The Rematch

[Catsrgrood]

Tickets are the topic of the day, justifiably so, but let’s talk the actual game. Looking for anyone’s thoughts really, but love the deeper X’s and O’s breakdown some are able to provide.

Rematch from 4 weeks ago, we all know how that went down.

What are some things everyone is watching for?

Some of my thoughts/questions are:

Can we have a repeat performance against Wortham? He had a couple big plays against the Cats, so I wouldn’t call him a non factor in that game, but he was largely held in check. Last week shows what he’s capable of. Does this game look more like our game against him or more like his USD game?

Gillman was largely held in check the first time as well. Half his yards came on one play. It was a big one, you could argue it should have been called back, but it happened. Does he have more of those against us or is he more like the rest of the game prior to that run?

Gris getting Loud back. According to some um faithful that’s huge. What do others think?

Lamson was damn near perfect the first time, I don’t expect him to only have two incompletions this time, but does his general play from that game continue?

Do Jones and Davis repeat 7 yards a carry?

Plenty of things to look for and storylines to follow, what are some others?

[PapaG]

Montana 23
Bobcats 34

[PapaG]

Montana 23
Bobcats 34

[RockyBearCat]

CATS 31 (again) - gris 22

[CatBlitz]

R
T
D
B

Execute in the run game and keep the gris offense off the field.
They are going to make plays, we just need to make one more on defense.
Inside run blocking will be interesting to watch, but we have the speed to get past the front 7.

[catatac]

Recent history has the Griz getting demolished in Bozeman due to the quality of the Cat teams, and the crowd noise\energy in Bobcat Stadium. It could easily spiral on them once again. Considering they couldn't beat the Cats in Missoula, I'm thinking he's going to be damn hard for them to do it in Bozeman.

[jhopmsu79]

Loudest crowd all time and perhaps biggest celebration of all time

[CatBlitz]

Recent history has the Griz getting demolished in Bozeman due to the quality of the Cat teams, and the crowd noise\energy in Bobcat Stadium. It could easily spiral on them once again. Considering they couldn't beat the Cats in Missoula, I'm thinking he's going to be damn hard for them to do it in Bozeman.

I mean, they're certainly going to be hungry. This game won't be easy.

[coloradocat]

A lot of Bobcat fans were nervous last month for the sole reason that the game was in Missoula and we won by essentially two scores.

This month the game isn't in Missoula. Nothing to worry about.

[BlueAndGoldNation]

Recent history has the Griz getting demolished in Bozeman due to the quality of the Cat teams, and the crowd noise\energy in Bobcat Stadium. It could easily spiral on them once again. Considering they couldn't beat the Cats in Missoula, I'm thinking he's going to be damn hard for them to do it in Bozeman.

I mean, they're certainly going to be hungry. This game won't be easy.

I can only see this game going one of three ways...
1. Cats win a close one
2. Griz win a close one
3. Cats absolutely blow them out

I can not see the Griz blowing us out by any means... I think if they win, it is because the Cats made too many mistakes to overcome

[mslacatfan]

Yes, getting Loud back for the griz is significant.

Home field advantage will be the difference maker.

Run.The.Damn.Ball.

Cats by 10+

[GoodTimesAllTheTime]

I’m curious to see how the Griz offense operates in a hostile environment. Playing at Idaho or at Sac doesn’t really give you the same communication problems as playing in Bozeman. The Griz center had a ton of high snaps against us the first time, and then a bunch more from what I saw against USD. Does that come back to haunt them? Do they have other timing problems? Will this be the coldest game they’ve played in all year? There’s a lot of questions the Griz are going to have to answer. Hauck has been totally outcoached in Bozeman the last 4 games there too.

[Travelingcat]

I don't think it will really affect the team, but I'm concerned that our fan base is a bit overconfident right now. The Gris have been playing very well the last few weeks. Everyone said that they played their best game against us, but they followed that up with two very strong games, the first a very comfortable victory against a South Dakota State team that beat us and frankly outplayed us when we were at home and the second a blowout over a very solid South Dakota team that had blitzed Mercer on the road by 47 points the week prior. Meanwhile we have struggled to some degree in both of our playoff games, beating Yale by just 1 score (and being outgained) and giving up 28 points to Stephen F. Austin.

The Gris look like they are peaking at the right time-- and us, not so much.

I also suspect the Gris will have an unprecedented number of fans for a road team-- this is a much bigger game than even a typical Cat-Gris and I'd imagine that there will be a few thousand of their fans there who will get tickets and make their voices heard come hell or high water. Don't get me wrong, I expect the crowd to be a major factor in our favor but perhaps a bit less than we are used to for a home game.

We held Wortham largely in check in game one and barely beat them. They have a lot of weapons. I think we're the better team, and I'd bet on us pulling this out, but I'm far from ultra-confident in the outcome.

[ilovethecats]

The Cats have a TON to work on from less than a month ago. That day the griz were better but the Cats got all the breaks. We played scared not letting their best playmakers beat us. We can't do that again. Ah Yat was the best qb on the field. They're run defense is just going to be better Saturday. Our interception was lucky and no way that will happen again. Dowler is the luckiest defender in the conference. We are scared of this rematch. Bobby sent a message to us by running up the score on a dominant South Dakota team. On paper we have won the same amount of playoff games, but the griz are the hottest team in all of football. And finally; Mercyhurst.

