Happy Homecoming
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MISSOULA — Here’s to streaks, and to streaks ending.
The Montana Grizzlies kept a couple trends going Saturday, in a satisfying 36-14 football win over Big Sky Conference foe Northern Colorado. They ran their Homecoming win streak to seven, for example.
They’re 3-0 in the Big Sky (5-1 overall). They saw Brooks Davis haul in nine catches for 205 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first Griz receiver since Joe Douglass in 1995 to have five straight 100-yard games.
And they let Northern Colorado score: The Bears (2-4, 1-2 in the Big Sky), an improving club under fourth-year head coach Ed Lamb, closed to 29-6 on Kenny Lueth’s 2-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.
Gone was a streak of 14 straight fruitless quarters by the UNC offense against UM, going back to the fourth period of a 44-14 loss in 2017.
The Grizzlies answered with Keali’i Ah Yat’s fifth touchdown pass of the game, a 28-yarder to Davis that made it 36-6 with 11:13 left.
“I talked all week about not eating the rat poison,” said Bobby Kennedy, first-year coach of the No. 3-ranked Grizzlies. “Obviously we had a satisfying game against Davis, and then to be able to follow up against Northern Colorado — I really think they’re a good team, and that they’re getting better. I think Ed (Lamb) has done a great job there.”
There were missed opportunities on both sides. Montana led 7-0 barely three minutes in, off a perfect Ah Yat throw and a dynamic sideline catch from Ian Finch that covered 24 yards.
The Grizzlies’ next foray, off Braeden Orlandi’s interception, ended in a turnover on downs at the UNC 10-yard line.
Montana forced a punt and drove deep into Bears territory again, only to have Ah Yat miss a high snap. Northern Colorado, boasting bruising runners at tailback (Justin Guin) and quarterback (Brayten Silbor and especially Lueth), recovered and mounted a drive that reached UM’s 20-yard line.
It ended with a missed 38-yard field goal attempt.
“Had a very makeable fourth-and-1, and we false start,” Lamb said. “And then we have an error on the substitution and kind of ice our own kicker for a chance to break a nine-year streak of not scoring on the Griz.
“Really shot ourselves in the foot; really didn’t get ourselves in the opportunity, in those moments, to shine.”
Five plays later Ah Yat found Davis behind the defense for a 61-yard pass and catch. Davis then ran in the two-point conversion for a 15-0 lead.
It stayed 15-0 the rest of the half — Montana bungled a clock drive, trying to set up a field goal — but any chance the visitors had at momentum ended when they punted on their first possession of the third quarter.
Montana took over at its16 and drove 84 yards in eight plays. Eli Gillman, who had a 23-yard run on the march, took a swing pass 10 yards for the touchdown and Jo Silver’s PAT kick made it 22-0 at the 8:34 mark.
After another Northern Colorado punt, the Griz needed two plays to go 80 yards: Gillman reversed field on a 55-yard run; then Ah Yat found Davis for 25 yards on a 29-0 lead.
“We hang our hats on man-to-man coverage,” Lamb said. “We need to do that effectively against any opponent to win. It’s the coverage we practice, it’s the coverage we preach. … He was able to beat us with that and was a huge part of the game.”
“I love going one on one against guys; that’s what I work on every day in practice,” Davis said. “And it turned out pretty good.”
The fourth quarter saw Lueth dish out some punishing runs, including a 37-yarder that knocked UM cornerback Elijah Brady from the game. He was the third corner the Griz had sidelined on the afternoon. Lueth, who had 58 yards on six carries, scored from 1-yard out with 2:47 left.
A crowd of 27,131 also saw Glacier High Gage Sliter take snaps at quarterback and Whitefish’s Fynn Ridgeway pick up 6 yards on three carries in the fourth quarter.
Monte Gilman had three carries for 49 yards; his older brother settled for 99 on 13 carries.
They day belonged to Ah Yat, who was 23 of 30 passing for 346 yards, and Davis.
“He’s not on the Rushmore of wide receivers quite yet but he’s creeping toward that wall, OK?” Kennedy said of the junior. “He can be so much better, and that’s the cool thing about him. It’s kind of fun — I can sit back and eat some popcorn when we throw him the ball.”
Grizzlies quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat (8) throws a 28-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brooks Davis in the fourth quarter against Nothern Colorado at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies running back Eli Gillman (10) extends a stiff-arm on a 55-yard run in the third quarter against Nothern Colorado at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies defenders put a stop to a run by Northern Colorado running back Justin Guin (6) in the first quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Brooks Davis (3) catches a 38-yard reception in the first quarter against Nothern Colorado at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies defenders Tyler King (90) and Zekiel Seumalo (92) sack Northern Colorado quarterback Brayten Silbor (18) in the second quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
A young Grizzlies fan waves a t-shirt as Montana takes on Northern Colorado at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies safety Braeden Orlandi (16) intercepts a pass in the first quarter against Nothern Colorado at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies head coach Bobby Kennedy has a conversation with an official in the second quarter against Nothern Colorado at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Monte Gillman (0) runs for a 20-yard gain in the fourth quarter against Nothern Colorado at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat (8) drops back to pass in the first quarter against Nothern Colorado at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
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