Can the Cats & Griz Get It Done?

[GoldstoneCat]

Were this matchup to happen, I have competing lines of thinking. As a sports fan who loves what sports provide (entertainment, community, drama, emotion), there could be nothing better than a Cat /Griz semifinal. As a guy who wants my team to win the national championship, I'm not a bit interested in playing them again. Do I think we're better? Yes. Do I think we'd win? Yes. But there are so many more variables in play with the team's mentality in this rivalry. We got ourselves up, went in their place, managed the emotions and challenges and won the game. Box checked, mountain climbed. Now (at home) we have to do all that again? I just don't love it. But, as fans, we get to just take what comes and enjoy it, support our teams, and the rest of this is just message board fodder anyway. Bring on the lumberjacks.

[91catAlum]

I’m excited at the possibility but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be nervous as hell about it.

I think the Cats are the better team. They played a good, not great game in Missoula and won. The griz played their best game of the year to date and lost, at home.

But there is clearly not a huge gap between them. Anything can happen on any Saturday. Sure as hell glad it’d be at home.

It would be the sweetest of Cat/gris wins or the absolute worst of Cat/gris losses.
The winner will be the favorite to win it all. That’s a lot riding on a game that is already about as intense as they come.

I keep reading this perspective over here that the Griz played their best game to date against the cats. I would argue I watch way more Griz football than anyone over here, unless you also watch every single play of every single game both live and then back on TV. That was far from the Griz Best game. FFS they threw a pick 6 when they had all the momentum to put the game away, then got a field goal blocked and had a touchdown called back from a pretty weak hold call. Then they couldn’t get off the field on that last 6 minute Cats drive How does any of that contribute to one of their best games? I give their performance against the cats a solid B minus but it definitely was not an A or A plus. Not really close.

I think its because the griz had many games where they looked great for parts of the game, and pretty bad for parts of the game.

I'm sure you watch a lot more griz football than me, but going into Cat griz, my impression of the griz after watching your games against Idaho State, Poly, and the 2nd half of ewu, the griz didn't seem like a very dominant team.
The Cats also had their moments of struggle but I don't recall them ever trailing in the 2nd half of any conference game prior to the Brawl, or even being in trouble.

Yes the pick 6 wasn't a great moment for the griz in the Brawl but that wasn't about the griz playing bad or looking weak, it was just a tipped ball. The griz looked like a very good team that whole game. They were getting more defensive stops than the Cats normally give up. They were driving the ball and scored 12 more points than the Cats gave up on average. It just seemed the griz never had any periods of let downs or inconsistent play the whole game, which was unlike the other games I saw before that.

[91catAlum]

Were this matchup to happen, I have competing lines of thinking. As a sports fan who loves what sports provide (entertainment, community, drama, emotion), there could be nothing better than a Cat /Griz semifinal. As a guy who wants my team to win the national championship, I'm not a bit interested in playing them again. Do I think we're better? Yes. Do I think we'd win? Yes. But there are so many more variables in play with the team's mentality in this rivalry. We got ourselves up, went in their place, managed the emotions and challenges and won the game. Box checked, mountain climbed. Now (at home) we have to do all that again? I just don't love it. But, as fans, we get to just take what comes and enjoy it, support our teams, and the rest of this is just message board fodder anyway. Bring on the lumberjacks.

That sums it up well! I feel the same.

[Catsrgrood]

Were this matchup to happen, I have competing lines of thinking. As a sports fan who loves what sports provide (entertainment, community, drama, emotion), there could be nothing better than a Cat /Griz semifinal. As a guy who wants my team to win the national championship, I'm not a bit interested in playing them again. Do I think we're better? Yes. Do I think we'd win? Yes. But there are so many more variables in play with the team's mentality in this rivalry. We got ourselves up, went in their place, managed the emotions and challenges and won the game. Box checked, mountain climbed. Now (at home) we have to do all that again? I just don't love it. But, as fans, we get to just take what comes and enjoy it, support our teams, and the rest of this is just message board fodder anyway. Bring on the lumberjacks.

That sums it up well! I feel the same.

Yep, this is basically it in a nutshell.

