MISSOULA — At long last, the day that every sports fan in Montana looks forward to is nearly here as in less than 24 hours it'll be the 123rd Brawl of the Wild between Montana and Montana State.
For the Grizzlies, they're looking to do something they haven't done since 2015, and that is play spoiler in Bozeman.
"The home team has dominated this game recently, and we're the road team this week," UM head coach Bobby Hauck said. "They're rolling. They really had a great season. I don't know that anyone gives us a great chance to go down there and win, but we're excited for the game, and we'll go down there and try our best to get our 75th win in this series."
The home team has dominated the series lately, with UM and MSU splitting the last four meetings with decisive victories earned by the host. The last team to win a road game was MSU in Missoula in 2018, and since the Griz won in Bozeman in 2015 they've gone 0-3 there since.
On Saturday, it's Montana's turn to be the underdog on the road looking to alter the narrative.
"Coach Hauck does a really good job of when we go on the road, it's just us, no distractions, and then just taking that game and doing what we can to win on the road," UM senior cornerback Trevin Gradney said. "We always enjoy going there, and it's fun being the underdog. It's always good."
In the ever-changing landscape of college football, a lot of talk focused on the Brawl of the Wild still being intact as one of the true rivalries remaining after so many others have gone by the wayside over the years.
"It was a lot of change. You know, you look at the games, Texas and A&M are back to playing, and that's kind of cool," Hauck said. "Kansas and Missouri don't play anymore. There are still a lot of good ones left. And, you know, I hope one of us doesn't leave the league and end up having this one go away. That'd be terrible."
"I'm very appreciative, very blessed to be in this position," Gradney added. "And having been able to play this game for as long as I have, and having been able to play in this one for four years now, has been tremendous. I couldn't ask for anything else. But yeah, winning them is even better."
The Grizzlies (8-3, 5-2 Big Sky) have a daunting task against a national championship caliber team in MSU, which is undefeated at 11-0, but a win over MSU would go a long way for Montana in Sunday's playoff selections and potentially getting a bye heading into next week. A loss probably has the Griz hosting a first-round game after the Thanksgiving holiday.
With 96 native Montanans between both schools, there's plenty at stake as these two meet again as top-10 programs — the fourth time in the last five meetings that's been the case — looking to capture bragging rights for the next 365 days.
"Everything's still in front of us," UM senior running back Nick Ostmo said. "I like to look at it like that. And I think we're a team that has yet to really flourish in all aspects of the game. So go try to do that on Saturday, and we're excited."
