The 2025 Montana Griz (Grizzlies) Football team looks very similar to the 1995 team. Both teams have very high scoring offences. This season also seems to be heading in the same direction that the 2001 with having the majority of their regular season games at home and where both ranked very high in the standings.
1995 Season
The 1995 season team offense had an average score of 42.5 points per game and had a score of 163-14 in the three playoff games at Washington Grizzly, which at the time could hold 18,845 people and averaged about 15,311 people per game.
In 1995, the Grizzlies quarterback was Dave Dickinson, who in 2002 was introduced to the Griz Athletics Hall of Fame. Dickinson threw 5,676 yards and 51 touchdowns in the 1995 season which is a major reason why they were such a powerhouse offense, along with having an exceptional wide receiver, Matt Wells.
Wells had 91 catches for 1,318 yards and 13 touchdowns in 1995. He also scored both of the touchdowns in the championship game against Marshell. Wells was also inducted into the Griz Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
The 2025 season team offense is a bit behind the 1995 team with an average of 40.4 points which is not bad considering that the Big Sky Conference has grown since 1995. The Grizzlies have a total of 283 points in the seven games they have played and are more than likely to add to that total amount in the upcoming weeks against Weber State and Eastern Washington.
Keali’i Ah Yat is the Grizzlies current quarterback and has thrown 2,042 yards and 14 touchdowns this year. Leading wide receiver Michael Wortham has 610 receiving yards this year and five touchdowns.
In both of these offenses, the quarterbacks have thrown a high amount of successful pass attempts that resulted in their wide receivers gaining more receiving yards which lead to more touchdowns.
It can also be seen that the majority of both teams’ points have come from touchdowns and not field goals. That is something that was critical for the 1995 team in their championship win and will hopefully stay true to the 2025 team on their road to redemption.
2001 Season
The 2001 season team had nine home games including three in the playoffs. The season only had 16 games in total which meant the majority of them were at home. Playing on home field can be a major advantage because it can boost the teams confidence which affects the way they play.
In 2001, Washington Grizzly Stadium could hold a maximum of 18,845 people and the 2001 season had an average of 18,740 people. With the stadium almost completely full, away teams could’ve felt flustered by the roar of the crowd when they fumbled or couldn’t make fourth down on a drive.
This could’ve lead to the Grizzlies having more opportunities to score. The team was also ranked very highly in 2001. They held the number one spot in the NCAA Division 1-AA with an overall record of 15-1 and never lost a home game, and they won the Big Sky Conference.
The 2025 season team will have a total of eight regular home games which is a record for the program and a record for the FCS. The schedule for playoffs has yet to be made, but it wouldn’t be shocking if the Grizzlies got two or more home games in the playoffs because of their perfect 7-0 overall record.
Washington Grizzly can hold even more people than it could in 2001 because of the expansion it underwent in 2003 to be able to hold 25,217 people. This season average, so far, is 26,419 which is four percent over the max capacity. This energy and knowing that the stadium is constantly filling up has given the
Grizzlies the confidence that they needed this year to overcome some late trailing scores in a few home games this season.
The Grizzlies have a ranking of number one in the Big Sky Conference by a long way with the closest team being UC Davis having an overall record of 5-1.
It can be seen that the home field advantage pushed the 2001 team into achieving a high win streak and the 2025 team has an even bigger home field advantage because of that stadium extension.
The grizzlies are repeating their number one ranking from 2001, which was a part of the reason why the 2001 team had all of their playoff games at home. If the Grizzlies can get all of their playoff games at home, it’s very possible that they will make a return to the FCS National Championship.
So far the 2025 season Grizzlies have been playing well, with them constantly playing at a level that has been seen sporadically throughout the last few seasons. Keali’i Ah Yat is making career records with his pass completions and their offense is a force to be reckoned with.
The Grizzlies have been fighting to go back to the FCS National Championship game since the last time they were there in January 2024, they lost to South Dakota State. If they can continue to play as they have been, it is very possible that the Grizzlies will have three championships to their name.
