Griz stun Weber, Cats beat Davis in huge wins ahead of the Brawl

MISSOULA — There hadn’t been a regular season game of this magnitude in Missoula since Montana beat No. 3 Idaho in 1994. And with third-ranked Weber State in town Saturday, the Grizzlies conjured up some more big-game, Washington-Grizzly Stadium magic.

Fueled by big plays and a dominant defense, the No. 5 Griz rolled to a 35-16 win against No. 3 Weber State in a battle of the Big Sky's top two teams. The win is the 250th in Big Sky history for the Grizzlies, who finish the regular season with a perfect 6-0 record at home.

The Wildcats entered the game with an undefeated mark against FCS opponents and in control of the Big Sky Conference with a 6-0 mark in league play. In fact, WSU hadn't lost to a Big Sky opponent since Oct. 6, 2018. But Montana controlled the game from the very start, building an early lead and never looking back.

"It was pretty outstanding by these guys," Head Coach Bobby Hauck said following the game. "We played well in all three phases of the game, and I thought our preparation all week was outstanding. I thought that the entire team took to heart that we had a big game this weekend, and the preparation was such that we were going to be hard to beat. Then we came out, played well, and took care of business in a big, big way."

The Grizzlies gained the lead on the back of two massive special teams plays that set the offense up with short fields. They also had a plethora of big offensive plays as Samori Toure continued his three-game stretch of incredible play. The receiver had three touchdowns, two of which were from more than 50 yards out. He finished the day with a career-high 193 yards on eight catches.

The defense also put together what is likely its best performance of the season, limiting the high-powered WSU rushing offense to just 69 rushing yards on 39 attempts (1.9 per rush). It was the fewest points allowed in a game this season for the Grizzly defense, who were led by the trio of Jace Lewis, Dante Olson, and Robby Hauck that combined for 39 stops.

Montana also forced the Wildcats into four turnovers, picking off starting quarterback Jake Constantine three times. Safeties Josh Sandry and Gavin Robertson each had an interception, and defensive end Alex Gubner extended his team lead with his fourth INT on the year.

The defense allowed just three scores in five red-zone trips to a Wildcat team that led the conference in that area coming into the game. They kept the Wildcats out of the end zone for over 50 minutes and also limited WSU to just six third-down conversions in 20 attempts.

The Griz had nine different players with at least a share of a tackle for loss as they combined to bring the Wildcats down behind the line of scrimmage eight times. Patrick O'Connell had 1.5 sacks as well as the pressure continued to get home for the Grizzlies.

The solid defensive performance and early lead allowed the Grizzlies to pound it on the ground in the second half. Marcus Knight finished with a team-high 79 yards rushing on 14 attempts, averaging over five yards per carry. He also found the end zone twice and is up to 19 touchdowns on the year.

Knight is heading toward what could potentially be a record-setting year. His total touchdown number brings him into a tie with Joe Douglass for the third-most in a single season in program history. His 18 rushing touchdowns are also the third-most in a single season in Montana history, and he is only the second player to reach that mark. Chase Reynolds ran for 22 touchdowns in 2008 and 2009.

Dalton Sneed also had a solid day under center, passing for 265 yards and three scores. He completed 68 percent of his passes but was intercepted twice.

With the win, the Griz moved to 6-1 in the Big Sky, and into a three-way tie for first place. Montana (9-2) can clinch a share of its first Big Sky championship since 2009 with a win in this Saturday’s Brawl of the Wild in Bozeman — a game the Grizzlies have lost three straight times.

"It's kind of where we anticipate being," Hauck said. "Obviously, that means we've put in a lot of hard work and won some tough football games. Now we have to finish the season out."

Bobcats 27, UC Davis 17

DAVIS, California — If the Montana State Bobcats wanted to lock off an FCS playoff berth before the annual Brawl of the Wild, they had to win Saturday night in Davis, Califnornia.

And that’s just what the No. 10 Cats did.

Montana State's fourth-and-one stop in UC Davis territory with just over 16 minutes to play powered a 17-0 fourth-quarter run as the Bobcats topped the Aggies 27-17 Saturday.

Montana State rushed for 284 yards and out-gained the Aggies 501 to 430 and held the explosive Aggies to just seven second-half points. The game’s other turning point came late in the second quarter. With the Bobcats trailing 10-7 MSU defensive lineman Jason Scrempos blocked a field goal. On the ensuing drive, Travis Jonsen dashed 75 yards on a broken play to give the Cats a lead.

"That was a big momentum swing, said MSU Coach Jeff Choate. "We were able to capture some momentum there and it kind of turned into a slugfest."

That suited the Bobcats' style. When winning time arrived in the fourth quarter MSU got a game-tying field goal from Tristan Bailey after the fourth-down stop, then Isaiah Ifanse plunged in from five yards to give MSU a 24-17 lead, and Bailey's 41-yarder sealed it.

"That's what we always say," Choate said. "Drag them into deep water."

MSU quarterback Tucker Rovig "had his best game" as a Bobcat, Choate said. He threw for 217 yards to fuel MSU's attack.

The Bobcats improved to 5-2 in the Big Sky and 8-3 overall ahead of their huge showdown the Grizzlies Saturday in Bobcat Stadium.

Note: Havre Daily News sports editor George Ferguson contributed to this story.