Saturday, September 3
Missoula, Mont.
1 PM
Montana
1-0 , 0-0
47
vs
0
Northwestern State
0-1 , 0-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Northwestern St.
0
0
0
0
0
Montana
13
13
7
14
47
Photo by: Tommy Martino/UM Athletics
Griz throw shutout in season opener, rout Demons 47-0
9/3/2022 6:52:00 PM | Football
The anticipation for the 2022 football season couldn't have been higher Saturday morning in Missoula as Grizzly fans await a season full of high expectations. The No. 2/3 Montana Grizzlies didn't disappoint in the opener. The season got off to a perfect start Saturday as Montana rolled through the Northwestern State Demons 47-0 on a hot day inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Montana put together a complete performance in all three aspects of the game, shutting out the Demons and scoring six offensive touchdowns while also finding the end zone after a blocked punt. In the end, it led to Montana's 19th consecutive win in a home opener.
One of the most dominant defenses in the country last season picked up right where they left off, holding Northwestern State scoreless and to just 219 total yards. While shutouts are rare in today's college football landscape, it was Montana's second in its last six games after also holding Northern Colorado scoreless during the 2021 season.
"Shutting teams out in modern-day college football is virtually impossible anymore, and we've been kind of doing that regularly around here," Hauck said. "Teams can go 20 years without shutting anybody out. What a spectacular effort again by this defense."
Gallery: (9-3-2022) FB: Montana vs Northwestern State
The Grizzlies intercepted a pair of passes while also recovering three fumbles defensively, which led to 14 points. Montana won the turnover battle 5-0 as the offense didn't give it away once. The defense never allowed Northwestern State into the red zone.
Marcus Welnel and Braxton Hill led the Grizzlies with 10 tackles, and each also pitched in a half sack. Patrick O'Connell started his season well, picking off a pass while also getting a sack and seven overall tackles. Robby Hauck continues to add to his impressive career total, finishing with nine tackles.
Lucas Johnson had a dream debut for the Grizzlies, showcasing not only his big arm but also the legs that make him a dual-threat. He tossed for four touchdowns while completing over 60% of his passes. On the ground, he had 76 rushing yards to lead the team, including a couple of big runs in the first quarter.
"When he took off and got that first down in the first quarter, I thought, 'Alright, we've got the right dude.' I hadn't seen him play live since high school, but I felt good about him today," Hauck said. "He was accurate. He took off a couple of times. He will get better and better."
Mitch Roberts had a massive first quarter and in turn a great overall game, pacing Montana's receiving corps with six catches for 103 yards. He found the end zone twice, both coming in the opening 15 minutes.
"I'm just happy as I can be for Mitch. He's a guy that has stuck with it and worked his tail off, and he's just a really good football player," Hauck said.
Junior Bergen also scored a pair of touchdowns, turning both of his catches into 61 yards and 12 points.
Marcus Knight made a much-awaited return from injury. He carried it just six times, averaging over four yards per rush, and also found the end zone for his 24th career touchdown. Nick Ostmo also had a touchdown on the ground, running for 62 yards on just nine carries.
Xavier Harris had eight carries as well for 29 yards. When you add it all up, Montana ran for 211 yards as a team. It was a telling sign of Montana's dominance in the trenches, as Northwestern State ran for just 36 yards.
"We rushed for quite a few yards. Any time you rush for 200 yards, you ought to feel good about that. I thought our guys ran hard and finished runs physically," Hauck said.
Montana more than doubled up Northwestern State in total yards (464-219) and converted nearly 50% of their third downs. The Demons were able to complete 29 passes but didn't have a single play over 20 yards on the day as the Grizzly defense was quick to the ball all over the field.
Grizzly fans got a great taste of a Johnson-led offense on the first drive of the game. Montana faced an early third down, and Johnson couldn't find an open receiver, but he scrambled out of the pocket for a 23-yard first down rush. Johnson and Roberts then connected on back-to-back passes, the second a 30-yarder to put Montana on the board.
