Saturday, September 2
Missoula, Mont.
Noon
Montana
1-0 , 0-0
35
vs
20
Butler
0-1 , 0-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Butler
3
3
14
0
20
Montana
10
11
7
7
35
Photo by: UM Photo/Tommy Martino
Griz bite Bulldogs to open season with a win
9/2/2023 6:04:00 PM | Football
The Montana Grizzlies jumped out to a 1-0 start to the 2023 season with a 35-20 victory over the Butler Bulldogs on a warm, early September day inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium Saturday.
On the debut of two new coordinators and a pair of quarterbacks that split halves, Montana put up a balanced 441 yards of total offense and still left plenty of points on the field with a handful of untimely penalties. The Grizzly defense, meanwhile, held Butler to just 41 yards rushing yards and without a touchdown in the first half with six first-time starters on that side of the ball.
In a back-and-forth game that came as close as one score early in the second half and a first half with no game clock on a malfunctioning scoreboard, the Griz worked through plenty of adversity to come away with a win.
"This win feels great. There's a lot to unpack from this, but Butler has a good team. They're well-coached, they do a nice job. They line them up, and they play hard, and they tackle well. Their quarterback is a tough kid, and I admire tough kids. So, it was good to get a win. I think we have a lot to clean up, but it's always good to correct when you're 1-0," said head coach Bobby Hauck.
Gallery: (9-2-2023) FB: Montana vs Butler
The Griz received a special performance from freshman running back Eli Gillman, who led all rushers with 119 yards and a touchdown in his first collegiate start, as Montana averaged over five yards per tote behind its veteran O-line.
With quarterback Clifton McDowell adding 80 more rushing yards and a score in the second half and Xavier Harris putting up 40 more and a TD as well, the Griz ground game controlled the possession.
"I told him (Gillman) at halftime, great job. He took care of the ball, ran hard, and got yards after contact. And then the second half it was, it was awesome. So nice job by our freshman running back," said Hauck.
"But stopping the run and running the ball like that, teams are just going to struggle to beat you getting outrushed by 200 yards."
It was another first-time starter that paced the Griz defensively, with junior safety Ryder Meyer tallying up 12 tackles and TFL, one of seven for Montana on the day that kept Bulldog Payton Award watchlist QB Bret Bushka under pressure all afternoon.
With a true starting QB still to be determined, sophomore Sam Vidlak and senior Clifton McDowell each showed their strengths. Vidlak went 15-25 for 180 yards and a quick touchdown strike early in the game in a half of play, while McDowell helped control the ground game in the second, leaving the coaching staff plenty to feel good about.
"I thought those guys did a nice job. There. They're the types that will go back and tell you all the things they missed, but they did enough, and there was some good stuff," said Hauck.
It didn't take long for Vidlak to endear himself to Montana fans or for Junior Bergen to prove how exciting his junior season could be. The pair connected across the middle for a 54-yard score on just the second pass of Vidlak's Grizzly career. Montana ran just three plays on the opening drive, quickly getting to midfield after a nine-yard Eli Gillman rush and a quick five-yard pass to Bergen.
The Griz defense capitalized on the energy that the instant offense provided. They forced Butler backward on the first two plays, and then Kale Edwards forced a fumble that Braxton Hill recovered at the Bulldog 1-yard line to set Montana up on the doorstep.
Montana couldn't punch it in, but freshman kicker Grant Glasgow knocked home the first field goal of his career from 23 out to extend the Grizzly lead to 10-0.
The Grizzly D kept the foot down as Butler couldn't get anything going on the second drive, going three-and-out and punting with negative seven total yards through the first six plays.
Vidlak then aired out a deep pass to Keelan White that nearly found its mark, but White's feet got tangled up with the defender. On the next play, Vidlak's pass went through the hands of his receiver, was tipped in the air and intercepted.
Butler would then get on the board, running a trick play to get inside the Montana red zone and converting with a field goal to cut the lead to 10-3 late in the opening quarter.
On the first drive of the second quarter, Montana appeared set to punt the ball back to Butler from inside its own territory. But the snap went short to defensive lineman Kellen Detrick, who broke his run around the end on the right and all the way into Butler territory on the fake.
Vidlak then connected with Aaron Fontes for his first catch of the day on a big third-down conversion. The clutch plays to keep the drive alive continued, as Gillman converted a third down to move Montana into the red zone a few plays later.
