#GrizFB
Senior Feature | Great White
Keelan White has emerged from a walk-on to a superhero in a winding journey from Canada to Montana, gaining confidence by finding and embracing his own identity as the Canadian Spider while starring for the Grizzlies.
Helena native and current UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley (
@SugaSeanMMA
) raises the No. 37 flag prior to the Montana Grizzlies football game against Ferris State tonight at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula.
#GrizFB
#mtscores
FINAL: Dougie Peoples beats the buzzer from way beyond the arc and Butte Central defeats Lewistown to win the State A boys basketball championship. He finishes with 37 points. First outright state title for the Maroons since 1992.
#mtscores
@406mtsports
Ferris State coach Tony Annese on Wa-Griz atmosphere: "Is this every week? That’s insane. I think I’m a little older than Bobby (Hauck), but if he retires before me, I want this job. ...It was an amazing environment. I don’t ever want to come back unless I’m the head coach here."
Montana State coach Danny Sprinkle and his mother Danette after the Cats win the Big Sky championship. She was here last year also for their tournament title.
#BigSkyMBB
Butte Central junior Dougie Peoples on his buzzer-beating 3-pointer and the Maroons beating Lewistown to win the State A boys basketball championship.
#mtscores
The last time Montana hosted a playoff game at Wa-Griz, Samori Toure hauled in 303 receiving yards & 3 TDs in a 73-28 win over Southeastern Louisiana. He broke the single-game playoff record for receiving yards, which was set by Marshall's Randy Moss in 1996 vs Delaware.
#GrizFB
Former Montana Lady Griz coach Robin Selvig, former Montana Lady Griz player Shannon (Cate) Schweyen and former Montana
#GrizFB
quarterback Dave Dickenson are being inducted into the Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame as part of the 14-member inaugural class tonight in Spokane.
Montana defensive end Hayden Harris (
@haydenharris46
) totaled a career-high 8 tackles in the Grizzlies' 49-19 win over Delaware in the second round of the FCS playoffs. It was his first time leading the team in tackles. He also tallied 2 of UM's 4 quarterback hurries.
#GrizFB
Montana
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coach Bobby Hauck on 35-28 OT win vs Furman: "Good teams find a way to win. But great teams win when they don’t have their A-game and they aren’t playing their best. That was not our best game this season. We found a way to win. And that is a championship effort."
Dozens of former Lady Griz who played for Montana coach Robin Selvig over 38 seasons were in attendance for the unveiling of Robin Selvig Court in Missoula.
#GrizFB
WR Junior Bergen on his clutch plays during run to title game: "It’s been very special. You walk up that tunnel, you see guys who have made big impacts on this program. You just want to leave your mark. Super blessed for this team, these coaches that they believe in me."
Montana
#GrizFB
WR Junior Bergen on his winning 2-point pass: "I saw the guy come off the edge and he grabbed my face mask and I looked up and saw Keelan and I was like, ‘Well, it’s a free play anyway, so I might as well give it a shot.’ I threw it as hard as I could."
Montana in top half of second OT:
Eli Gillman run 5 yards
Gillman run 7 yards
Gillman 12-yard TD run
Junior Bergen throws 2-point pass after being face masked and Keelan White catches it off the deflection
#GrizFB
31, NDSU 23. Bison ball next.
Montana freshman punter Brian Buschini (
@brian_buschini
) finishes the regular season leading the FCS with 46.7 yards per punt. The Helena Capital grad had 23 punts of 50+ yards, placed 22 inside the 20-yard line & forced 21 fair catches. Had only 4 touchbacks on 56 punts.
#GrizFB
Missoula native Jim McElwain, a former Eastern Washington QB and the current Central Michigan head coach, was on Pardon My Take last week: "I think one of the most underrated places that's a tough place to play is actually at the University of Montana in Missoula."
#GrizFB
(1/2)
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coach Bobby Hauck on the semifinal win: "Winning that game brings great joy to everybody on our team and staff. Grizzly football brings a lot of joy and happiness to a lot of people in Montana and our alumni base. Grizzly football is special and that was a special game."
Montana coach Bobby Hauck on seeing the passing connection of QB Kris Brown and WR Ryan Simpson on Saturday, two players that
#GrizFB
signed out of Montana State's backyard in Bozeman: "They’re Montana kids, and all of Montana is Grizzly country."
