Montana vs. NDSU in 2003

[LehighFan11]

I was just looking at Montana's past schedules to get a feel of their road performance for the upcoming Cal Poly game. I saw that in 2003 on Sept 6th they lost 25-24 to NDSU @ home. I need some gizz or bison fans to help me out here, i was about 14 yrs old at the time. Wasn't NDSU in D-II? Was this a huge upset or not that surprising? Thanks guys.

[Grizaholic17]

Aw yes, huge shock to griz nation. Great game, but props to NDSU for their valor in this game. The griz didn't think much of them...but they sure surprised us.

[LehighFan11]

Aw yes, huge shock to griz nation. Great game, but props to NDSU for their valor in this game. The griz didn't think much of them...but they sure surprised us.

Wow I bet that was shocking. So, they were still a D-II team right?

[Grizzaholic]

Old news........been discussed over and over and over and over.

The highlight of NDSU's program was that one game if you talk to certain posters.

[Mountaineer]

Wow I bet that was shocking. So, they were still a D-II team right?

They were.

Apparently the Griz have never paid the Bison a return visit to Fargo either. Or something. It's just what I've heard. xwhistlex

:D

[aust42]

I was just looking at Montana's past schedules to get a feel of their road performance for the upcoming Cal Poly game. I saw that in 2003 on Sept 6th they lost 25-24 to NDSU @ home. I need some gizz or bison fans to help me out here, i was about 14 yrs old at the time. Wasn't NDSU in D-II? Was this a huge upset or not that surprising? Thanks guys.

It was a huge upset at the time. Griz were up 24-2 at the half and then laid an egg in the 2nd half losing 25-24 to DII NDSU.

[LehighFan11]

Old news........been discussed over and over and over and over.

The highlight of NDSU's program was that one game if you talk to certain posters.

Sorry, at that time I knew about the PL, Ivy and CAA but didn't really know anything about western teams. Thanks for clearing that up.

[Benne]

They were.

Apparently the Griz have never paid the Bison a return visit to Fargo either. Or something. It's just what I've heard. xwhistlex

:D

You heard wrong. It was SDSU they snubbed. But the read about it on this board, you'd think it was NDSU.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Wow I bet that was shocking. So, they were still a D-II team right?

It was surprising to the team more than anything. They jumped out to a big lead and then NDXU just chipped away in the second half and the Griz couldn't get it going. I believe they were allowed a few more scholarships in this year on their way up to D! but they were not at the full compliment. Here is a link to the game recap. NDSU guys will like the refresher...

http://wpe1.montanagrizzlies.com/fmi/xsl/mt_griz/db/news/xsl/news_item.xsl?-db=mtgriz_content&-lay=content_news_detail&id_news=4462&record_type=DB&-token.1=4462&-max=1&-find

[AZGrizFan]

You heard wrong. It was SDSU they snubbed. But the read about it on this board, you'd think it was NDSU.

That might be the biggest "no *****ter" of the year, Benne. xsmhx xsmhx xsmhx

[Mountaineer]

..you'd think it was NDSU.

Isn't everything about NDSU? xlolx

:p

[ursus arctos horribilis]

They were.

Apparently the Griz have never paid the Bison a return visit to Fargo either. Or something. It's just what I've heard. xwhistlex

:D

Mountaineer, you guys haven't returned the game you owe Leanne Rhymes either so no casting stones here.

[Mountaineer]

Mountaineer, you guys haven't returned the game you owe Leanne Rhymes either so no casting stones here.

xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx

Dirtbag.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx

Dirtbag.

I know.

[SteelCurtain]

It was surprising to the team more than anything. They jumped out to a big lead and then NDXU just chipped away in the second half and the Griz couldn't get it going. I believe they were allowed a few more scholarships in this year on their way up to D! but they were not at the full compliment. Here is a link to the game recap. NDSU guys will like the refresher...

http://wpe1.montanagrizzlies.com/fmi/xsl/mt_griz/db/news/xsl/news_item.xsl?-db=mtgriz_content&-lay=content_news_detail&id_news=4462&record_type=DB&-token.1=4462&-max=1&-find

sorry, but no it was just our little old 36 scholarhsip squad that came to town.

