Better pack your parkas Mustangs

Hello Mustangs fans,
Hope y’all are doin’ well out there on the sunny Central Coast.
I’m out here in Montana, getting ready for the big football showdown between No. 6 Cal Poly and No. 2 Montana.
Missoula, for those of you who won’t be making the trip, is beautiful this time of year. The leaves are turning. The autumn sunsets are breathtaking.
But there’s one little problem … it’s freezing out here.
Check that. It’s not even freezing. Try 20 degrees right now (Wednesday night) – 40 degrees cooler than it is in San Luis Obispo. With the wind-chill, it’s like 15 degrees.

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It’s so cold …
… kids dressed up as penguins and polar bears for Halloween.
… the roaring river (Clark Fork) that runs between the team hotel and Washington-Grizzly Stadium is starting to freeze over around the edges.
… this once scalding hot caramel macchiato was an iced macchiato by the time I got back to the room.
… this avid angler/sportswriter I know won’t even consider fly-fishing any of Missoula’s legendary blue-ribbon trout waters in-between writing his football features, basketball previews and this, I mean his, mind-numbing blog about the weather.

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Now I’m no Dave Hovde, but I’m guessing Saturday’s noon (local time) kickoff will be a little bit nippier than Cal Poly’s last game at San Diego State (77 degrees at 5 p.m.).
It should warm up a bit by kickoff, jumping to a whopping 40 degrees, but that’s only because there’s a 60 percent chance of showers at outdoor Washington-Grizzly Stadium (pictured from the "M" atop Mount Sentinel).
Not that the Grizzlies mind.
Fifty-two of Bobby Hauck’s players are originally from Montana.
Senior defensive end Dustin Dlouhy is from Idaho Falls and says he actually enjoys playing football in this frigid environment.
“I hope it gets nasty,” Dlouhy said with a cold chuckle following Tuesday’s practice. “I know it’s a little more pleasant in San Luis Obispo right now. Meanwhile, we’ve been practicing in full thermals and Under Armour. I’m hoping for the worst Saturday because I think that’ll benefit us.”
Luckily for most of you Mustangs fans, this one’s televised by KSBY (11 a.m. Pacific).
And for those of you making the trip, well, I’d recommend packing the parka.
Stay cool,
Brian

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P.S. Saturday's game is The Sports Network's "Game of the Week" in Division I-AA. You can read Matt Dougherty's preview here. His prediction? Montana 17, Cal Poly 13.