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#3 Eastern Washington Eagles (5-2, 3-0 BSC) at #10 Montana Grizzlies (6-1, 3-1 BSC)

Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013 • 12:40 p.m. Pacific
Washington-Grizzly Stadium (25,217) • Missoula, Mont.

It’s just another day at the office for this year’s edition of the Eagle-Griz football showdown in Missoula.

For the 12th time in the last 18 years, No. 3 Eastern Washington and No. 10 Montana will both enter their key Big Sky Conference matchup ranked in the top 25 in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. Kickoff Saturday (Oct. 26) at Washington-Grizzly Stadium is 12:40 p.m. Pacific time in a game regionally televised by ROOT Sports.

Collectively, the two teams have won a trio of NCAA Division I football titles, and have made 30 total appearances in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs. Eastern won the national title in 2010, and have been to the playoffs in 1985, 1992, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012. The Grizzlies have been to the playoffs a FCS record 21 times, with national titles in 1995 and 2001. Montana did not qualify for the playoffs a year ago and had a streak of 17-straight berths snapped in 2010.

Needless to say, this week’s game has plenty of championship and postseason implications. Both teams have been nationally-ranked in the last five meetings, but only once – 2009 – have both teams advanced to the playoffs. And in none of those years did the EWU-UM loser win a share of the Big Sky title.

“We definitely will be gearing up to play an incredibly talented Montana football team in Missoula,” said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin, who was an EWU assistant the last time EWU won in Missoula in 2005 (34-20). “Obviously, it is a tough place to play, but we love going to Missoula.”

In last year’s 32-26 Eastern home win, the No. 7 Eagles scored two touchdowns in the final 2:19 to pull out the win over 21st-ranked Montana. The two scores, aided by a successful onside kick, came within 1:26 of each other.

Following last week’s 34-10 home win over Southern Utah, Eastern is currently tied atop the Big Sky standings at 3-0 with Montana State, and EWU is 5-2 overall. The Grizzlies are 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the conference after edging Cal Poly at home in overtime, 21-14.

The Grizzlies have won 88 percent of their games at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, which was opened in 1986. Montana is 175-24 there (not including four vacated wins in 2011). Eastern has won four of the 12 meetings there, with victories in 2005, 1997, 1992 and 1990.

“It’s very difficult to play in Missoula – their crowd does a great job and their players feed off of it,” said Baldwin. “Their team has a lot of pride to play at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. You have to be able to handle certain things on the road in terms of your snap count and the emotion of what the place feels like. We’ve had some tough losses in Missoula, but we love going in there and competing.”

CatBlitz22 wrote:What a terrible lesser-of-two-evils game. I have no idea which is the lesser anymore.

Grizalltheway wrote:

CatBlitz22 wrote:What a terrible lesser-of-two-evils game. I have no idea which is the lesser anymore.

Well, I think we both hate you more than we hate each other. So there's that.

Grizalltheway wrote:Oh, and this game is taking place in God's country, a.k.a. the mountain time zone, SE. Please update your OP to reflect this. Thanks.

grizzaholic wrote:I would like to think different, but EWU should win this one.

Grizalltheway wrote:

CatBlitz22 wrote:What a terrible lesser-of-two-evils game. I have no idea which is the lesser anymore.

Well, I think we both hate you more than we hate each other. So there's that.

ALPHAGRIZ1 wrote:You obviously dont know me.............but hey keep slinging poop at the wall with the rest of your "fans".

grizfnz wrote:There really shouldn't be any pressure on the griz to win, that rests clearly with the #3 rated team in the FCS. If they lose to a lowly #10 and still have to play MSU they may as well update all the Vernon Adams billboards in Spokane to add the line "hey, there's always next year".

grizfnz wrote:There really shouldn't be any pressure on the griz to win, that rests clearly with the #3 rated team in the FCS. If they lose to a lowly #10 and still have to play MSU they may as well update all the Vernon Adams billboards in Spokane to add the line "hey, there's always next year".

There's no doubt Montana's 21-14 overtime victory over Cal Poly last week was an emotional one. The Griz snatched victory from what would have been a damaging defeat.

It wasn't until Jordan Tripp's blocked field goal late in the fourth quarter did they turn it around. After that, UM drove for a touchdown with 12 seconds left to force overtime (a Jordan Johnson-to-Clay-Pierson pass on fourth down), and then prevailed in the extra session with a game-ending interception by linebacker Brock Coyle.

On Tuesday, coach Mick Delaney marveled at his team's will to win:

“It was a situation where we just kept fighting and fighting and hanging in there. I think our guys just worked so hard and stuck together for so long that they felt something would happen. Tripp just willed his way to that football. And then the offense went the length of the field with very few mistakes. It was a tribute to all of them. Our guys are resilient. Every single one of them."

Grizalltheway wrote:Griz refocus quickly for moment of truth vs. Eastern Washington

There's no doubt Montana's 21-14 overtime victory over Cal Poly last week was an emotional one. The Griz snatched victory from what would have been a damaging defeat.

It wasn't until Jordan Tripp's blocked field goal late in the fourth quarter did they turn it around. After that, UM drove for a touchdown with 12 seconds left to force overtime (a Jordan Johnson-to-Clay-Pierson pass on fourth down), and then prevailed in the extra session with a game-ending interception by linebacker Brock Coyle.

On Tuesday, coach Mick Delaney marveled at his team's will to win:

“It was a situation where the players wanted to win despite our coaching inabilities and shortcomings. Tripp is a beast. Next game we will be giving the OC job to JJ and the DC to Co-Captains Hermanson and Tripp. If we do this we have a chance of winning.

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grizzaholic wrote:

Grizalltheway wrote:Griz refocus quickly for moment of truth vs. Eastern Washington



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FIFY

Screamin_Eagle174 wrote:

Grizalltheway wrote:
Well, I think we both hate you more than we hate each other. So there's that.

How can you hate a team that struggles with Weber? I just kind of feel bad for them.

CatBlitz22 wrote:

Screamin_Eagle174 wrote: How can you hate a team that struggles with Weber? I just kind of feel bad for them.

You gave up more points to them than we did and only scored once more yourselves. Give me a break.

Screamin_Eagle174 wrote:

grizfnz wrote:There really shouldn't be any pressure on the griz to win, that rests clearly with the #3 rated team in the FCS. If they lose to a lowly #10 and still have to play MSU they may as well update all the Vernon Adams billboards in Spokane to add the line "hey, there's always next year".

EWU would be in even with an 8-4 record, thanks to the expanded field and the win over a ranked BCS team that is currently 6-1. However I highly doubt we lose to both UM and MSU, if we lose at all.

Screamin_Eagle174 wrote:

grizfnz wrote:There really shouldn't be any pressure on the griz to win, that rests clearly with the #3 rated team in the FCS. If they lose to a lowly #10 and still have to play MSU they may as well update all the Vernon Adams billboards in Spokane to add the line "hey, there's always next year".

EWU would be in even with an 8-4 record, thanks to the expanded field and the win over a ranked BCS team that is currently 6-1. However I highly doubt we lose to both UM and MSU, if we lose at all.