MISSOULA — The bye week is officially here for the No. 11 Montana Grizzlies seven games into the season.
Montana is 5-2 and 2-1 in Big Sky Conference play, and is coming off of a win over then-No. 24 Northern Arizona from this past weekend as the Grizzlies got back on track before the break.
It was the third top-25 matchup Montana has had this season, with the Grizzlies 2-1 in those games which also features a win over then-No. 24 Western Carolina and a loss on the road at then-No. 20 North Dakota.
UM's offense has been firing on all cylinders and living up to preseason hype so far this year, with a top-five scoring and total offense rating in the FCS, and with quarterback Logan Fife seemingly haven taken the reigns as the starter under center.
"I think that resilience and competitiveness are attributes that every football player should have, and you know he's got it," UM head coach Bobby Hauck said. "Doesn't go in a shell when he makes a mistake. He hasn't started a ton of football games in his college career, and so he keeps growing.
"I think that's an acquired skill at quarterback. I watched this defense that we played against rattle some other quarterbacks that they played against, and didn't happen to this guy, so I'm proud of him."
The skill players around Fife have also been shining, and the Grizzlies seem to have hit a rhythm on that side of the ball.
Montana's defense has been more up-and-down this year, and after a difficult three-week stretch against Western Carolina, Eastern Washington and Weber State, it bounced back against NAU by limiting the Lumberjacks' offense.
The Griz came up with a pair of red zone stands to prevent touchdowns and force field goals, and aside from an 88-yard score in the third quarter held NAU in check almost the whole game, including just 43 more passing yards outside of the aforementioned score and held NAU to just 3 for 13 on third down.
"I think this defense responds to adversity well, I mean, last week, we had a bad taste in our mouth (against Weber State)," UM junior linebacker Riley Wilson said. "Throughout this season, you know, we've had a target on our back. I feel like (Saturday), we stepped up. We executed in our assignment. We executed in everyone doing their job. And it just really is a taste of what this defense can do, and the sky's the limit for us."
There's been a few bumps, but the Griz are still in the upper portion of the FCS and Big Sky Conference standings heading into the break after a challenging slate to begin the season.
With five games left, including two more versus current top-10-ranked opponents in a home game against No. 6 UC Davis (6-1, 3-0) and a road contest at No. 3 Montana State (7-0, 3-0), Montana still has plenty left to tackle as the push to the playoffs nears.
The next game will be a road matchup at Northern Colorado (1-6, 1-2) next Saturday, followed by a road game at Cal Poly (2-4, 1-2) plus a home game also scheduled against Portland State (1-5, 1-2).
"I'm happy about today. I think our best football is probably ahead of us, if I'm guessing right," Hauck said. "Still got work to do, so we'll go practice this week, have a great week of practice and then get going on the next one."
