Griz earn four individual awards, 13 total All-Big Sky honors

Griz earn four individual awards, 13 total All-Big Sky honors

11/21/2023 11:46:00 AM | Football

By: Montana Sports Information

After winning the program's first conference title since 2009, the Montana Grizzlies dominated the 2023 All-Big Sky postseason honors, sweeping four of the five individual awards and 13 players earning 14 spots on one of three all-conference teams, the league announced Tuesday.

Head Coach Bobby Hauck was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his illustrious career, a unanimous selection as voted by his peers across the league.

Tackle Alex Gubner capped another dominant regular season at UM as the conference's Defensive MVP and a second-straight first-team all-conference pick, which was also unanimous.

After leading the Griz to seven-straight wins as a starter in his first season under center, quarterback Clifton McDowell was named the league's Newcomer of the Year.

Running back Eli Gillman posted more rushing yards than any other freshman in the FCS this season and the third-most overall in the conference with 857 yards and 10 touchdowns to date, earning him the league's Freshman of the Year award.

Montana was also well-represented on the two all-conference teams and the honorable mention list with 13 total players earning 14 selections.

The Griz had a total of seven players earn eight spots on the All-Big Sky first-team, the most for UM since the last championship season in '09, with Junior Bergen landing on the first team for offense and special teams.

Four offensive linemen also earned recognition, with tackle Brandon Casey landing on the first team, center AJ Forbes on the second team, and Chris Walker and Journey Grimsrud earning honorable mentions.

The Griz also had a pair of cornerbacks earn first-team defensive honors. Billings native Trevin Gradney led the nation in interceptions per game with five on the season, despite missing two games to injury. Corbin Walker led the team in pass breakups and picked off a pass to land on the first team.

Montana, known around the FCS as "Linebacker U", had three earn all-conference honors, with Braxton Hill, a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, landing on the first team, and Levi Janacaro and Riley Wilson landing on the second team.

• Hauck has now won Coach of the Year four times in his 12 seasons at Montana, more than any other coach in Grizzly history passing greats Don Read and Joe Glenn with three each.

He is just the third coach in Big Sky Conference history to win Coach of the Year four times in his career. College Football Hall of Famer Chris Ault won in 1983, 1986, and back-to-back years in 1990 and 1991. Mike Kramer was a four-time winner with three different teams starting at EWU in 1997, MSU in 2002 and 2005, and Idaho State in 2014.

With a current record of 126-35, Hauck is the all-time winningest coach in Montana and Big Sky Conference history. On Monday he was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award that goes to the FCS Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.

• Gubner is now a three-time all-conference honoree and a two-time first-team selection. In his 49 games as a starter for the Grizzlies he's totaled 157 tackles, 10.5 sacks, and 27 TFLs – currently the 17^th-most in program history. He also logged 4 interceptions his freshman year.

He's been the cog in Montana's defensive wheel this season, a defense that has allowed less than 100 yards on the ground per game (96.5) by opponents – the least in the Big Sky and a top-eight ranking nationally. UM's scoring defense has also been exemplary, allowing opponents to average just 14.5 yards per game against it, the fewest in the conference and the third-fewest in the FCS.

The Grizzly defense has also been steadily improving as the season has gone on. Montana finished the regular season as winners of seven straight and has outscored its last four opponents 145-24.

• McDowell's selection as Newcomer of the Year makes him the sixth Grizzly in program history to earn that distinction, and the fourth under Hauck in his second tenure at Montana, joining Dalton Sneed (2018), Marcus Knight (2019), and Justin Ford (2021).

In fact, five of UM's six Newcomers of the Year have played for Hauck-led teams, with Justin Green earning the honor in 2003. Drew Miller was the first Grizzly to win the award in 1999.

McDowell posted nearly 2,000 yards of total offense and 16 touchdowns in the regular season while leading the Griz on a seven-game win streak. He remains undefeated as a starter at 8-0.

• Gillman has already entered Montana's record books, breaking free for the longest touchdown run in program history at UC Davis from 85 yards out. His 857 rushing yards currently stand as 21^st-most in program history among all players, and are the most of any freshman in program history.

He is the first Grizzly to earn the league's Freshman of the Year Award since its debut in 2013.

