GRAND FORKS, N.D. — After a hard-fought win in their first game of the season, the Montana Grizzlies (1-0) will have a tougher week in Week 2 as No. 4 UM travels for the first time this year to face No. 23 North Dakota in a battle of the top 25 FCS teams Saturday night at the Alerus Center.
After one game, Week 2 is about seeing where they can make adjustments and improve.
“We just kind of build a connection with each other and know how, for me, the O-line is going to block people, how they’re going to get into double coverage and how fast, and what the timing is and how that’s going to work,” senior running back Nick Ostmo said. “And I think that builds as the season goes on and you get that understanding.”
The Fighting Hawks are led by Bubba Schweigert, who has been the head coach for 11 years, and UND is coming off a 7-5 season that saw them reach the first round of the FCS playoffs again.
Last year also featured a win over rival North Dakota State, and a year ago the Fighting Hawks finished 6-1 at home at the Alerus Center.
“I know them a little bit because they beat my brother (Tucker) last year when he was at NDSU,” said Griz senior safety Ryder Meyer. “I know they’re a good team. They have good skill and I think it’s a great opportunity for us to play another quality opponent, another Missouri Valley team, and see how we stack up against the rest of the country.”
Long led by quarterback Tommy Schuster, who has since transferred to Michigan State, the Fighting Hawks are now led by dual receiver Simon Romfo and standout wide receiver Bo Belquist, who was named a preseason All-American.
In the opening game against Iowa State, North Dakota (0-1) doubled the Cyclones’ (174-86) rushing yards thanks to several contributors and won the time-of-possession battle with over 15 minutes left. ISU won the game 21-3.
“They have good running backs. They’re tough in the running game. They have a pretty deep scheme in terms of different running plays they can run, their offensive lines are good,” UM head coach Bobby Hauck said. “It was fun to watch them play against Iowa State because they held up really well physically.”
On defense, the Fighting Hawks bring more experience from last season and provide variety, led by linebacker Wyatt Pedigo. North Dakota was picked fifth in the Missouri Valley this season and had five players named to the preseason All-Conference.
They are also an old Big Sky foe for Montana. The two teams last met in 2018 in Grand Forks, where the Fighting Hawks swept the Grizzlies 41-14.
Montana’s new offensive line coach Joe Pawlak also served as UND’s O-line coach for the past five seasons before joining the team in Missoula.
Montana will be looking to score a goal and improve the lead to 2-0, while UND will be looking to make a statement with its first win of the season against a top-5 team.
“They look pretty good,” Ostmo said. “They’re kind of flying around and they’ve got big guys up front, so we’re looking forward to another challenge.”
