Saturday, September 24
Missoula, Mont.
2 PM
Montana
4-0 , 1-0
53
vs
16
Portland State
0-3 , 0-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Portland St.
7
7
2
0
16
Montana
14
25
0
14
53
Records fall as Griz roll over Portland State 53-16
9/24/2022 8:17:00 PM | Football
Montana celebrated Homecoming in style, exacting some revenge on Portland State to improve to 4-0 on the season. The Grizzlies ran away from the Vikings, scoring 36 of the final 38 points to run away with a 53-16 Big Sky Conference win.
The win improves Montana to 32-4 in Homecoming games played at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Robby Hauck made history for Montana in the win, eclipsing 400 career tackles to set the all-time program record previously held by Dante Olson. His day became even more special on the final play of the first half, when Hauck returned a missed field goal for a 99-yard touchdown. It was a complete performance from the Missoula native, who finished with seven tackles to improve his career total to 402.
"I'm proud of that kid. He's just been unbelievable for us for a long time," said his father and Grizzly head coach Bobby Hauck. "We gave him the game ball in the locker room. It was kind of a presentation and something we don't do very often. His uncle Tim gave it to him, and it was just a really cool deal and fun to see his teammates rally around that."
Gallery: (9-24-2022) FB: Montana vs Portalnd State
Hauck and the Grizzly defense put forth another outstanding effort, holding Portland State to just 199 total yards for the game. After a couple of scores early from the Vikings, the defense locked in. They allowed just 34 second-half yards to the Vikings, leaving no doubt.
Robby Hauck was one of three Grizzly players with seven tackles on the day. Linebackers Patrick O'Connell and Marcus Welnel also finished with seven, and Welnel added two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. O'Connell also had a share of a sack to continue his outstanding season.
"It was great (from our defense). And when you calculate in the special teams score and the extra possessions they were getting, it's really phenomenal. They probably had three extra possessions, so it was good by our defense. They were special today."
As noted, Hauck scored on the field goal return but it wasn't the only big play from Montana's special teams. Junior Bergen returned his first career punt for a touchdown, going 72 yards for a score. Keelan White nearly broke a punt return for a touchdown as well, as Montana finished with 159 punt return yards (and that doesn't include Hauck's 99 yards).
"Special teams were pretty damn good today," Hauck said.
Montana's offense continued to operate at a high level as well. Griz fans will have been particularly pleased by the play from quarterback Lucas Johnson, who ended the game completing 77 percent of his passes for 221 yards and a pair of scores. He also scored on the ground.
Johnson and the Grizzly offense had a sparkling first half. He went into halftime with a perfect completion percentage, finding his mark on all 14 of his passes for 175 total yards.
His favorite target was Mitch Roberts, who hauled in six catches for 83 yards and a score. Aaron Fontes also had a big day catching the ball, bringing in four completions for 42 yards and a touchdown. He missed a second touchdown by just inches on another completion late in the game.
Montana's running-by-committee formula worked yet again, but it was the big day from Xavier Harris that stood out. Harris had 92 yards on eight carries but did most of his damage on a 64-yard score in the first half. Isaiah Childs added 36 yards while Marcus Knight punched in his 25th career touchdown.
Robby wasn't the only Hauck moving up in the record books on Saturday. The win was the 112th of Bobby Hauck's career at Montana, making him the second-winningest coach in Big Sky history. He passed former Nevada coach Chris Ault and now trails only former NAU coach Jerome Souers.
The Grizzlies played in front of a crowd of 26,000+ fans, who witnessed a dominating effort from the Montana team. It was the sixth consecutive home win for Montana, who are 18-1 inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium since 2019.
"I'm so pleased for everybody involved with Griz Nation, with our team, it is just what it should be. There are so many smiles on the faces, there is so much fun, energy, and excitement, and I'm enjoying it."
