Montana defeats North Dakota 27-17
11/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Senior running back Chase Reynolds rushed for 173 yards and three touchdowns and broke the school record for scoring runs as The University of Montana Grizzlies defeated the visiting University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux 27-17 Saturday afternoon in UM???s Washington-Grizzly Stadium (attendance, 24,151).
Reynolds??? three touchdown runs gives his 51 in his career, breaking the record of 50 set by former halfback and Kalispell native Lex Hilliard, from 2003-07. Reynolds also added to his school record of total touchdowns and now has 58 (he has seven receiving TDs).
Saturday???s game was a non-league contest, but North Dakota and Southern Utah, along with Cal Poly and UC Davis (the later two schools will be competing in football only),??will join the Big Sky Conference in 2012.
The victory by Montana sets up a classic intra-state match-up between the 13th-ranked Grizzlies (7-3 overall/5-2 Big Sky) and the 11th-ranked Montana State Bobcats (8-2/6-1) next Saturday in Missoula.
Montana took an early lead and scored the only points of the first quarter when senior quarterback Justin Roper hit junior wide receiver Antwon Moutra for a 58-yard touchdown pass, giving UM a 7-0 lead with just three seconds left in the opening stanza.
It looked like the Grizzlies might the game under control when Reynolds scored his first touchdown of the game on a 12-yard run with 12:28 left in the second quarter, giving Montana a 13-0 lead.
But on the ensuing kickoff Dominique Hawkins caught the ball in the end zone and returned it 99 yards, stepping out of bounds at the 1-yard line. On the next play, sophomore running back Mitch Sutton scored on a 1-yard run, and the Fighting Sioux (3-7) were right back in the contest, cutting the Griz lead to 13-7 with 12:10 remaining until halftime.
UND had another big play right before halftime, this time by its defense, as senior nose tackle Ty Boyle tipped a Roper pass, intercepted the ball, and then returned it to Montana???s 7-yard line. The Grizzly defense held, though, and the Fighting Sioux had to settle for a 29-yard field goal by freshman kicker Zeb Miller. Miller???s three-pointer made the score 13-10, Montana, at halftime.
The Fighting Sioux took their only lead of the afternoon at the 11:05 mark of the third quarter, as Sutton broke off right tackle and raced down the right sideline for a 50-yard touchdown run, and UND led 17-13. However, those proved to be the final points of the game by UND.
The Griz "D" and the Drummond native Reynolds were the keys to the win for Montana in a second half that was dominated by the home team.
Reynolds carried the ball 27 times for his 173 yards and 3 TDs, averaging 6.4 yards a carry. Sophomore halfback Gerald Kemp added 50 yards on nine totes.
Roper was 14-of-22-1 for 231 yards and a touchdown. Sambrano had a game-high 4 catches along with 74 yards, while Reynolds had 4 grabs for 39 yards, and Moutra caught 3 passes for a game-high 100 yards.
The Griz defense was led by sophomore linebacker Jordan Tripp with a game-high 13 tackles and a sack. Senior strong safety Erik Stoll and junior linebacker Caleb McSurdy had 12 tackles apiece. Junior linebacker Alex Shaw and junior end Ryan Fetherston each had a sack.
Sutton rushed 12 times for 76 yards and two TDs. UND quarterbacks Marcus Hendrickson and Brent Goska were a combined 9-of-30-0 for 56 yards and no scores. Boyle led the Fighting Sioux with 10 tackles.
The Grizzly defense not only shut out the Fighting Sioux in the final 26-plus minutes, but they limited the visitors from Grand Forks to just 45 total yards on 23 plays, along with five first downs in the fourth quarter.
Reynolds rushed 15 times for 117 yards (7.8-yard average) and two touchdowns in the second half.
After Sutton???s go-ahead TD, the Grizzlies regained the lead for good thanks to Reynolds, who on the next series had a huge 51-yard run to the UND 14-yard line, then two plays later he scored on a 14-yard run, giving the Griz a 20-17 lead with 9:49 left in the third quarter.
Montana added an insurance touchdown on its third possession in the fourth quarter, with Reynolds scoring his record-breaking touchdown on a 4-yard run. That key play in the drive that led to Reynolds??? 51st career TD was a 55-yard pass completion from Roper to junior wide receiver Jabin Sambrano. That hook-up moved the ball to the UND 12-yard line, and two plays later Reynold scored.
The Grizzlies out-gained the Fighting Sioux 421 to 209 in total yards. UM averaged 6.2 yards on 68 offensive plays, while UND averaged 2.8 on 75 plays.
The Griz host the Cats in the 110th game of their long rivalry next Saturday, with kick-off slated for 12:07 p.m. UND hosts South Dakota State.
