Championship Subdivision's Great West Conference - the same conference as Cal Poly.
The meeting will be the fourth between the Griz and Thunderbirds. The last time they played was in 2002 - coach Joe Glenn's final season - when the Griz won, 68-45. The 68 points is the most in regular-season Washington-Grizzly Stadium history.
In 1998, Southern Utah won, 45-35. In 1996, UM won, 44-13. All three shootouts have been played in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Southern Utah is coached by Wes Meier, a 1991 University of Utah grad. Meier is 10-22 in three seasons at the Cedar City school, which has an enrollment of 7,509 compared to UM's 13,961.
The Thunderbirds have a brutal schedule. They play nine FCS ranked teams, including Southern Illinois, McNeese State, Montana State, Youngstown State, North Dakota State and Northern Iowa.
They finished last season with a 3-8 record (0-4 in the Great West), but return 19 starters - including six all-conference selections. Quarterback Wes Marshall and running back Johnny Sanchez return as all-conference picks along with two linebackers and a strong safety.
Marshall, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior, completed 183 of 323 passes (56.7 percent) last year for 1,942 yards and 16 touchdowns. He threw 14 interceptions. More importantly, he rushed for 531 yards and three touchdowns.
"We had our initial report done on them in June," UM coach Bobby Hauck said. "They have a quarterback who is very dynamic, running and throwing. He makes them a scary outfit."
Sanchez, a 5-9, 195-pound senior, rushed for 622 yards and four touchdowns last year and, because the 'Birds graduated their top three receivers, is the top returning receiver.
The Thunderbirds have one Montanan on their roster: Receiver Thatcher Taylor. Taylor, a junior from Dillon, was one of UM free safety Torrey Thomas' main receivers their senior seasons, when Thomas helped lead the Beavers to the state championship as their quarterback and safety.
On paper, this looks like a lopsided matchup.
The Griz are ranked second in the nation after last season's 12-2 record. They return 18 starters, including 16 with All-Big Sky honors, and 57 lettermen.
"Montana presents a huge challenge for us," Meier said. "But we're looking forward to the opportunity to come out and go head-to-head with one of the best teams in the nation and see how we fare."