SEASON OUTLOOK

First-year Montana coach Bob Stitt and the Grizzlies caught the country’s attention when they knocked off No. 1 North Dakota State 38-35 last Saturday at home. The Bison were 14.5-point favorites and seemed nearly invincible until UM running back Joey Counts charged into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown with 2 seconds left. That moment started the Stitt era in Missoula with a bang and put the rest of the Big Sky Conference on notice. No, the Grizzlies will not have to adjust to a new coaching staff and offensive system. They’re ready to win right away.

OFFENSIVE LEADERS

Brady Gustafson

At 6 foot 7, Gustafson is the prototypical, stand-in-the-pocket quarterback and doesn’t immediately look like the ideal player for Stitt’s wide-open, fast-paced offensive attack. But he seemed just fine against NDSU, completing passes to seven different receivers for 434 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He played well enough to knock off the nation’s top team, and still looked like he has room to improve.

Jamaal Jones/Ellis Henderson

Idaho State has one of the best receiving corps in the Big Sky. Montana’s appears just as lethal. Jones and Henderson combined to haul in 15 catches for 252 yards and two touchdowns last Saturday. Jones, a 6-1 senior, and Henderson, a 6-0 junior, are dynamic and will give every defense on their schedule fits.

John Nguyen

It’s easy to overlook the 5-7, 180-pound tailback from Bellevue, Washington, but Nguyen looks like Montana’s feature back with Stitt in control. Nguyen is shifty and had 86 yards on the ground and 48 yards receiving against the Bison.

DEFENSIVE LEADERS

Tyrone Holmes

Holmes, who had 66 tackles and 7.5 sacks as a junior, is being billed as one of the Big Sky’s best defensive linemen. He was certainly good in Montana’s opening game, finishing third on the team with eight tackles. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive end also had a sack and forced a fumble.

Jeremiah Kose

A third-team all-Big Sky selection as a junior, Kose (6-2, 230) was Montana’s second-leading tackler with 117 takedowns. He’s part of Montana’s greatest strength, an athletic group of play-making linebackers.

Kendrick Van Ackeren

Van Ackeren had 122 tackles last season and was a second-team all-Big Sky defender. Now a senior, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound native of Washington is a preseason third-team All-American. He played like it versus North Dakota State, leading UM with 10 tackles and recovering two fumbles.

THREE TO PONDER

Can Montana recover emotionally from beating North Dakota State?

In front of a national TV audience and a record-setting crowd of 26,472, Montana upset four-time defending champion North Dakota State in dramatic, last-second fashion. The game was brilliant, and the Grizzlies’ celebration was jubilant. It was a preseason nonconfence matchup, but UM and its fans commemorated the moment like it was something more. With so much emotional energy put into the game, it will be fascinating to watch as Montana hosts Cal Poly on Saturday in a non-league game. The Mustangs whipped the Griz 41-21 last year in California, and Cal Poly’s offense has nine starters back. The Mustangs will expose the Grizzlies in a hurry if they weren’t able to bury their recent success and prepare for their next game.

Does Montana now have the Big Sky’s fastest offense?

Idaho State’s offense plays at a breakneck pace — about as fast as possible. But Stitt and the Grizzlies want to take that to another level. Stitt says he wants to run 45-50 plays every half. If they do that, the opponent’s defense will tire and Stitt’s team will have the advantage by the fourth quarter. That’s the same logic ISU deploys. But which of them can execute the strategy to the greatest effect? And how many combined plays will they run when they play one another?

After one game, is Stitt ready to lead Montana back to prominence?

Montana was ranked No. 12 in the preseason FCS Coaches’ Poll and No. 13 in the STATS FCS Poll. Judging by their first game, it wasn’t high enough. But this question isn’t about whether Stitt can lead the Grizzlies to a Big Sky or national championship in 2015. It’s about how can he leverage Montana’s fervent fan base, first-rate facilities and expansive budget to put the Grizzlies back at the top of the national FCS consciousness? From 2000-09, UM won at least 11 games eight different times. The Grizzlies have done that once in the past five seasons, even finishing below .500 in 2012 — their first losing record since 1985. In this decade, Eastern Washington and Montana State have emerged as the Big Sky’s premier programs, something no Grizzly can live with.

WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR THE BENGALS?

Montana is the middle game of a five-game stretch for Idaho State that coach Mike Kramer has talked about since the end of last season. ISU hosts Eastern Washington on Oct. 17 and plays at Sacramento State on Oct. 24 before closing out the season hosting Montana (Nov. 7) and Montana State (Nov. 14) and traveling to Weber State on Nov. 21. The Idaho State-Montana matchup will undoubtedly be one of the most anticipated of the Kramer era at ISU and has the potential to be the most entertaining with the energy Stitt has infused into the Grizzlies program.