Griz fall flat in Flagstaff

Saturday, September 23

Flagstaff, Ariz.

2 PM (MT)

Montana

3-1 , 0-1

Northern Arizona

1-3 , 1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Montana

Northern Ariz.

9/23/2023 6:25:00 PM | Football

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana Grizzlies struggled to find offensive rhythm and were gashed by big plays defensively in a 28-14 loss at Northern Arizona in the Big Sky Conference opener for both teams.

The loss was the first for head coach Bobby Hauck against the Lumberjacks in his career at UM and was the first for the Griz since 2016.

Montana saw its three-game win streak snapped in the conference opener to fall to 3-1, while NAU snapped a streak of its own, entering the game on a three-game slide to improve to 1-3.

Quarterback Sam Vidlak found himself under pressure all day in Flagstaff, completing 23 of his 37 passes for 210 yards in the air with one interception. The sophomore quarterback was also sacked five times, most of which were for a big loss, adding up to 33 total lost yards.

Vidlak was also strip-sacked for a fumble in the first half as the Lumberjacks capitalized off of UM's two turnovers with a touchdown from each.

Montana's rushing attack also failed to keep the chains moving with just 31 yards on the ground, the second straight game UM has tallied less than 100 yards on the ground.

The Grizzly defense came up with some big plays in big moments, with Braxton Hill and Trevin Gradney each picking off passes. Gradney's pick, his fourth in as many games, resulted in a touchdown shortly after for the Griz, but it wasn't enough as UM struggled with a varied offensive attack from NAU.

"First thing I'd say is we had a good week of preparation and that our guys were focused, we just didn't perform well enough on defense, offense, and didn't perform well enough special teams to win. That falls on the coaches, and I've got to figure that out," said Hauck.

"Credit to NAU, they threw everything but the kitchen sink at us, and they had some good stuff early that put us behind two touchdowns. That will happen sometimes, and you've got to hold the rope until you get it right. But we just didn't. We didn't score enough to get back in at that point."

Gallery: (9-23-2023) FB: vs. NAU (9.23.23)

NAU's Adam Damante, a true freshman QB from Gilbert, Arizona, got his first start for the Lumberjacks and put the home team up early with some crisp passing.

Montana got its first offensive opportunity of the game when Braxton Hill intercepted a tipped Damante pass deep in UM territory. The Griz squandered the chance, however, with a slew of penalties keeping them from putting a drive together.

UM's problems compounded when Travis Benham's punt was blocked, setting NAU up at the Grizzly 24-yard line.

One play later NAU capitalized on Montana's offensive miscues when Demante found Hendrix Johnson wide open down the right sideline for a 24-yard strike to put the Jacks up 7-0 after eight minutes.

On the ensuing Grizzly drive, Vidlak completed a 23-yard pass across the middle to Keelan White, but the Montana offense stalled again and as forced to punt for the second-straight possession.

Northern Arizona would then put together a methodical drive that lasted through the end of the first quarter. The 15-play, 75-yard march lasted for 8:14 and was capped by a rush from Devon Starling from one yard out, the first red zone score given up by the Griz this season. The Lumberjack TD put the home team up 14-0 following the PAT.

Montana finished the opening quarter with just a single first down, 26 passing yards and just three yards rushing on 10 attempts as it struggled to find rhythm and lanes to run the ball.

Xavier Harris got the next drive started for the Griz with Clifton McDowell giving him a handoff in motion for a 22-yard gain down the right sideline, breaking several tackles along the way.

However, The drive would stall for UM again with a 38-yard Benham punt that pinned NAU at their own 9-yard line.

Montana's luck would change on the next NAU possession with the man who's been changing a lot of the Grizzly defense's luck this season. On the third play of the Jacks' drive, Billings native Trevin Gradney dropped back in coverage and picked off Damante's pass to collect his fourth INT in as many games.

Gradney returned the pick to the NAU four-yard line, setting up Sam Vidlak to connect with Aaron Fontes on a rub route for the touchdown, his first TD catch of the season. The PAT attempt from Grant Glasgow was pushed right, making it a 14-6 ballgame with 8:31 to play in the second quarter.

After another defensive stop, the Grizzlies would get good field position following the NAU punt. Montana failed to capitalize on the opportunity once again, however, when Vidlak was surprised from behind in the pocked by Nehemiah Magalei, who forced a fumble that was collected by Eloi Kwete for a Grizzly turnover.

One play later the Jacks struck again, with Chase Belcher finding Marcus Phillips wide open in blown coverage for a 48-yard touchdown that put NAU up 21-6 with five minutes left in the half.

Montana went back to work on the following drive when Vidlak found Fontes across the middle for a big gain. The Griz then got some help moving down the field with a key pass interference call on NAU that put UM in striking distance.

Xavier Harris then cut into the NAU lead with a 24-yard sprint off right tackle for a touchdown that set up Ryder Meyer for a two-point play to make it a 14-21 game with just over two minutes left in the half.

Montana totaled just 129 yards of offense in the opening stanza, with the fumble from Vidlak and the blocked punt leading directly to scores for the Lumberjacks.

After the break, Montana started the second half with possession and moved the chains into Lumberjack territory with a pair of Vidlak connections to White. But just before entering the red zone, the drive was killed when Vidlak rolled out of the pocket and was picked off by Alex McLaughlin trying to find Eli Gillman in a tight space.

Eight plays later NAU was back on the board, completing a 50-yard drive in 4:03 with a Lanier Keyonta rush from four yards out to put the Jacks up 28-14 halfway through the third period.

After a lumberjack field goal missed from 39 yards out, the Grizzly offense found itself trailing by two touchdowns as the end of the third quarter neared still with a shot at the win.

Vidlak found White for two connections for 21 yards at the end of the quarter that moved the Griz to mid-field, but again the drive stalled and Montana would be forced to punt to start the fourth quarter.

Montana kept returning to the air and completed some big passes, but the final score remained 28-14.

The Griz now return to Missoula for homecoming, hosting Idaho State on Saturday, Oct. 30 in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.