Junior Bergen (
@bergen_junior
) set a
#GrizFB
career record Friday with his 4th punt return TD. His career average of 15.61 yards per punt return is tops in UM history. He became the first Griz since Jefferson Heidelberger in 2002 to have a kickoff and punt return TD in same game.
10 years ago today: Montana beat Appalachian State & QB Armanti Edwards in the FCS semifinals, 24-17, in a blizzard in Missoula.
#GrizFB
Full game:
Highlights:
@missoulian
game recap from
@Fritz_Neighbor
:
Montana takes the field for the 122nd Brawl of the Wild, the first-ever rivalry game with both the Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats ranked in the top 5. It’s the No. 3 Griz vs. the No. 4 Cats in just the third game in Wa-Griz history with two teams ranked in the top 4.
#GrizFB
Montana
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coach Bobby Hauck on 31-29 double-OT victory against North Dakota State in the FCS semifinals: "You can’t quantify this statement, but it’s one of the biggest games, the greatest games in the history of our stadium."
Hauck asked about playing in a half empty stadium at South Dakota, which is undergoing construction, he jokes: We play in Bozeman every other year.
#GrizFB
#GrizFB
Senior Feature
Fouch the fighter: Montana safety Nash Fouch (
@nash_fouch4
) has played the past 3 years without his mother, carrying on the strength she instilled in him as a child to help him become one of the Grizzlies' most consistent players.
Montana coach Bobby Hauck offers high praise for his defense: "I’d be hard pressed to name a Montana defense that was ever as good as this one, and it might not be close. This is a great defense. They play together. They have great understanding. They play kind of mean."
#GrizFB
Montana junior linebacker Pat O'Connell is added to the watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented to the FCS defensive player of the year. The Kalispell Glacier grad is 5th in the nation with 1.17 sacks per game & 6th with 1.83 tackles for loss per game.
#GrizFB
Montana
#GrizFB
QB Clifton McDowell is now 11-0 as a starter after the semifinal win vs North Dakota State. He said when he committed his goal was to win a national title. He saw that potential after visiting UM, so he flipped his commitment from Southern:
Montana QB Clifton McDowell (
@_Cliff10
) finished 10-of-19 passing for 186 yards, 2 TDs and one interception in the Grizzlies' 49-19 win over Delaware in the second round of the FCS playoffs. The Texas native also ran 5 times for 51 yards and 1 TD in his first snow game.
#GrizFB
Montana LB Braxton Hill (
@hillb32
) led the Griz in tackles for the 3rd straight game with 8 takedowns in their 28-20 win vs Idaho State on Saturday. The Anaconda native has 35 tackles in the past 3 games and 45 this season, which ranks 2nd among Big Sky players.
#GrizFB
#BigSkyFB
Cooper Wilson flips his commitment from Montana
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to Nebraska. Had been a late addition to the Grizzlies' 2023 high school recruiting class after posting blistering track times. UM recruited him as an athlete. He played DB/WR at Bonney Lake, Washington. 6-foot-3, 190 pounds
Montana coach Bobby Hauck has a fun exchange with
@Jack20Marshall
about where the Griz should be ranked in the Top 25 after beating FBS No. 20 Washington.
#GrizFB
Montana senior right tackle Dylan Cook, a Butte High grad, is one of just 176 players across all levels of college football to be named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is also known as the Academic Heisman.
#GrizFB
Former Montana All-American WR Samori Toure finishes the East-West Shrine Bowl with five catches for 32 yards and two touchdowns. He's the only player on either team with multiple rushing or receiving touchdowns.
#GrizFB
(Photo credit: Associated Press)
Montana
#GrizFB
linebacker Patrick O'Connell is named
#BigSkyFB
Defensive Player of Week by College Sports Madness.
The junior from Kalispell Glacier had 9 tackles, 3 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble in 42-7 win vs Western Illinois. His 6 TFLs, 4.5 sacks this year lead Big Sky.
Here's Griz sophomore and Sidney native Michael McGinnis (
@MM_one4
) chasing down Oregon RB Sean Dollars for a touchdown-saving tackle. Montana was down 35-3 in the closing minutes, but the all-state track athlete never gave up on the play.
