FCS Playoffs Round 2 Game of the Week – South Dakota State Jackrabbits @ Montana Grizzlies: How to Watch, Preview, Predictions

Date: Saturday December 6, 2025

Time: 2:00 PM (ET)

TV: ESPN+

The Quick Hits

For the third year in a row, Montana (11-1) and South Dakota State (9-4) will collide in the playoffs. After meeting in the second round a year ago and the national title game back in 2023, UM and SDSU are set for Act III on Saturday afternoon in Missoula and the Griz are trying to finally come out on the right side following two straight Jackrabbit wins in the series. Runners up in the Big Sky this year, Montana snagged the #3 overall seed and will try to ride its Washington-Grizzly magic for what they hope is another deep postseason run.

South Dakota State comes in after a first round beatdown of New Hampshire in the adverse weather back home in a game that most SDSU fans feel thankful they even had after a turbulent fall to say the least. After a 7-0 start, the Jacks stumbled down the stretch, winning just one of their final five regular season games. With their best offensive weapon back in the fold, though, they look like an entirely different team as they head out West. Going into one of the toughest venues in the sport (at any level), the Jackrabbits are gunning for a big upset.

The Coaches

No coach in Big Sky history has led his team to more wins than Bobby Hauck. Now in his 15th season overall at Montana, Hauck has racked up award after award and filled the trophy case. He’s taken home eight conference championships, four league Coach of the Year honors, has led the Grizzlies to the postseason 13 times and has gotten them to the national championship four times. The only thing Hauck doesn’t have is a ring. With an overall record of 149-42 at Montana, he is by far the winningest coach in program history and is one of the more successful coaches in all of the FCS’s history.

For South Dakota State, Dan Jackson is on the very opposite end of the experience spectrum. Jackson is in the midst of just his first season leading the Jackrabbits after taking over for former head man Jimmy Rogers who left for Washington State after 2024. Jackson, who played linebacker for SDSU back in his college days, served as an assistant with the Jackrabbits as well as Northern Illinois, Vanderbilt and Idaho before winding up back in Brookings. He is looking to join Rogers in winning a national title in his first year as a Jackrabbits head coach.

Montana Offense vs. South Dakota State Defense

Montana’s “big three” will need to shine bright and, fortunately for the Griz, that has not been a problem this season. Quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat, running back Eli Gillman and receiver Michael Wortham are the unquestioned biggest weapons for the UM offense and all three could be in line for a big game here. Ah Yat has had by far his best season as a passer, throwing for 3,154 yards and 25 touchdowns. He’s sharp when he has time to work in the pocket but is also not timid when it comes to calling his own number, especially in short yardage situations. He’s run for seven TDs as well this season. His only real bugaboo has been interceptions of which he’s tossed eight on the year; something that the short-handed South Dakota State defense will try to take advantage of.

Linebacker Joe Ollman has been as good as anyone at getting his hands on the ball this year but he’ll look to be so much more than that against Ah Yat. Ollman leads SDSU with 86 tackles and has 8.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage this year. He is great at getting to the quarterback with three sacks and five QB hits as well. His job will be to make Ah Yat as uncomfortable as possible with the hopes of pressuring the youngster into a mistake or two. That job, however, will be made all the more difficult because of who Montana will having coming out of their backfield.

Gillman has been terrific again for the Grizzlies in his junior season, rushing for 1,261 yards and 17 scores. He rightfully won the Big Sky’s Offensive MVP honors and will try to again be the catalyst. Gillman has run for at least 100 yards on six different occasions this year and has five games with multiple scores. He averages 16 touches an outing meaning he’s going to get the ball often. Ollman and his fellow backers will have a tall order in front of them trying to slow down #10.

As difficult as bottling up Gillman will be, finding an answer for the aforementioned Wortham will be even harder. Wortham, a transfer from Eastern Washington, is one of the most athletic players in the entire FCS and the Grizzlies will use him in a handful of ways. Not only will he be a receiving threat on the outside, but his speed and background at quarterback make him a perfect asset in trick plays and end arounds. Hauck will not be afraid to have Wortham dip his toes in sneaky plays in attempt to catch the defense napping and, if he has any sort of space, he’s a home run threat. He’s been responsible for 1,147 total offensive yards and has 14 touchdowns.

Spying Wortham needs to be priority one for the Jackrabbits defense and that job may fall largely on linebacker Cullen McShane and safety Jalen Lee. McShane, like Ollman, is a key piece in the middle with 81 tackles and a forced fumble while Lee is the team’s top DB with three picks and two PBUs. These two alone can’t do it, though. It will take a total team effort on SDSU’s part to stymie Montana’s most lethal weapon.

South Dakota State Offense vs. Montana Defense

The return of quarterback Chase Mason has been a godsend for the Jackrabbits and it couldn’t have come at a better time. While Mason missed five games at the end of the regular season with a toe issue, SDSU fell into a tailspin that almost cost them their season, losing four straight without him. Mason came back last week, though, and lit UNH up to the tune of 230 pass yards and three touchdowns in what was essentially a blizzard. When he’s in and healthy, the senior QB can be the difference maker for the Jacks offense and just might be against a Grizzlies defense that allows 255.9 pass yards per contest.

Montana will need to find a way to limit Mason’s damage and part of doing that will be shutting down receivers Alex Bullock and Graham Goering. That duo have been the steady force on a team that has experienced so much turbulence this year. Bullock has snagged 65 passes for 820 yards and five scores while Goering has 39 catches for 519 yards and a touchdown. They will be Mason’s most looked to targets in this one and the UM secondary will need to plan accordingly.

Montana will lean on guys like Diezel Wilkinson and T.J. Rausch in that department. These two will likely need to have their best game yet to keep Goering and Bullock at bay. Wilkinson has the most tackles of any Grizzlies DB this year with 61 while Rausch boasts 57 stops and a pair of picks. Mason takes tremendous care of the football and will not often throw interceptions. Rausch, Wilkinson and the rest of the secondary will need to change that and that means not playing out of position even in the slightest.

Defensive ends Hunter Peck and Kellen Detrick will have an equally important job in the trenches. Putting heat on Mason is a must and that tandem for Montana has been solid in that area. The pair has combined for 8.5 sacks and 65 tackles this year. Peck also has a force fumble under his belt. Again, though, Mason does not put the ball ground hardly at all and neither does star running back Julius Loughridge.

Loughridge will be the primary ball carrier for the Jacks. He’s for 1,017 yards and seven scores this season. By overwhelming margin, Loughridge has the most touches of any runner on the team with 212. Like Gillman on the other side, he is the engine that makes the ground game go for SDSU and, if the Griz defense isn’t up to snuff, he could be in for a big day.

Prediction

This is not going to be your typical second round game and, specifically for Montana, the Jackrabbits are not a typical opponent a top seed would see this early on. With Mason back under center, SDSU is as dangerous as any team in the tournament meaning the Grizzlies defense is going to have to bring its very best. Ah Yat and Mason are going to trade blows, especially early on as the defenses feel things out. The Griz offense is more than capable of dropping 30 points and it should against a Jacks unit that is still missing some key pieces. The difference will lie in Montana’s own ability to get stops, something it has failed to do in late-game moments at times this season. It will be a photo finish but playing at home will lift that UM defense over the top in the final minutes. The Grizzlies move on to the quarterfinals.

Score Prediction: South Dakota State: 31 – Montana: 35