Worst griz team since……?

[justafan]

So tell me what do you think they are going to do so differently to game plan this years Cat team. It not really the same offense as last year. Are they going to gameplan the offense we used against SDSU, the one we used against WSU, maybe the the pass heavy almost air raid style we used against Cal Poly, I think come 11/18 there will be a couple more variations for them to look at. With as many looks, formations and styles that the Cats use, your new DC will need a month to prep the team for his updated game plan.

I'm betting he will just stick with a similar attack he use against UI, base 3-3-5, heavy pressure with 4, dropping 1 as a spy and the last LB into center zone if he doesn't blitz. I think Housewrite has a pretty good book on hos to attack that plan. Stretch your LB's horizontally and use our speed to wear them out, Unless you have a whole bunch of depth that you have not shown so far, its gonna be another blood bath. um just doesn't have the depth to make the adjustments that you think they will make.

The thing is the 3-3-5 is designed to counter the spread passing teams, it isn't very effective against solid running team, it has weaknesses against both zone and power schemes. Throw in the RPO and its another bloodbath for you.

PS. I hope he sets his outside LB's wider to counter our edge speed, we are getting pretty good at inside power.

UM will have a different game plan. I don't know what it will be, nor would I be able to do a game plan. That's what the DC and coaches do, and will do.

UM D will have to be more disciplined, will have better keys, will have to have better eyes, will need to avoid taking half steps in the wrong direction at the start of plays and going for fakes., etc. In 2022, the UM D, and various players, made a huge number of mistakes. The mistakes started on the first play when a very good linebacker stepped briefly inside, and the play went outside. And this was often the case. Hauck said the Griz D didn't have the right game plan and scheme, and it would be different this year. I see that MSU got 52 yards rushing for 1.5 per carry against SDSU today. That doesn't seem indicate that the Cat running game can't be stopped.

Jack, I know you’re getting old, but the Cats didn’t play any football today. Furthermore, the last time they played SDSU MSU ran for over 200 yards, doubling what SDSU has allowed to other teams so far.

How many rushing yards did MSU get against SDSU earlier this season?

211. I told you on the last post, just over 200 yards. Do try to pay attention.

it
Got it. How many yards did MSU get against SDSU last season?

What’s the relevance? That the best team in the FCS stopped MSU’s run game a year ago? Because if you really want to go based on how things went a year ago…that’s a unique choice for a Griz fan.

I’ll admit it’s fully possible the Griz could stop MSU’s run game. It might have to be a blizzard, or perhaps the game stopping after the first quarter, but I suppose it’s feasible the Griz hold MSU under 200 yards.

The relevance is that MSU's all-world running game can be stopped. Why is it so hard for you to provide the stat?

Actually, the Griz are going to beat the Cats this season, assuming UM doesn't lose it's starting qb again this year. I'm trying to help prepare my Cat friends, so they don't start jumping off ledges next month.

You want me to provide a stat that you already gave? I don’t care for redundancy, you already knew the rushing yards, don’t know why I need to repeat it for you. Although you did think that game was this year, so maybe you just forgot. That happens with age, I’ve heard.

I know you’re just having fun here Jack, but should you care to put some money on which team wins, I’m more than willing. Cats win, you donate to MSU’s athletic fund. Griz win, I donate to UM’s athletic fund. What do ya say, friend?

Happy to bet cash on the spread. I don't ever do silly donation bets. Never have; never will.

so you are saying you are confident the gris lose but beat the spread?

[tetoncat]

The brutal a$$ kickings the Cats gave the Griz the last two games in Bozeman, are light years different than the one win UM got in Missoula. Yes the Griz win was, I guess you cold say, a bit one sided, but those other two games were absolute massacres, blood lettings. No comparison. Fact.

Okay, even if what you said is true, the next game is in Missoula. UM has a new DC and will have a better gameplay for the game. UM is setting attendance records this season, and the crowd is back to being its old loud self. The Griz seem to be improving each week and perhaps getting on a roll. Cats have played only 1 good team, and gotten beat. A good or better comparison may be how each of the teams plays SS.

Cats played one great team and were a toe tap and stubborn goal line playcalling away from winning. They played 1 good team in PSU and won, they played Weber who is still one of top defensive teams in league and hung 40 on them.

[tetoncat]

Yes not on the same level, ha. Griz have been playing better and beaten 2 ranked teams in a row on the road. Cats haven't beaten a team with a winning record (I don't see this as a big deal, but people liked to throw that at the Griz last season). Griz just shut down the top ranked runner in the conference, holding him to 41 yards, and currently leads the conference in stopping the run. If Griz can't defend against MSU much better this year than last, then the Cats will run over the Griz again. But new DC for Griz who will presumably use a different scheme. Much of the D knows the mistakes they made last year and how good the Cat running game is. And, note that the Griz clobbered the no. 3 ranked Cats the prior year.

So last year they didn't know the Cats had a good running game, but now they do, and now that they know about it, they'll be able to stop it.
Got it.

There's always new griz fans crawling out of the woodwork after they win a big game. Where were you after the NAU game?