Johnson would again set up a Grizzly scoring drive with his feet later in the quarter. A designed QB run this time resulted in a 37-yard gain and again set the Grizzlies up in Northwestern State territory. In the red zone he went back to Roberts yet again, finding a quick slant across the middle for the duo's second score of the game.
All the while, Montana's defense showed its strength. The Grizzlies had three sacks and four tackles for loss in the opening quarter, limiting the Demon offense to just 26 yards of total offense. It was a particularly strong performance on the ground, where Montana forced negative rushing yards out of the visitors.
A familiar face for Montana found his favorite spot midway through the third, as Marcus Knight eluded a tackle and walked into the end zone for his first touchdown since his record-breaking 2019 season.
Montana had one final big play brewing at the conclusion of the opening half. The Grizzlies had been inches away from blocking several previous punts. On the final attempt of the half, the special teams unit finally dialed it up just right.
Levi Janacaro blocked the punt. His high school teammate Tyler Flink scooped it and returned it to the house, giving Montana its first special teams touchdown of the year and making it a 26-0 halftime advantage.
"You want to look for the big plays, and I think that made it 26-0. They were still in it for sure and still had a lot of hope, but I give credit to those kids on that punt return team because that wasn't in the game plan," Hauck said. "We kind of dialed that up on the sideline."
As the game wore into halftime, Montana worked through several rotations on both sides of the football. The heat in Missoula, reaching temperatures in the 90s, forced Montana deep down the depth chart, and the players delivered all the way down the lineup.
"We planned for the heat, so we were going to rotate a little more today than normal. We rolled the entire offensive line a few times, which is wholly unusual but we felt like we needed to do that today," Hauck said. "I thought our conditioning was good and the effort level was good throughout."
Out of halftime, the Demons felt the pressure of a 26-point deficit. They elected to go for it on fourth down from deep in their own territory, but Montana's defense stuffed them at the line and took over in Demon territory.
Montana's defense delivered yet another big play on the ensuing drive. A quick completion over the middle had the Demons nearly into Grizzly territory, but Garrett Graves flew from the secondary to land a devastating hit on the Demon receiver. It popped the ball loose, and Montana was able to recover.
Xavier Harris busted a big run to start the drive and Johnson found Roberts on a beautifully weighted ball to put the Grizzlies in the red zone. Junior Bergen ran a wheel route and found himself uncovered for an easy pitch and catch to increase Montana's lead to 33-0.
Montana's starters got one last chance to take the ball and didn't disappoint. Johnson and Roberts connected twice more to get the Grizzlies into NSU territory. The quarterback then scrambled out to his left, kept his head up and found Bergen slashing across the field. He hit him in stride, and the sophomore outpaced the defense all the way to the end zone to give the Grizzlies the 40-point lead.
Janacaro continued his big day by forcing a fumble after a quick completion, knocking the ball out for Justin Ford to recover. The Grizzly offense quickly turned that turnover to points. Nick Ostmo found a huge hole in the defense, racing 36 yards for another Montana touchdown.
The Grizzlies went deep into the bench to give several players experience down the stretch to see out the shutout victory. Montana returns right back home next week as South Dakota comes to town for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.
"It's a huge game," Hauck said. "A playoff team coming in here and a team that is going to test us."
Montana put together a complete performance in all three aspects of the game, shutting out the Demons and scoring six offensive touchdowns while also finding the end zone after a blocked punt. In the end, it led to Montana's 19th consecutive win in a home opener.
One of the most dominant defenses in the country last season picked up right where they left off, holding Northwestern State scoreless and to just 219 total yards. While shutouts are rare in today's college football landscape, it was Montana's second in its last six games after also holding Northern Colorado scoreless during the 2021 season.
"Shutting teams out in modern-day college football is virtually impossible anymore, and we've been kind of doing that regularly around here," Hauck said. "Teams can go 20 years without shutting anybody out. What a spectacular effort again by this defense."
