Griz win big over rival South Dakota State to advance
(Montana Sports Information) The Montana Grizzlies got the Jackrabbit off their back in a big way on Saturday, exploding for over 550 yards of total offense while holding the prolific South Dakota State offense to just 61 rushing yards for a dominant 50-29 playoff win.
It's sweet revenge for Montana, who takes its first win over SDSU in the that last three meetings between FCS powers, all of which have come in the postseason. The No. 3 Griz beat No. 14 South Dakota State to avenge losses in the 2023 national championship and second round of the 2024 playoffs. UM now improves to 12-1 on the season and 9-2 all-time against SDSU, while staying unbeaten at 8-0 against the Jacks in Missoula.
With the second-round win, Montana advances to the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs for the 16th time in program history. UM will now get to compete for the unofficial South Dakota state championship next week as the Griz get set to host the University of South Dakota at Washington-Grizzly on either Friday, Dec. 12 or Saturday Dec. 13, pending placement from ESPN.
"We played well and I'm proud of our guys. Obviously, you don't get to 12-1 without playing pretty well, but we've really come together as a team. Our guys don't care about touches and targets and all that crap. All they care about is the Grizzlies getting one more point than the opponent," said head coach Bobby Hauck.
"That's why we have a good football team, and it showed today. They're all together. They're in it for each other and for Montana, and it showed up today against South Dakota State."