Montana Griz travels to Eastern Washington for Big Sky opener

The No. 8 Grizzlies begin league play against Eastern Washington on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. MT at Roos Field in Cheney, Washington. They enter the game with a 3-1 non-conference record, while the Eagles come into the game with a 1-3 mark.

This is the second year in a row the Griz have opened their Big Sky Tournament with an away game. They lost their opener at Northern Arizona last year but have been tested more this season with a tougher non-conference schedule.

The Griz are 0-1 on the road and losing at North Dakota. The Eagles are 1-1 at home, beating Monmouth, which defeated FBS Florida International, and losing to non-student Drake. UM opened as the betting favorite at 13.5 points.

Montana has never won on Eastern's red turf, going 0-6 since its introduction in 2010. The Grizzlies' last win in Cheney came in 2008. It is their longest losing streak in away games against current Big Sky teams.

Here are five things to watch during the game, which will be broadcast on the Montana Television Network and streamed on ESPN+.

Montana's pass defense is coming off its worst statistical performance since the 2021 playoffs against EWU. The Griz gave up 374 passing yards and face another test against an offense that threw the ball down the field in its only win but hasn't matched its output when it dominated the league in the 2010s.

The Eagles rank 44th nationally averaging 220.5 yards. Quarterback Kekoa Visperas ranks second in the FCS with a completion rate of 78.8 yards per game and six touchdowns without an interception. Five of those TD throws came in the season-opening win over Monmouth.

His main target is Efton Chism III, an All-American and the active FCS leader in receptions. He ranks first nationally with 9.8 receiving yards per game, fourth with four touchdown receptions and eighth with 101.5 receiving yards per game.

“He’s a good player, has been a good player in this league for a while,” Hauck said.

No. 2 receiver Nolan Ulm has played sparingly since the season opener but was on the team's back two this week. Receiver Noah Cronquist is a deep threat, averaging 17.1 yards or a first down per reception, ranking 53rd in the country.

The Eagles rank 10th nationally with 91 first downs gained and 21st in third down conversions (44.2%). UM's third-down defense ranks 33rd (35.2%). Its pass defense is giving up 196.8 yards per game, which ranks 43rd.

The Griz only allowed two passing scores compared to eight rushing scores. They gave up free yards as they were assessed seven pass interference penalties.

Putting pressure on the QB proved fruitful for the Griz last week. Eastern Washington is allowing two sacks and 4.75 tackles for loss per game. Montana is averaging 3.25 sacks and six TFLs.

Griz safety TJ Rausch was listed as a starter in the two-man group after Tyson Rostad started the past two weeks without team captain Ryder Meyer.

While Eastern is known for its passing attack, the Eagles can also run the ball. In fact, their rush offense ranks higher nationally than their passing attack, averaging 182.8 yards per game on the ground, ranking 26th. They ran the ball 163 times compared to 117 pass attempts.

At running back, Tuna Altahir ranks 42nd in the country with 5.8 yards per carry and 90th with 58 rush yards per game. He's after a score. Malik Dotson is averaging 48.5 rush yards and has three touchdowns.

The running game also comes from the quarterback position as three QBs rotate, two of which are primarily runners. Jared Taylor ran 27 times for 139 yards and a score. Michael Wortham completed 25 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Visperas carried the ball 26 times for 82 yards.

Montana's rush defense has been tested a little more than the pass defense and has gotten better with improved containment and tackling. The Griz are limiting teams to 107.8 rush yards per game to rank 23rd in the nation.

Eastern has scored seven rushing touchdowns compared to eight passing scores and averaged 28.5 points, which ranks 36th nationally. The Griz held their teams to 22 points, the 29th best mark in the FCS.

Montana will be without All-American linebacker Riley Wilson for the first half of the game after he was sent off for targeting in the second half last week. The Griz appealed the targeting but lost.

Montana should have options to throw the ball. The question is who will play quarterback after Keali'i Ah Yat was struck in the previous game and Logan Fife played the entire fourth quarter.

Eastern Washington allows 271.3 passing yards per game, which ranks 106th in the FCS. They've defended just two passes in four games, but cornerback DaJean Wells has a team-high seven pass breakups.

The Griz throw for just 177.3 yards per game, the 79th best mark in the FCS. Only two passes were intercepted, both thrown by Ah Yat. He passed for two touchdowns. Fife threw a touchdown.

When Fife takes on a larger role, he averages more yards per completion and per pass attempt than Ah Yat. Last week, he helped the Griz earn the win through the air, completing 7 of 10 passes for 58 yards.

The Griz converted late third downs by passing the ball last week and rank 52nd in the country with a conversion rate of up to 38%. Eastern allows teams to convert 52.9% of the time, which is 118th in the FCS.

The Eagles don't get much pressure. They rank 91st nationally with 1.25 sacks and 94th with 4.3 tackles per game. The Griz have allowed an average of 2.5 sacks, 88th nationally, and six TFLs, 65th nationally.

Montana has run the ball confidently over the last two weeks, gaining 759 yards. The Griz might be able to do it again, but have yet to prove it on the road as their worst rushing game of the year came on their only road trip.

Eastern Washington's rush defense is better than its pass defense, but that doesn't mean it's great by any means. The Eagles are allowing 172.3 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 84th nationally.

Montana has the third-best rushing offense in the FCS with 271.5 yards per game. The Griz have 17 touchdown runs compared to three passing scores. Eli Gillman is seventh in the country with an average of 114 rush yards.

Gillman tops the nation by averaging 10.13 yards or one first down per carry. That helped UM lead the FCS in gaining 104 first downs. Eastern has allowed teams to gain 101 first downs, which ranks 118th in the FCS.

Safety Derek Ganter Jr. leads the Eagles with 7.3 tackles per game. Safety Kentrell Williams Jr. ranks second with an average of six tackles. Defensive end Brock Harrison is the team leader with three QB hurries and 2.5 TFLs.

“They play hard,” Hauck said of Eastern’s defense. “I think they’re chasing the ball.”

The Griz are averaging 39.5 points per game, which ranks sixth nationally. Eastern allows 34.8 points for 98th place.

Eastern's Michael Wortham was named second-team All-Big Sky as a kick returner last year, averaging 28.3 yards per return and a long of 86. A third-team preseason All-American, he averages to 24.1 yards per return with a long of 55.

The Griz kick return defense, which has had some big hits on returners, surprisingly ranks 70th in the FCS, allowing 20.91 yards per kick return.

“I think they’re really good, especially in the kicking game,” Hauck said of Eastern. “They do a lot of formal things — offense, defense, special teams — that give you problems.”

Montana junior Bergen had his first two kick returns of the season last week, averaging 24.5 yards. Eastern gives up just 17.5 yards per kick return, ranking 29th nationally.

Bergen, also a punt returner, will see a unit that gives up 12.75 yards per punt return, 89th in the FCS. Maybe he has a chance to tie for first place for most punt return touchdowns in Big Sky history.

Chism is Eastern's punt returner but only returned three for 13 yards.

Eagles kicker Soren McKee is 3 of 3 for 36 yards this year. Ty Morrison of Montana is 6 of 9 with a long of 46.