MISSOULA — The Montana Grizzlies decisively turned the page from last week’s disappointment in their return home Saturday.
Coming off a stinging loss at North Dakota, No. 8-ranked UM made quick work of Morehead State 59-2 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium to get back in the win column. The Grizzlies were dominant on the ground, piling up 410 yards and scoring seven rushing TDs to improve to 2-1.
Quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat and running back Eli Gillman each rushed for a pair of touchdowns, and freshman Malae Fonoti had 176 rushing yards and a touchdown in the second half.
The game marked the 2024 debut of receiver and return specialist Junior Bergen, and his 12-yard catch on a fourth-and-4 play on Montana’s opening possession led to a short Ah Yat touchdown rush for the first points of the game.
Nick Ostmo and Stevie Rocker Jr. each had rushing touchdowns for Montana, and Ty Morrison added a career-long 46-yard field goal in the second quarter. Ostmo surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards during the game.
PHOTOS: No. 8 Montana Grizzlies get back in win column with smackdown of Morehead State
Ah Yat completed 9 of 11 passes for 79 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Logan Fife had 87 passing yards, and back up Kaden Huot also got into the game at quarterback in the fourth quarter.
Morehead State avoided a shutout on special teams at the end of the third quarter when the Eagles’ blocked an extra-point kick by Grant Glasgow and the ball was returned the other way for two points by Richard Sweeney III to make the score 52-2.
Turning point: Leading 7-0, Montana’s defense came up big in the first quarter when defensive end Hayden Harris intercepted a Connor Genal pass at the Eagles' 16. That led to a 2-yard touchdown pass from Ah Yat to Keelan White.
Fife then ran in a two-point conversion and the Grizzlies were rolling with a 15-0 lead not even halfway through the first quarter.
Stat of the game: In their 27-24 loss at North Dakota, the Grizzlies achieved just one first down in the second half which led to their demise. On this day, Montana had 35 first downs, including 19 in the first half. Of those, 25 came on the ground, which fit with the theme of the Grizzlies’ rushing dominance.
Grizzly game balls: RB Eli Gillman (Offense). Gillman didn’t see a ton of action in the blowout win, but he was superb when he did touch the ball. On just eight carries, Gillman finished with 106 yards, an average of 13.3 per attempt, to spearhead the Grizzlies’ rushing potency.
DE Hayden Harris (Defense). Harris continues to be a force for Montana’s defense. The UCLA transfer made big plays again Saturday, finishing with two QB sacks and the aforementioned first-quarter interception. Harris now has 4.5 sacks through three games.
What’s next: The Grizzlies will wrap up the non-league portion of their 2024 schedule next Saturday as they welcome Western Carolina to Missoula. It will be the first-ever meeting between the programs.
The Catamounts, whose campus is located in Cullowhee, N.C., are members of the FCS Southern Conference. They entered this week with an 0-2 record, having given FBS N.C. State a good test in Week 1 before falling to Campbell in Week 2.