[aucat]

I know that the Cats have successfully beaten a Big Sky team twice in the same year but historically that is a very hard thing to do , ESPECIALLY when the two teams are evenly matched . I just don't like the idea of playing the Brawl TWICE in one year. No offense to my UM friends but I will be pulling for USD to beat the griz Saturday. Of course, if MSU doesn't play much better Friday night than we did last week against Yale, then it all becomes a moot point anyway.

[Catsrgrood]

I’m excited at the possibility but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be nervous as hell about it.

I think the Cats are the better team. They played a good, not great game in Missoula and won. The griz played their best game of the year to date and lost, at home.

But there is clearly not a huge gap between them. Anything can happen on any Saturday. Sure as hell glad it’d be at home.

It would be the sweetest of Cat/gris wins or the absolute worst of Cat/gris losses.
The winner will be the favorite to win it all. That’s a lot riding on a game that is already about as intense as they come.

I keep reading this perspective over here that the Griz played their best game to date against the cats. I would argue I watch way more Griz football than anyone over here, unless you also watch every single play of every single game both live and then back on TV. That was far from the Griz Best game. FFS they threw a pick 6 when they had all the momentum to put the game away, then got a field goal blocked and had a touchdown called back from a pretty weak hold call. Then they couldn’t get off the field on that last 6 minute Cats drive How does any of that contribute to one of their best games? I give their performance against the cats a solid B minus but it definitely was not an A or A plus. Not really close.

I think its because the griz had many games where they looked great for parts of the game, and pretty bad for parts of the game.

I'm sure you watch a lot more griz football than me, but going into Cat griz, my impression of the griz after watching your games against Idaho State, Poly, and the 2nd half of ewu, the griz didn't seem like a very dominant team.
The Cats also had their moments of struggle but I don't recall them ever trailing in the 2nd half of any conference game prior to the Brawl, or even being in trouble.

Yes the pick 6 wasn't a great moment for the griz in the Brawl but that wasn't about the griz playing bad or looking weak, it was just a tipped ball. The griz looked like a very good team that whole game. They were getting more defensive stops than the Cats normally give up. They were driving the ball and scored 12 more points than the Cats gave up on average. It just seemed the griz never had any periods of let downs or inconsistent play the whole game, which was unlike the other games I saw before that.

Yes, this is basically my thought process, you just articulated it better than I did.

Prior to Cat/griz, show me a game that was more complete, all 4 quarters, than that for the griz. They simply struggled against the same teams the Cat’s didn’t. They’d look good for a half and hold on for dear life for a win, or look bad in the first half and look lights out in the second half to secure the win.

I didn’t think they were bad by any means, but I was skeptical they’d compete with the Cats for all 4 quarters. But they did just that. They played their best 4 quarters of football from what I’ve seen. Sure there are a couple plays here and there but that’s football.

And in the end the Cats walked away with what could have been a two score win. If they needed to or wanted to I fully believe the Cats could have scored on the last drive. So the 3 pt margin is a bit deceiving.

All that to say my confidence is not overly high for round 2. They are two close teams. I feel the Cats are better, but not by a huge margin. And not that more is needed in this game in this scenario, but that added element of wanting to avenge the loss from 2 weeks ago and do the same on the rival’s home field is certainly there.

The Cats can win, and I feel like they will if this game happens, but this is one fan that won’t be beating my chest and talking ****** before the game, it could absolutely go either way.

[ilovethecats]

I’m excited at the possibility but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be nervous as hell about it.

I think the Cats are the better team. They played a good, not great game in Missoula and won. The griz played their best game of the year to date and lost, at home.

But there is clearly not a huge gap between them. Anything can happen on any Saturday. Sure as hell glad it’d be at home.

It would be the sweetest of Cat/gris wins or the absolute worst of Cat/gris losses.
The winner will be the favorite to win it all. That’s a lot riding on a game that is already about as intense as they come.

I keep reading this perspective over here that the Griz played their best game to date against the cats. I would argue I watch way more Griz football than anyone over here, unless you also watch every single play of every single game both live and then back on TV. That was far from the Griz Best game. FFS they threw a pick 6 when they had all the momentum to put the game away, then got a field goal blocked and had a touchdown called back from a pretty weak hold call. Then they couldn’t get off the field on that last 6 minute Cats drive How does any of that contribute to one of their best games? I give their performance against the cats a solid B minus but it definitely was not an A or A plus. Not really close.

