The Tennessee State football team will be making their seventh playoff appearance this Saturday, while the team hosting them, Montana, will be in their 28th such endeavor.
Tigers head coach Eddie George has noticed that gap in experience, and he and his staff are prepared for whatever challenges come when they play at Washington-Grizzly Stadium at 10:15 EST on ESPN2.
“This team is very disciplined, they play great at home, they’re very physical and they have a great deal of experience,” George said during this week’s Big South-OVC coaches’ conference. “They play in the playoffs year in and year out. This is their expectation; this is their floor.”
The Grizzlies, 8-4 overall and 5-3 in Big Sky play, were FCS runners-up a year ago and are hungry to get back to the championship game. The Tigers are looking for their first playoff win since a 31-0 blanking of Butler University in 2013. George and his staff have spent ample time reviewing footage of a Griz defense that he likens to a sci-fi classic.
“They throw bodies everywhere, it is a defense where they are very tough, physical. They plug gaps. The best way to describe it is like Star Wars. It’s a blitzkrieg and they do a good job of it,” he explained.
“Trying to get that sorted out is going to be a challenge for us from a protection standpoint and a running game standpoint. We have to be patient; we can’t do too much where we get behind schedule. They are experienced, they’ve got some playmakers as well. Riley Wilson, one of their linebackers, makes it go. We’re going to have our hands full; it’s going to be a great challenge for our offense.”
George does have some intel handy, as defensive coordinator Brandon Fisher played for these same Grizzlies as a student-athlete.
“He knows the culture. He understands it. He’s born in it, molded by it. He gives great insight,” George said of Fisher, in his fourth year on TSU’s staff. “He often refers to their preparation when he played for the Griz. That speaks to what we’re trying to be as well and what to expect. It’s going to be tight quarters, tight sidelines, it’s going to be hostile, it’s going to be cold. All those things help us in terms of what to expect on Saturday. Hopefully, it’ll be a fun environment.”
Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, George believes this is a momentum boost and a corner-turning experience at hand for Tennessee State football.
“We just want to go up and compete, find a way to win this ball game,” he said. “We didn’t just want to make the playoffs. It’s going to be an awesome environment, a great experience for our kids. Win, lose or draw, we’re going to go in there play our best ball and see where the chips fall.”