Most Painful Cat Griz Moments

[D-Wreck]

Agree with most that 1997 and 2011 were the worst.
The Jake Bleskin game in Missoula was another one that was tough to watch.

Listened to that one on a hand crank emergency radio in the Snowies. Damn near left the radio on the mountain I was so frustrated. No elk that day either!

[kennethnoisewater]

Agree with most that 1997 and 2011 were the worst.
The Jake Bleskin game in Missoula was another one that was tough to watch.

Yeah, I was at that game and had a couple buddies visiting from Missoula for it. Definitely the toughest loss I've endured as a fan, and I'm an Atlanta Falcons fan haha. The aforementioned time in Missoula when the PA announcer said "if we've told you once we've told you 14 times" really stung too. 2011 was brutal. 2008 sucked as soon as I saw the gris come out in their throwback uniforms and the stadium lost it. Got spanked that game and wanted to disappear into the bushes like Homer Simpson.

I was there for that Bleskin game too, and it was just so bad that it didn't even hurt as much.

[bsnwhespen23]

My sophomore year in 97. That was my kick in the nuts moment. I remember they handed out these Montana Power coins. Looking back they probably shouldn't have done that.

[RyeCat]

Seems like we're all in agreement.

1) 1997
2) 2011

The way we lost in 1997 cemented the bitterness of the rivalry. I have to think that the way I felt that day was on par with how the Redbird fans felt on 1/5/26 after seeing Lamson hit Taco on the 4th and 10. Just gutted and pissed off at the world…again. 2011 was a bit of a haze. Lots of tailgating and trying to scheme ways to keep my beer from freezing. We all knew McGhee was hurt and the odds were stacked against us even though the polls said otherwise.

[catatac]

Agree with most that 1997 and 2011 were the worst.
The Jake Bleskin game in Missoula was another one that was tough to watch.

Yeah, I was at that game and had a couple buddies visiting from Missoula for it. Definitely the toughest loss I've endured as a fan, and I'm an Atlanta Falcons fan haha. The aforementioned time in Missoula when the PA announcer said "if we've told you once we've told you 14 times" really stung too. 2011 was brutal. 2008 sucked as soon as I saw the gris come out in their throwback uniforms and the stadium lost it. Got spanked that game and wanted to disappear into the bushes like Homer Simpson.

I was there for that Bleskin game too, and it was just so bad that it didn't even hurt as much.

Yep. Being somewhat repetitive here but when I heard that "14 times" comment from the PA announcer and the fan base erupting... that burned into my psyche deep and I remember thinking, there is no way this is going to last forever and when it turns around, wow is there going to be some payback. That's why I totally understand to concept of ESGGCG all over the country even when we're not playing the Griz, even though I stopped doing that awhile back.

[RobertSebastianCat-81]

Here is my most memorable painful rivalry moment... I have a good friend I see nearly every time I get back to Montana. We went to school together for 12 years, then for college, he went to UM while I went to MSU. The biggest jab I experienced was the joke he told me one summer. It's actually a pretty excellent burn, but still not much fun to get kicked when you're down.

This guy dressed in Griz apparel brings his iguana to a bar to watch the Cat-Griz game. The iguana lays motionlessly on the bar with one eye open to catch what's on TV. The guy sits there drinking until the game ends with the Griz beating the Cats. As soon a regulation is over, the iguana jumps up on the bar and dances the jig. The bartender says, "Wow, I've never seen that before." "Yeah, he always does that when the Griz win." "What does he do when the Cats win?" "I don't know, he's only 14 years old."

Be of good cheer -- in a few years, we'll be telling that joke.

[AFCAT]

I’m just reveling in the fact that whatever painful moments Cat fans have experienced over the decades, the gris fans are now dealing with a perfect season, conference title, playoff home field advantage, AND a National Championship game appearance taken from them by the Cats in 2025. To top that all off, they have to see all the Cats National Championship game merch being worn and displayed throughout the state and having to avert their eyes whenever they run into Cat fans. You know that is all just killing them right now.

