Montana Hosts USD for Spot in Semis
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One of the more eye opening results of last weekend’s second round was Montana’s 50-29 beatdown over South Dakota State. The Grizzlies and the Jackrabbits met in what many though might turn out to be an all timer of a game but it was UM that cruised out to a rather uninteresting victory. That has earned the Griz the right to welcome in the other team from South Dakota now. The Coyotes come in on the back of a huge blowout themselves, having dismantled Mercer on the road 47-0. USD makes the trek to Missoula with a head of steam as it looks for its second consecutive semifinal berth. Something will have to give on Saturday.
This game will feature a battle between two of the country’s best running backs. South Dakota sophomore L.J. Phillips Jr. has rumbled for a whopping 1,847 yards this year, the top mark in the FCS. Phillips is as elusive as they come and, with 18 touchdowns, he is one of the Coyotes’ most productive pieces on offense. Phillips has nine games this year in which he’s gone for over 100 yards. Two of those contests saw him go over 200 and he even ran for 301 once this fall, making him the first Missouri Valley Conference back to accomplish the feat in 13 years.
The Grizzlies, too, will field an All-American caliber runner in junior Eli Gillman. Gillman, who won the 2023 Jerry Rice Award, has been as good as it gets coming out of the backfield for Montana. This year he’s again well over 1,000 yards and has 19 scores. He’s strong and physical and, like Phillips, is a home run threat on any given snap. With two star running backs taking center stage in this one, the team that puts out the better rush defense might be the one that moves on.
USD defensive lineman Caden Crawford will play a big part in slowing down Gillman. Crawford has 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks this season, both of which lead the team. Since the playoffs began, he’s racked up nine stops. He and linebacker Nate Ewell are going to be key players on the USD defense in this one. Ewell is the top tackler for the ‘Yotes with 93 takedowns. Those two, though, won’t be enough on their own because it isn’t just Gillman who can make things happen.
Montana boasts arguably the best all-around athlete in the subdivision (and maybe all of college football right now) in Michael Wortham. Wortham, who is officially listed as a receiver, does a little bit of everything for the UM offense. He has 295 rushing yards along with six touchdowns on the ground but also has eight catching and is just 62 yards away from going over 1,000 receiving. Wortham’s speed alone makes him the most dangerous player on the field but his agility makes him next-level. The Coyotes have to have a game plan for #6 or they won’t have much of a chance.
The quarterback showdown will be huge also. South Dakota has one of the most experienced and talented guys out there under center in senior Aidan Bouman. The redshirt senior has been a starter for USD since midway through the 2022 season and he’s practically rewritten the school’s record books. Bouman is the program’s all time leader in passing yards, completions and attempts. He’s thrown for 2,645 yards and 24 touchdowns this fall and has only tossed one interception since the start of October. He will need to have one of his best games yet, though, to get through Montana in its own building.
For the Grizzlies, sophomore Keali’i Ah Yat has come into his own as a passer this year. Ah Yat is one of only four FCS passers to throw for over 3,500 yards this season and he should overtake Mercer’s Braden Atkinson this week for the country’s #2 spot on the passing yards list. Ah Yat is completing his throws at a nearly-70% rate and, like Bouman, has only had one pick in his last six outings.
The QB duel, the running back showdown and the defensive matchups will all play pivotal rolls in this game and the points might fly here. A game that has that sort of build usually comes down to mistakes and whoever makes less of them will probably be the one still standing when the clock hits zeroes. Montana is hoping to make its second semifinal berth in the last three seasons while South Dakota wants its second straight. Whoever wins will see the winner of Friday night’s Montana State-Stephen F. Austin showdown.
The Grizzlies and the Coyotes will get underway at 3:30 PM (ET) on Saturday and they’ll get the network TV treatment as ABC will carry the game.
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