Montana caught an unlucky bounce on the opening kick, as the ball landed near the sideline. The Grizzlies let it bounce, but it popped straight into the air and hung along the boundary allowing a Viking player to charge forward and make a play on it.
That set the Vikings up deep inside Grizzly territory, where they would turn the good field position into quick points. An 8-yard rush on a reverse to Mataio Talalemotu put Portland State ahead 7-0 in the first two minutes of the game.
When the Grizzly offense got its chance, Johnson wasn't messing around. The Grizzly quarterback put together a perfect drive, going 4-for-4 and combining with his favorite target in Roberts three times for 50 yards. In the red zone, Johnson kept it on a designed run and punched it in from 11 yards out to level the game inside the first five minutes.
The Montana offense got denied the ball again, although in much happier circumstances for those in maroon and silver.
Bergen received a punt along the left hash mark in space. He cut inside to avoid the first wave of tacklers before side-stepping a would-be Viking pursuer. He bolted to the sideline and ran the rest of the way untouched for a Montana touchdown.
No stranger to the big play, this was the first career punt return touchdown for Bergen. It also marked the first time a Grizzly has returned a punt for a score since Jerry Louie-McGee did it in 2019 against North Alabama.
The Grizzly offense put together another solid drive to end the opening quarter. Johnson found Malik Flowers for a big gain to set Montana up in Viking territory. The drive would stall, but Nico Ramos entered to drill a 46-yard field goal. The make was the longest in the transfer kicker's career.
Portland State faced fourth down on their next drive and pulled a trick play out of the hat, completing a running back pass to put them into the red zone. A long Viking drive ended with a touchdown, as Dante Chachere combined with Beau Kelly for a 13-yard score. All told, the Vikings ran 14 plays and took nearly eight minutes off the clock.
Once again, Montana's offense didn't take long to respond. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Xavier Harris found a hole in the line, scampered his way to the sideline and took it 64 yards to the house to give the hosts a 24-14 lead.
The Vikings mishandled the following kickoff, which led to a first down from their own two-yard line. Montana brought pressure, but didn't need to get home as Chachere tripped while faking a handoff and went down in the end zone for a safety.
The Grizzlies made them pay. After the free kick, Montana's offense put together another sterling drive. Johnson went 5-for-5 while also adding a run, leading the Grizzly offense to another touchdown. He capped the drive off with a four-yard pass to Roberts for the Missoula native's fifth catch of the day. After a failed two-point conversion, Montana led 32-14.
It appeared as if the half was coming to a routine end as Portland State lined up a 49-yard field goal with just seconds remaining. A false start pushed the Vikings back five yards. The ensuing 54-yard attempt came up well short, coming down in the end zone where a certain Robby Hauck stood waiting.
Hauck brought the ball down and recovered a bobble at the one. He then took it the other way, breaking a tackle near the original line of scrimmage to find open space up the sideline. As the Grizzly bench cheered him on, he sped down the home sideline and brought it all the way to the house for a 99-yard touchdown.
The play occurred as time expired, giving Montana a 39-14 halftime lead. The Grizzlies scored the final 22 points of the half.
"Deari Todd had a really good block on that play. It was just a really good job by our defense getting it picked up," Hauck said. "We practice that every Friday, and out of all the years we've practiced it every Friday that was the first time we've ever called it."
Outside of a couple of plays, Montana had a near-perfect half. The Grizzlies put together 249 yards of total offense while averaging 10 yards per play, scored twice from special teams and held Portland State to 165 yards. What was actually perfect was the passing of Johnson, who completed all 14 of his passes in the opening half.
Portland State scored first in the second half on a safety. Montana punted from deep in its own end, dropping the snap and giving up a pair of points to the Vikings.
As the game started to drag heading into the fourth quarter with both teams struggling to move the ball, Montana's defense gave it a jolt of energy.
Robby Hauck blitzed off the edge and got home to the PSU quarterback in the end zone, forcing a hurried pass that sailed its target. Jayden Dawson dove underneath the pass, picking it off for the first turnover of the game for either side.
