Big Sky Breakdown

Montana head coach Bobby Hauck, senior wide receiver Michael Wortham and sophomore outside linebacker Caleb Otlewski following UM's 52-22 win over South Dakota to advance to the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs for the 12th time in school history, including the second time in the last three seasons. 

South Dakota senior quarterback Aidan Bouman & senior defensive tackle Mo Newsom along with head coach Travis Johansen addressed the media following Montana's 52-22 win over USD in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. South Dakota's season ends with a 10-5 record. 

Montana State punted just once and rode big plays all night to a 44-28 win over Stephen F. Austin Friday night in Bozeman. The No. 2 Bobcats advance to the semis of the FCS Playoffs for the fifth time since 2019. MSU awaits the winner of No. 3 Montana and No. 11 South Dakota in Missoula Saturday. MSU head coach Brent Vigen, senior defensive end Kenneth Eiden IV and quarterback Justin Lamson along with SFA head coach Colby Carthel, quarterback Sam Vidlak and DT Ky Moore addressed the media following the game. Audio recorded by Blake Hempstead, Skyline Sports.

Former Montana linebacker Jordan Tripp joins Colter Nuanez to talk about the return of Keon Loud, the accelerated performance of Solomon Tuliapupu and the Griz defense morphing into an elite unit + we preview the quarterfinal game against South Dakota in Missoula on Saturday afternoon.

In this week's Akem's Analysis, I look into all 4 of the FCS Quarterfinal matchups and give my thoughts about all of them. After this weekend, there will only be 4 teams left standing in the #FCSPlayoffs, hear what I think about all the matchups.SPORTS BET MONTANA LINK: https://sportsbetmontana.com/en0:00 - Intro3:17 - Montana/South Dakota Preview16:39 - Montana State/SFA Preview27:26 - UC Davis/Illinois State Preview38:08 - Tarleton State/Villanova Preview49:42 - Final Thoughts51:45 - End

Illinois State 16th-year head coach Brock Spack on his team's 29-28 win over No. 1 North Dakota State and Saturday's quarterfinal matchup at NO. 8 UC Davis. 

Stephen F. Austin head football coach Colby Carthel joins Colter Nuanez on ESPN MT to talk about SFA's quarterfinal FCS Playoff game at No. 2 Montana State on Saturday. 

Sam Vidlak, who played at Montana before transferring to Stephen F. Austin, leads the Lumberjacks into the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs Friday night in Bozeman against No. 2 Montana State.

Montana senior wide receiver Drew Deck joins Colter Nuanez on 102.9 FM ESPN radio in Missoula to talk about his career and preview UM's FCS Playoff matchup against South Dakota.

Colter Nuanez joins Dave Wooten on the 106.9 FM KSKY Country "Blue & Gold Thursdays" to talk about the Julius Davis dust-up with Brent Vigen and preview Friday night's FCS Playoffs game between Montana State and Stephen F. Austin in the quarterfinals. 

Montana State wide receiver Dane Steel joined Colter Nuanez on Nuanez Now to talk about his breakout freshman season and help preview MSU's FCS Playoff matchup against Stephen F. Austin in Bozeman on Friday night. 

South Dakota head coach Travis Johansen addressed the media ahead of his team's FCS Quarterfinal matchup against No. 3 Montana in Missoula.

Former Montana running back Andrew Schmidt joins Colter Nuanez to talk about message boards, disagreements and the things UM showed in a 50-29 win over South Dakota State that helps make the Griz a true national title contender.

UC Davis head coach Tim Plough joins Colter Nuanez to talk all things Aggie football, including UCD's 47-26 win over Rhode Island and the quarterfinal matchup between Illinois State & the Aggies in Davis on Saturday.

Ryan Tootell joins Colter Nuanez to talk all things Griz FCS Playoffs win + if Montana and Montana State actually have a stronger chance to keep stud players than other non-FBS schools.

Former Montana State player and coach Michael Rider analyze the Brent Vigen-Julius Davis dust up, Yale's defensive game plan, finals week, MSU's quarterfinal matchup against Stephen F. Austin & more.

Montana posted a 50-29 win over South Dakota State on Saturday to advance to the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs for the 15th time in program history. UM head coach Bobby Hauck, senior DE Kellen Detrick and senior RB Stevie Rocker Jr., addressed the media ahead of the Elite 8 game against South Dakota State.

Montana State head coach Brent Vigen wraps up his team's 21-13 win over Yale and previews No. 2MSU's quarterfinal matchup against No. 7 Stephen F. Austin on Friday night in Bozeman, MT. 

