MISSOULA — DAVIS, Calif. — Big Sky Conference play is back, and on deck is a game as good as it gets between a pair of programs with championship aspirations both in the league and the FCS at large.
It's a top-10 clash between No. 5 Montana and No. 10 UC Davis on Saturday, with the stakes plenty high that could set the tone for the rest of the season for both teams.
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2:24"It's going to be good competition," UM linebacker Clay Oven said. "And that's why you come to a school like this, just because you know the opponents are going to be good. Big Sky, week in, week out, it's a good conference. So it's always really exciting to be able to go against other teams in the conference and see how you match up against them and go out and play well."
UM and Davis sport eerily similar marks this season. Both are 3-1, with lone losses coming to FBS opponents.
They opened their seasons with wins over Big Sky foes that presented challenges for both teams to overcome, plus a pair of non-conference blowout wins to round out the record. UM defeated Southern Utah in a thriller to open the season, while Davis climbed back from a 21-0 deficit to beat Portland State to open the year.
"I just think they're a solid team from top to bottom," UM head coach Bobby Kennedy said. "Good offensively, good defensively. Playmakers are solid in the special teams. The return game has been really good. And so it's a challenge."
The main new face for the Aggies is sophomore quarterback Treynor Cleeland who guides the offense.
Everyone else: stars who stayed and grew in the program, including one of the best wide receivers in the FCS in Samuel Gbatu Jr., one of the league's top linebackers in Porter Connors, do-all veteran and talented running back Jordan Fisher, plus last week's return of star tight end Winston Williams, lockdown corner Drew Cofield and veteran-laden offensive and defensive lines.
Center Zaire Collier, an All-Big Sky talent, anchors the offensive line, and Davis has gotten a boost from wide receiver and returner Zach Jones, as well.
Of note, All-American safety Rex Connors, a likely future NFL talent and one of the top defensive stars in the country, was listed on the team's two-deep to enter the game but has yet to play in a game since suffering a knee injury almost exactly a year ago.
"They're always a good-coached team and they have a lot of speed out there, and size and just pretty much a good well-rounded team," Oven said. "So it's always a good challenge to be able to prepare for them."
The Griz last played in Davis in 2023, a win for Montana that kick-started UM's run to the national championship game that season.
In 2024, it was the Aggies beating the Griz in Missoula in head coach Tim Plough's first season, as UM sputtered that season and Davis took off.
So when these two meet, big results follow, and now is the time to make a statement.
"We're never a finished product. We're always trying to get better, always trying to tighten things up," UM tight end Titus Rohrer said. "And I do feel that we're about to start clicking, about to start rolling. But it's just focusing on the things you need to focus on and just continue rolling, just continue to get better and get better at the details and the small things. And then that'll translate to the big things."
"I have an unwavering belief in these guys. And I believe in the guys that we have. I believe in our staff," Kennedy added. "I know that we'll fix the issues that we had and we'll come back stronger."
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Mountain time Saturday. The game will be broadcast by Scripps Sports and air on CBS affiliates across Montana.