Are you ready for a Griz blowout?

Don't be surprised if Sac State plays UM closer

So, are the fifth-ranked Griz going to blow out Sacramento State on Saturday?

Get your eardrums ready for that cannon because they always seem to.

The University of Montana football team has won all 11 games it has played against the Hornets. The Griz have outscored the Hornets, 419-174. That averages out to a 38-16 score every time.

The Griz have scored more than 50 points three times against Sac State and have held it to seven or less points three times, including a shutout in 2003.

Only three times have the Hornets been within one possession. Those three times came in a four-year span between 1999 and 2002. In 1999, it took three overtimes for the Griz to win, 41-38.

Even with coaching changes, the results have been the same. Sac State coach Steve Mooshagian and Montana coach Bobby Hauck got their Big Sky Conference head coaching jobs the same year. And in those past three years, the Griz have outscored the Hornets, 109-35. That's an average of 36-12 each game.

Oh, but things may be beginning to change in the Californian-dubbed Cow Town.

The Hornet defense seems to be legit this year. It held No. 3 Cal Poly to less than 100 yards rushing in an encouraging 17-10 loss last week. The unit has forced five fumbles this season and recovered four of them. The squad is led by weakside linebacker Tyson Butler (No. 43). The 250-pound senior recovered a Cal Poly fumble on the Hornet 1-yard line last week and rumbled 79 yards to set up the team's only TD. He has started in 24 games. Junior safeties Brent Webber and Brett Shelton have combined for 45 starts. Junior defensive tackle Chris Hurts has started 20 games.

"They've got a lot of returning starters and experienced players and speed on that defense," Hauck said. "They will be tough to deal with. Cal Poly putting up only 17 points against that defense shows where their defense is right now."

On offense, the Hornets could be drastically changed from their first two games. Signs point to junior college transfer Marcel Marquez getting his first start after getting the NCAA to declare him eligible a couple days before the Cal Poly game. Marquez rushed for 660 yards and threw for 3,107 yards at College of Canyons last year while leading the team to the junior college state championship game. He rushed for 40 yards and passed for 38 last week against Cal Poly.

"He's mobile, he's gutsy," Mooshagian said about the 5-11, 200-pound junior. "He's got a swagger about him - sometimes too much. He likes to run the football and he knocked a couple of Cal Poly's corners over. He needs to learn to slide and get out of bounds."

All this, and the Griz are coming off an open week. And it was the earliest open week in the season Hauck has had.

"Generally, I don't like open dates because you lose your rhythm," Hauck said. "However, the timing of ours worked out well for us. We got to work on fundamentals and grind through a week of heavy blocking and tackling practices. We gave our young guys a chance to scrimmage. Last week was really productive for us."

Still, a blowout seems less likely than in years past.