Two Montana Grizzly Football Players Earn Weekly Awards

The feel-good day that was Saturday continues its trickle-down effect for the Montana Grizzly football team.

The convincing 29-10 win over Montana State in the 120th Brawl of the Wild football game was followed by a No. 6 seed in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, earning a bye week followed by a home playoff game (more on that in a moment). And weekly honors were bestowed upon two of the many Griz players who contributed so much in Saturday's big victory.

UM Sports Information Director Eric Taber reports that the Montana Grizzlies earned a pair of weekly honors from the Big Sky Conference today (Monday). Linebacker Patrick O'Connell was named the ROOT Sports Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week, while kicker Kevin Macias earned the ROOT Sports Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week.

O'Connell was once again a leader in Montana's dominant defensive effort against MSU, spending much of the afternoon in the Bobcat backfield. The junior put up a game-high 11 tackles (four solo) with 1.5 sacks for 11 yards and one quarterback hurry. With 13 sacks on the season, he leads the Big Sky and is now fourth in the FCS in total sacks and is No. 8 in the conference in total tackles with 91 on the season.

Kevin Macias had one of those kicker dream days for the Griz, going five-for-five on field goals along with a couple of extra points against MSU. His career day was highlighted by a season-long 50-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter, with three of his five attempts landing from 40-plus yards out.

Montana advanced to the FCS playoffs and earned a first-round bye with home-field advantage in the second round. The Griz are now set to host the winner of the Northern Iowa/Eastern Washington game on Friday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

If you are a season ticket holder, you have until 10:00 p.m. Tuesday evening (Nov. 23) to secure your regular season tickets.Unclaimed season tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, Nov. 24. You can call or stop by the Adams Center Ticket Office for help on your purchases or order online through the Griz ticketing service. All reserved seats are priced at $35 each.

Montana ends the regular season by moving up to No. 5 in the FCS weekly football rankings.