MISSOULA – The Montana Grizzlies traded blows with the Idaho Vandals throughout the afternoon but came up short in a 42-35 loss at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday.
Despite five touchdown passes from quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat, the Griz were unable to complete the comeback as Idaho scored touchdowns on six of its nine possessions to secure the victory.
Montana’s offense continued to produce at a high level but was held scoreless in the first quarter. UM still managed to put up 35 points and 481 yards of total offense while playing a clean game and committing just two penalties. UM tied the score three times in the second half, but the two-minute drill for one more tie or a possible win at the end was stymied by the Idaho defense.
The loss drops Montana to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in Big Sky Conference play, while Idaho improves to 2-5 overall and 2-2 in conference action.
The Vandals converted 11 of 14 third-down opportunities and won the time-of-possession battle against a UM defense missing six players that have started at least one game this year, then dealt with the loss of another on the first drive of the game.
“After the game I told the team, number one, that I love them. These guys put it all on the line every week and in practice. Today was a failure on my part, and I’ve got to get my message better. I’ll take responsibility for this loss because we have good kids in our program, and they want to do the right thing,” said head coach Bobby Kennedy.
“We knew coming in that their quarterback was a really good player. He was accurate, made plays with his feet and with his arm, and they have good wide receivers. But I still believe in my guys and have confidence that we can play better and do better.”
Ah Yat completed 25 of 31 passes for 338 yards and five touchdowns without an interception, tying his career high for touchdown passes in a game. Wide receiver Brooks Davis delivered a bounce-back performance with eight catches for 104 yards and three touchdowns, tying his career high for touchdowns in a game.
Running back Eli Gillman rushed for 139 yards and added 31 receiving yards and a score. The senior also recorded his 20th career game with at least 100 rushing yards and surpassed former Grizzly great Marc Mariani’s program record of 5,441 career all-purpose yards. Gillman now has 5,505 career all-purpose yards.
Montana struggled to get the defensive stops it needed against an efficient Idaho offense. The Vandals passed for 335 yards and went six-for-six in the red zone. When the Grizzly defense finally came up with a key stop late in the fourth quarter, Montana was unable to capitalize on its final opportunity to tie the game.
The Grizzlies also had to overcome an early turnover that helped Idaho establish control. Montana appeared to have an early takeaway when cornerback Chris Johnson II intercepted a pass but then fumbled the ball back to the Vandals during the return. Idaho capitalized on the opportunity and turned it into a touchdown.
“It would have really been nice to not fumble the interception. We’ve got to do a better job of ball security,” Kennedy said. “I think that was a huge moment in the game because then they went down and scored, and it was disappointing.”
The Griz eventually found their rhythm offensively, scoring five touchdowns through the air and repeatedly answering Idaho’s scoring drives. However, Montana was unable to get the decisive stops or complete their final scoring drive opportunity.
“It was a shootout. We finally got it back to even after half, and I thought we had a little momentum,” Kennedy said. “But they’ve got some big guys, and they do a good job with their RPOs. They do a good job when you have guys covered. The quarterback breaks the pocket, and he’s able to make those plays with his feet.”
Despite the loss, Kennedy praised his team’s offensive performance and its ability to respond to adversity throughout the game.
“Idaho did a great job. They answered every challenge except a couple of times in the fourth quarter, where we had a chance to go down and either tie the game or win the game,” Kennedy said. “I was actually planning on going for two if we would have scored, but we gave up the sack. It was just unfortunate.”
The Grizzlies opened the game with an opportunity to strike first when Johnson intercepted a tipped pass from Idaho quarterback Joshua Wood. However, he would fumble the ball back to the Vandals inside UM territory, leading directly to opening points from the visitors when Wood connected with Zack Card for a 10-yard touchdown to give Idaho a 7-0 lead.
After a stalled Grizzly drive to start the game, the Vandals struck again on their next possession, as Wood found Ryan Jezioro for a 14-yard touchdown to extend the advantage to 14-0.
Montana began to respond late in the first quarter, using a big run from Gillman to move the offense downfield. The drive carried into the second quarter, when Ah Yat connected with Davis for an 18-yard touchdown, cutting Idaho’s lead to 14-7.
Idaho came back with a lengthy scoring drive of its own. After converting a fourth down, the Vandals continued to move the ball before Wood scored on a two-yard rushing touchdown to restore the two-score lead at 21-7.
The Grizzlies continued to find success offensively. Montana converted a fourth down to keep its next drive alive, and Ah Yat found Davis for a five-yard touchdown, bringing UM within one score at 21-14.
Idaho had a chance to extend its lead before halftime, but the Grizzly defense forced the Vandals to punt on their final possession of the half. Montana entered the locker room trailing by seven.
The Griz came out firing to open the second half. Ah Yat connected with Davis for a 33-yard touchdown strike, the receiver’s third of the afternoon, tying the game at 21-21 and giving Montana momentum.
Idaho answered on its next possession, as Wood found Jezioro for a 13-yard touchdown to put the Vandals back in front 28-21.
Montana responded again. A 38-yard reception by Landon Ransom-Goelz helped move the Grizzlies downfield before Ah Yat connected with Ransom-Goelz again this time for leaping 22-yard touchdown, evening the score at 28.
The Vandals continued to answer every Montana score. Running back Hayden Kincheloe capped Idaho’s next drive with a six-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Vandals a 35-28 lead.
Montana opened the fourth quarter with another scoring drive. Ah Yat connected with Gillman for a three-yard touchdown reception, tying the game at 35-35 and setting up a decisive final quarter.
Idaho regained the lead on its next possession with a short rushing touchdown from Israel Carter, putting the Vandals ahead 42-35.
The Grizzlies had an opportunity to answer with another scoring drive, but a 34-yard field-goal attempt missed wide left, keeping Idaho’s seven-point advantage intact.
Montana’s defense then delivered a crucial stop, forcing Idaho to punt and giving the Grizzly offense another chance to tie the game or win with a two-point conversion.
With just over two minutes remaining, Montana took possession near midfield and moved the ball forward. However, the Grizzlies faced a difficult fourth-and-long situation late in the drive and were unable to convert, allowing Idaho to escape Missoula with the 42-35 victory.
Montana now enters the much-needed bye week before hitting the road to Cheney, Wash., on Oct. 31 to face Eastern Washington at 2 p.m. MT.
“Yeah, we’ve got to hit the reset button because there’s a lot of games to be played. We still have a lot to play for,” Kennedy said. “If you know anything about me, I tell these guys that I have not only unwavering belief in them, but unwavering belief in our staff. We just have to reset. We’ve got to finish the rest of the season the right way.”
By: Montana Sports Information