The drive would stall there, and an intentional grounding penalty would move the Grizzlies to the edge of field goal range. Glasgow, the redshirt freshman from Lawrence, Kansas, drilled a 49-yard field goal with room to spare to put Montana up 13-3.
Butler knocked home another field goal to cut the lead to 13-6 halfway through the period.
Vidlak and Bergen appeared to connect on another highlight-reel touchdown pass from near midfield on Montana's following drive, but a holding penalty called it back. A few plays later, Fontes appeared to score on a reverse around the left side, but again, a holding penalty brought it back.
The Grizzlies wouldn't be denied, however. A 26-yard connection from Vidlak to Sawyer Racanelli on the next play brought the Grizzlies down to the three-yard line. This time there was no flag on the field as Xavier Harris punched it in from short yardage. Montana then ran a tricky two-point conversion play that Ryder Myer ran in on the left edge to make it 21-6 Grizzlies, a lead they would take with them to the half.
"We're lucky they only had six on the board at halftime. We shot ourselves in the foot with turnovers and put ourselves in a bad position, but the defense held them to field goals, which I thought was great," said Hauck.
"We weren't very good at third down in the first half, and heck, I think their most productive play was penalty. So, we've got to clean those things up, and it made the flow of the game kind of wonky."
Butler started the second half with the ball, and Alex Gubner quickly helped Montana get it right back with the first sack of the game for Montana, forcing a Bulldog punt.
The Bulldog offense bounced back on the next drive, connecting on a 32-yard touchdown pass down the sideline to make it a one-score game at 21-13 with just under seven minutes to play in the third.
A quick interception by the Butler defense gave the visitors the ball right back inside the Montana 35-yard line. The defense forced Butler into a fourth-and-two situation, but a screen pass over the middle connected for a 26-yard score. They would elect to take the extra point instead of going for two, cutting it to 21-20 with under five to play in the third.
Montana needed a big play, and they got it, as they so often do under Hauck, on special teams. Garrett Graves returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield to put the Griz in striking distance.
McDowell entered the game for his first real stretch of play and proved to be a difference-maker. He had back-to-back runs for 26 combined yards to get Montana in scoring range, and then gave the read option to Gillman on the next play for a 24-yard touchdown. The three-play, 50-yard scoring drive all came on the ground and took all of a minute off the clock.
If the quick-strike touchdown didn't bring the energy to the stadium, the next defensive play certainly did. Butler attempted to answer back with a big play of their own, airing it out nearly 50 yards in the air. Trevin Gradney dove over the receiver, hauling in an improbable interception to give the ball right back to Montana.
McDowell continued to impress on the following drive, running for a first down when the Grizzlies faced 3rd-and-7. He combined with Gillman and Harris to pound the rock into the red zone. Facing fourth-and-short from the 10-yard line, Montana ran up the middle and came up inches short, giving the ball back to Butler while holding on to a 28-20 lead.
The defense forced a stop, and the rushing game for Montana would deliver again to make things a little more comfortable. The Griz had a nine-play, 63-yard scoring drive to move ahead 35-20. They rushed it eight times on the drive, and McDowell had the finishing touch with a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-inches for his first touchdown as a Grizzly.
The score would be enough for Montana to see out the opening game victory.
The Grizzlies now get set to hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Utah Tech to face the Trailblazers on Saturday, Sept. 9, with kickoff from St. George set for 7 p.m.
SPLIT-THE-POT: Saturday's Split-the-Pot total of $8,158 was claimed by winning ticket number 822862, an orange ticket.
On the debut of two new coordinators and a pair of quarterbacks that split halves, Montana put up a balanced 441 yards of total offense and still left plenty of points on the field with a handful of untimely penalties. The Grizzly defense, meanwhile, held Butler to just 41 yards rushing yards and without a touchdown in the first half with six first-time starters on that side of the ball.
In a back-and-forth game that came as close as one score early in the second half and a first half with no game clock on a malfunctioning scoreboard, the Griz worked through plenty of adversity to come away with a win.
"This win feels great. There's a lot to unpack from this, but Butler has a good team. They're well-coached, they do a nice job. They line them up, and they play hard, and they tackle well. Their quarterback is a tough kid, and I admire tough kids. So, it was good to get a win. I think we have a lot to clean up, but it's always good to correct when you're 1-0," said head coach Bobby Hauck.