In this week's Akems Analysis, Keenan and I recap a wild 2nd Rd Montana playoff victory over South Dakota State. We get into the highs and some of the lows we saw on Saturday. Stay tuned for the whole episode.SPORTS BET MONTANA LINK: https://sportsbetmontana.com/en

In this week's Akem's Analysis, I recap all the FCS Playoff games from the 2nd round (outside of Montana vs SDSU; you can see that in the other recap). There were some wild games in the 2nd round, and one that is historic. Stay tuned for the entire episode this week.SPORTS BET MONTANA LINK: https://sportsbetmontana.com/en0:00 - Intro2:01 - Montana State/Yale Recap13:38 - NDSU/Illinois State Recap21:28 - UC Davis/Rhode Island Recap28:32 - South Dakota/Mercer Recap35:12 - SFA/ACU Recap41:08 - Tarleton State/North Dakota Recap47:51 - Villanova/Lehigh Recap54:39 - Final Thoughts 56:30 - End  

Montana head coach Bobby Hauck, senior captain linebacker Solomon Tuliapupu and wide receiver Drew Deck + South Dakota State head coach Dan Jackson, defensive tackle Logan Green and quarterback Chase Mason addressed the media following UM's 50-29 win over SDSU in Missoula in the second round of the FCS Playoffs. 

Montana State head coach Brent Vigen along with captains senior DT Paul Brott & sophomore RB Adam Jones + representatives from the Yale Bulldogs addressed the media following MSU's 21-13 win in the second round of the FCS playoffs. 

Former Montana State All-American offensive lineman JP Flynn joins Colter Nuanez to talk all things Bobcat football, including MSU's 31-28 win over Montana in Missoula and the upcoming potential playoff run for the Bobcats. 

Former Griz All-American and NFL linebacker Jordan Tripp joins Colter Nuanez to talk about his impressions of Montana State's 31-28 win over Montana in Missoula plus key matchups as the Griz get ready for the FCS Playoffs with a second round matchup against No. 14 South Dakota State. 

In this week's Akem's Analysis, I'm previewing all the 2nd round FCS Playoff matchups. There are a lot of interesting games, for a lot of reasons. Only 8 teams will remain after this weekend. Find out what I think about all the matchups.

Montana running back Eli Gillman joins Colter Nuanez on Nuanez Now to talk about winning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year and UM's second-round playoff matchup against South Dakota State this week. 

Montana State sophomore running back Adam Jones joins Colter Nuanez on Nuanez Now on ESPN MT to discuss MSU's Big Sky Conference championship and its second round FCS Playoffs matchup against Yale on Saturday in Missoula. 

Montana State running backs coach Josh Firm joins Colter Nuanez to talk about Julius Davis' senior year, Adam Jones' sophomore year and what he expects in MSU's second round playoff matchup against Yale. 

In this week's ESPN Roundtable on 102.9 FM ESPN Montana, Colter Nuanez is joined by Tanner Castora, a journalist and author who covers South Dakota State with multiple mediums as the Jackrabbits make their way to Missoula for the second round of the FCS playoffs to play the No. 3 Montana Grizzlies. 

UC Davis senior defensive end Jacob Psyk, who is a graduate transfer from Harvard, joins Colter Nuanez to talk about Davis's playoff draw with Rhode Island coming to California 

Andrew Schmidt joins Colter Nuanez to break down home renovations, Christmas options, Montana's playoff draw + the reasons Montana will and the reasons Montana will not make a run in the FCS Playoffs with No. 14 South Dakota State coming to town on Saturday.

Skyline Sports analyst Samuel Akem joins Colter Nuanez to talk about final reactions to the Cat-Griz rivalry, the draws for the FCS playoffs, the results of the first round of the postseason + the matchups for the three Big Sky Conference teams playing in the second round.  

South Dakota State first-year head coach Dan Jackson joins Colter Nuanez on Nuanez Now to discuss the Jacks' trip to Missoula for the third playoff matchup in as many years against Montana.

Former Montana State player and coach Michael Rider joins Colter Nuanez to talk about Brent Vigen staying at MSU after a courtship from Oregon State, Justin Lamson not earning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year and MSU's playoff draw against Yale.

South Dakota State head coach Dan Jackson ahead of Saturday's second round game in the FCS Playoffs against Montana.

UC Davis drew the No. 8 seed in the FCS Playoffs and the first-round bye that comes with it. Saturday, the Aggies will host Rhode Island in a nationally televised game on ESPN2 that kicks at 9 p.m. MT. UC Davis head coach Tim Plough joined Colter Nuanez to help preview the game.

Montana head coach Bobby Hauck along with first-team All-Big Sky wide receiver Michael Wortham and defensive end Hunter Peck addressed the media ahead of the No. 3 seeded Grizzlies' second round playoff matchup against South Dakota State. 

Montana State is the No. 2 seed in the FCS Playoffs. Fresh off a bye, MSU will host Yale on Saturday in Bozeman, Montana. Bobcat head coach Brent Vigen addressed the media on Monday December 1 to preview the matchup. 

