MISSOULA — It was circled on the calendar for many even before the season began, and all of the buildup has only heightened those expectations as No. 7 Montana gets set to host No. 4 UC Davis is a massive top-10 clash.
The game will have a big ripple effect in determining the Big Sky Conference champion as the regular season winds down in its final weeks. It'll be a 8:15 p.m. kickoff on Saturday on ESPN2 in Missoula.
"We're just trying to win each and every week, and it doesn't matter who's on the other sideline," UM head coach Bobby Hauck said. "We're just trying to win every week. And in this week, it's UC Davis, who is a is a good conference opponent."
Davis boats one of the best offenses and defenses in the Big Sky Conference.
The Aggies are 8-1 on the year with a 8-0 mark against FCS teams, including a 5-0 record in conference play.
Led by do-all standout Lan Larison, who was the Big Sky preseason offensive player of the year, the Aggies' high-powered offense has been a tall task for opposing teams to figure out.
"Well, he's their leading receiver and their leading ball carrier. He catches it well. He runs hard. He's got good speed," Hauck said. "He's proved himself to be pretty durable this year, which was something that he wasn't last year. So, you know, he's just, he's a talented kid."
The Aggies are also led by veteran quarterback and All-Big Sky talent Miles Hastings, as well as All-American safety Rex Connors on their stout defense.
Those guys, among others, are players the Griz saw last year, adding some familiarity to the contest.
"I've kind of just broadly looked over what to expect now, but you know, with Larison being healthy, he'll be a huge part of our preparation," UM senior linebacker Ryan Tirrell said. "But as far as their other personnel goes, it'll be good to be able to look back on last year's film and see how we what we did right and wrong against them."
The Aggies' home stretch sees them play Montana and No. 2-ranked Montana State as they try to seal the regular season conference title.
For Montana (7-2, 4-1 Big Sky), it's a prime opportunity of the Grizzlies to get a top-5 win to make another statement and keep building momentum toward the playoffs and a potential first-round bye, as Montana returns to the friendly confines of Washington-Grizzly Stadium for the first time in almost a full month.
"Well, it's a great opportunity for them to come here in the best environment in FCS football, so it should be a good game," Hauck said.
