The Montana Grizzlies haven't played a team this good since, well, 1954.

A month shy of 52 years ago, the Griz traveled to Iowa City and lost to the No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes, 48-6.

Around 43,000 fans packed into Kinnick Stadium, then a spry 25 years young. Just 44 seconds remained when the Grizzlies found the scoreboard, on a 7-yard run by Murdo Campbell.

Saturday at 10:03 a.m. local time, the Griz, ranked No. 3 in Division I-AA, get their rematch with the Hawkeyes, ranked No. 16 in I-A. An extra 27,000 witnesses will be on hand at Kinnick Stadium, newly refurbished to the tune of $88 million.

It's a battle of conference favorites, though Big Ten power Iowa sports an extra 22 scholarships. The Griz of the Big Sky Conference are looking at an uphill battle along the lines of Oct. 2, 1954. Iowa is big, physical, talented, and not likely to take Montana lightly.

''Let's not get off-track here,'' said Hawkeye running back Albert Young. ''With the I-AA schools, there really isn't a big difference. There are transfers from bigger schools, guys who might not have been recruited but had the talent, and grades might be an issue for some.

''You don't want to get caught in that trap. You never know how the game's going to go."

Young is a 209-pound junior who suffered through two injury-marred seasons, including knee surgery his redshirt freshman year. He came back last season to rush for 1,334 yards. His longest run covered 36.

"Last year I was coming off the torn ACL, so I didn't have the breakaway speed,'' said Young, who still had a 200-yard game against Northwestern. ''Last year was sort of a year of getting back in the groove. My knee is 100 percent now. The breakaway speed will be there."

That's not great news for Montana, which has to contend with an Iowa offensive line ranked among the nation's best. Led by Mike Jones, Mike Elgin and Marshall Yanda, the Hawkeyes love to run the ball, setting up second-and-short and third-and-shorter.

The Grizzlies' talented group of linebackers have their hands full, and the corners might have the sternest test of all.

"Teams are going to find a way, in that league in particular, to get the ball to the edge and get the ball on the corners and see what happens," Montana coach Bobby Hauck said.

Senior corner Tuff Harris and junior Jimmy Wilson have their work cut out for them on running downs. Then there are the obvious passing downs, where senior quarterback Drew Tate, a mobile 192-pounder, works his magic.

"Drew Tate looks good on film,'' said Harris, a 185-pounder. "And he looks good on ESPN. He's one of the best in the nation, obviously."

Tate is a capable runner, but is more dangerous in the backfield, buying time and looking for receivers. In many cases, he finds 6-foot-7 tight end Scott Chandler, who might be the Hawkeyes' best pro prospect.

You can't mention Iowa without its defense, though star end Kenny Iwebema has been suspended for this game and the Hawkeyes are working in new starters at both corners and two linebacker spots.

"He (Iwebema) is good, but they talk about (sophomore Alex) Kanellis being their second-best defensive lineman," Hauck said. "I don't think it makes that much difference.

''I don't think there's any debating they have a great defensive line. They have veteran safeties to get everybody lined up. Pass coverage won't be an issue for them. It'll be hard to throw the ball.''

Iowa also has a Bednarik Trophy candidate -- for the top linebacker in college football -- in weakside 'backer Edmund Miles.

The Grizzlies head in with a new quarterback in Josh Swogger, new running backs in I-A transfers Greg Coleman and Reggie Bradshaw, and serious questions. One is how they'll respond without top back Lex Hilliard, shelved for the year after Achilles surgery.

''That was 40 percent of our offense that is on crutches for the rest of the season,'' Hauck said. ''But it's like any time anyone gets hurt - the back-ups have to step up. In order for us to be successful on offense, those guys need to play well. Hopefully Saturday they play well, and each succeeding Saturday for that matter.''

It starts up front. With 315-pound Colin Dow, 288-pound Ryan Wells and 305-pound Cody Balogh, Montana's size is comparable to Iowa's on the O-line. Protecting Swogger is paramount. It's easier said than done, but Hauck is ready to give it a shot.

''We'll go play to win,'' he said. ''That's what you do. It's a competitive endeavor. We're not on a level playing field with Iowa, but Saturday we're going to play. It doesn't matter if it's a tennis game at lunch, or noon-time hoops or a jog around the block -- we're playing to win.''

QUICK KICKS: True freshmen Anthony Bowman and Dominique Douglas are likely to see time at receiver for Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register. The Detroit products move up partly because junior Eric McCollum left the Hawkeyes and intends to transfer. ... True freshmen making the trip for Montana are tight ends Steven Pfahler and Robert Overton, and quarterback Andrew Selle. ... UM's contingent, 70 players strong, flew out of Missoula at 7:30 a.m. Friday. ... Griz receiver Craig Chambers won't be available for the game because of his academic concerns. ... ESPNU is channel 148 for Dish Network and channel 609 on Direct TV. It is generally outside of most viewers' ESPN packages, and must be ordered. ... UM running back Greg Coleman and Iowa defensve end Alex Kanellis starred together at Iowa City West.

Kanellis was Gatorade Player of the Year for Iowa in 2004.