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Montana
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WR Junior Bergen on winning Big Sky title: "It feels awesome. We’re a really blessed team. I know a couple months back nobody really believed in us but the guys in the room. We put our heads down and went back to work and ended up in the spot that we’re in now."
Three Montana Grizzlies make this list of the top 100 NFL Draft prospects from small schools:
13. WR Samori Toure
20. LB Jace Lewis
58. WR Sammy Akem
#GrizFB
From our friends at Draft Scout, the Top 5 NFL Draft prospects (who are seniors) from the
#FCS
are:
1. NDSU OT Dillon Radunz
2. SDSU WR Cade Johnson
3. UNI OT Spencer Brown
4. UCA CB Robert Rochell
5. Ill. State OT Drew Himmelman
@joshbdraft
's Top 100:
Montana honors former Grizzly and Stevensville native Jesse Sims, who died in May at 24 years old in an ATV accident. Sims played DE/DT and wore the No. 37 legacy jersey in 2018 and 2019.
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Montana
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gets a commitment from Cal transfer offensive lineman Everett Johnson. Has played in 16 games, including two starts. Graduate transfer with two years of eligibility remaining. Also had an offer from UNLV. Listed at 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds.
Montana linebacker Dante Olson is named the Buck Buchanan Award winner as the most outstanding defensive player in the FCS. That caps a stellar two-year run for the Medford, Oregon, native as a starter for the Griz.
#GrizFB
Montana junior safety Gavin Crow has been sporting a new haircut this fall camp. He doesn’t consider it to be a mullet.
“I like to think of it as a bald eagle with little flames coming out the back spreading freedom across the field,” he said.
#GrizFB
San Diego State transfer edge rusher/linebacker Caleb Otlewski (
@OtlewskiCaleb
) announces his commitment to Montana
#GrizFB
on his Instagram account. Was scout team defensive player of year as redshirt last season. Also had offers from Ohio, UTEP, Incarnate Word, Sam Houston, SFA
Montana
#GrizFB
LB Riley Wilson (
@_Rileywilsonn
) tallies one tackle for loss in 37-7 win over Montana State on Saturday. He ends the regular season ranked 2nd in
#BigSkyFB
in TFLs per game (1.33), T-4th in total TFLs (12), 4th in sacks per game (0.83), T-5th in total sacks (7.5).
Corvallis is honoring the late Jesse Sims, a former Blue Devils athlete and Montana Grizzlies football player who wore the No. 37 legacy jersey, with the "Jesse Sims Memorial 1600-meter relay" at its annual Sapphire Twilight Invitational track and field meet.
#mtscores
#GrizFB
Here are all the ways that Billings native and Senior grad Junior Bergen (
@bergen_junior
) has scored in 37 career games with Montana
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10 receiving TDs
5 punt return TDs (ties
#BigSkyFB
record)
4 rushing TDs
2 two-point passes
1 two-point run
1 passing TD
1 kick return TD
Montana WR Jerry Louie-McGee (
@jlooo10
) finishes his career with a school-record 230 receptions for 2,277 yards, the 13th most in program history.
The Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, native also had three punt return TDs, tied for the most in UM history.
#GrizFB
photo by
@missoulian
.
Montana junior cornerback Justin Ford (
@jacosse_
) finishes the regular season leading all FCS players with eight interceptions. There are 51 FCS teams that have eight or fewer interceptions. Ford single-handedly has more interceptions than 40 of the 128 FCS teams.
#GrizFB
Montana
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team is recognized at halftime. Head coach Bobby Hauck addresses the crowd: “I sure hope that you all had as much fun this fall as we did because that was a hell of a lot of fun. … We’ve started working on next year. We can’t wait to do it again.”
Since Bobby Hauck returned to Montana in 2018, the Griz are 13-3 in the month of November.
In that same stretch, Montana State is 15-1 in the 11th month of the year.
That makes them a combined 28-4. All four losses have come when the teams played each other.
#GrizFB
#BigSkyFB
Montana
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LB Braxton Hill on semifinal win: "This is just a game that you have a chance to leave your legacy in. As a team, just play for one another. It was awesome to be out there. That was a legendary night in our stadium. Griz nation is the best. That was so much fun."