The Grizzlies intercepted a pair of passes while also recovering three fumbles defensively, which led to 14 points. Montana won the turnover battle 5-0 as the offense didn't give it away once. The defense never allowed Northwestern State into the red zone.
Marcus Welnel and Braxton Hill led the Grizzlies with 10 tackles, and each also pitched in a half sack. Patrick O'Connell started his season well, picking off a pass while also getting a sack and seven overall tackles. Robby Hauck continues to add to his impressive career total, finishing with nine tackles.
Lucas Johnson had a dream debut for the Grizzlies, showcasing not only his big arm but also the legs that make him a dual-threat. He tossed for four touchdowns while completing over 60% of his passes. On the ground, he had 76 rushing yards to lead the team, including a couple of big runs in the first quarter.
"When he took off and got that first down in the first quarter, I thought, 'Alright, we've got the right dude.' I hadn't seen him play live since high school, but I felt good about him today," Hauck said. "He was accurate. He took off a couple of times. He will get better and better."
Mitch Roberts had a massive first quarter and in turn a great overall game, pacing Montana's receiving corps with six catches for 103 yards. He found the end zone twice, both coming in the opening 15 minutes.
"I'm just happy as I can be for Mitch. He's a guy that has stuck with it and worked his tail off, and he's just a really good football player," Hauck said.
Junior Bergen also scored a pair of touchdowns, turning both of his catches into 61 yards and 12 points.
Marcus Knight made a much-awaited return from injury. He carried it just six times, averaging over four yards per rush, and also found the end zone for his 24th career touchdown. Nick Ostmo also had a touchdown on the ground, running for 62 yards on just nine carries.
Welcome back @Marcusknight555!
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 3, 2022
That's his 24th career rushing TD, tied for the 6th-most in program history!#GoGriz #RTD pic.twitter.com/sLwdgrV0sa
Xavier Harris had eight carries as well for 29 yards. When you add it all up, Montana ran for 211 yards as a team. It was a telling sign of Montana's dominance in the trenches, as Northwestern State ran for just 36 yards.
"We rushed for quite a few yards. Any time you rush for 200 yards, you ought to feel good about that. I thought our guys ran hard and finished runs physically," Hauck said.
Montana more than doubled up Northwestern State in total yards (464-219) and converted nearly 50% of their third downs. The Demons were able to complete 29 passes but didn't have a single play over 20 yards on the day as the Grizzly defense was quick to the ball all over the field.
Grizzly fans got a great taste of a Johnson-led offense on the first drive of the game. Montana faced an early third down, and Johnson couldn't find an open receiver, but he scrambled out of the pocket for a 23-yard first down rush. Johnson and Roberts then connected on back-to-back passes, the second a 30-yarder to put Montana on the board.
Johnson would again set up a Grizzly scoring drive with his feet later in the quarter. A designed QB run this time resulted in a 37-yard gain and again set the Grizzlies up in Northwestern State territory. In the red zone he went back to Roberts yet again, finding a quick slant across the middle for the duo's second score of the game.
All the while, Montana's defense showed its strength. The Grizzlies had three sacks and four tackles for loss in the opening quarter, limiting the Demon offense to just 26 yards of total offense. It was a particularly strong performance on the ground, where Montana forced negative rushing yards out of the visitors.
A familiar face for Montana found his favorite spot midway through the third, as Marcus Knight eluded a tackle and walked into the end zone for his first touchdown since his record-breaking 2019 season.
Montana had one final big play brewing at the conclusion of the opening half. The Grizzlies had been inches away from blocking several previous punts. On the final attempt of the half, the special teams unit finally dialed it up just right.
Levi Janacaro blocked the punt. His high school teammate Tyler Flink scooped it and returned it to the house, giving Montana its first special teams touchdown of the year and making it a 26-0 halftime advantage.
𝙎𝙋𝙀𝘾𝙄𝘼𝙇 Teams!
