The 8-1 Grizzlies have blocked six punts heading into their Big Sky Conference game against 3-5 Portland State at 2:05 p.m. at PGE Park. The visitors are third in the Football Championship Subdivision in net punting, and among the top three in the league in both kick returns and punt returns.
Portland State, meanwhile, has Aaron Woods returning kicks at 25.3 yards a pop, the conference's No. 4 scorer in place-kicker Danny Urrego, and a propensity for faking punts.
The Vikings have been successful on two of three punt fakes this season - they came up short in their 31-21 loss at Weber State last week - and last year blocked three kicks.
“I think they're very effective,” Hauck said. “But the thing that shows up the most is they play very hard.”
Most fans know the Portland State Vikings lead the FCS in passing offense, but they're also making noise in a couple other statistical categories in the Big Sky.
They're eighth in the league in penalty yards per game at 82.1; and it is worth noting their opponents have more penalty yards than anyone in the conference.
“A lot of times that goes hand in hand,” said Hauck. “They're an aggressive bunch. Sometimes that leads to penalties. In terms of penalties we're the lowest in the league (53 in nine games, for 508 yards). I'm hoping that continues this weekend.”
Montana is on the verge of a little-known milestone: With a win Saturday the Griz will have 100 victories dating back to the start of the 2000 season.
Big Sky Conference assistant commissioner Jon Kasper did the leg work on the statistic, which has the Griz outpacing such programs as Boise State and Oklahoma in the Bowl Championship Subdivision and Appalachian State in the FCS.
Here's a look at the top five for all Division I and the FCS:
Division I
Montana 99-21
Oklahoma 98-18
Boise State 94-16
Texas 93-12
Ohio State 88-22
FCS
Montana 99-21
Appalachian State 86-29
Northern Iowa 77-29
Furman 77-33
Georgia Southern 75-34
Appalachian State has won the last three FCS titles.
Portland State linebacker Andy Schantz, a candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award for the top defensive player in the FCS, remained impressed with the Grizzlies before this season began.
“This summer people were asking me if this was going to be a down year for Montana, and yadda, yadda, yadda,” said the 235-pounder. “No. It's never going to be a down year for Montana. They have a tradition of winning, and they ingrain that in their kids.
“They look good on film. They've got a good, big line. Good skill guys. Their running back looks good on tape. (Cole) Bergquist is really good too.”
The Vikings enter the game ranked 114th out of 118 FCS teams in total defense, allowing 452.4 yards per game.
“It's going to be a challenge,” Schantz said. “But you know what? That's why you look forward to it. It's going to be an awesome atmosphere, and we're looking forward to playing them at home.”
QUICK KICKS: In the last two seasons Portland State has had 29 and 18 players start football games for the first time. Š PSU was just 2-for-13 on third down conversions at Weber State last weekend, and the Vikings 33.9 percentage in that category rates last in the Big Sky. Montana leads at 44.7 percent. Š The Griz start 15 players from the state of Montana. Š PSU starts nine Oregonians, though strong safety Aaron Dickson may back up freshman Cody Worthern on Saturday. Š The Vikings have turned over kickoff duties to Jake Webber, a sophomore from Eugene. Š The 2006 game between UM and Portland State drew 13,156 fans to PGE Park.
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