And no I don't consider that our biggest win.

The biggest wins for me personally are beating Central Mich last year by 30 pts(they won the MAC) and beating the Gophers(bragging rights forever in these parts!!!)

[bisonwest]

At the time it was our biggest win. In light of everything that has happened the past five years I'll say that it was a landmark win in our transition. The biggest?? NO. But it ranks right up there because it seemed so improbable at the time.

[mlbowl]

They were.

Apparently the Griz have never paid the Bison a return visit to Fargo either. Or something. It's just what I've heard. xwhistlex

:D

Why would we?...they were DII...we don't do home and home with DII teamsxrolleyesx

[bisonwest]

They were.

Apparently the Griz have never paid the Bison a return visit to Fargo either. Or something. It's just what I've heard. xwhistlex

:D Nope. It was Montana State that never returned the favor. The Montana game was not a home/home. I beleive Ga. Southern also owes us a game.

[Gil Dobie]

At the time it was our biggest win. In light of everything that has happened the past five years I'll say that it was a landmark win in our transition. The biggest?? NO. But it ranks right up there because it seemed so improbable at the time.

It was a big win, but the Grambling game in 1965 for the National Championship was bigger IMO. xthumbsupx

Also a Camellia Bowl game vs Montana for a National Championship was bigger in 1970.

[UNCBears2010]

It was a big win, but the Grambling game in 1965 for the National Championship was bigger IMO. xthumbsupx

Also a Camellia Bowl game vs Montana for a National Championship was bigger in 1970.

What about your four DII National Titles from 1985-90? I still consider our 51-0 title game win in '97 our biggest ever. Even though we did beat that other team from Montana in 2003.

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

I was just looking at Montana's past schedules to get a feel of their road performance for the upcoming Cal Poly game. I saw that in 2003 on Sept 6th they lost 25-24 to NDSU @ home. I need some gizz or bison fans to help me out here, i was about 14 yrs old at the time. Wasn't NDSU in D-II? Was this a huge upset or not that surprising? Thanks guys.

They were DII but it wasn't that surprising to any knowledgeable Griz fan.

Hauck's teams keep games close and play down to their competition. When you manage a game like that you can expect this to happen from time to time.

[GolfingGriz]

It was pretty surprising and special teams was the difference. NDSU scored on a fake field goal with about 3 minutes left and after UM drove the field, Chris Snyder missed a field goal wide right. Credit to NDSU though, they handled us in the second half.

[bisonwest]

It was a big win, but the Grambling game in 1965 for the National Championship was bigger IMO. xthumbsupx

Also a Camellia Bowl game vs Montana for a National Championship was bigger in 1970.

For the program as a whole the 65 championship probably was the biggest. Bison football was not that successfull until Darrel Mudra took over. The way he turned the program around so quickly mirrors in many ways what has happend with Bohl.

[JBB]

To be sure the D2 National Championships were huge but they didnt change the program. They are a foundation of the program but didnt hearld change like the Grambling, Montana and Gopher wins.

For me The Montana Win was huge. News of that game rolled accross the prairie like a fast moving thundersorm. It was celebrated in all the papers and made the national news. The message boards buzzed all night. It reconfirmed NDSU as a great football school and ushered in the D1 era.

They dont owe NDSU a game. They were fantasic fans very humble and congratulatory in their loss. They won the respect of the NDSU fan base. We probably wont play again unless its a plyoff and that will be interesting if its not a seeded game. They have about 5,000 more seats than we do so they have a bigger purse to bid with.

