The Grizzlies host the Morehead State Eagles, who are looking to get back into the win column after losing their first of the season last week at North Dakota. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

“Since the clock and the game ended last week, I’m ready to get back on the field and redeem ourselves,” Montana receiver Xavier Harris said. “I didn’t like the ending and the outcome of that game. But sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. We’ve got to move on, take it and hope we win next week.”

Montana has been good in Missoula, with a 13-game home win streak starting in the 2022 season. The Griz have won 17 consecutive non-conference regular-season home games, dating back to a loss in 2015.

Morehead State is 2-0 for the first time since 2007, but has yet to face an FCS opponent. The Eagles have defeated an NCAA Division II team and an NAIA team.

MSU plays in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League. Despite this, PFL teams have gone 2-0 against the Big Sky so far this year.

“Their league has done a good job early in the season,” Montana head coach Bobby Hauck said. “We expect them to come here expecting to beat us. So we have to be ready to go.”

Here are five things to watch during the game, which will air on Montana Television Network and stream on ESPN+.

Quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat had to evade pressure and get out of the pocket a lot last week. His athleticism and pocket awareness saved him from even more sacks when the O-line’s pass protection failed.

Montana allows 3.5 sacks per game, which ranks 104th in the FCS and last in the Big Sky. The Grizzlies’ 6.5 tackles for loss per game ranks them 66th in the nation and seventh in the conference.

It seems UM’s offensive line is still striving for cohesion and working together as one. They will be challenged to not miss blocks and apply late pressure against Morehead State.

“I call them a pressure team, depending on how you define pressure,” Hauck said. “Is it fake pressure or fake pressure? Is it real pressure? Is it man pressure, zone pressure? They have a pretty deep package. So I call them a pressure team. We expect them to make a man play.”

The Eagles play a 3-3-5 defense, which is what Montana played under Hauck. The Griz offense has been practicing against it all offseason, so they have experience, although there may be some wrinkles.

Defensive player Noah Benza has 16.5 career TFLs.

The Griz are converting third downs at a 27.3% clip (6 of 22), which ranks 92nd in the FCS and 10th in the Big Sky.

Opponents are converting third downs at a success rate of 44.4% (12 of 27), which ranks the Griz defense 73rd in the nation and 10th in the league.

Montana has an advantage by forcing third-and-longs. However, the Griz have allowed teams to make 6 of 12 third downs with 9 or more yards to go.

UM’s offense is 1 of 11 on third-and-longs. That means half of the 22 third downs the Griz have faced have required them to collect 9 or more yards. They would be better off with more success on first and second downs to create more third-and-shorts.

The Griz have only 39 first downs, which is 39th most in the FCS. Meanwhile, UM’s opponents have 47 first downs, which ranks the Griz defense 83rd in the FCS.

Morehead State quarterback Connor Genal is a graduate transfer who played in a handful of games in the FBS with New Mexico’s Mountain West program. Ryan Upp, one of his receivers, is 12 yards shy of breaking 1,000 in his career.

“They’re balanced,” Hauck said of MSU’s offense. “It looks like they’re trying to be 50-50 run-pass. That’s a two-game split. They’re a one-back offense, playing one or two tight ends, sometimes no tight ends at all. They’re just like everybody else.”

Montana’s five penalties per game are the 23rd fewest in the nation, but their 52.5 penalty yards per game are the 54th fewest.

What those stats don’t tell you is how expensive those penalties have ultimately been. The Griz have given up six touchdown drives this season; four of those drives included at least one penalty committed by UM.

Against Missouri State, a pass interference on third-and-7 extended a drive that ended in a TD. A roughing the passer on second-and-10 put the Bears in the red zone on another TD drive.

Against North Dakota, two pass interference plays on a first-and-10 and a third-and-3 gave UND 22 yards en route to a TD. A face mask on the first play of a TD drive moved the Fighting Hawks 15 yards and into UM territory.

On offense, the Griz suffered unsportsmanlike conduct that resulted in a punt, a false start by a wide receiver prevented them from running out the game clock, and an intentional grounding thwarted a touchdown opportunity, forcing them to settle for a field goal.

Morehead State leads the FCS rankings with just five penalties.

UM has had early problems addressing issues, which is unusual for a program that prides itself on being solid in that area.

The Griz will be well served by cleaning up missed tackles, excessive pursuit of ball carriers, poor angles and containment on the edge. They lost containment on two TD runs by Missouri State in the opener and missed multiple tackles on two TD runs by North Dakota last week.

The Griz have eight new starters on defense, including multiple transfers, so it may take some time for them to get comfortable. They’re also adjusting to a pair of new defensive coordinators in Tim Hauck and Roger Cooper.

They rank ninth in the nation with three sacks per game and 16th in the nation with seven tackles for loss per game. Most of those stats came in the season opener; those numbers dropped in Week 2 against tougher competition and despite the return of All-American linebacker Riley Wilson.

UM’s defense will see an offensive line this week that features three seniors and one junior as starters. The Eagles will start with a true freshman at left tackle.

What improvements will the Griz show and how quickly? They play offensively oriented teams Western Carolina and Eastern Washington over the next two weeks.

Will the Griz feel like they can pick one quarterback and keep him after this game?

It looked like they were leaning toward Ah Yat, as he had taken nine of 11 drives last week. He had played the first half of the opener plus the first drive of the second half.

“He’s doing a good job of learning, processing and getting better at his craft,” Hauck said. “I think he’s willing to work at it. The spirit of improvement will help him, I think. That’s just the way he’s wired.”

Last week, Montana went to Logan Fife, who got two drives, one in each half. He had played most of the second half of the first game.

Ah Yat is 29-of-47 passing for 245 yards and one touchdown while rushing 15 times for 23 yards as a slippery runner. His rushing yardage has often been hurt by sacks. Fife is 6-of-10 passing for 95 yards and one score while rushing five times for 20 yards.

How will the coaches split reps this week? It appears they’ll have a chance to play both, as well as Helena third stringer Kaden Huot, if they can live up to their 32.5-point betting favorite status.

Morehead State leads the FCS with five interceptions, three by safety Matthew McClelland and two by defensive back Jalen Henderson. The Eagles tied for second in the nation last year with 17 interceptions.