Montana falls in 119th Brawl of the Wild

Saturday, November 23

Bozeman, Mont.

Noon

Montana

9-3 , 6-2

Montana State

9-3 , 6-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Montana

Montana State

11/23/2019 3:33:00 PM | Football

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

The No. 3 Montana Grizzlies fell behind early and couldn't find an answer to the top rushing attack in the Big Sky, falling to No. 8 Montana State 48-14 in the 119th Brawl of the Wild on Saturday. The loss drops the Grizzlies to 9-3 (6-2 BSC) on the season, but all three losses have come against top ranked teams nationally.

The Griz struggled to find their footing in the rivalry game, fumbling on the first offensive play of the game and never recovering. The Bobcats rushing attack, which led MSU to wins in the previous three iterations of the Brawl, once again controlled the game. Montana State ran the ball over 60 times, totaling 382 yards (over six per carry) and six touchdowns.

"We had a really poor performance today, they beat us in all three phases of the game and that's my fault," Head Coach Bobby Hauck said following the game. "I've got to get this team ready to play in every facet and obviously I failed as the head coach today. I want to win this game and our team wants to win this game, and we got outplayed."

Montana State controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides, clearing holes for the run game offensively while bringing Griz quarterback Dalton Sneed down in the backfield six times. They outgained the Grizzlies overall 488-241, winning the rushing battle by over 300 yards.

"The issue would be the fronts, whether we matched up well enough and I thought we would," Hauck said. "We certainly didn't play like we did last weekend on either side of the ball, and it just wasn't good by us up front."

Montana received a solid performance from Marcus Knight, but the early deficit limited his impact as the Grizzlies were forced into a pass heavy offense. Knight finished with 77 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and two touchdowns, continuing his rise up Montana's all-time leaderboard. Knight is now at 20 rushing touchdowns and 21 overall scores, trailing only Chase Reynolds for single season touchdowns.

Dante Olson put together another impressive game statistically with 18 tackles, including one for a loss. The performance put him in second place on Montana's career tackling chart with 369, passing Tyler Joyce in the process. Robby Hauck and Jace Lewis - 12 tackles each - also had solid days, but Montana's defense struggled to find an answer to the varied rushing attack of the Bobcats.

Sneed closed the game 20-of-34 for 195 yards with an interception. Jerry Louie-McGee and Mitch Roberts combined for 13 catches, while Samori Toure was limited to just four grabs.

The nerves were present early, as both sides had trouble holding on to the football. After three fumbles in the first six plays were all recovered by the Bobcats, the hosts took the first lead of the game on a trick play.

After two straight Montana three-and-outs, the Bobcats drove for a field goal and a touchdown. The Grizzlies finally picked up a first down on their fourth possession of the game, but a fourth down attempt was stopped short by the Bobcat defense. Montana State would drive for another quick score to take the 24-0 lead.

"It kind of started on the first play obviously when we coughed it up," Hauck said of the slow start. "Then we didn't get them on the reverse on third down, and then it kind of got going on us. They caught the fade, and then it was on."

The Grizzlies, who have overcome plenty of slow starts this season, showed signs of life on the following drive. A long Marcus Knight rush followed later by a big completion to Bryson Deming put Montana inside the five, where Knight found the endzone for Montana's first score of the game.

But Montana State didn't allow the momentum of the game to shift, responding with a seven play, 75-yard drive to score again. Malik Flowers sparked some excitement for the Griz with a massive kick return on the next play, breaking several tackles on a 60-yard return that gave Montana great field position.

Sneed found Mitch Roberts on a broken play to bring the Grizzlies into scoring position again, where Knight went around the edge for his 20th rushing touchdown of the season. He trails Chase Reynolds by just two touchdowns for the all-time single season mark, as the Drummond native ran for 22 touchdowns in a season twice in his illustrious career.

Montana State missed a field goal heading into the half, and then the Grizzly defense forced the first Bobcat punt of the day in the third quarter. The Grizzlies couldn't muster an answer with the offense, however, and Montana State extended its lead with a field goal late in the third quarter to go ahead 34-14.

The Grizzlies went into Bobcat territory again on the next drive, but failed to convert on fourth down once again to give the ball back to MSU at the end of the third quarter. The Bobcats went right back to the ground, pounding the ball to another touchdown and a 41-14 lead. Sneed was intercepted on Montana's next drive, and the Bobcats found the endzone with their sixth rushing touchdown of the day to bring it to the 48-14 final score.

The FCS Playoff field will be announced on Sunday morning, and the Grizzlies can still potentially receive a top eight seed in the postseason. It will be Montana's first trip to the playoffs since 2015.

"The second season starts here in a week or two and we've just got to find a way to get our team back," Hauck said. "We will see what transpires tomorrow, we will get a plan for it and hopefully we can get back going again."