Griz return home on two-game skid
It's been a long time since the Montana Grizzlies limped home like this after two straight road losses.
Not since 2002 have the Griz lost two regular-season games in a row. Not since 1992 have the Griz started 1-2.
Lucky for Montana, homecoming week could be just what the doctor ordered.
The Grizzlies, now ranked 14th, have won 17 homecoming games in a row heading into today's Big Sky Conference showdown with Sacramento State (2-1) at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Today's welcome-home crowd will be larger than the previous two games' attendance combined at the 1:05 p.m. kickoff, and a little home comfort couldn't come any sooner.
It's been a startling September so far. Following a 73-2 confidence-boosting victory against Western State, the Griz were humbled at Cal Poly (35-33) and then in Cheney last weekend against Eastern Washington (36-27) in the highly publicized inferno turf debut.
In three games, Montana has lost five fumbles and racked up 243 penalty yards. The juggling quarterback situation has been anything but prosperous; Andrew Selle has thrown five interceptions in three games compared to six all of last season while Justin Roper has shown signs of productivity followed by sudden turnover sickness.
And then there's that out-of-sync feeling that the Griz seem to exhibit at times. Whether it's old players still getting used to new coaches, or flip a coin, can't-win-them-all sports, the fact is twice Montana has had a chance to win in the final minutes, and twice it was the opposing team rushing the field in celebration.
But alas, it's only September.
Senior running back Chase Reynolds appears to be healed up and ready to return to form. Last week, Reynolds rushed for a season-high 119 yards and caught two passes for 22. He had a rare scoreless game, the first time this season and only the fourth time in the last 26 games. Reynolds remains four touchdowns short of tying Lex Hilliard's all-time school record of 50 rushing TDs.
The scoring offense is ranked third in the nation with just over 400 yards a game on average.
Jabin Sambrano is stepping up as a reliable go-to receiver for Montana. The junior has a team-high 291 receiving yards.
The Griz defense is in need of a bounce-back performance today. Last week Eastern Washington running back and Walter Payton Award contender Taiwan Jones tallied 224 yards. As a unit, the rush defense ranks 69th out of 117 teams in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Sacramento State, picked sixth in the Big Sky preseason coaches' poll, is coming off a 24-17 upset of Weber State.