The good field position gave the offense the edge it needed. After a good run from Nick Ostomo, Johnson threw a back shoulder fade to Aaron Fontes for the touchdown to extend Montana's lead to 30 points.
The special teams unit provided one last highlight late in the fourth. Keelan White bobbled the punt at first, but would scoop it up and find space. He navigated his way across the field and nearly broke free, but was tripped up on the 15-yard line after a 61-yard return.
The Grizzlies brought in the second unit, who added to the scoring. A pass from Kris Brown to Fontes set Montana up from the one-yard line, where Marcus Knight punched it in to increase the lead to 53-16.
It could have been a larger victory as Montana made it inside the 10 of Portland State to end the game, but kneeled it down to run out the clock on the resounding victory. Montana will look to remain perfect on the road next week as they head to Pocatello to take on the Idaho State Bengals.
The win improves Montana to 32-4 in Homecoming games played at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Robby Hauck made history for Montana in the win, eclipsing 400 career tackles to set the all-time program record previously held by Dante Olson. His day became even more special on the final play of the first half, when Hauck returned a missed field goal for a 99-yard touchdown. It was a complete performance from the Missoula native, who finished with seven tackles to improve his career total to 402.
"I'm proud of that kid. He's just been unbelievable for us for a long time," said his father and Grizzly head coach Bobby Hauck. "We gave him the game ball in the locker room. It was kind of a presentation and something we don't do very often. His uncle Tim gave it to him, and it was just a really cool deal and fun to see his teammates rally around that."
Hauck and the Grizzly defense put forth another outstanding effort, holding Portland State to just 199 total yards for the game. After a couple of scores early from the Vikings, the defense locked in. They allowed just 34 second-half yards to the Vikings, leaving no doubt.
Robby Hauck was one of three Grizzly players with seven tackles on the day. Linebackers Patrick O'Connell and Marcus Welnel also finished with seven, and Welnel added two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. O'Connell also had a share of a sack to continue his outstanding season.
"It was great (from our defense). And when you calculate in the special teams score and the extra possessions they were getting, it's really phenomenal. They probably had three extra possessions, so it was good by our defense. They were special today."
As noted, Hauck scored on the field goal return but it wasn't the only big play from Montana's special teams. Junior Bergen returned his first career punt for a touchdown, going 72 yards for a score. Keelan White nearly broke a punt return for a touchdown as well, as Montana finished with 159 punt return yards (and that doesn't include Hauck's 99 yards).
🤯 @robbyhauck17 turns nothin' into a whole lot of somethin'! 😳#GoGriz // #RTD pic.twitter.com/MGect2a1Su
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 24, 2022
"Special teams were pretty damn good today," Hauck said.
Montana's offense continued to operate at a high level as well. Griz fans will have been particularly pleased by the play from quarterback Lucas Johnson, who ended the game completing 77 percent of his passes for 221 yards and a pair of scores. He also scored on the ground.
Johnson and the Grizzly offense had a sparkling first half. He went into halftime with a perfect completion percentage, finding his mark on all 14 of his passes for 175 total yards.
His favorite target was Mitch Roberts, who hauled in six catches for 83 yards and a score. Aaron Fontes also had a big day catching the ball, bringing in four completions for 42 yards and a touchdown. He missed a second touchdown by just inches on another completion late in the game.
Montana's running-by-committee formula worked yet again, but it was the big day from Xavier Harris that stood out. Harris had 92 yards on eight carries but did most of his damage on a 64-yard score in the first half. Isaiah Childs added 36 yards while Marcus Knight punched in his 25th career touchdown.
Robby wasn't the only Hauck moving up in the record books on Saturday. The win was the 112th of Bobby Hauck's career at Montana, making him the second-winningest coach in Big Sky history. He passed former Nevada coach Chris Ault and now trails only former NAU coach Jerome Souers.
