Grizzlies beat Wildcats 31-10
10/31/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Running back Chase Reynolds rushed 33 times for a career-high 241 yards and a touchdown and the defense stymied one of the best offenses in the Football Championship Subdivision, as the host and second-ranked University of Montana Grizzlies defeated the 14th-ranked Weber State Wildcats 31-10 in a pivotal Big Sky Conference game Saturday afternoon.
The Grizzlies set a Washington-Grizzly Stadium attendance record for the fifth time in five home games this season, as 25,811 fans saw the Grizzlies stay unbeaten at 8-0, and improve to 5-0 in the conference. The Wildcats are now 5-4 overall and 5-2 in the Big Sky.
Montana set the tone early, going 75 yards on 10 plays in its first drive, with Andrew Selle throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dan Beaudin, giving UM a 7-0 lead.
The Grizzlies took a two-touchdown lead later in the opening quarter when UM defensive end Jace Palmer intercepted a pass by WSU quarterback Cameron Higgins and raced 57 yards for his first-ever collegiate touchdown. The extra point snap was errant and Montana was unable to get the PAT attempt off, and led 13-0 with 2:05 left in the first quarter.
The Wildcats, who entered the contest ranked fourth in the FCS in passing yards a game (307.0 ypg ) and eighth in total offense (440.8 ypg), scored just three first-half points, as Mike Snoy hit a 36-yard field goal at the 10:56 mark of the second quarter, and Montana led 13-3 at intermission.
Montana scored the only points in the third quarter on a six-play, 81-yard drive which culminated with a 2-yard touchdown run by Reynolds. It was all Chase Reynolds on that drive, as the junior from Drummond carried the ball four times for 58 yards.
Sophomore kicker Brody McKnight have Montana a 20-point cushion with 14:09 left to play, connecting on a 42-yard field goal, making it 23-3 Grizzlies.
WSU scored its only touchdown of the game on a flea-flicker play, as halfback Bob Bolen took a hand-off, then pitched the ball back to Higgins, and Higgins lofted a 59-yard touchdown pass to wide open wide receiver Mike Phillips, cutting the UM lead to 23-10 with 11:15 to go.
After a three-and-out by both teams, Montana put together another impressive scoring drive, going 79 yards on eight plays, as Selle hit halfback Thomas Brooks-Fletcher on a screen pass which resulted in a 14-yard touchdown and a 31-10 lead by the Griz with 4:52 remaining.
Reynolds was the catalyst again on UM???s final scoring drive, as he picked up 53 yards on five totes, although a Selle to Marc Mariani 17-yard hook-up which gave the Grizzlies a first-and-10 on the WSU 4-yard line was also a key play. An illegal use of hands penalty by the Grizzlies moved the ball back to the Wildcat 14, but on the next play after the penalty, Selle hit Brooks-Fletcher, whose 14-yard touchdown was his first career receiving touchdown.
The Grizzly defense limited the Wildcats to 299 total yards (26 carries for 56 yards rushing, 243 yards passing), and picked off four of Higgins??? passes.
Montana cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who missed last Saturday???s game at Sac State due to injury, had a team-high 8 tackles, along with a pair of interceptions and two pass deflections. Johnson now has eight career interceptions in two-plus seasons.
Cornerback Andrew Swink added 6 tackles and a pick, while end Severin Campbell added five stops, a sack, and 2 tackles for loss. End Josh Harris also had a sack, along with a forced fumble, and tackle Bryan Waldhauser also had a sack for UM.
The Grizzlies racked up 506 total yards (52 rushes for 288 yards and 218 yards passing), and had 11 more (24 to 13) first downs.
Reynolds, who rushed 21 times for 193 yards in the second half, had a previous career-high of 233 yards rushing against Texas State in a first round FCS playoff game last season.
Reynolds now has 822 yards rushing this season, which ranks him 16th in single-season history. His 2,405 career rushing yards move him up to third all-time, as he passed Rocky Klever (2,228 yards, 1977-71).
Selle was 13-of-26-0 for 214 yards and two touchdowns. Selle has thrown for 1,829 career yards, which ranks him 17th on the career list.
Mariani had team-highs of 4 receptions for 98 yards, while Jabin Sambrano caught three balls for 20 yards, and Steve Pfahler, Brooks-Fletcher and Beaudin had two grabs each. Beaudin touchdown grab was the first for him this season and the fourth in his career.
Higgins was 16-of-34-4 for 243 yards and a touchdown and was sacked three times. WSU wide receiver Tim Toone had a game-high 5 catches for 73 yards, while Phillips had 3 for 82 and a TD. The Griz "D" limited WSU???s talented senior running back Trevyn Smith to 3.2 yards a carry, as he gained 64 yards on 20 totes. WSU linebacker Taylor Sedlilo had a game-high 17 tackles.
Next Saturday the Grizzlies are at Idaho State (0-9/0-6), which lost 41-10 at Montana State this afternoon. WSU concludes its Big Sky slate with a home game against Northern Arizona.
