If you were looking for a quiet, predictable year of Big Sky football, 2025 was definitely not the year for you. Honestly, looking back at the University of Montana football schedule 2025, it feels like a fever dream for Griz Nation. We saw history made before the first whistle even blew—UM became the first FCS program to ever host eight regular-season home games. Think about that. Eight Saturdays where the smoke from the copper mines (metaphorically) and the roar of Washington-Grizzly Stadium defined the weekend.
It was a marathon. Because of how the calendar fell, the Griz didn’t have a mid-season breather. They took their bye week right at the start on August 30 and then proceeded to play 12 straight weeks of physical, smash-mouth football. No breaks. No recovery weeks. Just a straight shot through November.
The Wild Eight-Game Home Stand
The schedule was heavily front-loaded with home cooking. Bobby Hauck’s squad stayed in Missoula for basically the entire month of September. It’s kinda rare to see a team not pack a suitcase until October, but that’s exactly what happened.
- Sept. 6: Central Washington (W, 42-17) – The "Black Out" game.
- Sept. 13: North Dakota (W, 24-23) – A nail-biter that set the tone for the season.
- Sept. 20: Indiana State (W, 63-20) – Complete offensive explosion.
- Sept. 27: Idaho (W, 41-30) – The Little Brown Stein stayed home.
The energy for that Idaho game was off the charts. It was televised on the main ESPN networks, and the Griz offense finally looked like the juggernaut everyone hoped for. Keali’i Ah Yat, the sophomore legacy QB, really started to find his rhythm here, proving he wasn't just a "famous last name" but a legit playmaker.
Surviving the Big Sky Meat Grinder
Once the calendar flipped to October, the road trips started. Playing in the Big Sky is basically a weekly invitation to get your heart broken, and the 2025 stretch was particularly brutal. The Griz had to travel to some of the toughest environments in the West.
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The October 4 trip to Pocatello was a trap game if I’ve ever seen one. Facing Idaho State in the ICCU Dome is always weirdly difficult, but the Griz managed a 42-38 win. Then came a brief return to Missoula for Homecoming against Cal Poly on October 11 (a 28-9 win), followed by a really unusual mid-season non-conference game.
On October 18, Sacred Heart flew all the way from Connecticut to Missoula. It was the "Think Pink" and First Responders game. Montana handled them 43-21, moving to 7-0. At this point, the hype was becoming a problem. People were talking about an undefeated season, which in the Big Sky, is basically asking for a curse.
That Late Season Road Fatigue
By November, you could see the toll of 10 straight weeks of football. The Griz traveled to Sacramento State for a Friday night lights showdown on ESPN2. They won 49-35, but the defense was starting to show some cracks.
After dispatching Weber State on the road and Eastern Washington back at home, the Griz were 11-0. They were the talk of the FCS. But the regular season finale—the 124th Brawl of the Wild—was a heartbreaker.
The 124th Brawl of the Wild
On November 22, the Montana State Bobcats came into Missoula and ruined the perfect season. It was a 31-28 loss that felt like a punch to the gut for 26,000 fans. It didn’t cost them a playoff spot, but it definitely changed the "vibes" going into December.
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The Postseason Rollercoaster
The playoffs were where the University of Montana football schedule 2025 got truly legendary. Because they were a high seed, they stayed in Missoula for the early rounds.
- FCS Second Round: Dec 6 vs. South Dakota State (W, 50-29). This was revenge. Pure and simple. The Griz dismantled the Jackrabbits in a way nobody expected.
- FCS Quarterfinal: Dec 13 vs. South Dakota (W, 52-22). Another Dakota school, another blowout. The Griz offense was averaging over 50 points a game in the postseason.
- FCS Semifinal: Dec 20 at Montana State (L, 48-23). The rematch. The Cats had the home-field advantage this time in Bozeman, and it was just too much. The 11-0 start ended with a 13-2 finish.
Statistically Speaking: Was it the Best Ever?
Honestly, even though they didn't get the ring, the numbers from the 2025 season are stupid. They broke the school record for total points in a season (615). They broke the record for total yards (6,855).
Keali’i Ah Yat finished the year with 4,070 passing yards. He’s only the second Griz QB to ever cross the 4,000-yard mark in a single season. His completion percentage was a record-breaking 69.1%. When you look at the University of Montana football schedule 2025 as a whole, it was an offensive masterclass that just ran out of gas in the final two weeks.
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Practical Takeaways for Griz Fans
If you're looking ahead or still processing that wild 2025 run, here’s the reality of what we learned from that schedule:
- The 8-Home-Game Experiment: It was a financial goldmine, but playing 12 straight weeks without a bye is a massive physical risk. Expect the coaching staff to lobby for a mid-season break in future years.
- The Ah Yat Era is Real: We have a superstar under center. If the defense can reload (they lost a lot of starters after '25), the 2026 season looks just as dangerous.
- Broadcast Shift: Scripps Sports did a killer job with the local Montana Television Network broadcasts. If you missed a game, the ESPN+ archives are still the best place to re-watch that South Dakota State blowout.
To get ready for the next cycle, make sure your Griz Card or season ticket deposits are in early. The demand for 2025 was the highest in school history, and after a 13-win season, 2026 is going to be a tough ticket to find. Go watch the 2025 highlights on the GoGriz website to remind yourself just how fast that offense moved. It was a hell of a ride.