Turnovers costly as Griz fall in FCS quarterfinal

Friday, December 13

Ogden, Utah

8 PM

Montana

10-4

Weber State

11-3

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Montana

Weber State

12/14/2019 12:58:00 AM | Football

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

Rain, snow, wind, and fog - the Montana Grizzlies did battle with both the Weber State Wildcats and the winter elements in Ogden, Utah, falling 17-10 in a defensive standoff that saw the Grizzlies give up five turnovers while at the same time allowing WSU just 113 yards of total offense in the FCS quarterfinal.

In his final game as a Grizzly, quarterback Dalton Sneed left it all on the field against Weber, but gave up five interceptions and took six sacks in trying to battle the elements and Wildcat defensive front that was able to apply plenty of pressure.

But in a game featuring two of the best special teams units in the country, it was only fitting that a blocked punt would be the deciding factor as the game rested on a knife-edge heading into the final period with WSU holding a 10-7 lead.

With nine minutes to play Weber State scored what would be the game-winning touchdown on a blocked punt to build a lead that proved to be insurmountable for the Grizzlies, despite an attempted rally.

Montana's historic season comes to a close with a 10-4 record in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs (a place it hadn't' reached since the 2009 season), and was highlighted by some of the best individual and team efforts ever at UM. The Wildcats now advance to the FCS semifinal, where they will face the second-ranked James Madison Dukes on their home turf.

During the game, linebacker Dante Olson capped his phenomenal career on and off the field with 14 tackles to become Montana's all-time leading tackler, passing hall of famer Vince Huntsberger's career record.

With a game-high eight catches for 85 yards, junior receiver Samori Toure broke two Grizzly records: Joe Douglass' 1996 record for catches in a season and Marc Mariani's single-season receiving yards record as well.

First Quarter: Montana won the coin toss and put the defense on the field first to set the tone. It didn't take long either, with Josh Sandry stuffing a Weber fly sweep on the first play of the game for a loss of seven leading to a three-and-out opening drive for the Wildcats.

From that point on, both teams would be held to not much in the way of offensive output, with both teams piling up less than 20 offensive yards and the Griz only picking up a pair of first downs to Weber's zero in the opening quarter.

A pair of big TFLs and a forced fumble that was recovered by the Wildcats in their own red zone highlighted an overall strong opening period for the Grizzlies as the teams completed the quarter at a scoreless draw.

SECOND QUARTER: The defensive standoff continued for another seven minutes into the second quarter before the Grizzlies finally broke the stalemate.

Toure broke the first of his two school records with a 40-yard catch that set up Montana's first score of the day.

Inside the red zone for the first time of the day, the Grizzlies struck just two plays later when Sneed rolled out and found Colin Bingham open in the end zone to put the Griz up 7-0 after the ensuing PAT.

After more back-and-forth, Weber State got on the board three minutes later with a 41-yard field goal from Trey Tuttle, and the Griz took a 7-3 halftime lead into the locker rooms.

THIRD QUARTER: After Montana's opening drive stalled, the Wildcats took their first lead of the game, marching down the field 72 yards in eight plays for a touchdown when Jake Constantine found a hobbled Josh Davis wide open for an 11-yard score.

Montana's offense put itself in a dangerous position when Dalton Sneed threw his third interception of the afternoon, setting up a chip-shot field goal attempt for Trey Tuttle, but the snap sailed high, and Montana took over on downs.

After a big one-handed catch for Mitch Roberts was ruled incomplete, Sneed again was caught trying to thread a needle and was picked off by Noah Vaea for his fourth of the day as Montana struggled to get going.

FOURTH QUARTER: Montana, who had outscored its opponents 116-54 in the fourth quarter this season to date, continued its struggles moving the ball in the final period, while the defense continued to play lights out.

Following the blocked put for a touchdown that gave WSU a 17-7 lead, Brandon Purdy helped close the gap with a 27-yard field goal that made it 17-10 with 3:23 to play.

Montana got the defensive stop it needed on the following WSU drive, but the Grizzly comeback attempt was cut short by George Tarlas, who picked off his second Sneed pass of the day to seal the win for the home team.