Bob Stitt, Treato, and the Hit that Shook Bozeman (Superfans Week 1 Recap)
The Griz and the Cats each have a game in the 2015 books. We checked in with the Montana Mint Superfans to discuss the two victories, and to look forward to the Griz/Cal Poly game this weekend.
Montana Mint: Almost week later and people in Montana are still buzzing over the NDSU game. A lot has been written and a lot has been said already, but holy s*** can we talk about that game?
Bear Tycoon (Griz fan): One thing is for sure: that game will be remembered forever. The hype of playing the #1 ranked team + being on ESPN + winning like they did as 15.5 point underdogs + Musburger in the booth + the sky literally raining down fire/ash that you could see on TV = the most memorable non-Brawl of the Wild regular season Montana game in our lifetimes.
Z-Train (Griz fan): Not to mention NDSU had the biggest opposing fan tailgate presence I have ever seen. They had four aggressively tall flagpoles and a good 50 yds. of campers staked out. During the game, they had the entire south end zone and some seats in the north. The Griz fans that sold north end zone tickets to NDSU fans should be ex-communicated
Hot Take Nate (Cats fan): Have to say – I was jealous of this game and wish I was in Missoula to check out the atmosphere. One thing that’s always pissed me off about the “experts” on ESPN is that when they are wrong they never admit it. I don’t want to be one of those guys. I was wrong – way wrong.
The Griz win was impressive and I definitely didn’t see it coming – not after NDSU’s opening TD, not after their subsequent three and out, and not even when they had to go 80 yards in 1:30 for the win. Their offense was fun to watch and their D played great in the second half.
Bear Tycoon (Griz fan): Also have to mention the weekend’s most under rated moment, Taco Treat debuted a delightful new mascot, Treato!
Montana Mint: Aside from the atmosphere and the victory, what should Griz fans be most excited about following that game?
Z-Train (Griz fan): First, Bob Stitt. He won over Missoula with the game, and then gave this fantastic quote to the Gazette: “We’re here to get the swagger back.” Some of the old duffers around me in the stands were initially put off by his offense in the first half, especially going for it on fourth down so often. I think he won them over with that second half. His system grinds the defense down; I think you saw NDSU lose the wind in their sails second half. Just couldn’t keep up with Griz tempo.
Second is Brady Gustafson. Gustafson’s stat line was insane. 30-55 with 434 yds and 3 tds? Granted he also had a few bad overthrows (one resulted in a pick) and some miscommunication with his receivers. But if he fixes at least some of those things, it is gonna be tough to hang with Griz offense all game.
Bear Tycoon (Griz fan): I was blown away at Gustafson’s final line. I watched every play of the game and would not have guessed he put up those numbers. Honestly, I’d be impressed by that line if he put it up against Fort Lewis.
Clarence Toole (Griz fan): I was really impressed with Brady Gustafson—affectionately called Gus by me. Did he miss some passes? For sure. But he’s a junior and this was his first start! Do you think he had some nerves? Don’t you think he’ll settle into the offense and become even more poised as the season grind on?
Z-Train (Griz fan): One last point on Stitt…he said UM already seeing a recruiting bump due to coverage of NDSU game–getting contacted by kids from states that never contact UM.
Clarence Toole (Griz fan): Nope. We need one more Stitt point. This is a good time to announce a moratorium on any wordplay with Stitt and shit. It’s more overplayed than Bon Iver at Missoula coffee shops.
Proudly wearing my #StittHappens shirt all day and tomorrow! @CoachBobStitt pic.twitter.com/KCuPcUK2zC
— Patrick Netherton (@PTNetherton) August 29, 2015
Montana Mint: So there’s a lot to be excited for as a Griz fan. What do you see as Montana’s biggest weaknesses?
Bear Tycoon (Griz fan): I’m worried about the running game. They seemed to get stuffed running the ball all game. When the RB made that sidestep on the last play, I thought FOR SURE he was going to get stuffed.
Z-Train (Griz fan): Totally disagree on the running game. Our run game seems to require that the RB make like a jump cut to get out of the hole and to the second level. He’s never going to have a FB or tight end in there helping him. Nguyen can do that, but he can’t break any arm tackles. It isn’t going to be a give the ball to Chase Reynolds or Lex Hilliard or Jordan Canada 30 times a game and cross our fingers kind of year. Our offense seems like it could be way more dynamic than it has been in a while. Multiple physical deep threats, shifty backs, backs came out of the backfield to catch passes a lot. I think Joey Counts could develop into a good red zone back, and that’s clearly, where we need improvement. He’s like 5’9″ and 215 and has arm veins that look like garden hoses.
Clarence Toole (Griz fan): Z-Train is right about Counts. The dude is a monster. He spent time in the regular campus weight room this summer and I spent every second trying to figure out how I’d tackle him. He’s a psychopath in the weight room. He can’t find tee-shirts that simultaneously fit around his shoulders and fall to a normal on his body. He also lives the part: he drives a jacked-up white Chevy Silverado from about 2005 and he shaved the sides of his head, leaving a streak of hair that he pulls back under a ball cap.
