The Road To Frisco: Montana's Journey To The 2024 FCS National Championship
Montana entered last season with lofty expectations and was ranked in the top five in many FCS preseason polls. The Grizzlies battled injuries and inconsistencies on the offensive side of the ball, finishing the season 8-5, including a disappointing 55-21 loss to rival Montana State. The Grizzlies struggled against quality competition and questions started swirling about the future of head coach Bobby Hauck and a historic program that had not been to the FCS Championship game since 2009.
To start the 2023 season, Coach Hauck made changes to the offensive coaching staff, elevating long-time coach Brent Pease to the offensive coordinator position. Another situation that needed to be addressed was the quarterback position after injuries and inconsistent performances led to offensive struggles in key moments. The Grizzlies looked to the transfer portal and added Boise State quarterback Sam Vidlak and Central Arkansas quarterback Clifton McDowell to compete for the position.
It was a tumultuous start to the season as the Grizzlies struggled to put away Butler in Week 1 (35-20) and escaped with a seven-point victory over Ferris State (17-10). At the time, the offense was one of the worst statistical offenses in the nation as the offense averaged 4.8 yards per play, which would have been the 97th-ranked total offense in the country.
Montana did not commit to a quarterback as Vidlak and McDowell split reps during the game, with Vidlak taking the majority of snaps. The offensive struggles culminated in a Week 4 loss to Northern Arizona (28-14), in which Montana finished the game with 213 total yards of offense, 3.7 yards per play, and allowed 12 tackles for loss with seven sacks. The offensive line was a disaster and Sam Vidlak looked completely overwhelmed against an 0-3 Northern Arizona team. The season looked like it was going to be another complete disappointment and there were grumblings about the future of the program under head coach Bobby Hauck.
Following the loss to Northern Arizona, Montana committed to Clifton McDowell as the primary quarterback. The offense did not see immediate improvement, but every week the Grizzlies improved with McDowell at the helm. Running backs Eli Gillman and Nick Ostmo started to create more explosive runs as McDowell opened up the offense with his athleticism. Gillman finished the year with over 800 rushing yards and won the Jerry Rice award for the best freshman in the FCS. As the rushing attack improved, the passing game seemed to take small steps forward each week as McDowell established his rhythm. The loaded receiving core of Aaron Fontes, Keelan White, and Junior Bergen started to click and build chemistry. All three receivers finished the year with over 500 receiving yards, and all showed the ability to create explosive plays down the stretch to end the season. Montana defeated multiple playoff teams (Idaho & Sacramento State) and put an exclamation point on the regular season with a dominant 37-7 win over Montana State. All of this started with the decision to give the offense to McDowell and each week he looked more and more confident in his role.
While the offense deserves credit for finding its rhythm, it is the defense that made Montana a true national championship contender. Despite the early offensive struggles, Montana was consistently great on the defensive side of the ball. The Grizzlies play an aggressive 3-3-5 defense that excels at generating negative plays and forcing turnovers. The unit was led by All-American defensive tackle Alex Gubner, who finished the season with 9.5 tackles for loss and was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year. Braxton Hill and Levi Janacaro led a linebacker unit that recorded 37.5 tackles for loss for the season. Nash Fouch is a four-year contributor at free safety and is the leader of a secondary that forced 16 interceptions. The defense drives the hard-nosed identity of this program and was the most integral part of the success in Missoula.
Montana earned the No. 2 seed in the FCS playoffs after defeating four ranked opponents over the final six games of the season. The Grizzlies dominated Delaware in a 49-19 win in the second round. Montana then escaped with wins in two overtime battles against No. 7 Furman and North Dakota State. This team once again showed the toughness and grit to find ways to win close games.
The Grizzlies will now face their biggest challenge of the season in South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits will be heavy favorites in Frisco, but if any team was going to get in the way of this juggernaut, it would be this gritty Montana team that has exceeded expectations all season long. If Coach Hauck and the Grizzlies can find a way to pull off the massive upset, this would be one of the most impressive turnarounds for a college football program in recent memory.