The Griz received a special performance from freshman running back Eli Gillman, who led all rushers with 119 yards and a touchdown in his first collegiate start, as Montana averaged over five yards per tote behind its veteran O-line.
With quarterback Clifton McDowell adding 80 more rushing yards and a score in the second half and Xavier Harris putting up 40 more and a TD as well, the Griz ground game controlled the possession.
"I told him (Gillman) at halftime, great job. He took care of the ball, ran hard, and got yards after contact. And then the second half it was, it was awesome. So nice job by our freshman running back," said Hauck.
"But stopping the run and running the ball like that, teams are just going to struggle to beat you getting outrushed by 200 yards."
It was another first-time starter that paced the Griz defensively, with junior safety Ryder Meyer tallying up 12 tackles and TFL, one of seven for Montana on the day that kept Bulldog Payton Award watchlist QB Bret Bushka under pressure all afternoon.
With a true starting QB still to be determined, sophomore Sam Vidlak and senior Clifton McDowell each showed their strengths. Vidlak went 15-25 for 180 yards and a quick touchdown strike early in the game in a half of play, while McDowell helped control the ground game in the second, leaving the coaching staff plenty to feel good about.
"I thought those guys did a nice job. There. They're the types that will go back and tell you all the things they missed, but they did enough, and there was some good stuff," said Hauck.
It didn't take long for Vidlak to endear himself to Montana fans or for Junior Bergen to prove how exciting his junior season could be. The pair connected across the middle for a 54-yard score on just the second pass of Vidlak's Grizzly career. Montana ran just three plays on the opening drive, quickly getting to midfield after a nine-yard Eli Gillman rush and a quick five-yard pass to Bergen.
🏠 CALL for @bergen_junior 👏
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 2, 2023
pic.twitter.com/rVWCBvZiOQ
The Griz defense capitalized on the energy that the instant offense provided. They forced Butler backward on the first two plays, and then Kale Edwards forced a fumble that Braxton Hill recovered at the Bulldog 1-yard line to set Montana up on the doorstep.
Montana couldn't punch it in, but freshman kicker Grant Glasgow knocked home the first field goal of his career from 23 out to extend the Grizzly lead to 10-0.
The Grizzly D kept the foot down as Butler couldn't get anything going on the second drive, going three-and-out and punting with negative seven total yards through the first six plays.
Vidlak then aired out a deep pass to Keelan White that nearly found its mark, but White's feet got tangled up with the defender. On the next play, Vidlak's pass went through the hands of his receiver, was tipped in the air and intercepted.
Butler would then get on the board, running a trick play to get inside the Montana red zone and converting with a field goal to cut the lead to 10-3 late in the opening quarter.
On the first drive of the second quarter, Montana appeared set to punt the ball back to Butler from inside its own territory. But the snap went short to defensive lineman Kellen Detrick, who broke his run around the end on the right and all the way into Butler territory on the fake.
Vidlak then connected with Aaron Fontes for his first catch of the day on a big third-down conversion. The clutch plays to keep the drive alive continued, as Gillman converted a third down to move Montana into the red zone a few plays later.
The drive would stall there, and an intentional grounding penalty would move the Grizzlies to the edge of field goal range. Glasgow, the redshirt freshman from Lawrence, Kansas, drilled a 49-yard field goal with room to spare to put Montana up 13-3.
Butler knocked home another field goal to cut the lead to 13-6 halfway through the period.
Vidlak and Bergen appeared to connect on another highlight-reel touchdown pass from near midfield on Montana's following drive, but a holding penalty called it back. A few plays later, Fontes appeared to score on a reverse around the left side, but again, a holding penalty brought it back.
The Grizzlies wouldn't be denied, however. A 26-yard connection from Vidlak to Sawyer Racanelli on the next play brought the Grizzlies down to the three-yard line. This time there was no flag on the field as Xavier Harris punched it in from short yardage. Montana then ran a tricky two-point conversion play that Ryder Myer ran in on the left edge to make it 21-6 Grizzlies, a lead they would take with them to the half.
"We're lucky they only had six on the board at halftime. We shot ourselves in the foot with turnovers and put ourselves in a bad position, but the defense held them to field goals, which I thought was great," said Hauck.
"We weren't very good at third down in the first half, and heck, I think their most productive play was penalty. So, we've got to clean those things up, and it made the flow of the game kind of wonky."
Butler started the second half with the ball, and Alex Gubner quickly helped Montana get it right back with the first sack of the game for Montana, forcing a Bulldog punt.
