MISSOULA - It's a top-20 clash this weekend as the No. 5 Montana Grizzlies get set for a big early test, and their opponent in No. 16 North Dakota is more than happy to come in and play spoiler.
Once a Big Sky Conference member, North Dakota and Montana locked horns again last year in the non-conference slate, in a game that UM dominated in the first half before UND flipped the script and completely took over in the second half en route to a comeback win.
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The game served as a microcosm of Montana's season, and these programs seeing each other in back-to-back seasons now offers the Griz a shot at revenge, the rare occurrence of seeing a non-conference opponent on a more familiar basis.
"I mean, knowing we played them before, kind of got the vibe they give off. But again, we still have to prepare like we do with every other team," said UM running back Eli Gillman. "So we're going to prepare to win. It's nice going in with a little chip on your shoulder for sure. But yeah, we're definitely going to come back stronger than ever this week."
The Fighting Hawks have won the last two meetings between the schools, with a win coming in 2018 as well in Grand Forks. However, the last time the two teams met in Missoula in 2017, the Griz won 41-17.
Saturday's game kicks off at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on Scripps Sports.
North Dakota took a ranked Kansas State team of the FBS to the wire to open the season, nearly picking up the huge upset before falling 38-35.
The Hawks followed that up with a blowout of Portland State, 50-20, and under new coach Eric Schmidt, they have been flying offensively, thanks to the dynamic ability of new quarterback Jerry Kaminski.
"He looks like he's really prepared, not just week-to-week, but he looks like he's ready to go," UM head coach Bobby Hauck said. "He's just a sophomore, but he looks pretty veteran. He looks composed. He's run the ball well. He's been good in the RPO game in particular. He's hit passes downfield. They've got a lot of different things they do with him and he seems to be handling it all pretty well."
North Dakota puts up yards and points, but offensively has struggled handling pressure, already allowing seven sacks on the season.
Defensively, they rank middle of the road as well, so as both teams measure up against a like opponent, there's plenty to learn from the outcome, similar to September of last year when the dust settled between these two programs.
"It's very exciting. Grateful for the opportunity to play against a really good team and just can't wait to go out there and play against them," UM cornerback Kenzel Lawler said. "I think that it means that we just have to prepare that much more for our opponent. I think that we're going to have to come together as one unit and be able to show up when it matters most."
