MISSOULA, Mont. – The University of Montana football team will host Sacred Heart University this Saturday in a non-conference matchup carrying the largest guaranteed payout in program history. No. 4 Montana (6-0) welcomes the Pioneers (5-2) for the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
Montana opted to move its originally scheduled bye week to earlier in the season, allowing them to fill the date with a home game. The university is paying Sacred Heart $290,000 to play in Missoula.
“I imagine they’re thinking that they can get an at-large playoff bid if they continue to win at the rate they’re winning,” UM head coach Bobby Hauck said. “And I’m sure that they’re looking to make a statement win by coming in here and getting us, so we better be ready on Saturday.”
The Pioneers are traveling over 2,400 miles from Fairfield, Conn., and are preparing to join the Coastal Athletic Association next season. Montana’s offense showed betterment in the second half of last Saturday’s game against Cal Poly after a slow start.
“it just shows for us, no game’s too big or too small,” UM running back Stevie Rocker Jr. said. “Just shows offensively we have what we need and what we can do,but we just have to put it all together in all four quarters of the game.”
UM safety Diezel Wilkinson added, “just like any other team, the more games we play, the more we’re going to start clicking together. Definitely going through spring ball and fall camp together has helped a lot. So now that we have some games under our belt, I feel like it’s only going to go up from here.”
The game marks the beginning of the second half of Montana’s season as the team aims to refine its performance.
