Griz rout the Eagles, 41-10
11/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Junior running back Justin Green ran for a career high 175 yards on 32 carries and four touchdowns as the 5th-ranked Montana Grizzlies defeated the visiting Eastern Washington Eagles 41-10 in front of 23,329 Griz faithful on "Senior Day" Saturday afternoon in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Montana (9-2/5-1 Big Sky) took a 7-0 lead after Green's one-yard touchdown plunge. Green had 47 yards rushing on the opening drive. Eastern Washington (6-5/3-4 Big Sky) made it a 7-3 game on their first offensive possession on a 44-yard field goal by place kicker Rich Heintz.
Green gave Montana a 14-3 lead with his second touchdown, a six-yard run that capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive that lasted 4:49. Eastern Washington narrowed the lead to 14-10 after cornerback Isaiah Trufant picked off Grizzly quarterback Craig Ochs and returned it 41-yards for the Eagles' first touchdown of the game.
The only scoring of the second quarter came on a 30-yard field goal by Montana place kicker Chris Snyder who gave the Grizzlies a 17-10 advantage at the half.
Montana opened up the second half scoring with another Snyder field goal, a 37-yard field goal with 8:58 remaining in the third quarter to put the Grizzlies up 20-10.
Green made it 27-10 with seven seconds left in the third quarter with another one-yard touchdown run that capped an impressive 11-play, 80-yard drive that lasted 4:32.
Green, the junior from San Diego, Calif., scored his fourth touchdown mid-way through the fourth quarter on a 37-yard scamper that put Montana up 34-10. With the score Green tied a school record for rushing touchdowns in a single game (Yohance Humphery vs. Weber St., 2001 and Arnie Blancas @Weber St., 1969).
Freshman quarterback Kyle Sampson scored Montana's final touchdown with a six-yard option run off the right side giving the Grizzlies 41-10 lead.
The Grizzly running game boasted 356 net rushing yards. Freshman running back Lex Hilliard gained 81-yards on 13 carries to go with Greens 175-yards. Ochs registered only 103-yards passing, completing 7-of-16 passes with two interceptions and no touchdowns. Junior tight end Willie Walden led all Griz receivers with three catches for 91-yards.
Montana's defense was appropriately led by two seniors that were playing their final regular season game at home. Outside linebacker Brent Meyers had a team high eight tackles (1 1/2 for a loss). Safety Dave DeCoite had three sacks to go along with his six tackles. Sophomore cornerback Kevin Edwards had an interception, as did sophomore safety Tyler Thomas.
Eastern Washington managed only 168 total yards of offense on the game (76-yards rushing, 127-yards passing). Sophomore quarterback Erik Meyer completed just 6-of-16 passes for 61-yards. Meyer was also the leading rusher for the Eagles with 30-yards on seven carries.
The Eagle defense was led by senior defensive end Brandon Meyers' game-high 11 tackles. Junior middle linebacker Doug Vincent also registered 11 tackles on the game. The Eagles picked off two passes on the afternoon, junior safety Javid Shoemaker's interception was the second of the game.
With the win Montana is guaranteed at least a share of the Big Sky Conference title. This is the sixth straight year that the Grizzlies have been outright champions or had a share of the conference title.
Montana returns to action against arch-rival Montana State (5-5/ 3-2 Big Sky) next Saturday in a game that will determine who the Big Sky Conference champion will be. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman.
Montana (9-2/5-1 Big Sky) took a 7-0 lead after Green's one-yard touchdown plunge. Green had 47 yards rushing on the opening drive. Eastern Washington (6-5/3-4 Big Sky) made it a 7-3 game on their first offensive possession on a 44-yard field goal by place kicker Rich Heintz.
Green gave Montana a 14-3 lead with his second touchdown, a six-yard run that capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive that lasted 4:49. Eastern Washington narrowed the lead to 14-10 after cornerback Isaiah Trufant picked off Grizzly quarterback Craig Ochs and returned it 41-yards for the Eagles' first touchdown of the game.
The only scoring of the second quarter came on a 30-yard field goal by Montana place kicker Chris Snyder who gave the Grizzlies a 17-10 advantage at the half.
Montana opened up the second half scoring with another Snyder field goal, a 37-yard field goal with 8:58 remaining in the third quarter to put the Grizzlies up 20-10.
Green made it 27-10 with seven seconds left in the third quarter with another one-yard touchdown run that capped an impressive 11-play, 80-yard drive that lasted 4:32.
Green, the junior from San Diego, Calif., scored his fourth touchdown mid-way through the fourth quarter on a 37-yard scamper that put Montana up 34-10. With the score Green tied a school record for rushing touchdowns in a single game (Yohance Humphery vs. Weber St., 2001 and Arnie Blancas @Weber St., 1969).
Freshman quarterback Kyle Sampson scored Montana's final touchdown with a six-yard option run off the right side giving the Grizzlies 41-10 lead.
The Grizzly running game boasted 356 net rushing yards. Freshman running back Lex Hilliard gained 81-yards on 13 carries to go with Greens 175-yards. Ochs registered only 103-yards passing, completing 7-of-16 passes with two interceptions and no touchdowns. Junior tight end Willie Walden led all Griz receivers with three catches for 91-yards.
Montana's defense was appropriately led by two seniors that were playing their final regular season game at home. Outside linebacker Brent Meyers had a team high eight tackles (1 1/2 for a loss). Safety Dave DeCoite had three sacks to go along with his six tackles. Sophomore cornerback Kevin Edwards had an interception, as did sophomore safety Tyler Thomas.
Eastern Washington managed only 168 total yards of offense on the game (76-yards rushing, 127-yards passing). Sophomore quarterback Erik Meyer completed just 6-of-16 passes for 61-yards. Meyer was also the leading rusher for the Eagles with 30-yards on seven carries.
The Eagle defense was led by senior defensive end Brandon Meyers' game-high 11 tackles. Junior middle linebacker Doug Vincent also registered 11 tackles on the game. The Eagles picked off two passes on the afternoon, junior safety Javid Shoemaker's interception was the second of the game.
With the win Montana is guaranteed at least a share of the Big Sky Conference title. This is the sixth straight year that the Grizzlies have been outright champions or had a share of the conference title.
Montana returns to action against arch-rival Montana State (5-5/ 3-2 Big Sky) next Saturday in a game that will determine who the Big Sky Conference champion will be. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman.
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