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 3, 2022
Big Sky High comes up big for the TOUCHDOWN, MONTANA!#GoGriz #RTD pic.twitter.com/RDBe2SiCzh
"You want to look for the big plays, and I think that made it 26-0. They were still in it for sure and still had a lot of hope, but I give credit to those kids on that punt return team because that wasn't in the game plan," Hauck said. "We kind of dialed that up on the sideline."
As the game wore into halftime, Montana worked through several rotations on both sides of the football. The heat in Missoula, reaching temperatures in the 90s, forced Montana deep down the depth chart, and the players delivered all the way down the lineup.
"We planned for the heat, so we were going to rotate a little more today than normal. We rolled the entire offensive line a few times, which is wholly unusual but we felt like we needed to do that today," Hauck said. "I thought our conditioning was good and the effort level was good throughout."
Out of halftime, the Demons felt the pressure of a 26-point deficit. They elected to go for it on fourth down from deep in their own territory, but Montana's defense stuffed them at the line and took over in Demon territory.
Montana's defense delivered yet another big play on the ensuing drive. A quick completion over the middle had the Demons nearly into Grizzly territory, but Garrett Graves flew from the secondary to land a devastating hit on the Demon receiver. It popped the ball loose, and Montana was able to recover.
Xavier Harris busted a big run to start the drive and Johnson found Roberts on a beautifully weighted ball to put the Grizzlies in the red zone. Junior Bergen ran a wheel route and found himself uncovered for an easy pitch and catch to increase Montana's lead to 33-0.
Montana's starters got one last chance to take the ball and didn't disappoint. Johnson and Roberts connected twice more to get the Grizzlies into NSU territory. The quarterback then scrambled out to his left, kept his head up and found Bergen slashing across the field. He hit him in stride, and the sophomore outpaced the defense all the way to the end zone to give the Grizzlies the 40-point lead.
😳 How 'bout the catch from @bergen_junior!
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 3, 2022
Johnson makes it look easy and the Griz extend the lead!#GoGriz pic.twitter.com/HxL6JfzxRN
Janacaro continued his big day by forcing a fumble after a quick completion, knocking the ball out for Justin Ford to recover. The Grizzly offense quickly turned that turnover to points. Nick Ostmo found a huge hole in the defense, racing 36 yards for another Montana touchdown.
The Grizzlies went deep into the bench to give several players experience down the stretch to see out the shutout victory. Montana returns right back home next week as South Dakota comes to town for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.
"It's a huge game," Hauck said. "A playoff team coming in here and a team that is going to test us."
Montana vs NorthWestern State Post Game Press Conference https://t.co/fbHc11OK9X
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 3, 2022
Team Stats
NSU
UM
Total Yards
229
464
Pass Yards
193
253
Rushing Yards
36
211
Penalty Yards
110
55
1st Downs
16
24
3rd Downs
4
7
4th Downs
1
1
TOP
35:17
28:13
1st Quarter
NSU 0, UM 7
UM - Roberts,Mitch 30 yd pass from Johnson,Lucas (Capser,Camden kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:34
NSU 0, UM 13
UM - Roberts,Mitch 13 yd pass from Johnson,Lucas () 5 plays, 62 yards, TOP 01:12
2nd Quarter
NSU 0, UM 19
UM - Knight,Marcus 7 yd run (), 8 plays, 54 yards, TOP 04:11
NSU 0, UM 26
UM - Flink,Tyler 32 yd punt return (Capser,Camden kick)
3rd Quarter
NSU 0, UM 33
UM - Bergen,Junior 14 yd pass from Johnson,Lucas (Botkin,Adam kick) 3 plays, 54 yards, TOP 01:08
4th Quarter
NSU 0, UM 40
UM - Bergen,Junior 47 yd pass from Johnson,Lucas (Botkin,Adam kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:11
NSU 0, UM 47
UM - Ostmo,Nick 36 yd run (Capser,Camden kick), 1 plays, 36 yards, TOP 00:09
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
15
TD
4
YDS
208
INT
0
CMP
4
TD
0
YDS
45
INT
0
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
CB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
S
/ Football
LB
/ Football
RB
/ FootballQB
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RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
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