No team from south of the Mason-Dixon line has ever won a Division I-AA playoff game at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, a trend that continued last Saturday when Montana throttled McNeese State 31-6.
McNeese, the Southland Conference champ from Lake Charles, La., managed just two field goals and 224 yards of total offense in near-freezing temperatures on a field framed by banks of snow, pushed there by plows. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, played what coach Bobby Hauck called their most complete game of the season, rolling up 514 yards and accounting for all their scoring in just three quarters.
Montana ran its home playoff record to 16-0 against teams from the Deep South in a span that dates back to 1989. The average margin of victory in those games? Try 30.8 points.
“Their physical size, I thought, really affected the game,” said McNeese coach Matt Viator. “They did a really good job and were certainly the better team.”
While McNeese managed to handle the cold weather, it was obviously bothered by the crowd of 20,077, a record for a Grizzly first-round game. The noise was a key factor in five Cowboy penalties, four of them false starts. It also helped lead to three muffed snaps in the first half by freshman quarterback Derrick Fourroux.
Those miscues slowed drives where the Cowboys had to settle for field goals.
“It was loud, very loud,” Fourroux said. “As you can tell, I'm a little hoarse.”
McNeese had some success in shotgun formation, using a silent count. But when Fourroux was under center, trying to bark signals, the Cowboys struggled.
“It didn't affect me personally, but I'd say it had a great effect on our line,” said McNeese receiver Steven Whitehead. “This is the biggest crowd I've seen, the closest thing to a Division I-A school. The fans were great, the fans were loud. They were quiet when they (the Grizzlies) were on offense and loud when they were on defense.”
McNeese almost defeated UM in its last playoff trip to Missoula, losing 30-28 in the 1994 quarterfinals. Backup quarterback Bert Wilberger engineered a desperation drive that culminated in Andy Larson's last-second field goal.
But in general, Southland teams haven't come close. The Griz have defeated Nicholls State 48-3; Stephen F. Austin 70-14; Sam Houston State 34-13 and 49-24, and Northwestern State 57-7, 45-14 and 28-19.
Only four teams - Cal Poly, Western Illinois, Youngstown State and Delaware - have snatched playoff victories from the Griz in Missoula. The latter three hail from the Midwest and East, where brutal weather and rowdy crowds are expected come playoff time.
Montana's quarterfinal opponent, Southern Illinois, also fits that profile. We'll see if it helps the Salukis this weekend.
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