Weird how that works on these boards. I read on egriz that the Cats played as good as they could and if there was a rematch they wouldn't play as well.

Just different perspectives. All I have heard about is the pick six being the only difference. Like interceptions for touchdowns aren't part of the game. Lol. Funny how I didn't hear this same weird narrative when the griz would eek out a win after Bergen had two punt return td's. In that case it was just a great win and the griz were better.

You have definitely watched more of the griz this year. Going into the brawl what game would you say was the best game played by the griz considering the talent of their opponent? Maybe UND? I don't think it's asinine to think the griz played better against the cats than any team I recall watching this season.

Personally, I think the Cats played average that day and left a lot on the field. And still won. If you maintain the griz did as well, then I still really like our chances if we meet again. The narrative that I love reading over there is the griz will automatically just play better and the cats will automatically play worse. It could happen, but not sure why it seems like a given over there.

Lots of narratives on both boards for sure.

[The Butcher]

I know that the Cats have successfully beaten a Big Sky team twice in the same year but historically that is a very hard thing to do , ESPECIALLY when the two teams are evenly matched . I just don't like the idea of playing the Brawl TWICE in one year. No offense to my UM friends but I will be pulling for USD to beat the griz Saturday. Of course, if MSU doesn't play much better Friday night than we did last week against Yale, then it all becomes a moot point anyway.

Cats did it in 2022 (Weber) and 2024 (Idaho) and in each game they beat their opponent even worse than they did in the regular season.

[CelticCat]

The thing about the interception is that it's normal for a QB to throw them. It is part of the game, and Ah Yat has done a pretty good job of not throwing them this year but he had thrown 7 before that 8th one to Dowler.

Unless your name is Justin Lamson, then throwing interceptions is normal. According to PFF using their TWP% metric (turnover worthy play rate - the % of attempts that have a high % chance to be intercepted), Lamson is second in the FCS at just .8, behind Jacolby Criswell of ETSU who only played 8 games. Ah Yat is 24th (2.1) which is still really good.

[TomCat88]

I’m excited at the possibility but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be nervous as hell about it.

I think the Cats are the better team. They played a good, not great game in Missoula and won. The griz played their best game of the year to date and lost, at home.

But there is clearly not a huge gap between them. Anything can happen on any Saturday. Sure as hell glad it’d be at home.

It would be the sweetest of Cat/gris wins or the absolute worst of Cat/gris losses.
The winner will be the favorite to win it all. That’s a lot riding on a game that is already about as intense as they come.

I keep reading this perspective over here that the Griz played their best game to date against the cats. I would argue I watch way more Griz football than anyone over here, unless you also watch every single play of every single game both live and then back on TV. That was far from the Griz Best game. FFS they threw a pick 6 when they had all the momentum to put the game away, then got a field goal blocked and had a touchdown called back from a pretty weak hold call. Then they couldn’t get off the field on that last 6 minute Cats drive How does any of that contribute to one of their best games? I give their performance against the cats a solid B minus but it definitely was not an A or A plus. Not really close.

I agree that the Griz didn't play great. The offense scored 28 points, but the Gillman TD should've been called back and if so, it's unlikely UM gets a first down facing 1st and 25. Hard to say. But easily could've been 21 points for the final score and just over 300 yards of offense, which good vs MSU's defense but well below UM's average. Defensively, UM was unable to stop the run for most of the game and the Pick6 caused MSU to give up an offensive possession, which probably cost it another 40-50 yards. I'm not sure how good UM is at stopping the run but that seemed like it was a significantly sub-par performance.

UM looked really, really good from the time it was 17-7 midway through the second quarter to the Pick6. Would be interesting to see how the game would've played out if the Pick6 was just an incomplete pass and UM punted. UM also played very hard and scrappy, which was another plus.

I'm looking mostly at Griz road games to get a sense for how they'll play at MSU. Looked great offensively at SAC and ISU. Hot early against WSU and PSU is a hard read will all the turnovers setting up short fields.

