Biggest Brawl In History

The third Saturday in November is the biggest football Saturday in Montana each and every year. And while there have been some huge Cat-Griz games in recent history, none may be bigger then what's about to take place Saturday in Missoula when the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats meet for the 124th time.

And though there have been so many classic games between the Bobcats and Grizzlies, this one might just be the biggest of them all. That's because Montana is ranked No. 2 and Montana State is ranked No. 3, sitting up the highest-ranked showdown between the two teams in series history, But there's much, much more then that to this game, and there's so much at stake.

Here's five things you have to know about Saturday's Brawl of the Wild, which kicks off at 12 p.m. at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula.

1. So much on the line

Not only are these two of the best teams in FCS, they are clearly the two elite teams in the Big Sky Conference, and because they're both 8-0 in conference play, the Brawl becomes the conference championship game for the second time in three years. Montana is undefeated and the Cats have won nine games in a row and have rolled through conference play, so the winner will be the outright Big Sky champion. The winner will also be the No. 2, or perhaps the No. 1 seed in the upcoming FCS playoffs and have home field advantage through the semifinals. That means the road to Nashville will have to come through either Missoula or Bozeman.

2. Offense vs Defense like never before

The matchups for the Brawl are crazy. Montana State has the No. Scoring defense in the entire FCS, allowing just 16.2 points per game. Meanwhile Montana's offense is tops in the Big Sky at 42.0 points per game. On the flip side, the Grizzlies are second only to MSU in scoring defense at 22.8 points per game, while the MSU offense is second to the Griz at 39 points per outing. So, the matchups will be so, so close, but keep an eye on Montana State's steplar passing defense, while Montana is last in the big Sky in pass yards allowed. However, the Griz lead the Big Sky in turnover margin, and are first in the FCS in interceptions this season.

3. Stars to Watch

There's explosive players all over this game. Montana's Michael Wortham and Montana State's Taco Dowler are not only the top two all-purpose players in the FCS, but, they're two of the newest wide receivers in the country as well. Montana running back Eli Gillman also leads the Big Sky in rushing this season, while the quarterbacks are also 1-2 in the Big Sky, as Montana's Kealii'i Ah Tat averages 285 yard sper game and MSU's Just Lamson averages 225. On defense, MSU safety Caden Dowler is a ball hawk, while Montana linebacker Payton Wing is a tackling machine.

4. Will home field matter again?

The last four Brawls have gone to the home team and it hasn't been close. In 2001, Montana won at home 29-10, while the Cats dominated 55-21 in 2022 in Bozeman in front of College Game Day. In 2023, the Griz returned the favor 37-7 in Missoula, while last year, the Cats willed to a 34-11 win in Bozeman. So will Washington-Grizzly Stadium be the difference this Saturday?

5. How to watch the game

The 124th Brawl of the Wild will kick off at Noon on Saturday in Missoula. The game can be seen locally on all Montana CBS stations. The game can also be viewed on ESPN+