Saturday, September 11
Missoula, Mont.
6 PM
Montana
2-0 , 0-0
42
vs
7
Western Illinois
0-2 , 0-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Western Ill.
0
7
0
0
7
Montana
7
14
14
7
42
Griz run away with win in home-opener
9/11/2021 11:19:00 PM | Football
The Montana Grizzlies gave head coach Bobby Hauck his 100th career win at UM in style, carrying the momentum from last week's historic win into a blowout 42-7 win over Western Illinois in front of a sold-out Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Hauck is already the all-time leader in wins at Montana but extended his program record by reaching the historic milestone. He improved to 100-26 in ten years at the helm of the Grizzly program, and the Griz improve to 2-0 heading into the bye week.
"The players were pretty enthused about it, which was cool," Hauck said of his 100th win. "They were very excited for me, the staff, and the program. From my perspective, they are all hard to get, and they are all special in their own way, but the number is kind of cool."
In the first home game in front of a capacity crowd for Montana since December of 2019, the Grizzlies gave the fans plenty to cheer for on both sides of the ball. The defense put together another dominant performance, not allowing a point to the WIU offense and extending its streak without allowing a touchdown to over seven quarters.
"That stadium was awesome. It's fun to see it full," Hauck said. "In fact, I told our players this week you really haven't seen the full force, and it was full tonight. It was a load of fun. Everyone was enjoying it."
Montana outgained the Leathernecks by 367 yards and never allowed the visitors from the Missouri Valley Football Conference into the red zone. Montana controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides, rushing for 242 yards and allowing just 40 while also getting into the backfield for 11 tackles for loss.
Gallery: (9-11-2021) Montana downs the Leathernecks
The big plays came often for a Grizzly defense that recorded six sacks and forced three Leathernecks turnovers. Western Illinois picked up just nine first downs compared to 26 for Montana.
"We played well. The defensive numbers remain spectacular," Hauck said. "I mean, the defense shut them out. Washington, we shut out for 55 minutes and change. So we've got 115 minutes of shutout defense going for our defense now, which is spectacular. It was an unbelievable night for our defense."
Patrick O'Connell led the defense with nine tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three tackles for loss. He also set up a Montana score with a forced fumble inside the Western Illinois 10-yard line in a Player of the Game effort.
His fellow linebackers also put together a game to remember. Jace Lewis also forced a fumble while recording six tackles, and Marcus Welnel intercepted a pass and had six tackles.
Cam Humphrey put on a clinic on the other side of the football, throwing for five touchdowns and over 250 yards in leading the offense. The Grizzlies had 10 different receivers with a catch a pass and four with a score.
"Cam did a nice job getting the ball down the field, hitting people on deep balls, and they were challenging us to do that," Hauck said of his quarterback.
Malik Flowers was the recipient of several of those deep balls, hauling in three catches for two touchdowns and 100 yards. They were the first receiving touchdowns of his career, although he had previously found the end zone on three kickoff returns.
Erik Barker also scored his first career touchdown on his first career pass reception, while veterans Samuel Akem and Mitch Roberts each added scores. It was the 23rd career touchdown reception for Akem as he continues to climb in Montana's record book.
The young backfield for Montana had a productive day, with Junior Bergen and Isiah Childs combining for 151 yards. Childs scored his first-career touchdown on the second drive of the game for Montana.
"The running backs came through in the clutch," Hauck said. "They looked really good tonight. Isiah rallied back from giving it up and ran hard and physical in the second half. Junior is a true freshman who is a wideout, so it was a good job by him."
The Grizzly offense was consistent all game long, punting just once. Montana converted 50 percent of their third downs (6-of-12) and also went for it on fourth down three times, picking up the first on two occasions.
All told, it was a thorough victory in every aspect of the game for a confident Montana team.
After a scoreless drive from each team, Malik Flowers jump-started the Montana offense on the second drive, first rushing around the edge for a 14-yard gain before breaking free deep for a 33-yard yard third-down gain to put Montana in the red zone. The Grizzlies then got on the board with the first career touchdown from running back Isiah Childs from seven yards out.
The Griz defense forced a three and out before Gabe Sulser provided a 24-yard punt return to start Montana's next drive in Leathernecks territory. A Montana fumble would end the drive at the conclusion of the first quarter.
Western Illinois looked for a moment to have cracked the Grizzly defense halfway through the second quarter, but a penalty negated a touchdown, and Montana forced a punt. Freshman Junior Bergen then helped the Griz march down the field, putting together 19 and 12-yard gains on the ground. Once in the red zone, Humphrey found Samuel Akem for a touchdown strike to put the Grizzlies ahead 14-0.
A big pass play by Western Illinois on the next drive was negated when two Grizzlies held up the receiver, allowing Jace Lewis to deliver a massive hit that forced a fumble. A rocking stadium was quickly silenced as Western Illinois scored its first touchdown on a 75-yard interception return just three plays later.
It didn't rattle Humphrey. The senior quarterback responded on the next drive, completing all five of his passes. The final completion came on a broken play that saw Humphrey scramble to his right to find Mitch Roberts in space in the end zone. Montana took a 21-7 lead with just one second remaining in the half.