[AmsterBison]

I'm with JBB on this one: Grambling, Montana, Minnesota are the three biggest wins. Hard to choose from the D2 championships but they weren't as groundbreaking because of the three college division national championships.

[Wolfman]

To be sure the D2 National Championships were huge but they didnt change the program. They are a foundation of the program but didnt hearld change like the Grambling, Montana and Gopher wins.

For me The Montana Win was huge. News of that game rolled accross the prairie like a fast moving thundersorm. It was celebrated in all the papers and made the national news. The message boards buzzed all night. It reconfirmed NDSU as a great football school and ushered in the D1 era.

They dont owe NDSU a game. They were fantasic fans very humble and congratulatory in their loss. They won the respect of the NDSU fan base. We probably wont play again unless its a plyoff and that will be interesting if its not a seeded game. They have about 5,000 more seats than we do so they have a bigger purse to bid with.


I hate to burst your bubble, but you didn't win that game, Hauck handed it to you on a silver platter. Yes, you guys played a great game. I was there. But, Hauck's coaching blunders in both halfs were the difference.

Example, with less than 30 seconds to go until halftime, and the Griz having a third down and long from their own 3 yard line, the Griz call a deep handoff six yards deep in our end zone. The Bison tackle our RB for a safety. It was such a disaster call, that any one of 3 different Bison defenders could have tackled the RB, 5 yards deep in our end zone. That two points was the difference in the final score. What coach with half a brain would hand the ball off 6-7 yards deep in their own end zone?

In the second half, Hauck did what he always does....tries to sit on a lead, instead of aggressively going for more points. The result was that he allowed NDSU back in the game. Typical Hauck.

With calls like this, it makes it easy to win games.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

I hate to burst your bubble, but you didn't win that game, Hauck handed it to you on a silver platter. Yes, you guys played a great game. I was there. But, Hauck's coaching blunders in both halfs were the difference.

Example, with less than 30 seconds to go until halftime, and the Griz having a third down and long from their own 3 yard line, the Griz call a deep handoff six yards deep in our end zone. The Bison tackle our RB for a safety. It was such a disaster call, that any one of 3 different Bison defenders could have tackled the RB, 5 yards deep in our end zone. That two points was the difference in the final score. What coach with half a brain would hand the ball off 6-7 yards deep in their own end zone?

In the second half, Hauck did what he always does....tries to sit on a lead, instead of aggressively going for more points. The result was that he allowed NDSU back in the game. Typical Hauck.

With calls like this, it makes it easy to win games.

I watched the game on TV...Bison ran the ball pretty effectively in the 2nd half...kept Grizz offense off the field.....might have contributed or helped with the winxthumbsupx xthumbsupx

I believe the Grizz thought that NDSU was another DII patsy coming in for a beat-down. Bison at the DII level was always a 1AA team.....maybe not NC caliber but they could have beat most 1AA's.

My 2$

[mvemjsunpx]

I like Hauck, but that game was definitely his worst coaching performance.

Luckily, he followed that up 3 weeks later with his best coaching performance. With Ochs & Disney both hurt & RS Freshman Justin Hartman left to start @ QB, Hauck & co. pulled the option out of their ass with Freshman DB Kyle Samson running it & the Griz stomped the I-A Idaho Vandals, 41-28. The game wasn't really that close, either, as Montana led 31-9 in the third. If Idaho hadn't gotten smart & benched QB Michael Harrington (Joey's brother) for previous starter Brian Lindgren, the game would have ended in a blowout. The Griz ran for 344 yards in the contest, including an 80 yard reverse TD by WR Jefferson Heidelberger on the opening play from scrimmage.

[JBB]

Hate to burst your bubble, but there is no question Coach Bohl was the superior coach. He still is. Coaching is part of the game. Getting out-coached is no different than getting out-played. I dont think using that as an excuse does anything to change the magnitude of the win or the loss.

