Click Here to Read Release
OGDEN, Utah (November 23, 2015)- Playoff football is officially alive in the Big Sky Conference.
Portland State, Montana and the 2015 Big Sky champion Southern Utah Thunderbirds will be taking part in the 2015 NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, with action starting on Nov. 28.
Southern Utah will travel to Texas to face Sam Houston State on Saturday, while Montana will host South Dakota State at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
| Date |
Game |
Time |
Streaming |
| 11/28 |
Southern Utah at Sam Houston State |
2:05 p.m. CT |
ESPN 3 |
| 11/28 |
South Dakota State at Montana |
1:05 p.m. MT |
ESPN 3 |
Southern Utah at Sam Houston State: Southern Utah coach Ed Lamb is a candidate for the STATS National Coach of the Year award... Southern Utah defensive end James Cowser is a candidate for the STATS National Defensive Player of the Year award... Southern Utah continues to lead the nation in turnover margin, as the Thunderbirds are +1.91 per game... Southern Utah earned its first-ever outright Big Sky football title with its 49-41 win over Northern Arizona on Saturday. This is the first time Southern Utah’s football program has won an outright league title since the program became Division I in 1993... Southern Utah is 3-3 on the road this season, with narrow losses at FBS Utah State, and ranked FCS opponents in South Dakota State and Portland State.
South Dakota State at Montana: Both Montana and South Dakota State have played North Dakota State this season. The winner of the game will have another crack at the four-time defending National Champion Bison in the second round... Montana defensive end Tyrone Holmes leads the nation in sacks, and is a candidate for the STATS National Defensive Player of the Year award... Montana defensive tackle Derek Crittenden is a finalist for the prestigious Campbell Trophy, and was a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship award. Crittenden missed the annual “Brawl of the Wild” to take part in interviews for the award... Bob Stitt is the fourth Montana coach to lead the team to the postseason in his first season with the Grizzlies. Mick Dennehy (1996), Joe Glenn (2000) and Bobby Hauck (2003) are the others.