When we checked in with Henry Nuce in August, he was talking about donating stem cells to a cancer patient and accepting that his junior season with the Montana Grizzlies would have to wait.

A torn pectoral muscle early in training camp required surgery, so it didn’t figure that Nuce, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound Glacier High product, would see the turf at Washington-Grizzly Stadium until 2024.

But on Dec. 8 there the defensive end was, chasing down Furman quarterback Tyler Huff for a sack.

“I was going around the edge on the right tackle,” Nuce said Friday, after practice ahead of the FCS title game on Jan. 7. “The QB stepped up so I countered in, and he ran right into me, kind of.”

It didn’t seem likely or even possible that he would be on the field, but now he’d contributed nicely to Montana’s 35-28 overtime win over the Paladins. And by the time Cat-Griz week rolled around, Nuce had a pretty good idea he’d return.

“Around the Bozeman game,” he said. “Basically PT (physical therapy) was going really well. I was getting a lot stronger, making really good progress, and talking to Dr. Stayner, he said if it keeps getting better, you can probably go. We beat Bozeman, then we had a bye week, I didn’t play against Delaware and then Furman, that’s when I got in.”

He was back out there on Dec. 16 for Montana’s epic 31-29 double-overtime semifinal win over North Dakota State.

The Grizzlies, who play upwards of 20 men on defense, are happy to have him back.

“I don’t think anybody really thought he could make it back this year,” Montana coach Bobby Hauck said. “But at the time, we did a little research on how long it took (Pittsburgh Steeler defensive end) TJ Watt to come back from it, and that’s about the schedule that Hank got on and wanted to be on. 

“So he worked hard at it, and the medical people, his surgeon, the PT people did a great job, and got him back. It’s been good for us because we’ve been pretty banged up there. It’s a spot where we don’t have much depth.”

Watt’s injury, which reportedly didn’t require surgery, came in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season; he was activated almost exactly two months later. Nuce took a little more time to return, but he’s back and gets to play again Jan. 7, against South Dakota State for the national championship in Frisco, Texas.

“It’s just a blessing that we were still playing,” he said. “The worst part about my injury was not getting to play again with my roommates. They’re all seniors, except for Riley (Wilson). Levi (Janacaro), David (Koppang), Braxton (Hill) and (Tyler) Flink. I thought I’d never get to see the field with them again, and I was devastated about that. 

“I mean, I’m so lucky not only to be healthy, but to have us keep playing into January.”

On Deck: Deck

The other half of the Grizzlies’ two-pronged Glacier High influence is sophomore receiver Drew Deck. He has played in 10 games this season, and caught three passes for 21 yards. On special teams he’s returned two punts for 17.

He also looks good in front of the Great Divide Trophy: He showed up in a picture posted by UM photographer Tommy Martino, headband still in place.

“I actually saw that, that’s a good-looking picture,” Deck said. “It’s been fun. There’s been some ups and downs to the career, but this season has been just fun, taking advantage of the opportunities I get.”

Deck did not make the trip when Montana took its lone loss, a 28-14 verdict at the hands of Northern Arizona. But he certainly heard the naysayers after.

“We all heard it or saw it, but that’s kind of the cool thing,” he said. “We never lost sight of anything. Not the guys in the locker room, or the coaches. We knew what our goals were, and we never once doubted it. It’s been kind of a run ride, because everybody kind of wrote us off.”

A redshirt in 2021, Deck played very sparingly last season. This season he plays in certain personnel groups. He made one of his catches in the win over the Bobcats. 

“In his time here I think he’s improved vastly and we think he has a bright future,” Hauck said.

“Everyone gets an opportunity. You just have to take advantage of it when it comes,” said Deck, a 5-9, 165-pounder.

Now there’s an opportunity to be national champs, which is what he envisioned while attending every Griz home game possible.

“Pretty dang exciting,” he said. “You hear it all the time, but it’s something you dream of. 

"I probably could count the (games) that I missed on both hands. I was pretty lucky. Makes this even more special to me.”

Inefficient QBs

Montana’s defense has been stellar not only against the run but against the pass. The Grizzlies’ defensive passing efficiency rating sits third in the FCS, at 110.25. 

Starting with the 37-7 win over Montana State and through three playoff games? It is a minuscule 86.08. A who’s-who of excellent quarterbacks — Tommy Mellott and Sean Chambers for MSU, Tyler Huff for Furman, NSDU’s Cam Miller — have combined to complete 54 of 132 passes with four interceptions and four TDs.

Miller came in completing 74.5 percent of his passes, was 9 of 22 against the Griz.

“You’d like to think it has everything to do with our defense. I don’t know if that’s the case or not,” Hauck said Friday. “But usually when the quarterback's not having a good game the other side’s playing well, and I think we’ve played well.”

On Jan. 7 comes another superb QB: The Jackrabbits’ Mark Gronowski has thrown for 2,883 yards and 28 TDs, completing 69 percent of his passes. He doesn’t throw a ton of passes — with Isaiah Davis and others running the ball like they do, why would you — but is most effective. He was 12 of 19 for 201 yards in SDSU’s 33-16 win over North Dakota State on Nov. 4.

The Bison wouldn’t lose again until they visited Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

“If you’d told me North Dakota State would have nine points with whatever, a minute left in the game? I would have thought we won by three touchdowns,” Hauck said. “That’s not the way it went, but you know — we’re playing well on defense, and doing a good job."

QUICK KICKS: Word came Friday that some 1,100 donors had helped the UM Marching Band raise the $200,000 needed for it to attend the title game on Jan. 7. … SDSU joined the FCS ranks in 2003 and had its first playoff game in 2009 — the legendary 61-48 loss at Montana in which the Griz scored the game’s final 40 points. … This is the Jacks’ 12th straight playoff appearance, including the 2021 spring season, where they lost to Sam Houston in the title game. … SDSU is 21-11 all-time in the FCS playoffs. The Griz are 38-24.