[TomCat88]

I’m excited at the possibility but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be nervous as hell about it.

I think the Cats are the better team. They played a good, not great game in Missoula and won. The griz played their best game of the year to date and lost, at home.

But there is clearly not a huge gap between them. Anything can happen on any Saturday. Sure as hell glad it’d be at home.

It would be the sweetest of Cat/gris wins or the absolute worst of Cat/gris losses.
The winner will be the favorite to win it all. That’s a lot riding on a game that is already about as intense as they come.

I keep reading this perspective over here that the Griz played their best game to date against the cats. I would argue I watch way more Griz football than anyone over here, unless you also watch every single play of every single game both live and then back on TV. That was far from the Griz Best game. FFS they threw a pick 6 when they had all the momentum to put the game away, then got a field goal blocked and had a touchdown called back from a pretty weak hold call. Then they couldn’t get off the field on that last 6 minute Cats drive How does any of that contribute to one of their best games? I give their performance against the cats a solid B minus but it definitely was not an A or A plus. Not really close.
[/quote

I agree that the Griz didn't play great. The offense scored 28 points, but the Gillman TD should've been called back and if so, it's unlikely UM gets a first down facing 1st and 25. Hard to say. But easily could've been 21 points for the final score and just over 300 yards of offense, which good vs MSU's defense but well below UM's average. Defensively, UM was unable to stop the run for most of the game and the Pick6 caused MSU to give up an offensive possession, which probably cost it another 40-50 yards. I'm not sure how good UM is at stopping the run but that seemed like it was a significantly sub-par performance.

UM looked really, really good from the time it was 17-7 midway through the second quarter to the Pick6 -- a span of about 17-18 minutes. Would be interesting to see how the game would've played out if the Pick6 was just an incomplete pass and UM punted. UM also played very hard and scrappy, which was another plus.

I'm looking mostly at Griz road games to get a sense for how they'll play at MSU. Looked great offensively at SAC and ISU. Hot early against WSU and PSU is a hard read will all the turnovers setting up short fields. Didn't look good defensively against ISU or SAC. Weber and PSU were pretty easy pickin's.

[MrGoodKat]

Here's how I see it unfolding.

Quarterfinals: The Cats embarrass Stephen F. Austin. They're a terrible matchup for MSU. ACU just ran all over them and the Cats will top that. Additionally, an offense based around a drop-back pocket passer plays right into MSU's hands. I will be surprised if Vidlak can finish the game (I certainly hope he can-- I do not want any players to get hurt ever). 52-13

Semifinals: The Cats beat UM by 2+ scores. "It's hard to beat a team twice" may or may not have much credence to it (it hasn't always been a huge deal for MSU), but I certainly believe this: "It's hard to compete with a team twice when they're better than you on the LOS." To hang with MSU, the Griz need a lot of smoke and mirrors, design, and broken tackles. To hang with UM, the Cats just need to enforce their will in the trenches. At home, with the crowd behind them, the Cats will be too much for UM. 41-21

Championship: That Cats will wreck shop against whatever pretender comes out of that whack side of the bracket. A lot-A little

Bookmark it. Print it. Frame it. Send it to the Library of Congress. Mr. Goodkat has spoken.

[OldGriz]

Here's how I see it unfolding.

Quarterfinals: The Cats embarrass Stephen F. Austin. They're a terrible matchup for MSU. ACU just ran all over them and the Cats will top that. Additionally, an offense based around a drop-back pocket passer plays right into MSU's hands. I will be surprised if Vidlak can finish the game (I certainly hope he can-- I do not want any players to get hurt ever). 52-13

Semifinals: The Cats beat UM by 2+ scores. "It's hard to beat a team twice" may or may not have much credence to it (it hasn't always been a huge deal for MSU), but I certainly believe this: "It's hard to compete with a team twice when they're better than you on the LOS." To hang with MSU, the Griz need a lot of smoke and mirrors, design, and broken tackles. To hang with UM, the Cats just need to enforce their will in the trenches. At home, with the crowd behind them, the Cats will be too much for UM. 41-21

Championship: That Cats will wreck shop against whatever pretender comes out of that whack side of the bracket. A lot-A little

Bookmark it. Print it. Frame it. Send it to the Library of Congress. Mr. Goodkat has spoken.