[JoeCatsJoe]

Not having been around for 1997 and not being super aware of what was at stake for 2011, I can’t quite speak to those as much. It felt to me in 2011 that with ash, we were just destined to never beat the bad guys. Felt par for the course. I was in Missoula for both 2021 and 2023, and both sucked. 2023 tho was particularly painful, because I thought that team really was talented enough to be in the national championship game against SDSU. We went toe to toe with them early in the season, and had stumbled against Idaho, but were a very talented team. I thought we had every chance to win in Missoula, kickstart a playoff run, and end up with another shot at SDSU on a neutral field. Instead, we got our heads kicked in while no one looked at all ready for the moment, except for Julius Davis. Then our season ended a few weeks later against NDSU. Super bitter end to a promising team.

[91catAlum]

Here is my most memorable painful rivalry moment... I have a good friend I see nearly every time I get back to Montana. We went to school together for 12 years, then for college, he went to UM while I went to MSU. The biggest jab I experienced was the joke he told me one summer. It's actually a pretty excellent burn, but still not much fun to get kicked when you're down.

This guy dressed in Griz apparel brings his iguana to a bar to watch the Cat-Griz game. The iguana lays motionlessly on the bar with one eye open to catch what's on TV. The guy sits there drinking until the game ends with the Griz beating the Cats. As soon a regulation is over, the iguana jumps up on the bar and dances the jig. The bartender says, "Wow, I've never seen that before." "Yeah, he always does that when the Griz win." "What does he do when the Cats win?" "I don't know, he's only 14 years old."

Be of good cheer -- in a few years, we'll be telling that joke.

I used to hear the same joke alot, but it was a dog, not an iguana.

[The Butcher]

I’m just reveling in the fact that whatever painful moments Cat fans have experienced over the decades, the gris fans are now dealing with a perfect season, conference title, playoff home field advantage, AND a National Championship game appearance taken from them by the Cats in 2025. To top that all off, they have to see all the Cats National Championship game merch being worn and displayed throughout the state and having to avert their eyes whenever they run into Cat fans. You know that is all just killing them right now.

They can take solace in the fact that both of their losses came against the National Champions… so there’s that.

[TomCat88]

Not having been around for 1997 and not being super aware of what was at stake for 2011, I can’t quite speak to those as much. It felt to me in 2011 that with ash, we were just destined to never beat the bad guys. Felt par for the course. I was in Missoula for both 2021 and 2023, and both sucked. 2023 tho was particularly painful, because I thought that team really was talented enough to be in the national championship game against SDSU. We went toe to toe with them early in the season, and had stumbled against Idaho, but were a very talented team. I thought we had every chance to win in Missoula, kickstart a playoff run, and end up with another shot at SDSU on a neutral field. Instead, we got our heads kicked in while no one looked at all ready for the moment, except for Julius Davis. Then our season ended a few weeks later against NDSU. Super bitter end to a promising team.

In 2011 Cunningham missed a FG in the first quarter, then UM got a TD right at the end of the half to make it 12-0. MSU scored on its first drive of the second half to make it 12-7 and the Cats put UM in a 3rd(?) and long on its first set of downs and at the point you thought MSU was going to force a punt and get the momentum, but the Griz hit a long TD pass on that play, and the rout was on with Nguyen and Moore running all over the place. Neither QB played particularly well with neither one connecting on half of their passes.

[bcatfan1]

What year was it just extremely cold during Cat/Griz and we just got stomped? Within the last 10-15 years. I just remember standing there in that frigid air losing all feeling in my toes while my ex hid in the women's bathroom. Just a horrible experience.

My most painful moment was actually against EWU, in 2004 I think, when we lost in overtime after blowing a lead. I've never felt the stadium as quiet as when that last pass from Lulay hit the turf.

That was 2011. And I agree! As I recall, we came into that game ranked #1 in the country. I remember my wife being confident we'd win. So she was all "peace and love" in our tailgate before the game. Then came the beatdown..... and fireball. And she was burning our friend's griz hat on our fire after the game!

[The Butcher]

After the 2015 loss, Ash's his third straight to the griz and just 2-7 all-time against them it wasn't to me a surprise that Ash was let go. Since then, the Cats have flipped the script, going 8-2 against Montana and finally making noise in the playoffs, something Ash never could.

[MSU01]

Screw most painful Cat/Griz moments, moving significantly higher on my personal list of most satisfying Cat/Griz moments is now and forevermore knowing that Bobby Hauck's last game as Griz head coach ended with him walking out of Bobcat Stadium in defeat.