Previewing the 112th Brawl of the Wild

It's almost that time.  The 112th Brawl of the Wid between the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats is just around the corner.  Tomorrow, Montana's equal to the Super Bowl will be played in Missoula, and both teams will be playing with totally different mindsets.

Last year, the Bobcats entered their big battle with the Grizzlies with the #1 ranking in the nation and home field advantage.  The ingredients were there for the Bobcats to enter the FCS playoffs as the top seed.  Instead, the Grizzlies spoiled the party, as Montana (literally) ran away with the game and cruised to a share of the Big Sky title with the Bobcats.

But things will be different this year.  The Bobcats have all but wrapped up a spot in this season's FCS playoffs, as they enter tomorrow's contest ranked 2nd in the nation behind defending national champion North Dakota State.  Montana, on the other hand, has struggled for much of the season (mostly with late game leads), and their defensive bugaboos have all but knocked them out of the playoff picture.

The Bobcats to watch on Saturday: The Bobcats have played to their expectations this season.  The great play of fleet-footed quarterback Denarius McGee and the running back tandem of Cody Kirk and Orenzo Davis have made Montana State's running game one of the best in all of FCS football this season.  Also, wide recever Tanner Bleskin has had a great season as well, as he leads the Bobcats in receptions (54) and receiving yards 693).

But their defense hasn't been too shabby, either.  Among their defensive stars this season is senior defensive end Caleb Schreibeis (pictured right, #49), who leads the FCS in forced fumbles (7, a Montana State school record) and is the Big Sky's leader in quarterback sacks (11) entering the Brawl.  Another star worth mentioning is senior linebacker Jody Owens, who is leading the team in total tackles (70) for the second year in a row, while senior defensive back Darius Jones leads the teams in interceptions with four.

Head coach Rob Ash recently became Montana State's all-time winningest head coach, after the Bobcats mauled Portland State 65-30.  With that win, Ash passed Sonny Holland with his 48th victory at the helm of the Bobcats' football program.  And a win on Saturday would mark his second career win against the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies to watch on Saturday: The 2012 season has been nothing more than a disappointment for the Grizzlies, as number of factors, including inconsistency on defense and giveaways have led to the team missing the postseason for the second time in three years.  Ever since the Grizzlies installed Shay Smithwick-Hann at quarterback, the fortunes of their passing offense have made a turn for the better.  Unlike the Bobcats, the Grizzlies use a three-headed monster with their running game.

Among that trio of talented running backs is senior Peter Nguyen, who leads the Grizzlies in net rushing yards with 812 (needs 188 to reach 1,000 on the season) is also one of the Big Sky's top return specialists.  The team's second-leading rusher is sophomore Jordan Canada with 550 yards.  But bruising senior Dan Moore is expected to play on Saturday, and could give the Bobcat defense problems much like he and Nguyen did last season in Bozeman (the duo combined for 239 rushing yards against the Bobcats defense, with 116 of those yards coming from Moore).

After taking over the football program on an interim basis on March 30 and assuming the full position on July 29, head coach Mick Delaney has had a pretty eventful year after beginning the 2012 calendar year as a retiree from the coaching ranks.  But now he has a chance to beat his former employer on Saturday, as he served as an assistant coach at Montana State from 1976 to 1980.  And a win for Montana will have the Grizzlies entering the 2013 season with some confidence for the returning players, as well as a three-game winning streak.

Photo credits: Bozeman Daily Chronicle/AP