Sunday Notebook: Griz bounce back against ISU

The Montana Grizzlies got back to their winning ways on Saturday, snapping a two-game skid with a record-setting 62-44 victory over the visiting Idaho State Bengals.

It was the Grizzlies' third straight 60-plus point victory at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, and the scoring was led by a quarterback who made his first start of the year, then proceeded to etch his name in the Montana record books.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEES:

Offense: Montana quarterback Chad Chalich made an immediate impact in his first start of the 2016 season, throwing for a school-record seven touchdown passes and rushing for another to lead the Griz to a 62-44 Big Sky win over Idaho State.

With seven TD passes and one TD run, Chalich was responsible for eight total touchdowns, also a Montana school record. The previous record belonged to QB Brian Ah Yat, who threw for six TDs and rushed for one against Stephen F. Austin in 1998.

Chalich was 21-27-1 passing for 388 yards against the Bengals. He also rushed 14 times for 52 yards, giving him 440 yards of total offense. With one of the best individual performances in Montana history, Chalich earns UM's nomination for Big Sky and national offensive player of the week.

In addition to being nominated for the major conference and national player of the week awards (set to be released on Monday), Chalich earned two other national honors on Sunday.

Sports blog College Sports Madness named Chalich their Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week. He was also given an honorable mention for "FCS National Performer of the Week" by the College Football Performance Awards.

Defense: Senior defensive end Ryan Johnson made an impact nearly every time he broke through the line against Idaho State, posting four tackles (two solo), three of which were tackles-for-loss, and adding 1.5 sacks as well as forcing a fumble.

Special Teams: Freshman kicker Brandon Purdy went 8-9 on PATs against ISU, missing only once as a result of a high snap. It was Purdy's first start of the season as UM's PAT kicker.

SATURDAY'S STARS

After his record-setting performance against the Bengals, head coach Bob Stitt awarded the "Cue Stick," a token of Grizzly success that is presented after each win, to Chalich and senior defensive end Caleb Kidder. Kidder had another monster game against ISU, picking up a sack, two TFLs, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.

I addition to the usual American flag and two Montana state flags, the Griz ran out of the tunnel carrying five additional flags as a part of military appreciation day festivities. Montana paid respects to the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marines with a flag representing each division of our armed forces.

STATISTICAL UPDATE

The Grizzlies one of the top offensive teams in the nation after putting 591 yards of total offense on the field against the Bengals. The Griz now rank No. 2 in the Big Sky and No. 5 in the nation in total offense, averaging 511 yards-per-game.

Montana also has the No. 4 passing offense in the country, averaging 358.6 yards-per-game through the air.

Pressuring the quarterback has been a hallmark of the 2016 Grizzlies, and the numbers back that up. UM is ranked No. 9 in team tackles-for-loss nationally, No. 4 nationally in third-down conversion defense, and No. 10 in red zone defense.

In the Big Sky, the Griz maintain the league's No. 2 total defense, allowing an average of 355.8 yards-per-game. UM also has the league's second-stingiest rush defense, allowing just under 127 yards on the ground per outing.

FIRST LOOK: UNC

It's the battle of the Bears in Greeley next Saturday as Montana and Northern Colorado meet to see who will pick up their fourth Big Sky win of the season, with both teams sitting at 3-3 on the league table.

Two of the top passing offenses in the Big Sky will be on display, with Montana bringing the league's second-best passing attack to the front range, and UNC bringing nearly 260-yards through the air of their own.

Kickoff from Nottingham Field is set for noon.

University of Montana Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Chad Chalich

Ryan Johnson

Caleb Kidder

Brandon Purdy

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