BOZEMAN — Super Brawl may have been in Bozeman, but the tailgates were still divided with both Cats and Griz fans.
“It’s going to be a great game on both sides. I think we’re going to play a good clean game,” said one group of Montana and Montana State tailgaters.
WATCH: Cats, Griz fans talk rivalry, big game
In fact, the game was so significant that fans of both teams flew in to watch it.
Cats fan Chris Gowdy flew in from Virgnia and his friend J.D. Chaney flew in from Kentucky. MTN’s Esha Walia asked J.D. and Chris what brought them out to Saturday’s game.
“My daughter goes to school here; it’s her senior year,” said Gowdy. “We do back and forth games every year and he comes with us we go with him. We were in Missoula a few weeks ago, and we’re here now.”
Other fans came from around Montana.
“I came from Butte,” said Griz fan Evan Barrett.
“I came from Helena,” said Cats fan Jayson O’Neill.
The two are long time friends, who were divided about Saturday’s game outcome.
“We’re still friends until about five minutes before the end of the game,” said Barrett.
Given that this game is the first time in history that Bobcats and Grizzlies are playing each other in the FCS playoffs, MTN’s Esha Walia asked fans of both teams to say one nice thing about the opposing team.
“Most of the folks here have been great, hospitable, despite my lack of color-coding here with the rest of the fans,” said Griz fan Chaney.
“When we went to Missoula, the fans were really friendly, nice people,” said Cats fan Gowdy.
“I can love the player, hate the game, but I don’t like the Grizzlies,” said one Cats fan.
“My mom said don’t say anything if you don’t have anything nice to say,” said one Griz fan.
“This is a great history here. Amazing for Montana teams to be this good now,” said Barrett. “We got Sunny Holland here, and he’s from Butte!”
“It’s really hard to say something great about the Griz athletics as a Cats fan, but I can say that Missoula is a beautiful community,” said O’Neill.
Still, there were some things that fans from both teams were united about.
“I say this is the single biggest sporting event in our lifetimes in Montana,” said O’Neill.
“Either way, we’re very excited that one Montana team will be going to the championship,” said tailgater Tony Hoerner.
“We just want to support Montana,” said another tailgater.