Cats need to really get to work to have any shot at home this Saturday.

[MrGoodKat]

These are some things I'm thinking about:

1) The officiating and the luck was really even in Missoula. The Griz fumbled twice and lost neither. The Cats fumbled once and recovered it. The refs called a ticky tack hold on both teams, an ineligible receiver penalty on both teams, both teams had a TD called back, etc. It was strikingly even. Does that change this week? I desperately hope we don't have that terrible white hat who officiated the UCD game.

2) As so many people have noted, the Griz have not played in a really hostile/loud environment at any point this season. Can they manage it? Their offense relies upon a lot of moving parts and synchronicity because they are almost never going to just pound teams into submission, so it will be interesting to see how they handle the noise. Their road games this season have been Weber, Idaho State, Sac State, and Portland State, so it's safe to say that this particular team hasn't seen anything like Bobcat Stadium. Ah Yat strikes me like a kid who will handle the moment emotionally just fine, but the noise could still make the operational side of their offense a lot harder.

3) The Griz haven't won in Bozeman in over ten years, they've lost the last three games by an average of 30, and the Cats are 39-2 at home under Vigen (both losses in OT, one to SDSU and one to NDSU). Additionally, I believe that Montana has one road playoff win in their history as a program? I'm open to being corrected on that, but I think 2008 @JMU is it. So can the Griz, who almost never win playoff games on the road (not a shot at them-- neither does MSU), come into Bozeman and beat the Cats, who virtually never lose at home?

4) The Cats defense is a little banged up right now. Paul Brott will almost certainly play, but he won't be anything like 100%. So can young guys step up (Asuega?) and can the offense control the ball and keep the defense off the field?

5) Will Sterbick look at this exotic defense with its blitz packages and Kyon Loud back and decide to lean into the running game? We've definitely become a team that sets up the run with the pass this year. We did it in Missoula, but I wonder if the gameplan will change at all.

[BOBCATBORN]

I don't think it will really affect the team, but I'm concerned that our fan base is a bit overconfident right now. The Gris have been playing very well the last few weeks. Everyone said that they played their best game against us, but they followed that up with two very strong games, the first a very comfortable victory against a South Dakota State team that beat us and frankly outplayed us when we were at home and the second a blowout over a very solid South Dakota team that had blitzed Mercer on the road by 47 points the week prior. Meanwhile we have struggled to some degree in both of our playoff games, beating Yale by just 1 score (and being outgained) and giving up 28 points to Stephen F. Austin.

The Gris look like they are peaking at the right time-- and us, not so much.

I also suspect the Gris will have an unprecedented number of fans for a road team-- this is a much bigger game than even a typical Cat-Gris and I'd imagine that there will be a few thousand of their fans there who will get tickets and make their voices heard come hell or high water. Don't get me wrong, I expect the crowd to be a major factor in our favor but perhaps a bit less than we are used to for a home game.

We held Wortham largely in check in game one and barely beat them. They have a lot of weapons. I think we're the better team, and I'd bet on us pulling this out, but I'm far from ultra-confident in the outcome.

Based on the ticket sales I am seeing I doubt they get over 1000 fans.

Also, to compare the SDSU team that played us versus played them just isn't fair. We were operating a whole new line, QB and team and still just lost in 2OT. They played a team that was down major starters across the board. Yale and SFA > SDSU and USD (just my opinion).

[Travelingcat]

I don't think it will really affect the team, but I'm concerned that our fan base is a bit overconfident right now. The Gris have been playing very well the last few weeks. Everyone said that they played their best game against us, but they followed that up with two very strong games, the first a very comfortable victory against a South Dakota State team that beat us and frankly outplayed us when we were at home and the second a blowout over a very solid South Dakota team that had blitzed Mercer on the road by 47 points the week prior. Meanwhile we have struggled to some degree in both of our playoff games, beating Yale by just 1 score (and being outgained) and giving up 28 points to Stephen F. Austin.

The Gris look like they are peaking at the right time-- and us, not so much.

I also suspect the Gris will have an unprecedented number of fans for a road team-- this is a much bigger game than even a typical Cat-Gris and I'd imagine that there will be a few thousand of their fans there who will get tickets and make their voices heard come hell or high water. Don't get me wrong, I expect the crowd to be a major factor in our favor but perhaps a bit less than we are used to for a home game.

We held Wortham largely in check in game one and barely beat them. They have a lot of weapons. I think we're the better team, and I'd bet on us pulling this out, but I'm far from ultra-confident in the outcome.

Based on the ticket sales I am seeing I doubt they get over 1000 fans.

Also, to compare the SDSU team that played us versus played them just isn't fair. We were operating a whole new line, QB and team and still just lost in 2OT. They played a team that was down major starters across the board. Yale and SFA > SDSU and USD (just my opinion).

