MISSOULA — The No. 9 Montana Grizzlies (2-1) wrap up nonconference play this weekend as they get set for their second top-25 matchup of the season.
Next up is No. 24 Western Carolina (1-2) of the Southern Conference, a team with high expectations and a prolific offense led by star quarterback Cole Gonzales.
"I think we all enjoy the challenge," UM senior linebacker Ryan Tirrell said. "He's got a good crew around him as well. So we're always up for the task. We got to take it day-by-day and make sure we focus in on them."
Gonzales was a Walter Payton Award finalist last year and was named the SoCon offensive player of the year after taking over at starting QB, as he broke a number of school records in the process and guided one of the top offenses in the FCS. Western Carolina went 7-4 a year ago and barely missed the playoffs after losing its final game of the season, a contest in which Gonzales exited early due to injury.
"He looks like he sees coverage pretty well to me," UM head coach Bobby Hauck said. "I think with the experience he's got, he sees what's going on in front of him. So guys like him are hard to fool.
"You look at their production, they led the nation in total offense a year ago. So I would say that those are the things. When you're productive, people regard you highly."
Gonzales is one of 10 Catamounts who were named preseason All-SoCon, as Western Carolina was picked to finish third in the league in the preseason polls.
So far it's been an up and down season for Western Carolina, as they held tough and were leading then-ranked North Carolina State in the first game of the season into the fourth quarter before ultimately falling to the FBS opponent.
"They played well," Hauck said. "They were solid in all three phases. I thought they did some great things in third down and moved the chains and took advantage of opportunities and got some big stops on defense."
A disappointing loss to Campbell at home followed that after turnovers hurt the Catamounts, but they rebounded last week to beat Elon on the road and get themselves back into the top 25.
With a high-powered offense and suspect defense that gives up some of the most yards in the FCS so far, the Catamounts provide another interesting challenge for Montana, as the Grizzlies look to close out nonconference strong after bouncing back against Morehead State last week.
"Their team's got a chance to win this year, chance to win their conference, chance to be a factor in the rankings and all that," Hauck said. "So we'll have a huge challenge on Saturday when they come."
