The annual Brawl of the Wild game between Montana and Montana State is finally here! It has been a rollercoaster of a season for our University of Montana Grizzlies, but National Championship aspirations are still alive. 

The Griz began the season 5-0 and then quickly dropped three straight in heartbreaking fashion. However, great teams don’t quit and Montana bounced back in a big way. They’ve won their past two games by a combined 120-7 and are back in playoff contention with a 7-3 record. 

Montana State is 9-1 and undefeated in Big Sky play after narrowly beating NAU 41-38. The Bobcats are a win away from the program's first Big Sky title since 2012, but the Grizzlies would like nothing more than to play spoiler again this year. 

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Goliath vs. Goliath

On defense, Montana has allowed just 149 points this year, which is the third-lowest total in the FCS. However, Montana State leads the league in rushing offense with an average of 314 yards per game. The Griz allow just 97 yards per game on the ground. 

When it comes to total offense, the Bobcats lead the league with 505 yards per game. MSU’s 44 points per game are third in the FCS and the Cats have topped 40 points six times. The Griz are second in the league in scoring with an average of about 39 points per game. 

 When it comes to total defense, the Griz are allowing just 260 yards per contest. The Griz also lead the lead in sacks with 32. This is a Goliath versus Goliath matchup and something has got to give. 

ESPN College GameDay 

The biggest game of the year just got even bigger. In the fall of 2021, the Montana athletics department got the attention of ESPN’s College GameDay and Missoula was buzzing. We were told there was a real chance that the nationally televised pregame show had its sights set on UM.

Unfortunately, they chose another location at the last minute and Griz fans were devastated. Now that devastation has turned into anger and determination for many. On Sunday, it was announced that GameDay would be heading to Bozeman to see what the annual Brawl of the Wild is all about and to showcase the best rivalry in the FCS. 

Griz fans are encouraged to travel to Bozeman and make it a sea of maroon. Show GameDay a small sliver of what they missed out on last year. The show’s live broadcast will be from 7-10 a.m. MT. 

How to Watch and Listen

The Griz return to the Montana Television Network this week with the game airing on your local CBS station around the state, with kickoff from Bozeman set for noon. The game will also be streamed nationwide without blackout on ESPN+, with a subscription required.   

"Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran and analyst Greg Sundberg will bring you the action live from Missoula right here on KGVO, the flagship station of the Grizzly Sports Radio Network. You can listen to the game on 98.3 FM, AM 1290, online at newstalkkgvo.com, or on the FREE KGVO App.

"Grizzly Gameday" starts two hours before kickoff each Saturday with the official pregame radio show featuring our own Denny Bedard and Scott Gurnsey, who then throw to Corcoran and Sundberg 30 minutes before kickoff. Bedard and Gurnsey will also host the official post-game show.

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