The Game Vitals
Game Time – 1:30 CT
Opponent – Montana at Alerus Center, Grand Forks, ND
Game Notes – UND
TV – Midco Sports Network (No Fox College Sports because of the Big Sky’s “deal” with Root Sports)
Online Streaming – Big Sky TV
Spread – Montana -17 O/U 43.5
Montana Breakdown (3-2 record)
— Offense = Pro-style, normal tempo
— Defense = 4-3
— Last Meeting: 2013 – Montana State won 55-17 in Grand Forks
Montana is coming off a comfortable 35-10 victory or Big Sky cellar dwellar Northern Colorado. Their two losses this season have been to NDSU and Wyoming, so obviously their record is a bit deceiving. Their three wins are not very impressive, however, in South Dakota, Central Washington (D2) and UNC. They are a pretty damn good team but still kind of a mystery until they plays the best Big Sky teams and get some quality wins.
Offensively, Montana has been a fairly consistent offense. They run a pro-style that incorporates fullbacks and tight ends, very similar to UND’s offense. They want to try and pound you with outside zone and stretch running plays and then hit play-action passes. On the year the Griz are averaging 27 pts/game.
The offense is led by QB Jordan Johnson, who is one of the best QB’s in the country. Johnson is a dual-threat and will tuck it and run if pressured. He definitely presents an issue for UND on Saturday. Thus far in 2014, Johnson is 66-121 for 681 yards and 6 TD’s. He has also ran for 61 yards.
WR Ellis Henderson is the Griz’s big play threat at WR but he has had injury/illness issues early in the year. We have not confirmed whether he is playing or not. However, RB Travon Van and RB Jordan Canada still present a nightmare for UND DC Eric Schmidt. Both are extremely explosive and can break it at any time. Van is averaging 8 yards per carry and UND must be aware of his alignment on every play. They love to move him around and try to create mismatches or exploit voids in the coverage.
Defensively, Montana appears to use a pretty standard 4-3 defense. They will shade over/under along the defensive line. They are not an overly crazy pressure team, seeming to pick and choose their spots to blitz. The Griz defense is only giving up 17 pts/game thus far and are going to be arguably the best defense UND faces all year. DE Zack Wagenmann already has 8.5 TFL’s and 7 sacks in five games. He will be a handful all game on Saturday and may even need some extra attention from the TE’s and RB’s to block him.
North Dakota (2-3) Keys to the Game
- Get after their offensive line with constant pressure. The weak point of their offense is the line. Bring pressure from all angles and keep them adjusting.
- Limit the big plays. Montana State got UND on a few big plays that put UND behind. UND needs to try to keep making Montana snap it again. We see a methodical type of game plan from the Griz this week. They feel their defense can win the game, therefore, we don’t think they will try to get too wild. Tackle them when they do try.
- 20+ completions by QB Joe Mollberg. I know it sounds lofty but we do not think UND will be able to run the ball much this week. The Montana defensive front 7 is pretty good and will create a lot of pressure this week. Mollberg needs to build off last week’s game where he found the TE’s and FB’s for short-intermediate gains.
- Weather the storm early. The Griz are a fast-starting team so far in 2014. The UND offense cannot get behind or it will be a long day. Be around at halftime and then they got a shot in this thing.
UND surprised a few by how they played last week out in Bozeman. It showed the UND is possibly improving as the season goes on but also shows that they are nowhere near the top of the Big Sky. IMO, the Bobcats are not as good as advertised, probably the 3rd or 4th best Big Sky team, and this week will give more of representative look at where UND is compared the to the best in the Big Sky. Montana is a physical, sound team with playmakers on the outside and will be a tough squad to beat on Saturday.
The Prediction
Montana 23
North Dakota 13
