Vandalized
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MISSOULA — Some birthday.
Idaho quarterback Joshua Wood dazzled Saturday, throwing for 335 yards and three touchdowns and running for another score to lead the Vandals over the Montana Grizzlies 42-35 Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
The Big Sky Conference rivalry game signified the 40th birthday celebration for the stadium, which filled up with 26,567 fans. The Vandals couldn't give a Little Brown Stein about that; they never trailed and shook off five touchdown passes from Griz QB Keali'i Ah Yat. First-year coach Bobby Kennedy's bunch dropped their second straight after a 5-1 start.
"I think Coach Kennedy is doing a great job with that group and I feel very fortunate that the ball bounced away enough that we were able to come away with a victory," said Idaho coach Thomas Ford, Jr., whose team improved to 2-5, and 2-2 in Big Sky games. "And get the Little Brown Stein back to Moscow.
"I have been a part of bringing it home from here (2022, when he was the Vandals' running backs coach), watching the Griz take it back, watching them keep it, and then getting it back to Moscow where it will remain at least 365 days."
The day seemed to lean yellow and black from the time Wood forced a throw that was intercepted by UM's Chris Johnson II. Johnson stumbled trying to launch a return; Idaho Gus Donnenberg formed him up and popped the ball loose. Running back Damonte Bias recovered at UM's 39-yard line.
Seven snaps later Wood hit Zack Card for 10 yards and the touchdown and it was 7-0 Idaho at 10:05 of the first quarter.
Excluding a possession that ate up the last minute of the first half, Idaho scored on each successive drive until the final 2:05. Oddly enough Montana — driving to the Vandals' 11, then their 19 — came up empty on its final two chances. Those possessions ended with a missed field goal and a fourth-and-10 incompletion.
"We gave up a sack; we tried a quarterback draw they actually did a really good stunt into it," Kennedy said of the final drive. "I think, still, that our scheme is really good; we just have to make plays when the chips are down."
Before then, it was a shootout: After UM fell behind 21-7, Brooks Davis caught his second and third touchdowns of the day — covering 5 and 33 yards — at 1:05 of the second quarter and 12:23 of the third to knot it up.
Idaho promptly drove 75 yards in 10 plays, Wood hitting Ryan Jezioro for 13 yards and the TD.
Montana drew even at 28-all (Landon Ramsom-Goelz with a twisting, toe-tapping, 22-yard TD) and 35-all (Eli Gillman's 71st career TD, a 2-yard pass from Ah Yat), but Idaho responded each time.
Bruising back Hayden Kincheloe had a 6-yard scoring run to put Idaho up 35-28 at the end of the third quarter; backup QB Israel Carter's 2-yard run provided to be the winning points with 10:07 left in the game.
Wood, on top of picking apart soft pass coverage with a 33-for-38 performance, ran for 81 yards. His 2-yard run put Idaho up 21-7 with 6:21 left in the first half. Until late, when he misfired on a third-and-8 pass, Montana's beleaguered defense seemed powerless to stop him.
"We just have to do a little better job of getting off the field on third down; maybe play a little tighter coverage," said Kennedy, who saw Idaho convert 11 of 14 third downs. "But they've moved the ball on a lot of people and come up short a couple times. There are a bunch of games they could have won — Just like I really believe that we could have won these last two games and came up short."
Idaho first played Montana in 1903; the Vandals jumped out of the Big Sky in 1995 and returned in 2018. Still, this is the first time they've beaten Montana and Montana State in the same season since 1989.
Idaho snapped MSU's 19-game win streak two weeks ago, 35-34. That victory took a last-second TD and two-point PAT; this one took a fumble recovery off an interception.
"That obviously was a huge deal, right?" Ford asked. "You can't play behind against that team. You play behind and they will add it to 10, 40 times. Getting a lead was critical and that play alone really set the tone for our guys, and really kept them believing."
Ah Yat was 25 of 31 passing for 338 yards; Davis caught eight passes for 104. Gillman had 19 carries for 139 yards; with 31 receiving yards Saturday he has 5,505 career all-purpose yards. That breaks Marc Mariani's school record of 5,441.
Montana is 3-2 in league and has a bye ahead of a trip to Eastern Washington on Oct. 31.
"There's still a lot of season left," Kennedy said. "I told these guys this week, whether it be Oregon State or whether it be last week against NAU, this is the team I wanted. This is the staff I wanted, so I don't want any questions about that."
Grizzlies defensive lineman Isaac Keim (48) stops a run by Idaho running back Damonte Bias (48) in the first quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Landon Ransom-Goelz (2) catches a 22-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter against Idaho at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
The Idaho Vandals celebrate with the Little Brown Stein after a 42-35 win over Montana at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies running back Eli Gillman (10) looks for running room in the third quarter against Idaho at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies defensive lineman Tyler King (90) sacks Idaho quarterback Joshua Wood (3) in the first quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat (8) scrambles for a 19-yard gain in the fourth quarter against Idaho at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
A young Montana fan cheers on the Grizzlies in the fourth quarter against Idaho at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat (8) drops back to pass in the fourth quarter against Idaho at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Landon Ransom-Goelz (2) celebrates after a 22-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter against Idaho at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
The Montana Grizzlies run out of the Topel Tunnel before a matchup against Idaho at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
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