Montana, Montana State win non-conference finales

MISSOULA — On a dark night in Washington-Grizzly Stadium that featured crackling energy, black jerseys, and a record-setting blackout crowd, the Montana Grizzlies survived a scare from the two-time defending national champion Ferris State Bulldogs to earn a gritty 17-10 win.

In a game where the oval ball didn’t bounce the Grizzlies’ way in crucial situations, Montana’s defense came up big in the win with a physical performance. Linebacker Braxton Hill led the way with a player-of-the-game-worthy 15 tackle day, cornerback Trevin Gradney picked off his third interception in as many games, and the Griz forced a late turnover on downs to secure the win.

The win moves the Grizzlies to 3-0 on the season and snaps Ferris State’s almost unbelievable streak of 28-straight road wins as the Bulldogs fall to 2-1. Montana is now one of just two undefeated teams left in the Big Sky at the end of nonconference play.

“What a wild, fun game. It was exciting and just an awesome night in the stadium,” said head coach Bobby Hauck.

“Congrats to Ferris State for coming in and fighting their tails off trying to get their 29th win on the road in a row. They just didn’t quite get there, but they fought hard, and I have an appreciation for that.”

Montana overcame a stop-start offensive performance that only registered 189 yards of total offense but adjusted enough at halftime to score two touchdowns in the third quarter that proved to be the game-winners. Rhythm was hard to come by for either team, with a combined 22 penalties between the teams. FSU entered the contest as the most penalized team in D-II and lived up to that distinction with 15 penalties for 106 total yards. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, added seven penalties to give up 79 yards.

Sophomore QB Sam Vidlak was under pressure from FSU’s physical and athletic D-line for much of the night, completing just nine passes for 105 yards on the day. The Griz instead looked to keep rolling with the ground game — a rushing attack that has now rushed for nearly 700 yards in three contests. Freshman running back Eli Gillman had yet another stellar outing with a tough 78 yards on 19 carries and a third-quarter touchdown that would tie the contest.

Junior Bergen was electric in the receiving game and in the return game, adding up 51 yards on punt returns and 52 receiving — a total that would have been much higher if some big catches hadn’t been returned for penalty.

It added up to a tooth-and-nail battle that wasn’t decided until a late turnover on downs by the Grizzly defense.

“Those guys were really good. They’re a really good team. It was a hard-fought game,” Hauck said.

“The defense played great, but it took plays from the offense, defense and special teams to make it happen and get that W, which is how we play and how we win. There were just some things that we didn’t do cleanly enough. We had a chance to get away from them, probably a few times. More than a couple. Part of that is credit to them, and part of that is us not finishing the job. But ultimately, the object is to win the game. You play to win the game, and we won the game.”

The Griz are 3-0 as they begin Big Sky Conference play Saturday night at Northern Arizona.

Bobcats overwhelm Stetson

BOZEMAN — Montana State scored on nine of its 10 drives that didn’t involve closing out a half, beating Stetson 57-20 in the team’s final non-conference tune-up for Big Sky Conference play. The win was Montana State’s 21st straight home victory, the longest active streak in Division I football.

Montana State gained 614 yards, 342 on the ground, building a 27-0 lead early in the second quarter that was never threatened. Five different Bobcats rushed for at least 49 yards, and freshman Scottre Humphrey scored three touchdowns. The Cats held Stetson to 280 total yards and 16 first downs.

  Bobcat head coach Brent Vigen lauded his team’s effort and execution.

“We want to be a team that our opponents and circumstances don’t dictate how we play,” MSU’s third-year head coach said. “I thought we came out and played really hard. There’s that situation that human nature can’t set in and I thought our guys took care of business.”

  Sean Chambers ran Montana State’s offense in Tommy Mellott’s absence, and the senior all-purpose offensive weapon rushed for 55 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 140 yards. Five different Bobcats rushed for between 80 and 49 yards, and Humphrey scored three touchdowns. The Cats held Stetson to 280 total yards and 16 first downs.

  “I think Sean came out and played really well,” Montana State coach Brent Vigen said, while also lauding the running game. “Our ability to run the football and stop the run is where it starts. I think we’ve got a full complement of running backs right now and that’s probably what showed up as much as anything today. We’ll keep feeding those guys. We’ll obviously use our quarterbacks in any time and manner but it was good to see those running backs get going today.”

  They got going early. After the Cats forced a punt on Stetson’s first possession, MSU drove 71 yards on 11 plays for the game’s first score. Chambers completed two of his four passes on that drive for 10 yards, and rushed twice for 13 yards. Julius Davis gained 25 yards on two carries, including a 22-yard scamper that moved MSU into the red zone. Humphrey ran for five yards, Chambers for eight, then Humphrey punched it in from four yards out.

  The six carries for 47 yards foreshadowed the rest of the afternoon. The Cats gained 342 yards on the ground, good for 9.5 yards per carry, with six rushing touchdowns. Through three games, the Bobcats average 317.7 yards per game on the ground.

  Montana State’s second, third and fourth drives followed the script of drive one. Chambers scored on a seven-yard run to cap a seven-play, 90-yard drive to give MSU a 14-0 lead, the he dashed 30 yards with 19 seconds to play in the first quarter to lift the Cats to a 21-0 lead. Another four-yard run by Humphrey — his sixth rushing touchdowns in his third game as a Bobcat freshman — made the score 27-0.

  From that point on, Montana State coasted. The Cats led 41-6 at halftime and 51-13 after three quarters. The team began emptying the bench early in the second half, including quarterback Jordan Reed playing most of the last two periods. He finished 7-for-17 for 132 yards. Freshman receiver Jacob Trimble caught six passes for 104 yards as his role in MSU’s offense continues to expand.

Senior linebacker Nolan Askelson led Montana State’s staunch defense with seven tackles, while Blake Schmidt, Zac Crews, Sebastian Valdez and Brody Grebe each recorded a sack. Rylan Ortt intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown, while Blake Stilwell also picked off a pass. 

  Montana State heads to Ogden, Utah, for a Big Sky showdown with nationally ranked Weber State next week. The Bobcats and Wildcats kick off at 6 p.m. Saturday, with the game airing on MTN stations around Montana.