1989 Montana Grizzlies football team

1989 Montana Grizzlies football
NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal, L 15–45 vs. Georgia Southern
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Record	11–3 (7–1 Big Sky)
Head coach	Don Read (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Tommy Lee (4th season)
Home stadium	Washington–Grizzly Stadium
Seasons ←  1988 1990  →

1989 Big Sky Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. T–4 Idaho $^	8	–	0	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 6 Montana ^	7	–	1	–	0			11	–	3	–	0
No. 19 Nevada	5	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Boise State	5	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Eastern Washington	4	–	4	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Northern Arizona	2	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Montana State	2	–	6	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Idaho State	2	–	6	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Weber State	1	–	7	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Poll

The 1989 Montana Grizzlies football team represented the University of Montana in the 1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Big Sky Conference. The Grizzlies were led by fourth-year head coach Don Read, played their home games at Washington–Grizzly Stadium and finished the season with a record of eleven wins and three losses (11–3, 7–1 Big Sky).

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	Eastern New Mexico *		Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT	W 41–15	7,614	[1]
September 9	at Fresno State *		Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA	L 37–52	33,710	[2]
September 16	No. 3 (D-II) Portland State *		Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT	W 30–21	10,155	[3]
September 23	at Eastern Washington		Joe Albi Stadium Spokane, WA (rivalry)	W 22–16	7,365	[4]
September 28	at Idaho		Kibbie Dome Moscow, ID (rivalry)	L 24–30	13,000	[5] [6]
October 7	Weber State		Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT	W 31–6	13,589	[7]
October 14	Nevada	No. T–20	Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT	W 40–22	9,465	[8]
October 21	at Northern Arizona	No. 20	Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ	W 38–14	8,520	[9]
October 28	No. 6 Boise State	No. 14	Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT	W 48–13	10,388	[10]
November 4	at Montana State	No. 9	Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT (rivalry)	W 17–2	14,227	[11]
November 11	Idaho State	No. 8	Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT	W 35–21	9,021	[12]
November 25	No. 17 Jackson State *	No. 6	Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT (Division I-AA First Round)	W 48–7	11,854	[13]
December 2	No. 15 Eastern Illinois *	No. 6	Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	W 25–19	12,285	[14]
December 9	at No. 1 Georgia Southern *	No. 6	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)	L 15–45	10,421	[15]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

^[16]

References

1. "Bennett sparks Griz". The Billings Gazette. September 3, 1989. Retrieved January 5, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Explosive Fresno outlasts Grizzlies". Great Falls Tribune. September 10, 1989. Retrieved January 5, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "The grudge match goes to Grizzlies". The Missoulian. September 17, 1989. Retrieved January 5, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Grizzlies knock out EWU". The Spokesman-Review. September 24, 1989. Retrieved January 5, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. Stalwick, Howie (September 29, 1989). "Idaho bags game Grizzlies". Spokane Chronicle. Washington. p. B1.
6. Schulte, Chris (September 29, 1989). "Friesz, defense help UI short-circuit Griz". Idahonian. Moscow. p. 1B.
7. "Montana rides Bennett's passing, Weber State errors by 31–6 victory". The Montana Standard. October 8, 1989. Retrieved January 5, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Griz start fast, finish off Reno". The Missoulian. October 15, 1989. Retrieved January 5, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Grizzlies recover for 38–14 victory". The Billings Gazette. October 22, 1989. Retrieved January 5, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Grrrrrrizzlies! Montana intercepts 10 passes, belts No. 6 Boise State". The Montana Standard. October 29, 1989. Retrieved January 5, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Grizzlies fight off wind, MSU for win". Great Falls Tribune. November 5, 1989. Retrieved January 5, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Grizzlies win, wait for playoff invitation". The Billings Gazette. November 12, 1989. Retrieved January 5, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. "UM, you are in quarterfinals". The Montana Standard. November 26, 1989. Retrieved August 3, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Grizzlies down Eastern Illinois 25–19". The Independent-Record. December 3, 1989. Retrieved January 5, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
15. "Grizzlies' hopes die in Dixie". The Montana Standard. December 10, 1989. Retrieved January 5, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
16. "Montana yearly results". College Football Data Warehouse . Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2013.