Second-half surge puts Griz up big over Lions

Saturday, September 7

Missoula, Mont.

7 PM

Montana

2-0

North Alabama

1-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

North Alabama

Montana

9/8/2019 12:23:00 AM | Football

Box Score PDF Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

It's a special feeling playing inside the confines of Washington-Grizzly Stadium, which the University of Montana Grizzlies did for the first time this season on Saturday. The excitement rises to another level when the lights go on. Montana, in the lone night game of the season at home, got better as the game went along against the North Alabama Lions, winning the second half 45-0 on its way to an emphatic 61-17 victory on a warm Saturday evening in Missoula.

The win extends Montana's streak in home openers to 16, although it didn't look like a sure thing for much of the first half. A resilient UNA team gave the Grizzlies fits in the first half and had a lead at the break, but the defense pitched a second-half shutout to go along with countless highlights from the offense and special teams for the dominant victory from head coach Bobby Hauck and the Grizzlies.

"I thought that North Alabama, they are a physical team, I thought they tackled well, and they did a nice job," Hauck said. "They were ready to go and handled things. We probably helped them a little bit, so at halftime, we said, 'Our stuff is good. Our plan is sound. We just need to play better,' and that's what we did, we played better in the second half."

Montana threw for nearly 300 yards and ran for 234, picking up 34 first downs along the way. The Grizzlies wore down the Lions, running nearly 90 plays. It all came down to the second half, however, as Montana outgained the Lions 304-66 and scored 45 unanswered points.

The defense played a huge role in that, forcing four second-half turnovers as North Alabama struggled to get any momentum offensively. The Grizzly defense allowed just four first downs and stopped the Lions on all seven third downs they faced in the second half.

"Those interceptions were good and opportune for our team… You get turnovers, you get a chance to win," Hauck said following the game.

Marcus Knight made quite the first impression in his Washington-Grizzly Stadium debut, running for 89 yards and three scores to lead the balanced Montana offense. In any regular game, Knight would have been the out-and-out player of the game. But this was no ordinary game for Montana.

There was a special feeling in the air the first time that Jerry Louie-McGee stepped back to field a punt. Chants of, "Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!" erupted from the student section. By the end of the night, the entire stadium was cheering his name. On his first return, he busted off a 36-yard return to set up Montana's first touchdown of the game.

Then on return number two, Louie-McGee went 29 yards and set up another Montana touchdown. But on the third return, he brought the house down. Louie-McGee weaved his way through the North Alabama coverage, scoring on a 74-yard punt return, the third of his career.

Oh, and he also caught seven passes for 78 yards, bringing his all-purpose yards to 228. Not a bad night for "Mr. Electricity."

"It's unreal. When you're out there, I stay focused and watch the ball, but it's pretty humbling," Louie-McGee said of the crowd's support. "It's a blessing that it's possible. I appreciate the fans and all that comes with that."

He scored one touchdown, but his coach thought he had a chance to find the end zone on the first two as well. Both Hauck and Louie-McGee credited the special teams unit in the post-game press conference.

"I thought he was going to get the first or second one. He had some space and had two really nice returns in the first half," Hauck said. "The guys on that team really believe in him, so they work hard for him. Our mantra on that team is hard work equals real estate, and we had a lot of real estate tonight."

The seven catches also pull Louie-McGee just three receptions away from breaking the all-time Montana record, currently held by Raul Pacheco at 192. But it wasn't something he was thinking about Saturday night.

"I don't care about records, especially during the game. The only thing on my mind is getting a win and playing hard," Louie-McGee said. "If it happens, then it happens. I'll appreciate it, but I'm just playing snap-by-snap."

Gallery: (9/7/2019) FB:: vs UNA 9.7.19

After a long opening drive for Northern Alabama, Dareon Nash climbed the ladder to deflect the ball away, and Robby Hauck came in for the save, sliding in the end zone to make an interception and stop an impressive first drive for the visiting Lions.

Gabe Sulser then drove the Grizzlies into the red zone with a 17-yard rush on third down. Marcus Knight later picked up the first rushing touchdown of his Montana career to cap off the drive and give Montana an early 7-0 lead.

