1996 Montana Grizzlies football team

American college football season

1996 Montana Grizzlies football

Big Sky champion

NCAA Division I-AA Championship, L 29–49 vs. Marshall

Conference| Big Sky Conference
Ranking
Sports Network| No. 2
Record| 14–1 (8–0 Big Sky)
Head coach|

* Mick Dennehy (1st season)

Offensive coordinator| Brent Pease (1st season)
Defensive coordinator| Jerome Souers (7th season)
Home stadium| Washington–Grizzly Stadium

Seasons

<- 1995

1997 ->

1996 Big Sky Conference football standings

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* e

| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team |  | W |  | L |  |  |  |  | W |  | L |
No. 2 Montana $^  |  | 7  | - | 0  |  |  |  |  | 14  | - | 1  |
No. 6 Northern Arizona ^  |  | 6  | - | 1  |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 3  |
Cal State Northridge |  | 4  | - | 3  |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 4  |
Weber State |  | 4  | - | 3  |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 4  |
Eastern Washington |  | 3  | - | 4  |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 5  |
Montana State |  | 3  | - | 4  |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 5  |
Idaho State |  | 1  | - | 6  |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 7  |
Sacramento State |  | 0  | - | 7  |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 10  |
Portland State |  | 0  | - | 0  |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 8  |

* $ - Conference champion
* ^ - NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
* Portland State games did not count in conference standings

Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 1996 Montana Grizzlies football team represented the University of Montana in the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Grizzlies were led by first-year head coach Mick Dennehy and played their home games on campus in Missoula at Washington–Grizzly Stadium.[1]

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Time| Opponent| Rank| Site| TV| Result| Attendance| Source

|
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September 7| 2:00 pm| at Oregon State*| No. 2|

* Parker Stadium
* Corvallis, OR

| | W 35–14| 28,166|
September 19| 1:05 pm| Cal Poly*| No. 2|

* Washington–Grizzly Stadium
* Missoula, MT

| | W 43–0| 18,169|
September 28| 7:05 pm| at Sacramento State| No. 2|

* Hornet Stadium
* Sacramento, CA

| | W 35–17| 7,423|
October 5| 1:05 pm| Southern Utah*| No. 2|

* Washington–Grizzly Stadium
* Missoula, MT

| | W 44–13| 16,035|
October 12| 1:05 pm| Idaho State| No. 2|

* Washington–Grizzly Stadium
* Missoula, MT

| | W 43–19| 18,868|
October 19| 2:05 pm| at No. 20 Eastern Washington| No. 2|

* Joe Albi Stadium
* Spokane, WA (rivalry)

| | W 34–30| 6,605|
October 26| 12:05 pm| No. 6 Northern Arizona| No. 2|

* Washington–Grizzly Stadium
* Missoula, MT

| PSN| W 48–32| 18,847| [2]
November 2| 6:05 pm| at Cal State Northridge| No. 2|

* North Campus Stadium
* Northridge, CA

| | W 43–36| 4,217|
November 9| 12:05 pm| Portland State| No. 2|

* Washington–Grizzly Stadium
* Missoula, MT

| PSN| W 63–6| 15,961| [3]
November 16| 12:05 pm| at Weber State| No. 2|

* Wildcat Stadium
* Ogden, UT

| | W 24–10| 7,816|
November 23| 12:05 pm| Montana State| No. 2|

* Washington–Grizzly Stadium
* Missoula, MT (rivalry)

| | W 35–14| 19,042|
November 30| 12:05 pm| No. 19 Nicholls State*| No. 2|

* Washington–Grizzly Stadium
* Missoula, MT (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)

| | W 48–3| 13,428|
December 7| 12:05 pm| No. 9 East Tennessee State*| No. 2|

* Washington–Grizzly Stadium
* Missoula, MT (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)

| | W 44–14| 15,025|
December 14| 12:05 pm| No. 5 Troy State*| No. 2|

* Washington–Grizzly Stadium
* Missoula, MT (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)

| | W 70–7| 18,367|
December 21| 12:05 pm| at No. 1 Marshall*| No. 2|

* Marshall University Stadium
* Huntington, WV (NCAA NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)

| ESPN| L 29–49| 30,052|

* *Non-conference game
* Homecoming
* Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game
* All times are in Mountain time

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 2010 Montana Football Media Guide Archived July 31, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, University of Montana, 2010.
2. ^ "Jacks Give Griz Taste of Own Medicine". The Missoulian. October 27, 1996. p. 19.
3. ^ "Smokin' - No. 2 Montana stays undefeated, rips Vikings, 63–6". The Missoulian. November 10, 1996. Retrieved October 21, 2021 - via Newspapers.com.

* v
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Montana Grizzlies football

Venues|

* Dornblaser Field (I) (1912–1967)
* Naranche Stadium (alternate (Butte), 1938–1950)
* Dornblaser Field (II) (1968–1986)
* Washington–Grizzly Stadium (1986–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Eastern Washington: EWU–UM Governors Cup
* Idaho: Little Brown Stein
* Montana State

Culture and lore|

* Monte
* "Up With Montana"
* University of Montana Grizzly Marching Band

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943–1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

National championship seasons in bold

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Big Sky Conference football champions

College Division / Division II|

* Idaho State (1963)
* Montana State (1964)
* Weber State & Idaho (1965)
* Montana State (1966)
* Montana State (1967)
* Idaho, Montana State, & Weber State (1968)
* Montana (1969)
* Montana (1970)
* Idaho (1971)
* Montana State (1972)
* Boise State (1973)
* Boise State (1974)
* Boise State (1975)
* Montana State (1976)
* Boise State (1977)

I-AA/FCS|

* Northern Arizona (1978)
* Montana State (1979)
* Boise State (1980)
* Idaho State (1981)
* Montana, Idaho, & Montana State (1982)
* Nevada (1983)
* Montana State (1984)
* Idaho (1985)
* Nevada (1986)
* Idaho (1987)
* Idaho (1988)
* Idaho (1989)
* Nevada (1990)
* Nevada (1991)
* Idaho & Eastern Washington (1992)
* Montana (1993)
* Boise State (1994)
* Montana (1995)
* Montana (1996)
* Eastern Washington (1997)
* Montana (1998)
* Montana (1999)
* Montana (2000)
* Montana (2001)
* Montana, Montana State, & Idaho State (2002)
* Montana State, Montana, & Northern Arizona (2003)
* Montana & Eastern Washington (2004)
* Eastern Washington, Montana State, & Montana (2005)
* Montana (2006)
* Montana (2007)
* Weber State & Montana (2008)
* Montana (2009)
* Montana State & Eastern Washington (2010)
* Montana State & Montana (2011)
* Eastern Washington, Montana State, & Cal Poly (2012)
* Eastern Washington (2013)
* Eastern Washington (2014)
* Southern Utah (2015)
* Eastern Washington & North Dakota (2016)
* Southern Utah & Weber State (2017)
* Eastern Washington, UC Davis, & Weber State (2018)
* Sacramento State & Weber State (2019)
* Weber State (2020)
* Sacramento State (2021)
* Montana State & Sacramento State (2022)
* Montana (2023)

National championships in bold

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1996 NCAA Division I-AA football playoff participants

* Delaware
* East Tennessee State
* Eastern Illinois
* Florida A&M
* Furman
* Jackson State
* Marshall
* Montana
* Murray State
* Nicholls State
* Northern Arizona
* Northern Iowa
* Troy State
* Villanova
* Western Illinois
* William & Mary

Champion – Marshall Thundering Herd
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[No.]: Number