The Grizzlies played in front of a crowd of 26,000+ fans, who witnessed a dominating effort from the Montana team. It was the sixth consecutive home win for Montana, who are 18-1 inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium since 2019.
"I'm so pleased for everybody involved with Griz Nation, with our team, it is just what it should be. There are so many smiles on the faces, there is so much fun, energy, and excitement, and I'm enjoying it."
Montana caught an unlucky bounce on the opening kick, as the ball landed near the sideline. The Grizzlies let it bounce, but it popped straight into the air and hung along the boundary allowing a Viking player to charge forward and make a play on it.
That set the Vikings up deep inside Grizzly territory, where they would turn the good field position into quick points. An 8-yard rush on a reverse to Mataio Talalemotu put Portland State ahead 7-0 in the first two minutes of the game.
When the Grizzly offense got its chance, Johnson wasn't messing around. The Grizzly quarterback put together a perfect drive, going 4-for-4 and combining with his favorite target in Roberts three times for 50 yards. In the red zone, Johnson kept it on a designed run and punched it in from 11 yards out to level the game inside the first five minutes.
The Montana offense got denied the ball again, although in much happier circumstances for those in maroon and silver.
Bergen received a punt along the left hash mark in space. He cut inside to avoid the first wave of tacklers before side-stepping a would-be Viking pursuer. He bolted to the sideline and ran the rest of the way untouched for a Montana touchdown.
No stranger to the big play, this was the first career punt return touchdown for Bergen. It also marked the first time a Grizzly has returned a punt for a score since Jerry Louie-McGee did it in 2019 against North Alabama.
RESPONSE: @bergen_junior!#GoGriz #RTD pic.twitter.com/mifzNr1scU
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 24, 2022
The Grizzly offense put together another solid drive to end the opening quarter. Johnson found Malik Flowers for a big gain to set Montana up in Viking territory. The drive would stall, but Nico Ramos entered to drill a 46-yard field goal. The make was the longest in the transfer kicker's career.
Portland State faced fourth down on their next drive and pulled a trick play out of the hat, completing a running back pass to put them into the red zone. A long Viking drive ended with a touchdown, as Dante Chachere combined with Beau Kelly for a 13-yard score. All told, the Vikings ran 14 plays and took nearly eight minutes off the clock.
Once again, Montana's offense didn't take long to respond. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Xavier Harris found a hole in the line, scampered his way to the sideline and took it 64 yards to the house to give the hosts a 24-14 lead.
ANOTHER RESPONSE: 𝐗 (@xav13rharris) busts loose for a 64-yard TOUCHDOWN, MONTANA!#GoGriz // #RTD pic.twitter.com/icajD4Oc4Z
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 24, 2022
The Vikings mishandled the following kickoff, which led to a first down from their own two-yard line. Montana brought pressure, but didn't need to get home as Chachere tripped while faking a handoff and went down in the end zone for a safety.
The Grizzlies made them pay. After the free kick, Montana's offense put together another sterling drive. Johnson went 5-for-5 while also adding a run, leading the Grizzly offense to another touchdown. He capped the drive off with a four-yard pass to Roberts for the Missoula native's fifth catch of the day. After a failed two-point conversion, Montana led 32-14.
It appeared as if the half was coming to a routine end as Portland State lined up a 49-yard field goal with just seconds remaining. A false start pushed the Vikings back five yards. The ensuing 54-yard attempt came up well short, coming down in the end zone where a certain Robby Hauck stood waiting.
Hauck brought the ball down and recovered a bobble at the one. He then took it the other way, breaking a tackle near the original line of scrimmage to find open space up the sideline. As the Grizzly bench cheered him on, he sped down the home sideline and brought it all the way to the house for a 99-yard touchdown.
The play occurred as time expired, giving Montana a 39-14 halftime lead. The Grizzlies scored the final 22 points of the half.
"Deari Todd had a really good block on that play. It was just a really good job by our defense getting it picked up," Hauck said. "We practice that every Friday, and out of all the years we've practiced it every Friday that was the first time we've ever called it."