Not. So. Fast. Have the Cats coughed up all the hair balls (e.g., the Yale performance?) yet? That is the elusive question.

[VimSince03]

Here's how I see it unfolding.

Quarterfinals: The Cats embarrass Stephen F. Austin. They're a terrible matchup for MSU. ACU just ran all over them and the Cats will top that. Additionally, an offense based around a drop-back pocket passer plays right into MSU's hands. I will be surprised if Vidlak can finish the game (I certainly hope he can-- I do not want any players to get hurt ever). 52-13

Semifinals: The Cats beat UM by 2+ scores. "It's hard to beat a team twice" may or may not have much credence to it (it hasn't always been a huge deal for MSU), but I certainly believe this: "It's hard to compete with a team twice when they're better than you on the LOS." To hang with MSU, the Griz need a lot of smoke and mirrors, design, and broken tackles. To hang with UM, the Cats just need to enforce their will in the trenches. At home, with the crowd behind them, the Cats will be too much for UM. 41-21

Championship: That Cats will wreck shop against whatever pretender comes out of that whack side of the bracket. A lot-A little

Bookmark it. Print it. Frame it. Send it to the Library of Congress. Mr. Goodkat has spoken.

[HookedOnGriz]

I’m excited at the possibility but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be nervous as hell about it.

I think the Cats are the better team. They played a good, not great game in Missoula and won. The griz played their best game of the year to date and lost, at home.

But there is clearly not a huge gap between them. Anything can happen on any Saturday. Sure as hell glad it’d be at home.

It would be the sweetest of Cat/gris wins or the absolute worst of Cat/gris losses.
The winner will be the favorite to win it all. That’s a lot riding on a game that is already about as intense as they come.

I keep reading this perspective over here that the Griz played their best game to date against the cats. I would argue I watch way more Griz football than anyone over here, unless you also watch every single play of every single game both live and then back on TV. That was far from the Griz Best game. FFS they threw a pick 6 when they had all the momentum to put the game away, then got a field goal blocked and had a touchdown called back from a pretty weak hold call. Then they couldn’t get off the field on that last 6 minute Cats drive How does any of that contribute to one of their best games? I give their performance against the cats a solid B minus but it definitely was not an A or A plus. Not really close.

I think its because the griz had many games where they looked great for parts of the game, and pretty bad for parts of the game.

I'm sure you watch a lot more griz football than me, but going into Cat griz, my impression of the griz after watching your games against Idaho State, Poly, and the 2nd half of ewu, the griz didn't seem like a very dominant team.
The Cats also had their moments of struggle but I don't recall them ever trailing in the 2nd half of any conference game prior to the Brawl, or even being in trouble.

Yes the pick 6 wasn't a great moment for the griz in the Brawl but that wasn't about the griz playing bad or looking weak, it was just a tipped ball. The griz looked like a very good team that whole game. They were getting more defensive stops than the Cats normally give up. They were driving the ball and scored 12 more points than the Cats gave up on average. It just seemed the griz never had any periods of let downs or inconsistent play the whole game, which was unlike the other games I saw before that.

That is fair feedback. You are right, in the middle of their schedule there was a lot of inconsistency. They had moments where they looked like a machine, and other times that left most of us Griz fans scratching our heads (mainly EWU and Idaho St even). Most Griz fans I chatted with after the cats game felt like we let that one get away. That because of of not playing A ball (pick 6, blocked FG, TD called back on hold, not making a stop at end) we could have won. So I don’t think many people feel like the Griz played their sharpest in that game.

[MrGoodKat]

Here's how I see it unfolding.