The Grizzlies received the kickoff to start the second half and wasted no time in adding to their lead. After a couple of nice runs by Childs, Humphrey took a 39-yard shot downfield to find a streaking Malik Flowers for his first career receiving touchdown.
Defensively, the Grizzlies continued to smother the Leathernecks. An O'Connell sack forced them into a third and long where Marcus Welnel intercepted his second pass of the season. Montana would quickly turn it back over with an interception of their own.
The Grizzly defense would not be denied, however. On the first play for the Leathernecks, O'Connell once again found his way into the backfield. This time, his sack coughed loose the football to set Montana back up with goal-to-go from the six-yard line.
On a fourth-down attempt, Humphrey faked the handoff and found freshman Erik Barker wide open in the end zone. Barker's first career touchdown came on the tight end's first career catch, and it put Montana ahead 35-7.
Joe Babros forced a fumble with a sack on the next drive, but the Leathernecks were able to recover. It all but ended the drive however, and Montana got the ground game into rhythm on the next possession. Bergen and Childs busted off multiple double-digit gains to move Montana into WIU territory. From there, it was deja vu for the Griz.
Flowers once again sped behind the defense where Humphrey found him for a 28-yard pitch and catch to put the Griz ahead 42-7. The touchdown was the second of the day for Flowers and brought him to an even 100 yards receiving.
Montana would coast through the rest of the game, holding on for the 35-point victory. The Grizzlies return to action in two weeks for Homecoming against Cal Poly.
###
The winning split the pot ticket from Saturday's game was #638838 for the aproximate ammount of $7235 was claimed.
Hauck is already the all-time leader in wins at Montana but extended his program record by reaching the historic milestone. He improved to 100-26 in ten years at the helm of the Grizzly program, and the Griz improve to 2-0 heading into the bye week.
"The players were pretty enthused about it, which was cool," Hauck said of his 100th win. "They were very excited for me, the staff, and the program. From my perspective, they are all hard to get, and they are all special in their own way, but the number is kind of cool."
In the first home game in front of a capacity crowd for Montana since December of 2019, the Grizzlies gave the fans plenty to cheer for on both sides of the ball. The defense put together another dominant performance, not allowing a point to the WIU offense and extending its streak without allowing a touchdown to over seven quarters.
"That stadium was awesome. It's fun to see it full," Hauck said. "In fact, I told our players this week you really haven't seen the full force, and it was full tonight. It was a load of fun. Everyone was enjoying it."
Montana outgained the Leathernecks by 367 yards and never allowed the visitors from the Missouri Valley Football Conference into the red zone. Montana controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides, rushing for 242 yards and allowing just 40 while also getting into the backfield for 11 tackles for loss.
The big plays came often for a Grizzly defense that recorded six sacks and forced three Leathernecks turnovers. Western Illinois picked up just nine first downs compared to 26 for Montana.
"We played well. The defensive numbers remain spectacular," Hauck said. "I mean, the defense shut them out. Washington, we shut out for 55 minutes and change. So we've got 115 minutes of shutout defense going for our defense now, which is spectacular. It was an unbelievable night for our defense."
Patrick O'Connell led the defense with nine tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three tackles for loss. He also set up a Montana score with a forced fumble inside the Western Illinois 10-yard line in a Player of the Game effort.
His fellow linebackers also put together a game to remember. Jace Lewis also forced a fumble while recording six tackles, and Marcus Welnel intercepted a pass and had six tackles.
That's our QB! 💪
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 12, 2021
📺 @ESPNPlus#GrizFB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/kkt6LuQAgA
Cam Humphrey put on a clinic on the other side of the football, throwing for five touchdowns and over 250 yards in leading the offense. The Grizzlies had 10 different receivers with a catch a pass and four with a score.
"Cam did a nice job getting the ball down the field, hitting people on deep balls, and they were challenging us to do that," Hauck said of his quarterback.
Malik Flowers was the recipient of several of those deep balls, hauling in three catches for two touchdowns and 100 yards. They were the first receiving touchdowns of his career, although he had previously found the end zone on three kickoff returns.
Erik Barker also scored his first career touchdown on his first career pass reception, while veterans Samuel Akem and Mitch Roberts each added scores. It was the 23rd career touchdown reception for Akem as he continues to climb in Montana's record book.
𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗖𝗛𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡, 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗔!
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 12, 2021
Humphrey finds Akem to put the Griz up 14-0! #GrizFB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/ShqAiBqSzO
The young backfield for Montana had a productive day, with Junior Bergen and Isiah Childs combining for 151 yards. Childs scored his first-career touchdown on the second drive of the game for Montana.
"The running backs came through in the clutch," Hauck said. "They looked really good tonight. Isiah rallied back from giving it up and ran hard and physical in the second half. Junior is a true freshman who is a wideout, so it was a good job by him."
The Grizzly offense was consistent all game long, punting just once. Montana converted 50 percent of their third downs (6-of-12) and also went for it on fourth down three times, picking up the first on two occasions.
