The Montana Grizzlies start the playoffs against Tennessee State

The Grizzlies were an offensive powerhouse that struggled to stop teams on defense in the first half of the season. They have then gradually improved their defense over the past few weeks, while the attack has declined more and more.

That has Montana still trying to put together a complete game performance as it begins the FCS playoffs with a No. 13-position, no. 14 seed and records of 8-4 overall, 5-3 in the Big Sky Conference.

They open the postseason at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium against the 21st-ranked and unseeded Tennessee State Tigers, who went 9-3 overall and 6-2 in the Big South-OVC.

UM opened as a 16.5-point betting favorite with an over/under of 48.5 points.

“I think offense and defense are both extremely dangerous,” Montana senior safety Jaxon Lee said. “Also, special teams. If we all get fired at the same time, I think we can be a very good football team and hopefully make it.”

Here are five things to watch in the game, which will be televised on ESPN 2.

Quarterback Logan Fife was under constant pressure last week against a Montana State team that currently ranks 47th in the FCS in sacks and 58th in tackles for loss.

The Griz now face a Tennessee State team that ranks 36th in sacks and ninth in tackles for loss. Tigers average 7.3 TFLs and 2.3 sacks per match.

The Griz will need their offensive line to hold up to create a clean pocket and running lanes. They allow 5.6 TFLs and two sacks per. games to place 54th and 67th.

Tennessee State has six players who have 8.5 or more tackles for loss this year. By comparison, Montana has such a player. The Tigers have three players who have five or more sacks. Again, the Griz have one.

Defensive lineman Eriq George leads TSU with 12 tackles for loss and nine quarterback hurries while ranking second with 5.5 sacks. Defensive lineman Keandre Booker paces the Tigers with 6.5 sacks while ranking second with 11 TFLs and seven quarterback hurries.

The defensive line depth and production continues as Chris Walker has 10 TFLs and five sacks, while Cameron Blaylock has nine TFLs.

At linebacker, Sanders Ellis also has 11 TFLs, while Ahmad Nelson is 11th in the FCS with 5.2 solo tackles per game and has 8.5 TFLs.

Hauck said the tackles for loss and sacks are a product of the personnel as well as the scheme.

“It’s a bit of both,” he said. “They have great size on the defensive line inside. They have good speed on the edge. So that combination provides some of that.”

Montana has had its three worst rushing performances this season across the previous four games.

The Griz rushed for 68, 77, 199 and 117 yards in that stretch, an average of 115.25 yards per carry. match. That lowered their season average to 200.4 yards per carry. game on the ground, which is still good enough to rank 16th in the FCS.

The Grizzlies’ loss last week dropped them to 1-4 in games where they had more pass attempts than rushes. The 12-game differential (35 passing, 23 rushing) is the second-largest margin, behind the loss to UC Davis (14).

Montana running back Nick Ostmo left last week’s game with a knee injury. Eli Gillman could see a bigger workload this week, or younger players Stevie Rocker Jr. and Malae Fonoti was able to work his way into several carries.

The Griz will need to establish the running game against a Tennessee State team that limits opponents to an average of 139.2 rushing yards, which is 41st in the country. They will also need to hold on to the ball as TSU is 12th in the FCS with 10 fumble recoveries while forcing 22 and scoring three defensive TDs.

UM got Keelan White back but lost Aaron Fontes last week and now faces a pass defense that ranks 38th in giving up 195.8 yards per carry. match and has nine picks. Tyler Jones leads with four interceptions, Boogie Trotter has three picks and seven pass breakups, while Jalen McClendon has 12 pass breakups.

Hauck said the Tigers “give people a lot of trouble with their defense.” In-game adjustments on offense will be key.

“They’re mixing it up,” Hauck said. “We don’t know how they’re going to play us. But they mix it up. They have a variety of fronts and coverages. They’re a very game-planned system, where they adjust their scheme to what they think is the best week out, so they’re a little hard to prepare for.”

Tennessee State quarterback Draylen Ellis is a veteran who is in his fifth year as a starter heading into the 2021 spring season. He has played in 49 games and started 42 times across his stints at TSU and Austin Peay.

