Griz chop Sycamores 49-14 on the road

Saturday, September 17

Terre Haute, Ind.

11 AM (MT)

Montana

3-0 , 0-0

Indiana State

1-2 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Montana

Indiana St.

9/17/2022 3:26:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2 Photo Gallery 3

By: Montana Sports Information

TERRE HAUTE, IND. - The Montana Grizzlies shook off the rust after a long flight to the eastern time zone and earned a decisive 49-14 win over Indiana State on Saturday in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

After the Sycamores came out firing early in the first quarter, Montana's defense settled in and put up yet another dominant performance, allowing ISU to score just one offensive touchdown and forcing the home team to punt on seven-straight drives through the second, third, and fourth quarters.

The Griz improve to 3-0 on the season, while Indiana State falls to 1-2 as Montana gets its second-straight win over a Missouri Valley opponent. UM now prepares to enter Big Sky Conference play having dispatched its non-conference schedule by a combined score of 120-21 in three lopsided wins.

"The defense was special that second half after being not as special the first half," said head coach Bobby Hauck.

"But the other side is pretty good too. Right? That's part of it. They had a good plan. They did some good things. They didn't do anything that really surprised us, they just executed well. We gave up the long touchdown run, and that's it this is totally on me. Not our defensive guys. We just we didn't get a call and we weren't on the same page. We had half the guys playing one call half guys playing another and that's on me."

Gallery: (9-16-2022) Montana vs Indiana State

Offensively, Lucas Johnson was once again hyper-productive at quarterback for the Griz, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for another for a personal haul of 236 yards. He led Montana to, fittingly, 406 yards of total offense.

"There's always a feeling out period in every game. But I feel like once we got all on the same page and we got settled in we looked pretty good. The coaches were doing a great job calling the right plays and we just had to go out there and execute," said Johnson after his third-straight win in a Grizzly uniform.

The Grizzly offense was also efficient in the red zone this week, scoring on each of their five trips into the Indiana State 20.

"I thought the plan was good," added Hauck. "I thought the offensive coaches had a nice plan, and then the players went out and got it. They knew what they were looking for, and when they gave us what we wanted, we made them pay. It was it was pretty good by those guys."

Montana's defense put the Grizzlies on the scoreboard first when Patrick O'Connell came in off the blind side and leveled Gavin Screws for a strip sack to knock the ball loose. Kale Edwards was there to scoop up the loose ball and return it 20 yards for the first Montana touchdown of the day.

#GrizD with the SACK and Kale Edwards with the scoop-n-score! TOUCHDOWN, MONTANA!#GoGriz pic.twitter.com/LlcMp3UEHW
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 17, 2022

The Sycamores then answered back with a long touchdown score of their own with Justin Dinka breaking free for a 54-yard score to tie the ball game 7-7.

Offensive Coordinator Timm Rosenbach pulled out the trick play for Montana's next score. Johnson lateraled to Junior Bergen to his right, who dusted off his Billings Senior High School quarterback skills, rolled out, and found Malik Flowers all alone in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown strike that put the Griz ahead 14-7 with eight minutes left in the first quarter.

👀👀 Junior Bergen dusting off the QB skills for a TD pass to Malik Flowers!#GoGriz #RTD pic.twitter.com/tv1dLFSGl1
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 17, 2022

In the second quarter Johnson marched the Griz 89 yards in 11 plays for the next score of the day. Highlighted by a pair of big connections with Mitch Roberts on the drive and a third and five connection with Flowers for a key first down.

Johnson completed the drive with a 18-yard strike to Cole Grossman, rolling out left and finding the tight end wide open in the end zone on a wheel route for his first score of the season, putting the Grizzlies up 21-7 at the halftime break.

🎯 @lucasj_7 throws an absolute DIME to a wide-open Cole Grossman to extend Montana's lead!#GoGriz #RTD pic.twitter.com/GRvq1LD5zm
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 17, 2022

Johnson settled in over the course of the first half, completing 10 of his 16 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. Roberts totaled 61 yards in the first half on four catches, each seemingly more contested and athletic than the next.

Montana received the opening kickoff in the second half and immediately took advantage of the possession, with Johnson leading the offense on a six-play, 67-yard scoring drive.

Sophomore receiver Keelan White picked up his second career touchdown grab on a leaping reception in the end zone from Johnson to cap the drive, putting the Griz up 34-7 early in the second half.

Johnson added another score after the Grizzly defense pitched a three-and-out, leading UM on a seven play, 49-yard drive. Xavier Harris got the drive moving with a 16-yard tote on 3^rd and 1 and hauled in a 10-yard pass for another first down later to keep the chins moving. Johnson capped the drive with a play-action to the right, keeping the ball in hand and hauling it in for a one-yard touchdown run.

The third time was a charm for Bozeman native Ryan Simpson, who caught his first career touchdown early in the fourth quarter after missing on two-straight attempts at the end of the third quarter.

Montana now returns home to face Portland State for Homecoming at UM on Sept. 24.

"I'm happy for our team. Certainly, you take it one week at a time and we've won the week three consecutive times and we're at 3-0. We always hope that's how it will be, but I don't know if that's how it's going to go," added Hauck.

"I was nervous this morning because I thought this team that we played is really well coached and would make us earn it, and they did. They didn't give up anything easy. I'm just pleased for our guys and I'm pleased for our coaches."