The Lions answered with a 75-yard touchdown of their own to level the game.

Montana appeared to be stopped on the next drive, but former rugby player-turned punter Adam Wilson faked the punt and ran for 19 yards up the left side. A pass interference penalty on the next play brought Montana to the UNA 25-yard line. Brandon Purdy made it 10-7 Montana with a 36-yard field goal.

Montana got the ball in the second quarter, and Sulser provided another first down rush around the outside. Then, Sneed ran for 21 yards. Instead of sliding to the ground, the quarterback lowered his shoulder and ran through the defender to finish the play. After the play, the defender swatted the ball from Sneed's hands, drawing a 15-yard penalty and putting Montana at the UNA 15-yard line.

The quarterback ended the drive on the ground, keeping it himself and tucking in between the right side of his offensive line for the touchdown. The Grizzlies failed on a two-point conversion but still took the 16-7 lead.

North Alabama answered with a field goal to make it a one-score game at 16-10, but Montana had a chance to extend the lead before the half. They drove to the UNA 15-yard line but were stopped. On fourth down, the Grizzlies attempted a fake field goal but were stopped short. The Lions took the momentum from that stop and capitalized on it, scoring a touchdown in just three plays to take the 17-16 lead, which they would take into the half.

To start the second half, Montana put together an efficient drive with plenty of touches by Louie-McGee. Knight walked into the endzone untouched to give Montana the lead again at 23-17.

Gavin Robertson then dove for an interception on a deep pass on the following North Alabama drive. The Grizzlies again entered UNA territory, and Purdy matched his career-long with a 47-yard field goal. The tide had officially turned in the game.

"To get 10 straight coming out and have a nine-point lead, I feel like all of our guys felt like the ship was righted," Hauck said. "Our kids weren't pleased at halftime, they didn't think we played sharp enough, and they were right. But our assistant coaches did a nice job tweaking a little bit, and our guys are smart, and they can handle some change and they are also competitive as heck, and they can handle not having great success and come out and make it happen, which is what they did."

Montana's defense forced yet another turnover on the ensuing drive, as No. 99 Alex Gubner dropped back into coverage and made a leaping interception, returning it for seven yards.

Louie-McGee's second return then set up another Knight touchdown. The sophomore running back eluded four defenders on an impressive 24-yard score that put Montana ahead 33-17.

Montana's defense forced another three-and-out, and once again North Alabama made the mistake of putting the ball in the hands of Mr. Electricity. Louie McGee weaved his way through the coverage, scoring a 74-yard touchdown on the punt return. His third return brought his total to 134 yards on just three punt returns.

The massive 24-point quarter gave the Grizzlies a comfortable 40-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but they weren't done yet. A couple plays into the final frame, Sneed found Matt Rensvold for a nine-yard score that gave the Grizzlies a 30-point lead.

Montana's second unit then came into the game and didn't miss a beat. Cam Humphrey connected with running back Nick Ostmo for a 12-yard score, for the freshman running back's first career TD. Drew Turner also scored his first career touchdown in the game, punching it in from three yards out to bring the score to the 61-17 final.

Dalton Sneed ended the night 24-of-38 for 269 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball for 27 yards and another score. Nick Ostmo had a good day in a backup running back role, toting it for 31 yards on eight attempts. Samori Toure had seven catches for 73 yards, Samuel Akem had five for 72 yards, and six other Grizzlies caught a pass.

Dante Olson and Robby Hauck each had nine tackles, and Gavin Robertson had a good game with seven tackles and an interception. Josh Sandry had a couple of big hits on the night and recorded a sack. Patrick O'Connell also had a sack, the first of his career.

The Grizzlies will hope the big momentum from the second half tonight will carry over into next week, as they hit the road to take on the No. 16 Oregon Ducks in Autzen Stadium.

SPLIT-THE-POT WINNER
Sept. 7: vs. North Alabama - Orange Ticket #548817 - $10,285.70 - CLAIMED