Griz best Bobcats in 113th Brawl of the Wild

The Montana Grizzlies scored three times in the second half to break open what was a 7-7 game at intermission in the 113th Brawl of the Wild Saturday in Bozeman. The No. 5 Grizzlies beat the No. 13 Bobcats 28-14 in front of a record crowd at Bobcat Stadium.

Shawn Johnson returned a punt 72 yards to give the Cats a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but Travon Van's short TD run late in the second period tied the game. The Griz broke the tie with a score on their first possession of the second half, while UM's defense held MSU out of the endzone until a fourth-quarter TD run by Johnson. UM answered with a Jordan Canada TD with just under three minutes left in the game.

Griz' QB Jordan Johnson was spectacular in the second half, throwing for 206 of his 259 yards in the final 30 minutes. He also threw one TD pass and no interceptions, while fumbles by MSU's DeNarius McGhee and Cody Kirk proved costly for the Cats, who finished the season with three straight losses and a 7-5 record.

MSU will likely be left out of the FCS playoffs, while the Griz (10-2, 6-2) will hope for a national seed when the playoff brackets are announced Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on ESPNU.