It’s always a big game but this Brawl of the Wild — no matter what the players and coaches say — is really big.

The Big Sky Conference football championship and a high seed in the playoffs are at stake, though not for the first time: Former Missoulian writer and current historian Kim Briggeman notes that in 1996 — 29 years ago almost to the day — the No. 2 Montana Grizzlies battled Montana State with a conference title at stake. 

At quarterback for the Griz that day: Sophomore Brian Ah Yat. Saturday at noon on statewide television, Brian’s sophomore son Keali’i will be taking snaps for the Griz, again ranked No. 2. 

The difference being that those 1996 Cats were not ranked No. 3 in both FCS polls, or boasting a defense like we’re likely to see Saturday. 

“They’re very assignment-sound,” UM coach Bobby Hauck said of the 9-2 Cats, who have the Big Sky’s best unit against the run (Griz are second), the pass (UM is 12th) and in total yards (UM is fifth). “I think they have a good understanding how their defense fits together front and back. They’re doing a lot of things right.” 

The main tipping point, then, would seem to be the league’s most prolific offense, meaning 11-0 Montana’s, against that defense. Ah Yat was unsteady in six starts as a redshirt freshman in 2024; he has nearly 3,000 yards passing this season. 

“Ah Yat’s had a heck of a year so far,” said MSU coach Brent Vigen, the more verbose of the coaches this and every week. “He looks a lot different than he did last year. He’s elusive, makes good decisions, pushes the ball downfield and all those things.

“It starts with him, but then you’ve got (Eli) Gillman and (Michael) Wortham, two headlining playmakers in our league. Gillman’s been doing it for quite a while. Wortham has added a new dimension for them.” 

Wortham is tops in the league (and third in the FCS) in all-purpose yards, at 155.4 a game; Gillman sits fourth in the Big Sky thanks in large part to 1,129 rushing yards. 

Then you go across to MSU’s offense and there’s just as much to like. Julius Davis and Adam Jones combine for 129 rushing yards a game; Justin Lamson has excelled in his first season as a starting college QB, further enhancing Vigen’s reputation as a “Quarterback Whisperer.” 

Montana’s defense, blistered at times by opposing passers, will be tested. The Grizzlies do have 18 interceptions, a statistic that helps them rank second in the Big Sky in passing efficiency defense — behind, of course, MSU. 

The Griz secondary has battled injury, though safety TJ Rausch has been steady. Even steadier is Caden Dowler, a junior safety who leads a resurgent Bobcat secondary. 

“That was one of our biggest question marks coming into this year and that’s one of the biggest surprises,” defensive tackle Paul Brott said of MSU’s defensive backfield. “Those guys have unlimited juice.” 

There will plenty of juice Saturday, in front of another record crowd at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. It’s doubtful the two teams have been ranked higher in the previous 123 Cat-Griz games. 

The players do their best to ignore the hype. 

“Control your emotions,” MSU tackle JT Reed said. “Things start to get out of whack when you get way too amped up.” 

“Coach (Cameron) Norcross says it best, every Monday,” said Whitefish product and Griz center Dillon Botner. “It’s the biggest game in program history because it’s the next one.”