Griz throttle Bobcats in 114th Brawl of the Wild

MISSOULA - No one saw this one coming. The No. 12 Montana State Bobcats have one of the best offenses in the FCS, even with backup quarterback Jake Bleskin at the controls. But on Saturday afternoon, inside a sold-out Washington-Grizzly Stadium, the Bobcats turned the ball over seven times, and the No. 13 Montana Grizzlies took advantage. Montana destroyed Montana State 34-7 in the 114th edition of the Cat-Griz rivalry.

UM senior safety Matt Hermanson snagged three of Bleskin's five interceptions on the day. The Grizzlies turned two of those INTs into first-quarter points, and led 17-0 at the end of the first period. Bleskin also fumbled twice, one of which stopped a MSU drive on the 1-yard-line as the Cats were finally about to score just before halftime.

On the other end, Griz' senior quarterback Jordan Johnson was nearly flawless, throwing for nearly 300 yards and rushing for 80 more. Johnson threw TD passes to Mitch Saylor, Travon Van and Josh Janssen, while Jordan Canada scored twice on the ground.

The Griz improved to 8-4 with the win, while MSU also fell to 8-4. Both teams ended the season in a second-place tie in the Big Sky Conference standings at 6-2. The Griz and Cats will find out their playoff fate Sunday morning at 9 a.m. when the 2014 FCS playoff field is announced.

For complete coverage, see Monday's Havre Daily News.