Quarterfinals: The Cats embarrass Stephen F. Austin. They're a terrible matchup for MSU. ACU just ran all over them and the Cats will top that. Additionally, an offense based around a drop-back pocket passer plays right into MSU's hands. I will be surprised if Vidlak can finish the game (I certainly hope he can-- I do not want any players to get hurt ever). 52-13

Semifinals: The Cats beat UM by 2+ scores. "It's hard to beat a team twice" may or may not have much credence to it (it hasn't always been a huge deal for MSU), but I certainly believe this: "It's hard to compete with a team twice when they're better than you on the LOS." To hang with MSU, the Griz need a lot of smoke and mirrors, design, and broken tackles. To hang with UM, the Cats just need to enforce their will in the trenches. At home, with the crowd behind them, the Cats will be too much for UM. 41-21

Championship: That Cats will wreck shop against whatever pretender comes out of that whack side of the bracket. A lot-A little

Bookmark it. Print it. Frame it. Send it to the Library of Congress. Mr. Goodkat has spoken.

Not. So. Fast. Have the Cats coughed up all the hair balls (e.g., the Yale performance?) yet? That is the elusive question.

I can report based on sources INSIDE the lockerroom that all hairballs have been dispensed with. The clunker is out of the system, the nerds have returned to Connecticut (although that QB that Brott put in his belly still doesn't know where he is), Juice has taken some ambien, him and Vigen hugged it out for 7.5 minutes, and all is well in Bozeman. I am sorry in advance for your disappointment.

[HookedOnGriz]

I’m excited at the possibility but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be nervous as hell about it.

I think the Cats are the better team. They played a good, not great game in Missoula and won. The griz played their best game of the year to date and lost, at home.

But there is clearly not a huge gap between them. Anything can happen on any Saturday. Sure as hell glad it’d be at home.

It would be the sweetest of Cat/gris wins or the absolute worst of Cat/gris losses.
The winner will be the favorite to win it all. That’s a lot riding on a game that is already about as intense as they come.

I keep reading this perspective over here that the Griz played their best game to date against the cats. I would argue I watch way more Griz football than anyone over here, unless you also watch every single play of every single game both live and then back on TV. That was far from the Griz Best game. FFS they threw a pick 6 when they had all the momentum to put the game away, then got a field goal blocked and had a touchdown called back from a pretty weak hold call. Then they couldn’t get off the field on that last 6 minute Cats drive How does any of that contribute to one of their best games? I give their performance against the cats a solid B minus but it definitely was not an A or A plus. Not really close.

I think its because the griz had many games where they looked great for parts of the game, and pretty bad for parts of the game.

I'm sure you watch a lot more griz football than me, but going into Cat griz, my impression of the griz after watching your games against Idaho State, Poly, and the 2nd half of ewu, the griz didn't seem like a very dominant team.
The Cats also had their moments of struggle but I don't recall them ever trailing in the 2nd half of any conference game prior to the Brawl, or even being in trouble.

Yes the pick 6 wasn't a great moment for the griz in the Brawl but that wasn't about the griz playing bad or looking weak, it was just a tipped ball. The griz looked like a very good team that whole game. They were getting more defensive stops than the Cats normally give up. They were driving the ball and scored 12 more points than the Cats gave up on average. It just seemed the griz never had any periods of let downs or inconsistent play the whole game, which was unlike the other games I saw before that.

Yes, this is basically my thought process, you just articulated it better than I did.

Prior to Cat/griz, show me a game that was more complete, all 4 quarters, than that for the griz. They simply struggled against the same teams the Cat’s didn’t. They’d look good for a half and hold on for dear life for a win, or look bad in the first half and look lights out in the second half to secure the win.

I didn’t think they were bad by any means, but I was skeptical they’d compete with the Cats for all 4 quarters. But they did just that. They played their best 4 quarters of football from what I’ve seen. Sure there are a couple plays here and there but that’s football.

And in the end the Cats walked away with what could have been a two score win. If they needed to or wanted to I fully believe the Cats could have scored on the last drive. So the 3 pt margin is a bit deceiving.

All that to say my confidence is not overly high for round 2. They are two close teams. I feel the Cats are better, but not by a huge margin. And not that more is needed in this game in this scenario, but that added element of wanting to avenge the loss from 2 weeks ago and do the same on the rival’s home field is certainly there.

The Cats can win, and I feel like they will if this game happens, but this is one fan that won’t be beating my chest and talking ****** before the game, it could absolutely go either way.

Also fair feedback. Thank you for sharing it

[HookedOnGriz]

The thing about the interception is that it's normal for a QB to throw them. It is part of the game, and Ah Yat has done a pretty good job of not throwing them this year but he had thrown 7 before that 8th one to Dowler.