Griz have new D coordinator. Old one retired. Will have a different scheme this year. The Cats and Vigen didn't know what to do with the UM 3-3-5 and 2021, and then changed things for 2022 and played like UM didn't even have a defense. In 2021, the Cats had 84 yards on their last drive in the last 5 minutes to get the score to 29-10. So, until then, the Cats had had 118 yards of total offense. Again, the Cats had been ranked no. 3 at the time in 2021 and went on to the national championship game; and obviously had a very good team.

Are you unaware that your team is still running the 3-3-5 defense?

Yes, of course. Also aware that UM was running that D in 2021 when UM clobbered the Cats. 29-10 (with Cats getting their only TD in the last few mints of the game), and gaining only 96 on the ground in 41 carries, for a 2.3 average per carry. Are you aware of those things?

But you must not be aware Cats moved from inside zone to outside zone and added dimensions to their passing game?

[Cataholic]

I think everyone can agree the Cats are a significantly better team this year than last (based on how they stacked up against SDSU this year in Brookings). Jury is still out on whether the Griz are even as good as last year, let alone better. That doesn't look good for the Griz faithful because the Griz didn't look like they belonged on the same field as the Cats last year. The mismatch could get super ugly, again.

I can't agree with that. It does me no good to see Cat posters just declaring things like that. Where's the proof? Where's the analysis? Yes, Cats played fairly even against SDSU, but the Cats haven't played any other team that was any good. Now, the tougher part of your schedule is coming up. Yes, the Griz didn't play like they belonged on the same field last year. The Cats got clobbered the year before. Every year and every game is different. That is a nice thing about sport. Adios.

If Davis is good, then Weber is good. Davis could soon be unranked with them. MSU played Weber when it still had its best offensive threat. There’s one point separating Weber and davis. Portland State might be the second best team in the BSC. Their three BSC games are all good showings as is their game vs Wyoming. Their win over NAU, who was looking good is good. They beat CP as bad as MSU did and by more than idaho or Davis did. Psu is better than nau and definitely looks better than davis and Weber and ewu. That leaves UM, SAC and Idaho. They were 35 points better vs nau than UM was so that leaves SAC and Idaho. Psu and Idaho both played Poly and PSU beat them worse both scoring-wise and statistically. SAC only beat Nau by 1, psu beat them by 21. So that’s a good argument for PSU being the #2 team in the BSC. MSU beat Psu and had a significant statistical edge despite psu getting eight points and 92 yards in garbage time.

You are correct. I will not be surprised to see the Gris lose their last three games. However, I am not sure how good Sac is. PSU might be just as talented.

[cats2506]

Whenever I watch the Cats I say to myself, "fuhhhhhhhck, they got some dudes."

With that said, pretty impressive turnaround from this Griz team. Very reminiscent of some of the Hauck teams from his first stop.

The win was a good one and I can't take anything away from that, Idaho has been fading these last few games is what I have thought. I think they are going to be on fire after the bye when the Cats face them. UI is now fighting for their season, a loss to the Cats puts them on the bubble for a seed.

As impressive as the win was, I am still not convinced that the gris have turned a corner and will be able to beat SAC, PSU and MSU. I think their schedule ahead is more difficult that many believe.

[TomCat88]

What all this discussion is making me realize is that the MVFC is still the best conference. So many teams with multiple weaknesses.

A team that’s been playing well lately is UNC. Last 2.5 games they’ve really improved. They’re 0-6 but are hanging around.Be interesting to see how they do against Poly.

[griz5700]

Whenever I watch the Cats I say to myself, "fuhhhhhhhck, they got some dudes."

With that said, pretty impressive turnaround from this Griz team. Very reminiscent of some of the Hauck teams from his first stop.

The win was a good one and I can't take anything away from that, Idaho has been fading these last few games is what I have thought. I think they are going to be on fire after the bye when the Cats face them. UI is now fighting for their season, a loss to the Cats puts them on the bubble for a seed.

As impressive as the win was, I am still not convinced that the gris have turned a corner and will be able to beat SAC, PSU and MSU. I think their schedule ahead is more difficult that many believe.

There are teams that actually come out of their bye on fire??You're kidding.. certainly not my teams. Haha

But maybe, we shall see. I like the attitude the Griz playing with and am pleased to see little things beginning to click.

[catatac]

I think everyone can agree the Cats are a significantly better team this year than last (based on how they stacked up against SDSU this year in Brookings). Jury is still out on whether the Griz are even as good as last year, let alone better. That doesn't look good for the Griz faithful because the Griz didn't look like they belonged on the same field as the Cats last year. The mismatch could get super ugly, again.

I can't agree with that. It does me no good to see Cat posters just declaring things like that. Where's the proof? Where's the analysis? Yes, Cats played fairly even against SDSU, but the Cats haven't played any other team that was any good. Now, the tougher part of your schedule is coming up. Yes, the Griz didn't play like they belonged on the same field last year. The Cats got clobbered the year before. Every year and every game is different. That is a nice thing about sport. Adios.

