What do we make of these bands of Bulldogs invading Montana, playing both the top-ranked Bobcats and No. 3-ranked Grizzlies Saturday?

The Drake Bulldogs, who visit Washington-Grizzly Stadium at 1 p.m., have advanced to the FCS playoffs the last three seasons out of the Pioneer Football League. The Butler Bulldogs, who kick off at Bobcat Stadium at 6:30 p.m., received the non-scholarship conference’s first FCS playoff berth, in 2013. 

Their combined playoff records: 0-4, and the league is 2-13 in the FCS postseason all-time. Both victories belong to San Diego, and both came over Big Sky Conference teams -- 35-21 over Cal Poly and 41-10 over Northern Arizona in 2016 and 2017. 

Last week 

Butler struggled past an NAIA team in its opener last week, though Georgetown (Ky.) is a power and ranked 20th in the latest poll. Bulldog quarterback Gabe Passini (solid name) ran for 176 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown that put his team up 24-23 at 1:30 of the third quarter.  

That was Butler’s first lead in what became a 27-23 win. 

“We have a couple common opponents in Weber and San Diego, but ultimately each year is a new year,” MSU coach Brent Vigen said of Butler. “They were able to produce a running game, primarily from their quarterback. That’s job No. 1. It’s not that he’s not a thrower, either; it’s that the run game stuff is what really popped from last week.” 

Drake’s quarterback also stood out. In his first start under new coach Matt Walker, Riley Warzynski threw for 535 yards and three touchdowns. 

He had touchdown passes of 80 and 73 yards in the fourth quarter as Drake battled back from a 31-13 deficit, taking the lead on a blocked field goal TD. Then DII South Dakota Mines drove 79 yards to go back in front, and intercepted Warzynski with 54 seconds left for a 38-35 win. 

Walker’s resume 

Drake’s coach spent 15 seasons at Wisconsin-River Falls, ending with an NCAA D-III title last year.  

That season marked its first conference title in 40 years and a fifth straight year leading its league in total offense. Walker brought Warzynski with him from UWRV; the QB didn’t throw a pass in 2025 but racked up 1,100 yards and six TDs in 2024 for the Falcons. 

Last season River Falls averaged 355 passing yards and 45.6 points a game. 

“I definitely think our DBs will be tested this week and we’ve got to see how they hold up,” Montana coach Bobby Kennedy said. “I think over the last several years that Matt’s been a head coach, they’ve had one of the top offenses in the country. There’s no doubt (Warzynski) he’s a good player and they also use him in the run game.” 

O-line grades 

The Bobcats went part of last week’s 54-0 win at Utah Tech without starter Burke Mastel, and Vigen wasn’t glowing in his grading of MSU’s offensive line. 

“There were a couple plays, honestly, that we missed,” said Vigen, whose club threw for 307 yards. “We only had one explosive run all game (Colson Coon tore off an 18-yarder) and that is rare for us. That’s not on the running backs, that’s on everybody else, generally speaking.  

“That’s some credit to Utah Tech but I think it’s an area that we can improve on.” 

It was tougher to grade Montana’s O-line after the Grizzlies’ 28-21 win over Southern Utah, given the small sample size: 48 offensive snaps compared to 83 for SUU. 

Kennedy was happy with what he saw. 

“We gave up just one sack and one real pressure so that was really satisfying,” he said. “Because during cap there were times when our defensive line got after them pretty good.” 

Bench use 

Montana State took 70 players to St. George and 68 got in the game, according to one MSU official. On Monday Vigen said all but one defensive player got in the game against the Trailblazers. 

Montana, meanwhile, used just 20 players beyond the 11 starters on offense and 11 on defense. A more comfortable finish might afford more of the 44 newcomers to the Griz (24 transfers) more playing time. 

The three starting receivers played all the snaps and had to shake off some early drops by Lekeldrick Hughes and a fumble by Landon Ramson-Goelz.  On Monday Kennedy was also asked about Hughes’ game-winning TD in which the receiver dropped the ball dangerously close to the goal line. 

“Those are things that can dramatically change the outcome of a game, and if guys see the mistake and learn from it, then we’re on the right track,” he said. 

Beyond that, he feels building chemistry between quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat and a mostly new receiving crew — Brooks Davis is the main holdover — is still in process. 

“Keali’i is a warrior and battler,” he said. “Sometimes guys miss a pass once in a  while; we’ll clean those things up. But I have full confidence in him as I do our receivers. “Potentially, if we get some guys to come along, this could be one of the best receiving corps we’ve had, including tight ends.” 

Sports Editor Fritz Neighbor can be reached at 406-758-4463 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.