2023 ALL-BIG SKY AWARDS

2023 Big Sky Individual Award Winners
Offensive Player of the Year: Lan Larison, RB, UC Davis
Defensive Player of the Year: Alex Gubner, DL, Montana
Newcomer of the Year: Clifton McDowell, QB, Montana
Freshman of the Year: Eli Gillman, RB, Montana
Coach of the Year: Bobby Hauck, Montana*

* - Unanimous Selection

First Team All-Conference Offense
QB: Gevani McCoy, Idaho
RB: Lan Larison, UC Davis
RB: Anthony Woods, Idaho
FB: Derryk Snell, Montana State
WR: Efton Chism III, Eastern Washington*
WR: Hayden Hatten, Idaho*
WR: Chedon James, Idaho State
WR: Junior Bergen, Montana
TE: Marshel Martin, Sacramento State
TE: Treyton Pickering, Montana State
OL: Noah Atagi, Weber State*
OL: Marcus Wehr, Montana State
OL: Rush Reimer, Montana State
OL: Brandon Casey, Montana
OL: Jordan Ford, UC Davis
OL: Jackson Slater, Sacramento State
AP: Sean Chambers, Montana State

* - Unanimous Selection

First Team All-Conference Defense
DL: Alex Gubner, Montana*
DL: Brody Grebe, Montana State
DL: Elijah Ponder, Cal Poly
DL: Zach Kennedy, UC Davis
DL: Eloi Kwete, Northern Arizona
LB: Braxton Hill, Montana
LB: Winston Reid, Weber State
LB: Armon Bailey, Sacramento State
LB: Nolan Askelson, Montana State
LB: Jack Kelly, Weber State
DB: Marcus Harris, Idaho
DB: Maxwell Anderson, Weber State
DB: Cameron Broussard, Sacramento State
DB: Marlon Jones Jr., Eastern Washington
DB: Corbin Walker, Montana
DB: Trevin Gradney, Montana

* - Unanimous Selection

First Team All-Conference Special Teams
K: Ricardo Chavez, Idaho
P: Brendan Hall, Montana State
KR: Abraham Williams, Weber State
PR: Junior Bergen, Montana
ST: Garrett Graves, Montana

Second Team All-Conference Offense
QB: Tommy Mellott, Montana State
RB: Eli Gillman, Montana
RB: Julius Davis, Montana State
FB: Andrew VanBuren, Portland State
WR: Jermaine Jackson, Idaho
WR: Coleman Owen, Northern Arizona
WR: Jared Gipson, Sacramento State
TE: Hayden Meacham, Weber State
TE: Blake Gobel, Eastern Washington
OL: Jonny Bottorff, Northern Arizona
OL: Shiloh Ta'ase, Portland State
OL: Garrett Weichman, Cal Poly
OL: Jordan Lutui, Weber State
OL: Omer Aigbedlion, Montana State
OL: AJ Forbes, Montana
AP: Trent Tompkins, UC Davis

Second Team All-Conference Defense
DL: Jett Stanley, Sacramento State
DL: Sebastian Valdez, Montana State
DL: Brayden Wilson, Weber State
DL: Dino Kahaulelio, Portland State
DL: Chubba Ma'ae, UC Davis
LB: Evan Tattersal, UC Davis
LB: Teddye Buchanan, UC Davis
LB: Levi Janacaro, Montana
LB: Riley Wilson, Montana
LB: Nick Eaton, UC Davis
DB: Rex Connors, UC Davis
DB: Alex McLaughlin, Northern Arizona
DB: Donovan Saunders, Cal Poly
DB: Calvin Pitcher, Idaho State
DB: George Steele, Northern Arizona
DB: Tizell Lewis, Northern Colorado

Second Team All-Conference Special Teams
K: Gianni Smith, Portland State
P: Ricardo Chavez, Idaho
KR: Michael Wortham, Eastern Washington
PR: Jermaine Jackson, Idaho
ST: Sean McCormick, Idaho

Honorable Mention (Had at least 3 votes)
QB: Kekoa Visperas, Eastern Washington
RB: Marcus Fulcher, Sacramento State
RB: Devon Starling, Northern Arizona
WR: Jermaine Braddock, Portland State
WR: Hendrix Johnson, Northern Arizona
OL: Chris Walker, Montana
OL: Ivan Garza, Sacramento State
OL: Journey Grimsrud, Montana
OL: Nathan Mejia, Sacramento State
OL: Ayden Knapik, Idaho
OL: Austin Lawrence, Northern Colorado
OL: Justus, Perkins, Montana State
OL: Jake Parks, UC Davis
AP: Quincy Craig, Portland State

DL: Keyshawn James-Newby, Idaho
DL: David Rowe, Idaho State
DL: Marcus Howard, Northern Colorado
DL: Mark Ho Ching, Northern Arizona
DL: Dallas Afalava, Idaho
LB: Tre Thomas, Idaho
LB: Parker McKenna, Portland State
LB: Xe'ree Alexander, Idaho
LB: Jacob Stanton, Northern Colorado
DB: Tommy McCormick, Idaho
DB: Jehiel Budgett, UC Davis
DB: Rylan Ortt, Montana State
DB: Naseme Colvin, Weber State
DB: Dillon Juniel, Sacramento State

K: Hunter Ridley, UC Davis
P: Cal McGough, Sacramento State
P: Hunter Green, Northern Colorado
P: Jack Burgess, Weber State
KR: Jermaine Jackson, Idaho
PR: Haze Hadley, Weber State
ST: Hendrix Johnson, Northern Arizona