In this week's Akem's Analysis, I look back at all the games from the 1st Round of the FCS Playoffs. Yale was the headliner with its big-time upset victory over Youngstown State. Another Ivy League brother of Yale's didn't fare as well; Harvard got dominated by Villanova on the road. SDSU had Chase Mason back, and they look to be back to their early-season form. All of this and more in this week's Akem's Analysis.SPORTS BET MONTANA LINK: https://sportsbetmontana.com/en0:00 - Intro 1:48 - Yale/YSU Reaction 8:06 - North Dakota/Tenn Tech Reaction15:35 - SDSU/New Hampshire Reaction21:25 - Villanova/Harvard Reaction28:11 - ACU/Lamar Reaction33:45 - South Dakota/Drake Reaction39:48 - Rhode Island/CCSU Reaction 44:45 - Illinois State/SELA Reaction49:55 - Final Thoughts 51:09 - End

Mike Nugent of Griz Fan Pod fame joins Colter Nuanez to talk about recruiting hits & misses and the relation to a larger institutional issue at the University of Montana. 

In this week's Akem's Analysis, I look at every single game in the first round of the FCS Playoffs. There are some interesting matchups taking place, and I will be giving my thoughts on all of them. YSU & eau Brungard takes on the Ivy League AQ in Yale, and they'll be looking to impose their will. Harvard takes on CAA at-large in Villanova, and it has the chance to be the best game in the 1st Round. North Dakota hasn't been great in the second half of the season, and Tennessee Tech has played a cupcake schedule. Someone's going to come out on top, who will prove themselves? All of this and more in this week's episode. Like and comment your thoughts down below! SUBSCRIBE BEFORE YOU LEAVE!!! SPORTS BET MONTANA LINK: https://sportsbetmontana.com/en0:00 - Intro1:40 - YSU/Yale Preview8:20 - Harvard/Villanova Preview14:21 - SDSU/UNH Preview21:14 - UND/Tenn Tech Preview27:15 - Lamar/ACU Preview 32:56 - ISU/SELA Preview40:04 - USD/Drake Preview45:21 - URI/Central Conn. Preview50:21 - Final Thoughts51:08 - End

Skyline Sports co-founder Brooks Nuanez joins Colter Nuanez on Nuanez Now on 102.9 ESPN Radio to talk all things rivalry after Montana State won in Missoula for the first time since 2018 and the 7th time in the last nine times against Montana on Saturday. 

Andrew Schmidt joins Colter Nuanez for his reaction to Montana State's 31-28 win over Montana in Missoula, the 7th rivalry game win in the last 9 for the Bobcats.

Skyline Sports writer Tom Stuber, who's on the Montana State football beat, gives his takeaways on MSU's 31-28 win over Montana in Missoula to sew up the No. 2 seed in the FCS playoffs.

In this week's Akem's Analysis with Keenan, we react to Montana's close loss to Montana State at home. We discuss all the factors that contributed to the loss and share our thoughts on what could have been done differently. In the second half of the video, we examine the FCS Playoff bracket and share our initial thoughts about it as it is announced. All of this in this week's Akem's Analysis.SPORTS BET MONTANA LINK: https://sportsbetmontana.com/en

In this week's Akem's Analysis, I will be talking about some of the games that took place in the Big Sky and one in the MVFC this weekend. I will also be talking about the upcoming playoffs and what the early outlook is, as I'm looking at the bracket from where it stands. Some teams were left out of the bracket. What was that for? I will give my thoughts about all of it in this week's episode. Like and comment your thoughts down below! SUBSCRIBE BEFORE YOU LEAVE!! SPORTS BET MONTANA LINK: https://sportsbetmontana.com/en0:00 - Intro1:45 - Montana/Montana State Reaction 12:46 - UC Davis/Sac State Reaction18:38 - SDSU/UND Reaction23:56 - FCS Playoff Bracket Reaction37:16 - Final Thoughts 38:27 - End

Skyline Sports analyst Ryan Tootell gives his instant reaction to Montana State's 31-28 win over Montana in Missoula on November 22, 2025. 

Montana State head coach Brent Vigen along with quarterback (13:33) Justin Lamson, Caden Dowler and Zac Crews + Montana head coach Bobby Hauck (23:17), running back Eli Gillman and safety TJ Rausch addressed the media following MSU's 31-28 win over UM in Missoula on November 22, 2025. 

Montana State quarterback Justin Lamson, safety Caden Dowler and defensive end Zac Crews addressed the media following MSU's 31-28 win in Missoula over No. 2 Montana to secure a Big Sky Conference championship. 

Montana State 5th-year head coach Brent Vigen won for the first time in his career in Missoula, sewing up his third Big Sky Conference championship in the process by beating No. 2 Montana 31-28 on Saturday afternoon. 

Montana head coach Bobby Hauck, senior captain TJ Rausch and junior running back Eli Gillman addressed the media following UM's 31-28 loss to Montana State in Missoula on Saturday afternoon.