We are 0-7 lifetime against the Griz and we'll be playing in one of the most difficult venues for opponents in all of the FCS. This is an enormous opportunity for the Aggies.

The FCS coaches continue to rank the Aggies cautiously as the Ags only move up 3 spots from #16 to #13 in the latest Coaches Poll:



https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/fcs/fcs-coaches-poll

Aggies move up to #3 in the anygivenday.com poll:



http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?215962-AGS-Poll-Results-WEEK-8-POLL-2018-SEASON

I think this is the biggest test of the D1 era in terms of overall importance for the Big Sky title and playoff implications so far. An even bigger game looms in the distance against EWU if they continue to win and we win this one and take care of business against NAU in two weeks.

That's getting too far ahead of ourselves though. We need to focus only on Montana. This is the big one at the moment and it will be a very stiff test.

I have no way to determine the validity of the research that went into this article. It does seem to be a very high number of defections but, given that Sac is largely a commuter school with lower academic admission requirements, the number of players leaving the team may not be overly high by comparison to other schools with similar demographics and admission standards.

Some of the players quoted in the article say they felt like Sears "shamed" them and, if it is accurate, then I think Sac has a coaching problem:

“Jody embarrassed me in front of the whole team,” Johnson said. “He pulled up this play and ripped me for it, not really what went wrong, he just said I got dominated and destroyed and that this is film of terrible football and I should be ashamed.”

The next 4 weeks will tell us a lot.

Yes, I saw that he was on their first team Big Sky.

Definitely have to give some props to our O line. They did a great job of pass and run blocking and the D really stepped up. Pretty much a complete game for the Ags outside of the first quarter.

We've got a stable of good RB's and receivers. Thomas and Gilliam are impressive. I think having the ability to consistently mix up the ground and passing game is huge for us and makes us very tough to defend.

Were the Poly fans around you grumbling about their offensive play calling? I was watching the live stream and you could hear the boo birds in the background of the Poly announcers. They even commented about it...

Notice how many times the Poly announcers, who I felt were very fair and knowledgeable, bemoan the Poly offensive decision making. They also were dumbfounded by the number of fair catches Poly made on our kickoffs to them when there wasn't an Aggie within 20 yards of the returner. The boo birds can be heard in the background also. Tough times for Poly...maybe time for a big change...

The replay is now available on Big Sky TV. Just scroll back one day to October 20.

https://bigskyconf.com/sports/2015/11/19/WatchBigSky.aspx

Davis Enterprise: Aggies wallop Cal Poly, score 52 unanswered

“They moved pretty good on us on that first drive,” Moe allowed. “But it was just a matter of getting used to what they were doing and all keeping our assignments.”

Defensive coordinator Robert Tucker agreed…

“I give all the credit to our defense for holding that team scoreless over the last three quarters. It was just a matter of getting used to the speed of the game, and once we did, we were able to shut them down. I’m very pleased with that effort.”

https://www.davisenterprise.com/sports/aggies-wallop-cal-poly-score-52-unanswered/

Monster game!!!

Montana needs to win out to be seriously considered for the playoffs. They'll be sky high and the place will be packed with rabid Griz fans. This will be the most intense environment that the Ags have played in so far this season and the noise will be deafening. This game will be a huge test and a big stepping stone in the Ags' Ascension!

I was a little surprised that we didn't see many of our reserves once we were up big in the 4th. Bad memory of the Northern Colorado finish (not)? Did anyone besides Maier take a snap?

I'm nearly positive that Jamison had a sack also...

The Stats poll is an interesting one. ISU at #3 and two Ivies at 5 & 6. I watched ISU @ Liberty yesterday and they lost 48-41 but they were very impressive regardless. After the disappointment of their loss to us they traveled across the country to play an FBS team and put up 631 yards. The Gueller to Gueller combo as good as Maier to Doss. Not sure I'd want to play them again in the playoffs.

North Dakota 41 Sac 15 Final