I can certainly tell a more comforting version of the story, especially re: SDSU along the lines you mentioned. But I'm wary that this is just motivated reasoning. Even if you assume we are a couple of TDs better that we were at the beginning of the season, the Gris beat them by more than that.

Again, I think we'll win, but I don't want to look through rose-colored glasses. This is just not nearly as complete a team as the one that steamrolled the Gris last year-- which is not to say that we aren't a very good team-- and right now, we'd certainly be the betting favorites to win it all.

[RUACAT]

Time of Possession - RTDB and limit their offensive plays
Well disciplined play (no stupid penalties)
Pick up their blitzes. Get their linebackers/rush edgers to bite on hard snap counts when they're trying to anticipate the snap
Wortham and Gillman will make some big plays. Make good angles and wrap up to limit the distance
Swarm to the ball on defense

Be back in the seats after half, especially if the gris get the ball first. I'm guilty for this by a couple of minutes most games. This week, I'm ALL IN! I expect my eardrums to be ringing after this game.

[BOBCATBORN]

I don't think it will really affect the team, but I'm concerned that our fan base is a bit overconfident right now. The Gris have been playing very well the last few weeks. Everyone said that they played their best game against us, but they followed that up with two very strong games, the first a very comfortable victory against a South Dakota State team that beat us and frankly outplayed us when we were at home and the second a blowout over a very solid South Dakota team that had blitzed Mercer on the road by 47 points the week prior. Meanwhile we have struggled to some degree in both of our playoff games, beating Yale by just 1 score (and being outgained) and giving up 28 points to Stephen F. Austin.

The Gris look like they are peaking at the right time-- and us, not so much.

I also suspect the Gris will have an unprecedented number of fans for a road team-- this is a much bigger game than even a typical Cat-Gris and I'd imagine that there will be a few thousand of their fans there who will get tickets and make their voices heard come hell or high water. Don't get me wrong, I expect the crowd to be a major factor in our favor but perhaps a bit less than we are used to for a home game.

We held Wortham largely in check in game one and barely beat them. They have a lot of weapons. I think we're the better team, and I'd bet on us pulling this out, but I'm far from ultra-confident in the outcome.

Based on the ticket sales I am seeing I doubt they get over 1000 fans.

Also, to compare the SDSU team that played us versus played them just isn't fair. We were operating a whole new line, QB and team and still just lost in 2OT. They played a team that was down major starters across the board. Yale and SFA > SDSU and USD (just my opinion).

I can certainly tell a more comforting version of the story, especially re: SDSU along the lines you mentioned. But I'm wary that this is just motivated reasoning. Even if you assume we are a couple of TDs better that we were at the beginning of the season, the Gris beat them by more than that.

Again, I think we'll win, but I don't want to look through rose-colored glasses. This is just not nearly as complete a team as the one that steamrolled the Gris last year-- which is not to say that we aren't a very good team-- and right now, we'd certainly be the betting favorites to win it all.

I think its more than just us being better. It was SDSU being a whole lot worse. They lost 7 or 8 starters in critical positions.

[GoodTimesAllTheTime]

I don't think it will really affect the team, but I'm concerned that our fan base is a bit overconfident right now. The Gris have been playing very well the last few weeks. Everyone said that they played their best game against us, but they followed that up with two very strong games, the first a very comfortable victory against a South Dakota State team that beat us and frankly outplayed us when we were at home and the second a blowout over a very solid South Dakota team that had blitzed Mercer on the road by 47 points the week prior. Meanwhile we have struggled to some degree in both of our playoff games, beating Yale by just 1 score (and being outgained) and giving up 28 points to Stephen F. Austin.

The Gris look like they are peaking at the right time-- and us, not so much.

I also suspect the Gris will have an unprecedented number of fans for a road team-- this is a much bigger game than even a typical Cat-Gris and I'd imagine that there will be a few thousand of their fans there who will get tickets and make their voices heard come hell or high water. Don't get me wrong, I expect the crowd to be a major factor in our favor but perhaps a bit less than we are used to for a home game.

We held Wortham largely in check in game one and barely beat them. They have a lot of weapons. I think we're the better team, and I'd bet on us pulling this out, but I'm far from ultra-confident in the outcome.

Based on the ticket sales I am seeing I doubt they get over 1000 fans.

Also, to compare the SDSU team that played us versus played them just isn't fair. We were operating a whole new line, QB and team and still just lost in 2OT. They played a team that was down major starters across the board. Yale and SFA > SDSU and USD (just my opinion).

I can certainly tell a more comforting version of the story, especially re: SDSU along the lines you mentioned. But I'm wary that this is just motivated reasoning. Even if you assume we are a couple of TDs better that we were at the beginning of the season, the Gris beat them by more than that.

Again, I think we'll win, but I don't want to look through rose-colored glasses. This is just not nearly as complete a team as the one that steamrolled the Gris last year-- which is not to say that we aren't a very good team-- and right now, we'd certainly be the betting favorites to win it all.

I think you’re really glossing over the fact that we just beat them three weeks ago, in a game where we outplayed them in all three phases, and at what is allegedly the most difficult stadium to win at. I don’t think that should just be hand-waved away.