An exchange w/ Montana
#GrizFB
coach Bobby Hauck:
With team's success, would you have liked to play FCS spring season for chance to win title?
No.
Why not?
Just don’t want to. Don’t see the value in it.
So how much legitimacy does the FCS champ have?
None, we’re not in it.
Montana senior safety Nash Fouch has been one of the Grizzlies' iron men, playing in all 57 games since 2019 and starting 37 times. He finishes with 184 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 4 interceptions, 19 passes defended and 1 forced fumble.
#GrizFB
Griz Nation! Thank you for all the love these last six years! It’s been the biggest honor of my life to wear maroon and silver. Montana til’ I die!!
#4out
Montana LB
@danteolson25
becomes the school's all-time tackles leader with 397, topping the mark of 393 set by Vince Huntsberger (1998-2001). His 179 tackles this year break the Big Sky mark of 176 set by Eastern Washington’s J.C. Sherritt in 2010.
#GrizFB
photo by
@missoulian
.
Butte native Tommy Mellott throws for 229 yards, 2 TDs & runs for 155 yards, 2 TDs as Montana State beats South Dakota State, 31-17, despite missing 3 starters, including All-Americans Isaiah Ifanse & Chase Benson. Cats will play North Dakota State in the title game.
#FCSPlayoffs
Transfer Cannon Panfiloff (
@cannon186
) has been a Swiss Army knife on the offensive line for the Montana Grizzlies, playing both guard and tackle, lining up on both the left and right sides, and starting the past 3 games in his first season with
#GrizFB
.
Montana coach Bobby Hauck: "It was a dominating win. It wasn’t close. It was fun to go out and get it. ... Our kids went out and took that win. I was proud of them. They kind of got called out, and it wasn’t close."
#GrizFB
Montana's Junior Bergen (
@bergen_junior
) is named an FCS preseason first-team All-American as an all-purpose player by FCS Football Central. His five punt return touchdowns are tied for the
#BigSkyFB
career record. He was a first-team all-conference WR and PR last year.
#GrizFB
Montana
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gets a commitment from Monte Gillman, the brother of current Grizzlies running back Eli Gillman, who won the Jerry Rice Award this season as the FCS freshman of the year. Monte is listed here as an athlete. He played RB and CB at Dassel-Cokato HS in Minnesota.
Montana
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linebacker Jace Lewis is dedicating his final college season to his late friend and former teammate Jesse Sims, who tragically died over the summer at 24 years old.
"If I’m half the guy he was, I’ll be doing something right in my life."
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coach Bobby Hauck on the Griz: "Everybody’s fired up for this team because they’ve got a lot of grit, got a lot of mental and physical toughness, highly competitive. Just like all of our Grizzly teams. And this one has found a way to pull out games like that one today."
Montana coach Bobby Hauck on losing QB Cam Humphrrey and WR Sammy Akem: "The attrition throughout the season was evident tonight. It was a difficult situation. I thought the guys played their asses off and competed and played hard to the end."
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LB Braxton Hill on winning Big Sky: "I can’t even describe it. I’ve been here 6 years, we’ve been saying championships 18, working on 19. Knowing that we finally made it to 19, I’m just so proud of this team and the seniors and the coaches. I wish it could last forever."
Montana
#GrizFB
WR Junior Bergen (
@bergen_junior
) catches 6 passes for 91 yards, 1 TD in 37-7 win over Montana State on Saturday. He ends the regular season ranked 7th in
#BigSkyFB
in receiving yards (634), 7th in receiving yards per game (57.6) & tied for 10th in TD catches (4).
Montana
#GrizFB
head coach Bobby Hauck is the AFCA FCS Regional Coach of the Year for Region 5. He has already been honored as the Big Sky Conference coach of the year. He'll find out tomorrow if he wins the Eddie Robinson Award as the FCS coach of the year.
FINAL: No. 7 Montana beats No. 3 Montana State, 29-10, to snap a four-game skid in the Brawl of the Wild and almost certainly wrap up a first-round bye in the playoffs.
