MISSOULA — Montana football is turning back the clock — or at least trying to.

Bobby Hauck, who won seven consecutive Big Sky Conference championships in his first stint with the Griz, will return to Montana as the head coach, according to a report from Skyline Sports late Wednesday evening.

The Daily Inter Lake could not independently verify the report.

The report from Skyline Sports said an official announcement is expected by Friday pending approval of the contract by the Montana Board Of Regents.

Montana athletic director Kent Haslam disputed the report in statements to multiple news outlets after its release, describing it as “absolutely false” and saying that “no final decision has been made,” according to The Missoulian.

Hauck, who accrued an 80-17 record with the Griz from 2003-09, currently serves on the San Diego State football staff as special teams coordinator and associate head coach.

He would replace Bob Stitt, whose contract was not renewed after a second consecutive loss to Montana State left Montana on the outside looking into the FCS playoffs for a second straight year. Stitt went 21-14 in his tenure.

Hauck, a Missoula native, piloted the Griz to three appearances in the FCS title game in his first stint as head coach. He was named Big Sky Coach of the Year three times before leaving Montana to be the head coach at UNLV in December 2009.