Expectations were high for Montana coming into the 2019 FCS season. The Grizzlies were one win away from potentially making last year's playoffs and returned a good chunk of its starters.
One position group especially was looked at as the strength of this team: the receivers. And so far, they have delivered as Montana has lived up to said expectations.
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With senior quarterback Dalton Sneed in his second season behind center after transferring in and an improved offensive line giving Sneed more time, Montana's offense is 10th in the FCS with 316.6 passing yards per game. The passing attack has played a pivotal role in the team's 4-1 start and a No. 8 ranking in the STATS FCS Poll.
The Griz have an array of weapons to utilize.
Jerry Louie-McGee is a 5-foot-9 senior who is a matchup nightmare for outside linebackers or nickel cornerbacks. He has 30 catches for 277 yards and three touchdowns. Sammy Akem is a 6-foot-4 HERO Sports Preseason All-American and a big-play threat down the field against defensive backs who can't match his catch radius. The junior has 30 receptions for 435 yards and two scores.
Samori Toure is another big junior target at 6-foot-3 and he has 26 catches for 351 yards and two touchdowns. In all, Montana has 13 players with at least one catch and eight guys who have caught one or more touchdowns.
"It makes it difficult to defend us," Akem told HERO Sports. "When you have weapons like that and you have players that can hurt you in many different ways, it makes it super tough to game plan against."
TOUCHDOWN, MONTANA!
Sammy Akem doing Sammy Akem things!
UM 24, UCD 7 – 14:14/3rd
WATCH @ROOTSPORTS_NW#GoGriz #RTD pic.twitter.com/hHuTbk9gH0
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 28, 2019
Sneed is taking advantage of those weapons and has been on point this season, playing like one of the best offensive players in the country. He's completing 68.9 percent of his passes and has thrown for 1,482 yards and 13 touchdowns to four interceptions.
"It feels a lot different than the last few years," Louie-McGee told HERO Sports. "We're just going out there and not thinking as much and just having fun and doing our 1/11th for the team. It's always awesome when you have things clicking and when all of the receivers connect with the quarterback well. And when you have such good depth at wide receiver, you're just excited to see what the next guy is going to do or when the next big play is going to come."
Dalton Sneed drops a DIME to Jerry Louie-McGee for a TOUCHDOWN, MONTANA!
UM 31, UCD 7 – 12:46/3RD
WATCH @ROOTSPORTS_NW#GoGriz #RTD #UpWithMontana pic.twitter.com/gxTAWrDxpu
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 28, 2019
Now in Year 2 of head coach Bobby Hauck's second stint with the Griz, the team appears to be more confident in its identity and its play on the field. Although, Montana's current offense doesn't necessarily reflect what Hauck's power-run offense traditionally looks like, especially in his earlier years with the Griz.
"That's one of the first things I knew about coach Hauck was how he ran his offenses," Louie-McGee, a three-time All-Big Sky performer at receiver and as a returner, said. "When he first came here, I thought it was going to be a lot different than the previous years. But even with us passing more than what he's used to, I think our run game is still really good and our depth at running back is solid."
Montana had that more balanced attack in its biggest win of the season, a 45-20 dominating performance at No. 4 UC Davis. The Griz rushed for 260 yards and threw for 268 yards.
With the win, the Griz are ranked in the Top 10 for the first time since September of 2016. There's never not a buzz when it comes to the Montana Grizzlies football team and its passionate fan base. But that buzz has grown even stronger with the start to this season.
With Missoula being one of the best football towns in the country, it's impossible for players not to hear the outside excitement around this team. But the squad is experienced enough to keep that noise outside the walls of the facilities.
"Just like every year, ourselves and our fans have a high standard," Louie-McGee said. "Nothing less than winning games and taking pride in who we are. That's the awesome part about playing here. If you're a Griz fan, you're passionate and you love everything this place holds. The buzz is pretty exciting, but for us players, (UC Davis) was just another game. It was awesome to get that win, but we still have Idaho State and other good teams coming up. We're taking it one day at a time and taking it step by step."
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