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MISSOULA- No fan enjoys watching their quarterbacks get hit. However in the case of the Grizzly offense and Trent McKinney, that's a scenario in which the team has dealt with and will continue to do so, moving forward.

The big hits on the quarterback remain a concern as this past Saturday's instance where McKinney briefly left the contest may serve as a warning to the young signal caller as well as the rest of the coaching staff.

The redshirt freshman has certainly absorbed a fair amount of licks so far this season, but it's also a big part of their success to have the dynamic where the defense has to account for the quarterback as a rushing threat.

"Trent has run the ball extremely well. He makes great reads; I don't see him worrying about that and we certainly don't, that's just what we have to do to be successful is throw it and run the read zone." said Griz head coach Mick Delaney. "When you're running read zone, Peter, Jordan, Dan are getting yards, but that's because Trent is making the right read. And when they're not, then that leaves an alley for the quarterback and so forth. Trent does a great job of understanding what we're doing with the offense from the zone read perspective."

"I try to shy away from contact as much as I can, but there are situations where I'm running to throw and I'm vulnerable. Or I'm running to the endzone and I'm vulnerable when scoring or releasing a pass and my body is exposed." McKinney explained. "Hits are going to happen. I just have to be careful and tough them out."

McKinney and the Griz will host Southern Utah Saturday at 1:30 over at Washington Grizzly Stadium as Montana looks to get back to .500 in the Big Sky conference.