Griz trounce South Dakota in playoff thriller
(Montana Sports Information) Any coach will tell you. The goal is not to play your best football in September. The goal is to play your best in the business end of the season. Two games into their 29th playoff appearance, and the Montana Grizzlies are doing just that.
"You want to play well in November and December, and I think we are," said head coach Bobby Hauck. "Focus, effort and detail, those are the things that always get you to where you need to go."
The No. 3 Grizzlies were plenty focused from the start Saturday, jumping out to and early lead and dominating the No. 11 South Dakota Coyotes 52-22 in the quarterfinal round of the FCS Playoffs on a spectacular December day inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
With millions of viewers tuned in to the network broadcast on ABC, the Griz punched their ticket to the semifinal round of the postseason for the second time in the last three years and the 12th time in program history with the record-breaking win.
Montana burst out of the gates to take a 24-0 lead in a near-flawless opening quarter and a half as the Griz torched the Coyotes for 305 yards through the air, the sixth time this season and the second-straight week UM has passed for 300-plus.
South Dakota entered the game having outscored its first two postseason opponents 85-17 but was held to just a single score in the first three quarters of play with a fluke 69-yard touchdown scored in the fourth quarter when a receiver rolled over the tackler and never touched the ground before going the distance.
Montana, conversely, wins the unofficial South Dakota State Championship with the win over the Coyotes after rolling over South Dakota State last week in the second round of the playoffs. The Griz have now outscored opponents 102-51 in the postseason after hanging a pair of 50 burgers on USD and SDSU.
"Our guys played great offense, defense, and special teams today. Our guys were better, and I was proud of the Grizzlies being so ready to play today," added Hauck.
"I thought we were in control of the game from the jump. It was really a concerted effort to get ready this week, and the guys went out and performed. Credit to them and their preparation and going out and executing the plan. I thought that was good."
With 449 total yards against USD, Montana has now broken a school record that stood for over two decades. The Griz and their high-flying offense have now posted 6,508 yards of total offense this season, breaking the 2004 school record of 6,416. That's on top of the new school records the Griz set last week for total points and touchdowns in a season.