Joey Counts. Beast.
I was most concerned with UM’s play in the secondary. Nate Harris got chewed up and our safeties were constantly caught out of place on play action. Granted, Wentz is a helluva QB and the safeties had to help against the run game. All of that is clearly part of the equation. That said, high-flying teams like EW and MSU might have opportunities if our soft play isn’t just a product of NDSU’s championship pedigree, and is in-fact a soft spot.
Montana Mint: Speaking of the Bobcats, we got to see them for the first time last night against Division II Fort Lewis. What are your impressions from the game?
Coach (Cats fan): I was disappointed with the offense in the first half. Prukop was scrambling too much, our running game was stuffed and Prukop was missing open receivers badly. We did figure it out in the second, but I view this one as a bit of letdown in terms of intensity. If we played UM right now, we’d get trounced. They were in mid-season form last weekend. We came out slow and finished sluggish with our two’s. If we don’t improve during our bye, Eastern will throttle us. FIGURE IT OUT BOYS!!
Z-Train (Griz fan): I agree that Prukop ran on broken plays way too much. yes he got some good yards, but he wasn’t finding open receivers against Fort Lewis also, and FCS teams won’t give him as much running room to scramble. Can’t get in the habit of doing one check and tucking quite yet.
Bear Tycoon (Griz fan): The final score is certainly deceptive. The Cats stunk in the first half. Things were so bleak in the first half that after a big MSU run was called back because of a penalty, the radio color guy said, “That will make a highlight reel. You won’t know there was a penalty when you watch the highlights.” Not a great sign when the biggest highlight in the first half didn’t actually count. That being said, you have to imagine none of the players were really taking this game seriously. Fort Lewis is bad, like bad. It’s disappointing that the players didn’t really show up, but I can’t really blame them. I refuse to read too much into anything from this cupcake game.
Clarence Toole (Griz fan): When it comes to football pedigree, Fort Lewis College (FLC) is the Aladdin of the Arabian Peninsula. In just over half a century, the Skyhawks have produced just 10 winning seasons. Last year FLC was on the receiving end of a 52-17 lashing courtesy of Big Sky Conference doormat UC Davis. Everyone knew there only shot last night was finding a magic lamp in the Cave of Wonders.
Coach (Cats fan): I think Bignell was our best defensive player last night. Did you see that hit he put on that RB??
Oh my, @BignellMaclane! #HeWasntReady pic.twitter.com/uSHGva73ut — Mike Stefansson (@MikeStefansson) September 4, 2015
We still have some guys that need to toughen up though…a little better than last year, but still room to improve.
Clarence Toole (Griz fan): My two takeaways from the game are (1) if I was a Cats fan, I’d be nervous about how much Prukop is running the ball, and (2) the Cats go to Cheney for their next game and EWU is not nervous.
Montana Mint: Well, with Montana State playing on Thursday night that leaves us just with the Grizzlies this weekend. They are taking on Cal Poly in a night game on Saturday. Any thoughts?
Bear Tycoon (Griz fan): Frankly, I’m concerned about a potential ‘let down’ game. The players, the coaches, and the crowd, are only now coming down from the high of Saturday. And Cal Poly is no pushover…They’re not ranked, but have some votes for the Top 25. I would also think the coaches devoted almost all of their time preparing for NDSU, and now only have a week to prepare for a tough opponent. Not to mention that this is Cal Poly’s first game, which means their coaches have been preparing all summer for the Griz.
Hot Take Nate (Cats fan): I agree, and you can’t forget that one win does not a season make. Last week showed the rest of the Big Sky what the Griz are capable of but NDSU didn’t look like the NDSU that went into Kansas State and Iowa State the past two seasons and got wins in Big 12 houses. That’s not the NDSU I saw win those chippers. Cal Poly will be another tough test.
Z-Train (Griz fan): I am nervous for Cal Poly for three reasons. One, I hate the triple option. Two, their QB is a big athletic guy that toted the rock for like 1700 yds last year. And three, yet to be seen if the Griz have their heads on straight after that HISTORIC VICTORY.
Clarence Toole (Griz fan): Let me tell you why we don’t need to be worried about a letdown game.
First, I ran into Jeremiah Kose after the game and asked him how sore he felt and whether or not the pace affected his play. He said he was incredibly sore, and that their entire defense is in the best shape of the lives. He also said that he kinda liked being on the field so much because it kept him warm throughout the game.
Second, on Monday night, Nguyen was in the Rec Center at 7:00 PM lifting weights! And he wasn’t just hitting the stretching on the mats, checking out the new crop of freshmen and transfers, or hitting the sauna. The dude looked focused and was getting after it.
These guys are focused and ready. I think Coach Stitt has them fired up and I can’t see him allowing a lull just one game after his career at UM began.
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