SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The first month of the season couldn’t have gone much better for Bobby Hauck.
Except for a bad fourth quarter at Western Illinois, the Montana Grizzlies have looked every bit the part of a playoff team and head into Homecoming with a lot of confidence after a 48-28 win at Cal Poly Saturday.
“It’s been a while since Montana’s won here,” said Hauck. “It had been a long time since Montana’s beaten Cal Poly, so it’s a good win for us.”
It’s Montana’s fourth win in five tries so far, and while the Griz were favored, winning in San Luis Obispo is never easy. UM hadn’t done it in more than a decade.
“Cal Poly’s well-coached, they have great schemes, they’re tough,” Hauck said of the Mustangs. “They play football the way it’s supposed to be played, and I’m proud of our guys for coming out with the win.”
Griz quarterback Dalton Sneed got it done through the air. He was 23-for-32 passing for 285 yards and three touchdowns, including the first career hook-up with true freshman Gabe Sulser.
The defense forced two first-quarter fumbles, including one that Big Sky Conference preseason player of the year Josh Buss took back 80 yards for a touchdown. The game was over at halftime, giving the team a much needed stress-free finish after three one-possession nail-biters. The Grizzlies will look to keep the train rolling through Homecoming next Saturday, when 1-4 Portland State comes to Missoula.
“We’ll get on the plane, go home, enjoy this win, and get up and go to work,” smiled Hauck.