All told, it was a thorough victory in every aspect of the game for a confident Montana team.
After a scoreless drive from each team, Malik Flowers jump-started the Montana offense on the second drive, first rushing around the edge for a 14-yard gain before breaking free deep for a 33-yard yard third-down gain to put Montana in the red zone. The Grizzlies then got on the board with the first career touchdown from running back Isiah Childs from seven yards out.
Starting the second half with a bang!
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 12, 2021
Humphrey finds Malik Flowers a 39-yard TD!
WATCH: @espnplus#GoGriz pic.twitter.com/txUDoqayLN
The Griz defense forced a three and out before Gabe Sulser provided a 24-yard punt return to start Montana's next drive in Leathernecks territory. A Montana fumble would end the drive at the conclusion of the first quarter.
Western Illinois looked for a moment to have cracked the Grizzly defense halfway through the second quarter, but a penalty negated a touchdown, and Montana forced a punt. Freshman Junior Bergen then helped the Griz march down the field, putting together 19 and 12-yard gains on the ground. Once in the red zone, Humphrey found Samuel Akem for a touchdown strike to put the Grizzlies ahead 14-0.
A big pass play by Western Illinois on the next drive was negated when two Grizzlies held up the receiver, allowing Jace Lewis to deliver a massive hit that forced a fumble. A rocking stadium was quickly silenced as Western Illinois scored its first touchdown on a 75-yard interception return just three plays later.
It didn't rattle Humphrey. The senior quarterback responded on the next drive, completing all five of his passes. The final completion came on a broken play that saw Humphrey scramble to his right to find Mitch Roberts in space in the end zone. Montana took a 21-7 lead with just one second remaining in the half.
The Grizzlies received the kickoff to start the second half and wasted no time in adding to their lead. After a couple of nice runs by Childs, Humphrey took a 39-yard shot downfield to find a streaking Malik Flowers for his first career receiving touchdown.
Defensively, the Grizzlies continued to smother the Leathernecks. An O'Connell sack forced them into a third and long where Marcus Welnel intercepted his second pass of the season. Montana would quickly turn it back over with an interception of their own.
The Grizzly defense would not be denied, however. On the first play for the Leathernecks, O'Connell once again found his way into the backfield. This time, his sack coughed loose the football to set Montana back up with goal-to-go from the six-yard line.
On a fourth-down attempt, Humphrey faked the handoff and found freshman Erik Barker wide open in the end zone. Barker's first career touchdown came on the tight end's first career catch, and it put Montana ahead 35-7.
Joe Babros forced a fumble with a sack on the next drive, but the Leathernecks were able to recover. It all but ended the drive however, and Montana got the ground game into rhythm on the next possession. Bergen and Childs busted off multiple double-digit gains to move Montana into WIU territory. From there, it was deja vu for the Griz.
"𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯!"
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 12, 2021
Another dime from Cam Humphrey to Malik Flowers puts Montana on top 42-7! #GoGriz
📺 @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/tyCIGWky99
Flowers once again sped behind the defense where Humphrey found him for a 28-yard pitch and catch to put the Griz ahead 42-7. The touchdown was the second of the day for Flowers and brought him to an even 100 yards receiving.
Montana would coast through the rest of the game, holding on for the 35-point victory. The Grizzlies return to action in two weeks for Homecoming against Cal Poly.
###
The winning split the pot ticket from Saturday's game was #638838 for the aproximate ammount of $7235 was claimed.
Team Stats
WIU
UM
Total Yards
151
518
Pass Yards
111
276
Rushing Yards
40
242
Penalty Yards
85
25
1st Downs
9
26
3rd Downs
5
6
4th Downs
0
2
TOP
29:13
30:47
1st Quarter
WIU 0, UM 7
UM - Childs,Isiah 7 yd run (Macias,Kevin kick), 6 plays, 65 yards, TOP 02:40
2nd Quarter
WIU 0, UM 14
UM - Akem,Samuel 12 yd pass from Humphrey,Cam (Macias,Kevin kick) 8 plays, 96 yards, TOP 02:55
WIU 7, UM 14
WIU - Lawson,Michael 75 yd interception (Laramie,Mason kick)
WIU 7, UM 21
UM - Roberts,Mitch 18 yd pass from Humphrey,Cam (Macias,Kevin kick) 8 plays, 68 yards, TOP 02:21
3rd Quarter
WIU 7, UM 28
UM - Flowers,Malik 39 yd pass from Humphrey,Cam (Macias,Kevin kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:53
WIU 7, UM 35
UM - Barker,Erik 1 yd pass from Humphrey,Cam (Macias,Kevin kick) 4 plays, 6 yards, TOP 01:53
4th Quarter
WIU 7, UM 42
UM - Flowers,Malik 28 yd pass from Humphrey,Cam (Macias,Kevin kick) 7 plays, 74 yards, TOP 02:38
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
20
TD
5
YDS
252
INT
2
CMP
2
TD
0
YDS
24
INT
1
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
DE
/ Football
TE
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ FootballQB
/ Football
LB
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LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
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UM vs UND Postgame Press Conf.
Saturday, September 13
