Fresh off a thorough 77-6 beat down of Nevada in last Saturday’s home opener at Autzen Stadium, the newly minted 15th-ranked Oregon Ducks turn their focus this week to FCS opponent Montana, which heads to Eugene this upcoming Saturday to close out the Ducks’ non-conference schedule.

A top 25 team in their own right at the FCS level, the Grizzlies moved to 18th in the AFCA FCS Coaches’ Poll following last week’s win over North Alabama. Led by a high-powered offense, the Griz hope find more luck than the Wolf Pack did a week ago, as the Duck defense didn’t allow a Nevada touchdown and pitched a shut out altogether in the second half of Saturday’s game.

With Pac-12 play lying just over the horizon, WFOD takes a closer look at the Ducks’ third and final non-conference opponent in Montana.

Montana Grizzlies

2019 record: 2-0 overall
Last game: 61-17 win vs. North Alabama (FCS)
Ranking: N/A
All-time record vs. Oregon: 0-7-1
When and where to watch: Saturday, Sept. 14 at 7:55 p.m. (Pacific), Pac-12 Network

Items of note:

• Oregon will look to extend its streak of consecutive wins over non-conference opponents at home to 25
• Through the first two games, opponents have reached Oregon territory just 10 times in 30 drives, with three of those starting on the Ducks’ side of the field
• The Oregon defense has not allowed a first half touchdown in four consecutive games (28 drives)
• Calvin Throckmorton has allowed just one sack over his last 2,413 offensive snaps, including 1,179 in pass protection. Over that span, Throckmorton has started at four different positions.

Five Montana names you should know:

5. Samori Toure (WR)

Though Montana will make a giant leap up in competition this week when they face Oregon and their vastly improved defense, they’ll do so with a talented trio of wide receivers at their disposal. Portland native Samori Toure is a key part of this Grizzly trifeca, who will no doubt be playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder as he returns to his home state to face off against one of the name-brand programs on the West Coast. At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Toure can be a tough matchup against smaller defenders and definitely has the ability to make a defense pay, as evidenced by his nine catches for 142 yards and one touchdown in the Griz’s season opener at South Dakota. He enters Saturday as Montana’s leading receiver in terms of receptions (16) this season.

4. Jerry Louie-McGee (WR)

Based on appearances alone, Montana’s Jerry Louie-McGee looks like someone better equipped to give you surf lessons than house a punt return – but that’s why you never judge a book by its cover. With his final season in Missoula underway, Louie-McGee has a chance to etch his name atop the school’s receiving record book with only a modest outing vs. the Ducks on Saturday. That’s because the 5-foot-9, 171-pound wideout is just three catches away from becoming the Grizzlies’ all-time leader in career receptions after tallying 190 over the course of four seasons. As mentioned, Louie-McGee is also a dynamic punt returner, having returned three punts for scores throughout his career, including one last week vs. North Alabama.

3. Samuel Akem (WR)

The most daunting receiving weapon the Ducks will be forced to defend during non-conference play may not come from Auburn or Nevada, but from Montana’s Samuel Akem. A second-team All-Big Sky honoree a year ago as a sophomore, the 6-foot-4, 201-pound Akem entered 2019 as a preseason FCS All-American and has done well to back up that hype through two games this season. His 230 yards on 14 catches (including one touchdown) leads all Grizzly pass catchers and is a strong start for the junior who led the Griz in touchdown receptions (13) a year ago. With the NFL potentially in his future, Akem could make a major statement towards that end with a big performance against the Ducks on Saturday.

2. Dante Olson (LB)

After an All-American season in 2018, which was highlighted by 151 total tackles to lead all of Division I (FBS and FCS), Montana senior linebacker Dante Olson comes into 2019 as the preseason Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year and the only FCS player to be named to the 2019 Butkus Award Watch List. In short, Dante Olson is a stud. Like Toure, Olson is another native Oregonian (Medford) who will be returning to his home state looking to show out in front of friends and family members. He’ll be a player the Ducks coaching staff will absolutely want to account for when the Oregon offense takes the field.

1. Dalton Sneed (QB)

The guy who makes the Griz go on offense is none other than senior quarterback Dalton Sneed. Described as the “heart and soul” of the Grizzlies’ offense by Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal, Sneed wasted no time making an impact in his first year as the Montana quarterback last season. A former JUCO transfer from Fort Scott Community College in Kansas, Sneed was named Big Sky Newcomer of the Year and earned recognition from his teammates as the team’s Offensive MVP last season. His dual threat ability (308.9 yards/game of total offense last season) makes him a potential challenge for any defense he faces, and should remind Duck coaches a bit of Auburn’s Bo Nix as they put together a game plan that aims to slow him and the Montana offense down.