He knew it two years ago, too.
“I'd rather play a Division III team,” said Rifilato, whose club lost to the Grizzlies 55-0 in 2005. “Last time in the first half I think we got one first down. If the official takes the ball and moves it 10 yards once on Saturday, I'll be happy.”
“They're not as veteran a team as they were a year go,” Hauck said. “But Ed's been there a while, and he knows what he's doing. I'm sure his recruiting has taken over. How far they're along is probably a better question for him.”
The fact that Rifilato has guided them to their first back-to-back winning seasons (6-4 and 7-4) since 1985 might give the visitors some hope, but many of the principal players for Griz in 2005 are back.
Montana running back Lex Hilliard ran for 108 yards against the Skyhawks two years ago. Defensive end Kroy Biermann and linebackers Tyler Joyce and Loren Utterback all had sacks.
All of them return.
“Those guys are some war-daddies,” said Rifilato. “But Bobby (Hauck, Montana's coach) was great. He played three different groups on three different series. It's not like he played his first group and beat the hell out of us.”
Montana can use the game to again play into its depth, which it does many weeks as it is. The Grizzlies have next week off ahead of a final non-Big Sky Conference game against Albany.
The Grizzlies will face a team with a new quarterback - most likely junior Tom Stoffel - triggering a spread offense.
“I know they're a spread-'em-out and try to dice the ball type of offense,” Utterback said Tuesday. “We've already been talking about some ‘light' personnel groups - they'll be running four-receiver sets and trying to spread us out and throw the ball on us.”
Two years ago the Skyhawks ran some screens and traps aimed at keeping the Griz off guard. They threw just 18 times and had 41 carries for 64 yards.
Matt Gutierrez is gone after four years as a starting QB, but the Griz will have to guard against either Stoffel or fellow junior Dave Nieman - both weigh 220 pounds - running the ball. Southern Utah's Wes Marshall ran effectively against the Grizzlies' opener last week, which UM won 37-17.
Beyond that the Skyhawks bring in an experienced back in Dion Myers, a 5-foot-11, 188-pound senior who ran for 322 yards on 63 carries a year ago.
The main receiving threat will be Brandon Cummings, who had 39 receptions for 698 yards and a team-best six touchdowns in 2006.
Yet the Skyhawks are seriously trumped. Craig Chambers caught 41 passes last year for the Griz. He is sidelined by a shoulder injury - possibly for the season - but everybody else who caught a pass for UM in 2006 is back.
“In 2005 you looked at the tape, and you thought they were pretty good,” Rifilato said. “But when you look at this team - wow, are they athletic. Bobby does a great job of coaching them, their whole staff does a great job. They have some great players.”
Hauck figures Saturday to be another step in a long process.
“We want to build on the effort level,” he said. “We went out (against Southern Utah) and played fast. Generally we executed well, particularly for our first game. We just need to continue to improve.
“Our goal is not to play our best game in September.”
NOTES: Linebacker Brady Haynes, now a 200-pound junior, had the only sack for Fort Lewis against the Griz two years ago. Š Hauck and Rifilato coached against each other when Hauck was at Washington and Rifilato was Idaho's defensive coordinator in 2000-01. Š Fort Lewis running back Rajive Otah, Myers' backup, reportedly didn't make the trip because of a hamstring injury. Š UM's top four tacklers from the 2005 game - Joyce, Craig Mettler, Kelly Kain and Tyler Corwin - will be on the field Saturday. Š Fort Lewis will receive $50,000 for the game.
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