Most Southern Illinoisans would be hard-pressed to find Missoula on a map - if you spotted them Montana.

However, Missoula will be a focal point for Southern Illinois University football fans this week as the Salukis travel to Montana to face the 11-1 Grizzlies in Division I-AA quarterfinal play Saturday.

Officially, Missoula, home of the University of Montana, is located in the mountainous west-central region of the state. Unofficially, the University of Montana is the capital of Big Sky football.

The answering machine in the Montana football office makes that clear, stating, for the record, that the Grizzlies are the nine-time defending Big Sky champions.

Just who are these Grizzlies?

Montana opened its season dropping a 41-6 decision at Iowa. The Hawkeyes were the 16th-ranked team in the nation at the time.

Since then, Montana has been on a roll, winning 11 straight games, including Saturday's 31-6 playoff win over McNeese State.

"They're a complete team, that's why they're the No. 2 seed in the field," said SIU coach Jerry Kill. "They're a very similar team to Appalachian State. The difference is their guys aren't as fast as Appalachian State. There is a reason Montana has been in the NCAA playoffs 14 straight years."

The Grizzlies have been in some nail-biters, including a 13-7 win over Montana State in the regular season finale. Montana nipped Cal-Poly 10-9 two weeks earlier.

On paper, the game appears to feature teams with contrasting styles.

The Grizzlies rely heavily on the pass.

Quarterback Josh Swogger has thrown for 2,262 yards, nearly 500 more than SIU. On the other hand, the Grizzlies have put the ball in the air 370 times this season as compared to just 195 for SIU.

Swogger's favorite targets are wide receivers Ryan Bagley, Eric Allen and Craig Chambers. All three have 36 or more receptions. Braden Jones, SIU's leading receiver, has 32 catches.

Swogger has been intercepted 10 times.

However, don't think Montana is a finesse team.

The Grizzlies offensive line is nicknamed the "Ton of Fun." The starting offensive line includes center Jeff Marshall (6-foot-5, 285 pounds); guards Colin Dow (6-5, 318) and Terran Hillesland (6-7, 320); and tackles Cody Balogh (6-7, 320) and Brent Russum (6-4, 285).

That offensive line is responsible for 1,731 rushing yards. By contrast, SIU's Arkee Whitlock has rushed for 1,748 yards this season.

The Grizzlies run by committee.

Junior running back Reggie Bradshaw is the team's leading rusher with 569 yards and 10 touchdowns. Brady Green, a senior, ranks second with 505 yards. Freshman T. Brooks-Fletcher has just 299 yards on the season but ran for more than 100 yards in the Grizzlies' win over McNeese State.

Defensively, the Grizzlies have been particularly stingy against run-oriented teams. Montana gives up just 98.1 rushing yards per game � Whitlock averages 145.7 per game.

In the meantime, Montana has surrendered just nine rushing touchdowns this season.

The Grizzlies feature six players with 59-69 tackles.

Colt Anderson, a sophomore defensive back, and Kroy Biermann, a junior defensive end, each have 69 tackles. Tyler Joyce, a junior linebacker, is next in line with 61 tackles and Kyle Ryan, another junior linebacker, has 60.

"They have a huge tradition," Kill said. "They feel like that's where I-AA football was invented."

les.winkeler@thesouthern.com

(618) 529-5454 ext. 15088