Outside of a couple of plays, Montana had a near-perfect half. The Grizzlies put together 249 yards of total offense while averaging 10 yards per play, scored twice from special teams and held Portland State to 165 yards. What was actually perfect was the passing of Johnson, who completed all 14 of his passes in the opening half.
Portland State scored first in the second half on a safety. Montana punted from deep in its own end, dropping the snap and giving up a pair of points to the Vikings.
As the game started to drag heading into the fourth quarter with both teams struggling to move the ball, Montana's defense gave it a jolt of energy.
Robby Hauck blitzed off the edge and got home to the PSU quarterback in the end zone, forcing a hurried pass that sailed its target. Jayden Dawson dove underneath the pass, picking it off for the first turnover of the game for either side.
The good field position gave the offense the edge it needed. After a good run from Nick Ostomo, Johnson threw a back shoulder fade to Aaron Fontes for the touchdown to extend Montana's lead to 30 points.
The special teams unit provided one last highlight late in the fourth. Keelan White bobbled the punt at first, but would scoop it up and find space. He navigated his way across the field and nearly broke free, but was tripped up on the 15-yard line after a 61-yard return.
The Grizzlies brought in the second unit, who added to the scoring. A pass from Kris Brown to Fontes set Montana up from the one-yard line, where Marcus Knight punched it in to increase the lead to 53-16.
It could have been a larger victory as Montana made it inside the 10 of Portland State to end the game, but kneeled it down to run out the clock on the resounding victory. Montana will look to remain perfect on the road next week as they head to Pocatello to take on the Idaho State Bengals.
Montana Football vs Portland State Post Game Press Conference https://t.co/4E1LHXlXr8
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 25, 2022
Team Stats
PSU
UM
Total Yards
199
396
Pass Yards
103
233
Rushing Yards
96
163
Penalty Yards
53
10
1st Downs
10
21
3rd Downs
3
4
4th Downs
1
1
TOP
31:12
28:48
1st Quarter
PSU 7, UM 0
PSU - Talalemotu,Mataio 8 yd run (Smith,Gianni kick), 4 plays, 22 yards, TOP 01:49
PSU 7, UM 7
UM - Johnson,Lucas 11 yd run (Ramos,Nico kick), 6 plays, 65 yards, TOP 02:28
PSU 7, UM 14
UM - Bergen,Junior 72 yd punt return (Ramos,Nico kick)
2nd Quarter
PSU 7, UM 17
UM - Ramos,Nico 46 yd field goal 9 plays, 46 yards, TOP 04:17
PSU 14, UM 17
PSU - Kelly,Beau 13 yd pass from Chachere,Dante (Smith,Gianni kick) 14 plays, 75 yards, TOP 07:46
PSU 14, UM 24
UM - Harris,Xavier 64 yd run (Ramos,Nico kick), 1 plays, 64 yards, TOP 00:12
PSU 14, UM 26
UM - 0 yd safety
PSU 14, UM 32
UM - Roberts,Mitch 4 yd pass from Johnson,Lucas () 7 plays, 65 yards, TOP 02:43
PSU 14, UM 39
UM - Hauck,Robby 100 yd blocked field goal return (Ramos,Nico kick)
3rd Quarter
PSU 16, UM 39
PSU - Harrell,Broderick 0 yd safety
4th Quarter
PSU 16, UM 46
UM - Fontes,Aaron 11 yd pass from Johnson,Lucas (Ramos,Nico kick) 2 plays, 21 yards, TOP 00:34
PSU 16, UM 53
UM - Knight,Marcus 1 yd run (Ramos,Nico kick), 4 plays, 15 yards, TOP 00:55
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
20
TD
2
YDS
221
INT
0
CMP
1
TD
0
YDS
12
INT
0
Players Mentioned
WR
/ FootballQB
/ Football
CB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
S
/ FootballQB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
PK
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DE
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
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