[JALMOND]

I was just looking at Montana's past schedules to get a feel of their road performance for the upcoming Cal Poly game. I saw that in 2003 on Sept 6th they lost 25-24 to NDSU @ home. I need some gizz or bison fans to help me out here, i was about 14 yrs old at the time. Wasn't NDSU in D-II? Was this a huge upset or not that surprising? Thanks guys.

In certain cases, sometimes its better not to bring up the past.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Hate to burst your bubble, but there is no question Coach Bohl was the superior coach. He still is. Coaching is part of the game. Getting out-coached is no different than getting out-played. I dont think using that as an excuse does anything to change the magnitude of the win or the loss.

I don't think anyone is desagreeing with this assertion JBB. He did a good job and your boys showed some real guts.

[LehighFan11]

In certain cases, sometimes its better not to bring up the past.

Haha yea i figured this thread would be a simple few answers by a griz or bison fan...i guess i should of known better

[Gully]

Old news........been discussed over and over and over and over.

The highlight of NDSU's program was that one game if you talk to certain posters.

Not even close. The Griz have a great program you should be proud of....now need for sour grapes.

[Gully]

I hate to burst your bubble, but you didn't win that game, Hauck handed it to you on a silver platter. Yes, you guys played a great game. I was there. But, Hauck's coaching blunders in both halfs were the difference.

Example, with less than 30 seconds to go until halftime, and the Griz having a third down and long from their own 3 yard line, the Griz call a deep handoff six yards deep in our end zone. The Bison tackle our RB for a safety. It was such a disaster call, that any one of 3 different Bison defenders could have tackled the RB, 5 yards deep in our end zone. That two points was the difference in the final score. What coach with half a brain would hand the ball off 6-7 yards deep in their own end zone?

In the second half, Hauck did what he always does....tries to sit on a lead, instead of aggressively going for more points. The result was that he allowed NDSU back in the game. Typical Hauck.

With calls like this, it makes it easy to win games.

Funny, a lot of coaches have their worst games against us and a lot of "higher level teams" find ways to "give the game away" to NDSU. Boy, we sure are lucky!:)

But seriously, the Griz did start to play not to lose and it bit them. No one can deny we were able to run the ball pretty effectively though. The difference in the game was that NDSU had nothing to lose and had the guts to go for the fake field goal.

[Kelly Green]

I'm with JBB on this one: Grambling, Montana, Minnesota are the three biggest wins. Hard to choose from the D2 championships but they weren't as groundbreaking because of the three college division national championships.

ESPN recognizes one of your big three:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=upsets/080905

[NDSUFREAK]

i love football.

[Mountain Panther]

Haha yea i figured this thread would be a simple few answers by a griz or bison fan...i guess i should of known better

I'm sure both teams had completely forgotten about it before you brought it up. xrolleyesx

[Wolfman]

Funny, a lot of coaches have their worst games against us and a lot of "higher level teams" find ways to "give the game away" to NDSU. Boy, we sure are lucky!:)

But seriously, the Griz did start to play not to lose and it bit them. No one can deny we were able to run the ball pretty effectively though. The difference in the game was that NDSU had nothing to lose and had the guts to go for the fake field goal.


I did not say that NDSU was lucky in that game. And, they played a great game. That fake FG, which everyone in the stands except Bobby Hauck knew was coming, was also a great call.

I am just saying that the biggest reason for the Griz loss was coaching. Your head coach pushed all the right buttons, and ours coached like a first-year high school coach. The result was the loss. Great win for you guys. And, you deserved it.

[BisonBacker]

Why this was brought up and why the thread is still going is xdizzyx

[Grizaholic17]

I don't think anyone is desagreeing with this assertion JBB. He did a good job and your boys showed some real guts.

To say the least. NDSU showed up that game. I hate how these threads always turn into a pool of bickering. I get sick of it. Great job back in '03 guys. I've said it many times. But let's not hang our hats. '08 is on the horizon. Let's do it.