Ellis is a dynamic player who has thrown for 2,733 yards (12th in FCS) and 22 touchdowns (17th in FCS) while rushing 69 times for 134 yards and two TDs this year. He has completed just 60.6% of his passes (228 of 376 completed).

The Tigers have veteran players to bolster Ellis. Both running backs and all six wide receivers on their depth chart are upperclassmen.

Karate Brenson leads the team with 60 catches and 884 yards to go with four TD catches. Jalal Dean paces TSU with six TD catches to go with 46 catches and 569 yards. Bryant Williams has 36 catches for 410 yards and five TDs.

On the ground, Jaden McGill leads the Tigers with 112 rushes and 502 yards to go with two TDs. CJ Evans has rushed 76 times for 283 yards and three TDs. Tevin Carter has a team-high five TD runs on 26 rushes for 125 yards.

The Tigers list five sophomores as their starting offensive lineman. They had an academic transfer center, but he didn’t start last week.

“The quarterback is a playmaker, so we’ve got to have an idea of ​​how to handle that if we can,” Hauck said. “They’ve got big receivers; create some matchup problems. They’ve got some skill guys.”

UM struggled to get off the field on third down last week, dropping its third-down defense to 38.2% to rank 51st in the nation. The Griz will now see a Tigers offense that converts third downs at 38.8% to rank 59th nationally.

Tennessee State has struggled inside the 20-yard line and is ranked No. 103 in the FCS for red-zone offenses and scored on just 72.5% of his trips. Montana’s red zone defense ranks 60th and holds teams to scoring on 82.1% of drives.

Montana has given up its share of yards between the 20-yard lines, but forcing the Tigers to kick field goals would benefit their chances of winning. TSU’s James Lowery had made just 10 of 19 FGs with a long of 40 yards.

The Tigers can pass up those field goal attempts and go for it on offense. They convert just 46.2% of their fourth-down attempts (77th in the FCS), while Montana leads the country in fourth-down defense at 22.2%.

The Griz may also be able to come off the field by forcing turnovers. The Tigers have fumbled the ball 15 times and lost eight, while Montana has forced 12 fumbles and recovered five. Tennessee State has been selected from seven times. The Grizzlies have intercepted 12 passes, led by safety Jace Klucewich with four.

Montana’s defense can cause confusion that puts the Tigers at a disadvantage, according to head coach Eddie George.

“They throw bodies everywhere,” he said. “It’s a defense where they’re very tough, physical. They close gaps. They want to be one place one minute and the next place the next. The best way to describe it is like Star Wars. It’s a blitzkrieg , and they do a good job of it.

“Trying to fix that is going to be a challenge for us from a protection standpoint. From a run game standpoint, we have to be patient. We can’t necessarily do too much in the run game where we can get tackled for losses and fall behind schedule with this unit.”

CJ Evans has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns this season to be in a seven-way tie for the national lead. He is an explosive player who averages 37.4 yards across 14 kickoff returns. His longest return was 99 yards.

As a team, Tennessee State ranks fifth in the FCS with 26.8 yards per carry. kick return. Montana has struggled in kick return defense and ranks 110th in giving up 23.6 yards on average.

Evans is also the leading punt returner, averaging 9.3 yards on 13 returns with a long of 28 yards. Dayron Johnson is averaging 8.5 yards on six punt returns with a long of 31 yards. UM has been solid, holding teams to 6.4 yards (33rd).

TSU has tallied just 12 touchbacks on 64 kickoffs, so Montana should have the potential to run kicks. The Tigers are 112th in kick return defense, giving up 24.1 yards on average, while UM is 28th at 22.1 yards per punt. match.

Tennessee State also struggled in punt return defense, allowing 10.3 yards per punt to rank 86. The Griz are eighth at 14.4 yards per punt. return. Will teams still kick Junior Bergen? He made them pay in the playoffs last year.

Hauck said the Tigers’ special teams are “playing at an elite level.”

“They know what they’re doing and they get called in,” he said. “Their scheme is really sound. They play hard. All the things that good teams do. You don’t see teams have the kind of success they’ve had without good special teams play, and they have that.

“They get a lot of yards in their return game. They do some things in punt protection that we haven’t played against this year. They’re really physical in their kickoff coverage. Coach has them going. I think the key to it all is that their players know what they’re doing.”