The Bulldog offense bounced back on the next drive, connecting on a 32-yard touchdown pass down the sideline to make it a one-score game at 21-13 with just under seven minutes to play in the third.
A quick interception by the Butler defense gave the visitors the ball right back inside the Montana 35-yard line. The defense forced Butler into a fourth-and-two situation, but a screen pass over the middle connected for a 26-yard score. They would elect to take the extra point instead of going for two, cutting it to 21-20 with under five to play in the third.
Montana needed a big play, and they got it, as they so often do under Hauck, on special teams. Garrett Graves returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield to put the Griz in striking distance.
McDowell entered the game for his first real stretch of play and proved to be a difference-maker. He had back-to-back runs for 26 combined yards to get Montana in scoring range, and then gave the read option to Gillman on the next play for a 24-yard touchdown. The three-play, 50-yard scoring drive all came on the ground and took all of a minute off the clock.
If the quick-strike touchdown didn't bring the energy to the stadium, the next defensive play certainly did. Butler attempted to answer back with a big play of their own, airing it out nearly 50 yards in the air. Trevin Gradney dove over the receiver, hauling in an improbable interception to give the ball right back to Montana.
👀 The HANDS from @tgradney7 🙌#GoGriz pic.twitter.com/eeC5vONPYd
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 2, 2023
McDowell continued to impress on the following drive, running for a first down when the Grizzlies faced 3rd-and-7. He combined with Gillman and Harris to pound the rock into the red zone. Facing fourth-and-short from the 10-yard line, Montana ran up the middle and came up inches short, giving the ball back to Butler while holding on to a 28-20 lead.
The defense forced a stop, and the rushing game for Montana would deliver again to make things a little more comfortable. The Griz had a nine-play, 63-yard scoring drive to move ahead 35-20. They rushed it eight times on the drive, and McDowell had the finishing touch with a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-inches for his first touchdown as a Grizzly.
The score would be enough for Montana to see out the opening game victory.
The Grizzlies now get set to hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Utah Tech to face the Trailblazers on Saturday, Sept. 9, with kickoff from St. George set for 7 p.m.
SPLIT-THE-POT: Saturday's Split-the-Pot total of $8,158 was claimed by winning ticket number 822862, an orange ticket.
Montana Griz vs Butler Post Game Press Conference https://t.co/wn1cDEM0YN
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) September 2, 2023
Team Stats
BU
UM
Total Yards
304
441
Pass Yards
263
211
Rushing Yards
41
230
Penalty Yards
45
65
1st Downs
15
24
3rd Downs
2
6
4th Downs
1
2
TOP
28:45
31:15
1st Quarter
BU 0, UM 7
UM - Bergen,Junior 54 yd pass from Vidlak,Sam (Glasgow,Grant kick) 3 plays, 68 yards, TOP 00:55
BU 0, UM 10
UM - Glasgow,Grant 23 yd field goal 4 plays, 4 yards, TOP 01:30
BU 3, UM 10
BU - Zurak,Luka 29 yd field goal 6 plays, 27 yards, TOP 01:15
2nd Quarter
BU 3, UM 13
UM - Glasgow,Grant 49 yd field goal 14 plays, 44 yards, TOP 05:35
BU 6, UM 13
BU - Zurak,Luka 39 yd field goal 8 plays, 53 yards, TOP 03:43
BU 6, UM 21
UM - Harris,Xavier 3 yd run (Meyer,Ryder rush), 7 plays, 68 yards, TOP 02:50
3rd Quarter
BU 13, UM 21
BU - Mitchell,Jyran 32 yd pass from Bushka,Bret (Zurak,Luka kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:40
BU 20, UM 21
BU - Lezon,Ryan 26 yd pass from Bushka,Bret (Zurak,Luka kick) 4 plays, 34 yards, TOP 01:23
BU 20, UM 28
UM - Gillman,Eli 24 yd run (Glasgow,Grant kick), 3 plays, 50 yards, TOP 01:00
4th Quarter
BU 20, UM 35
UM - McDowell,Clifton 1 yd run (Glasgow,Grant kick), 9 plays, 63 yards, TOP 04:29
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
Players Mentioned
WR
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DL
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DE
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
K
/ Football
CB
/ Football
S
/ Football
DT
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RB
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LB
/ FootballQB
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S
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WR
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WR
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