Throughout the summer, the UNDSports.com staff will take a deeper look into the 2012 opponents for the North Dakota football team as it embarks on its first season in the Big Sky Conference.
It has been nearly 30 years since Montana - one of the top FCS programs in the country - has paid a visit to Grand Forks, but the Grizzlies will be frequent visitors over the next three years.
With UND's arrival in the Big Sky Conference, the Grizzlies drew a pair of road conference games in Red River Valley in 2012 and 2014 and the team will also play a non-conference game in the Alerus Center in 2013.
The Green and White will pay its first visit to Missoula as a Big Sky member in 2015. Defensive end Ross Brenneman said at the recent Big Sky Kickoff event that the road atmosphere in 2010 (Montana won 27-17) when UND last visited the Grizzlies' home field was the best he has seen during his college career and the senior co-captain is hoping that UND fans can replicate the same buzz in the Alerus Center.
The UND faithful will get that chance on Oct. 20 and they'll be doing so in front of a national television audience as well as with the 1:30 p.m. kickoff being part of Root Sports Big Sky weekly TV package.
The Grizzlies have suffered through a tumultous offseason and their program has been shaken up, but long-time assistant coach and first-year head coach Mick Delaney will look to keep Montana at the top of the FCS. Delaney just had the interim title removed after signing a two-year contract.
Delaney inherits a team that reached the FCS semifinals (Lost 31-28 to Sam Houston State) and won a share of the Big Sky Conference championship. The loss to the Bearkats snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Griz, whose only Big Sky loss was at Sacramento State in late September.
Offensively, the running back duo of Peter Nguyen (senior) and Jordan Canada (sophomore) combined for 1,415 yards and 12 touchdowns as the run game accounted for just over 50 percent of the team's offense. Quarterback Jordan Johnson also rushed for 506 yards to go with his 2,400 yards through the air (21 TDs/nine INTs).
Johnson will be back, but only one of the trio of receivers that shared the team lead with 36 receptions will return for the Griz in 2012. That receiver is senior Sam Gratton, who turned his 36 catches into 465 yards and three touchdowns.
Johnson does get senior Greg Hardy back at tight end. Hardy was a preason All-Big Sky honoree and a reigning first team member from 2011. He had 22 catches a season ago.
The Griz churned out 33.9 ppg, while the UM defense yielded a Big Sky-low 19.9 ppg and also led in total defense (327.1 ypg). The defense will have to replace tackling machine Caleb McSurdy, who had 130 stops in 14 games from his linebacker spot.
Junior John Kanongat'a is the team's top returning tackler after registering 92 take downs in 2011. He also added 3.5 sacks and ranked sixth in the BSC with 11 tackles for a loss.
Did You Know?
Since 1993, Montana has won or shared 16 of the last 19 Big Sky championships. The Griz are 43-5 in league play over the past six seasons. Montana won or shared a record 12 straight league titles from 1989-2000.
The Griz have won 11 or more games in 9 of the last 12 seasons and have enjoyed 26 consecutive winning seasons.
This will be the ninth meeting between the two teams in Grand Forks. Montana is 4-3-1 in those games. UND won the last matchup in the Peace Garden State, trumping the Griz 31-10 in 1973.
Montana will open the 2012 season against the South Dakota team that UND defeated 38-37 in the 2011 regular season finale.