Unless your name is Justin Lamson, then throwing interceptions is normal. According to PFF using their TWP% metric (turnover worthy play rate - the % of attempts that have a high % chance to be intercepted), Lamson is second in the FCS at just .8, behind Jacolby Criswell of ETSU who only played 8 games. Ah Yat is 24th (2.1) which is still really good.

I hear you, it wasn’t just the interception. It was the timing of it and the fact that it turned into a pick 6. That was absolutely huge for the cats and devastating for the Griz. The Griz fell behind 17-7 and had scored right before half to get it to 17-14. Scored coming out of half to go up 21-17 and made that stop on defense. I truly believe if they get the ball there and go down and score that might be it. Instead, they throw a pick 6 and it changed everything IMO. even if they have to punt that ball away and make the cats drive again, who knows what could’ve happened. Anyways that’s why I point to that pick 6 being pretty detrimental.

[OldGriz]

Here's how I see it unfolding.

Quarterfinals: The Cats embarrass Stephen F. Austin. They're a terrible matchup for MSU. ACU just ran all over them and the Cats will top that. Additionally, an offense based around a drop-back pocket passer plays right into MSU's hands. I will be surprised if Vidlak can finish the game (I certainly hope he can-- I do not want any players to get hurt ever). 52-13

Semifinals: The Cats beat UM by 2+ scores. "It's hard to beat a team twice" may or may not have much credence to it (it hasn't always been a huge deal for MSU), but I certainly believe this: "It's hard to compete with a team twice when they're better than you on the LOS." To hang with MSU, the Griz need a lot of smoke and mirrors, design, and broken tackles. To hang with UM, the Cats just need to enforce their will in the trenches. At home, with the crowd behind them, the Cats will be too much for UM. 41-21

Championship: That Cats will wreck shop against whatever pretender comes out of that whack side of the bracket. A lot-A little

Bookmark it. Print it. Frame it. Send it to the Library of Congress. Mr. Goodkat has spoken.

Not. So. Fast. Have the Cats coughed up all the hair balls (e.g., the Yale performance?) yet? That is the elusive question.

I can report based on sources INSIDE the lockerroom that all hairballs have been dispensed with. The clunker is out of the system, the nerds have returned to Connecticut (although that QB that Brott put in his belly still doesn't know where he is), Juice has taken some ambien, him and Vigen hugged it out for 7.5 minutes, and all is well in Bozeman. I am sorry in advance for your disappointment.

Good job.

[MrGoodKat]

Here's how I see it unfolding.

Quarterfinals: The Cats embarrass Stephen F. Austin. They're a terrible matchup for MSU. ACU just ran all over them and the Cats will top that. Additionally, an offense based around a drop-back pocket passer plays right into MSU's hands. I will be surprised if Vidlak can finish the game (I certainly hope he can-- I do not want any players to get hurt ever). 52-13

Semifinals: The Cats beat UM by 2+ scores. "It's hard to beat a team twice" may or may not have much credence to it (it hasn't always been a huge deal for MSU), but I certainly believe this: "It's hard to compete with a team twice when they're better than you on the LOS." To hang with MSU, the Griz need a lot of smoke and mirrors, design, and broken tackles. To hang with UM, the Cats just need to enforce their will in the trenches. At home, with the crowd behind them, the Cats will be too much for UM. 41-21

Championship: That Cats will wreck shop against whatever pretender comes out of that whack side of the bracket. A lot-A little

Bookmark it. Print it. Frame it. Send it to the Library of Congress. Mr. Goodkat has spoken.

Not. So. Fast. Have the Cats coughed up all the hair balls (e.g., the Yale performance?) yet? That is the elusive question.

I can report based on sources INSIDE the lockerroom that all hairballs have been dispensed with. The clunker is out of the system, the nerds have returned to Connecticut (although that QB that Brott put in his belly still doesn't know where he is), Juice has taken some ambien, him and Vigen hugged it out for 7.5 minutes, and all is well in Bozeman. I am sorry in advance for your disappointment.

Good job.

Thanks OG