Yes, you nailed it with the bold part above. The Cats played even against the clear cut #1 team in the country, game could have gone either way but we missed it by a whisker. Cat's have not been able to compete with either of the DSUs the past three years until this year. That is literally the proof you're asking about. Beyond that, feel free to ask the SDSU coach or any other coach in the country that understands the game, whether or not the 2023 Cats are better than the 2022 Cats. Cats returned almost every single starter from a year ago and every player is better. We are literally better at every position group. How are you not getting this?

[cats2506]

Whenever I watch the Cats I say to myself, "fuhhhhhhhck, they got some dudes."

With that said, pretty impressive turnaround from this Griz team. Very reminiscent of some of the Hauck teams from his first stop.

The win was a good one and I can't take anything away from that, Idaho has been fading these last few games is what I have thought. I think they are going to be on fire after the bye when the Cats face them. UI is now fighting for their season, a loss to the Cats puts them on the bubble for a seed.

As impressive as the win was, I am still not convinced that the gris have turned a corner and will be able to beat SAC, PSU and MSU. I think their schedule ahead is more difficult that many believe.

There are teams that actually come out of their bye on fire??You're kidding.. certainly not my teams. Haha

But maybe, we shall see. I like the attitude the Griz playing with and am pleased to see little things beginning to click.

Yeah, I know what you mean "after the bye week". But Like I said Idaho is fighting for a seed now, they need a win over MSU or they may be playing on Thanksgiving weekend.

gris have certainly improved, but like I said they have 3 gams on the schedule that they may not be favored in, fortunately 2 of them are at home.

[griz5700]

Whenever I watch the Cats I say to myself, "fuhhhhhhhck, they got some dudes."

With that said, pretty impressive turnaround from this Griz team. Very reminiscent of some of the Hauck teams from his first stop.

The win was a good one and I can't take anything away from that, Idaho has been fading these last few games is what I have thought. I think they are going to be on fire after the bye when the Cats face them. UI is now fighting for their season, a loss to the Cats puts them on the bubble for a seed.

As impressive as the win was, I am still not convinced that the gris have turned a corner and will be able to beat SAC, PSU and MSU. I think their schedule ahead is more difficult that many believe.

There are teams that actually come out of their bye on fire??You're kidding.. certainly not my teams. Haha

But maybe, we shall see. I like the attitude the Griz playing with and am pleased to see little things beginning to click.

Yeah, I know what you mean "after the bye week". But Like I said Idaho is fighting for a seed now, they need a win over MSU or they may be playing on Thanksgiving weekend.

gris have certainly improved, but like I said they have 3 gams on the schedule that they may not be favored in, fortunately 2 of them are at home.

Exactly right. Anything can happen.

[justafan]

Freaking gris look pretty good tonight

[MSU01]

Freaking gris look pretty good tonight

Very reminiscent to me of MSU's 2021 team. Sometimes an overdue change at QB can work wonders!

[justafan]

Freaking gris look pretty good tonight

Very reminiscent to me of MSU's 2021 team. Sometimes an overdue change at QB can work wonders!

We are going to have our hands full

[91catAlum]

Freaking gris look pretty good tonight

Very reminiscent to me of MSU's 2021 team. Sometimes an overdue change at QB can work wonders!

We are going to have our hands full

I don't think they can stop our offense consistently. And their offense isn't that scary.

[Catsrgrood]

Freaking gris look pretty good tonight

Yea they do, unfortunately.

After week 5 and the griz were 4-1, I thought they were the epitome of a paper tiger. They just looked bad. Since then, they certainly seemed to be a different team and look legitimately good.

I still think the Cats are the better team and should win in a couple weeks, but this game is looking drastically different than I thought it would about a month ago.

[justafan]

I don't feel good about it at all. they are coming together at the right time for them. Anybody who watched their last few games has to realize they are going to be tough to stop especially in missoula.

[BelligerentBobcat]

Griz look good. The game being in Missoula will make it harder, but I still am confident in a win.

Top 5 matchup between both teams will be fun!

[coloradocat]

Freaking gris look pretty good tonight

Very reminiscent to me of MSU's 2021 team. Sometimes an overdue change at QB can work wonders!

We are going to have our hands full

I don't think they can stop our offense consistently. And their offense isn't that scary.

Don't let Bergen get any returns over 10 yards and don't give up any 40+ yard TDs. Those are the keys to the game (which pretty much every team has failed at this year). With Hall we should be able to accomplish the first one. The second one will be a little tougher.

[GeauxCats41]

RTDB. Amazing how SS didn’t do crap drive 1 throwing, ran the ball on the next drive for a TD, then the third drive they bring out a freshman throwing QB and have to punt again. Recipe is the same as last year for MSU.

dUMb is definitely looking better than I originally thought, credit to them. But I still think if we RTB we win by two scores in Missoula.

[TomCat88]

Freaking gris look pretty good tonight

Very reminiscent to me of MSU's 2021 team. Sometimes an overdue change at QB can work wonders!

And the 2022 team. Outscored last two teams 117-7.