#GrizFB
#CatGriz
Six Montana
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players earn All-America honors from FCS Football Central:
Freshman of the year: RB Eli Gillman
First-team: DL Alex Gubner
Second-team: LB Braxton Hill, all-purpose player Junior Bergen
Third-team: LB Riley Wilson, DB Trevin Gradney
Montana senior kicker
@kevinmacias_38
has made 21 field goals this season, tied for the most by a Grizzly since Dan Carpenter made 24 in 2006. He's 21 for 25 and has made 17 consecutive attempts. He's also 42 for 42 on extra points.
#GrizFB
In Montana's win over Montana State on Saturday, senior linebacker Jace Lewis became the 13th player in UM history to reach 300 tackles in his career. The Townsend native is now 12th with 303 tackles, is ninth with 35.5 tackles for loss and is tied for 22nd with 12 sacks.
#GrizFB
Missoula native and Hellgate High grad Katharine Berkoff earns a bronze medal in Paris at her first
#Olympics
. Photos courtesy of the Associated Press.
Montana junior linebacker Marcus Welnel is named the Big Sky defensive player of the week.
Montana redshirt freshman punter Brian Buschini is selected as the co-special teams player of the week.
Both of them are Helena Capital graduates.
#GrizFB
#BigSkyFB
Five Montana Grizzlies earn FCS All-America honors from Hero Sports, the most by any Big Sky team:
First team:
Junior WR Samori Toure
Senior LB Dante Olson
Second team:
Sophomore DB Robby Hauck
Third team:
Sophomore RB Marcus Knight
Senior PR Jerry Louie-McGee
#GrizFB
#GrizFB
| Senior Feature
Montana senior Colin Bingham has been the Grizzlies' starting tight end the past two seasons, but he has bigger plans as he aims to become a doctor
"I’ve definitely utilized my scholarship funding for school to the fullest."
Montana sophomore WR
@mitchmaster3000
finished his first full season on offense with 37 catches for 420 yards and 1 TD. The Missoula Sentinel grad had 302 of those yards in the final five games of the year. He started in the last four games.
#GrizFB
photo by
@missoulian
.
Montana QB Clifton McDowell (
@_Cliff10
) has lost a lot, whether it’s been quarterback battles or people close to him, including his uncle earlier this season.
He’s also won a lot with
#GrizFB
and now returns home to Texas for the FCS national title game.
Montana
#GrizFB
signee Raeshawn Roland (
@raeshawnroland6
) was going to play FBS football, but academics prevented him, so he went to junior college.
"My story is crazy."
How Montana's newest JUCO signee transformed himself into a Div. I football player:
Katharine Berkoff, a Missoula native and Hellgate grad, is recognized on the field in between the first and second quarters after she won two Olympic medals in swimming in Paris this summer.
#GrizFB
Montana
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WR Keelan White (
@K_Whitey_12
) is up to 779 receiving yards this year after beating NDSU. Junior Bergen is right behind at 766. First time since 2019 Griz have a receiver over 700. White ranks 31st for most receiving yards in a season in UM history, Bergen is 32nd
Montana junior cornerback Justin Ford with an interception for the eighth (yes, 8th) consecutive game. The Lousiville transfer has been unreal this season.
#GrizFB
#BigSkyFB
Montana senior captain TraJon Cotton played safety in all 41 games since 2021 and started 33 times for the Grizzlies after transferring from Oregon State. He finishes with 104 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 7 passes defended, 1 fumble recovery.
#GrizFB
Montana
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running back Nick Ostmo (
@nostmo39
) moved to No. 10 in school history for career rushing yards during the win over NDSU. He's up to 1,838 yards, passing Monty Bullerdick and Jeremy Calhoun on Saturday. He also has 21 career rushing TDs, the 10th most in UM history
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coach Bobby Hauck on Justin Ford's lateral attempt to Jace Lewis on the fumble recovery return:
(Hauck laughs)
"I remember what I said to him. Here’s what I said, 'The fans love it, and I hate it. You decide who you want the good favor from.'"
(Justin points at Bobby)
Montana redshirt sophomore OT Dylan Cook earns a scholarship. The Butte native walked on at Montana in 2018 after transferring from MSU-Northern, where he played QB. Cook, standing at 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds, has seen some first-team reps at RT and LT this fall.
#GrizFB