2024 Griz Football Season Wrap-Up

It wasn't the season anyone expected at Montana, but despite the Grizzlies bowing out of the playoffs in the second round it was in many ways still a year to remember in Missoula.

At 9-5 overall, 5-3 in Big Sky play, and the fifth-straight season with a playoff win, Montana's 2024 campaign had a similar feel to 2022 when the highly favored Griz went 8-5 with a second-round playoff loss. What happened in 2023? The Grizzlies roared back, won a 19^th Big Sky title, and advanced all the way to the national championship game.

The Griz officially set their sights on returning to Big Sky and national title contention in 2025 this week as the cycle of college football restarts for head coach Bobby Hauck and his staff and players.

In his 13 total years coaching the Grizzlies, Hauck has helped Montana become one of the top two winningest FCS programs of the 20^th century, and even as the win/loss record in certain seasons ebbs and flows, the standard of success has never wavered.

"I appreciate the efforts of our team and coaches. I thought everybody worked really hard, played really hard, tried hard throughout the season. Obviously, we're really excited to have won nine games. Each one of those is hard to get. Everybody we beat gave us good competition. It's always good to get in the playoffs and win in the playoffs like we normally do," said Hauck.

"The other side of that coin is that we're at Montana, we want to win every game. So, we've got to continue to recruit, we've got to continue to train, and we've got to continue to get ready for the next season at all times."

Here's a look at just some of the highlights and standout players in all three phases of the game from a memorable 2024, with a look ahead and some other bits and pieces of historical note on the side.

OFFENSE

Led by a two-headed monster at running back, Montana as a team rushed for more yards in 2024 than it had in the previous three seasons, totaling 2,741 yards in the ground game. Balanced out with 3,011 passing yards (also a four-year high), the Griz put 467 points on the board and moved the chains 305 times (both four-year highs as well) in the nation's No. 4 first down offense.

• Senior Nick Ostmo has been a staple of the Grizzly offense since his arrival on campus in 2019. Even though he's spent much of his career on the sidelines with injury, he now graduates from Montana as one of the best to ever do it in maroon and silver. And with Montana's history of legendary running backs, that's saying something.

The native of Portland capped his career at No. 5 on Montana's all-time leading rusher list with 2,625 yards, finished No. 8 in program history in rushing touchdowns with 24, and finished tied at No. 9 for total touchdowns with 28, which also put him No. 22 on the all-time scoring list with 168 points, etching his name all over the Grizzly record books.

With 53 career catches for 663 yards Ostmo also finished with 3,288 all-purpose yards, just outside of Montana's top 10 all-time.

He was Montana's second-leading rusher with a career-high 769 net yards in 2024, despite missing the last two games to injury. That tally was bolstered by a season-high 160-yard day in a win at Eastern Washington, where he also rattled-off the second-longest run of his career at 62 yards. His 769 yards were the seventh-most in the Big Sky, and his yards per carry total of 6.2 was a top 10 mark in the league, and just shy of Montana's top 15 list in a season.

• You're talking record books? You're also talking Eli Gillman. As a sophomore, Gillman put together yet another of the best seasons for a Grizzly running back in program history and is primed to work his way to the top of the record books before it's all said and done.

He is now set to enter his junior year ranked No. 7 in Montana history in career rushing yards with 2,137, ranked No. 5 in Grizzly history in rushing touchdowns with 28 and No. 7 with 30 total TDs.

He finished his sophomore campaign with a career-high 1,104 net rush yards on 167 carries, a top 10 season in Grizzly history and the most yards in a year for any Grizzly since Jordan Canada in 2014. It's also the third-most yards in the Big Sky and a top 25 total in the FCS. He also rushed for 15 touchdowns – the seventh-most in a season ever at UM, the third-most in the Big Sky in 2024 and the ninth-most in the FCS.

To get there he averaged 6.61 yards per carry, the sixth-best season average in program history and the best average since Josh Brannen averaged 6.82/carry in 1995. That's a mark that is also the sixth-best average in the Big Sky (min 50 attempts) and the eighth-best average in the FCS this season.

He didn't just run though, he also caught 18 passes for 176 yards and two TDs for 17 total scores, tied for the fifth-most TDs in the FCS and the second-most in the Big Sky. Add it up and he scored 102 points, a top 13 total in program history. All that production ties him at No. 15 all-time at UM with 180 points scored.

• After coming to Montana as a walk-on, Keelan White was a model of constancy for the Griz making 41 career starts and earning a reputation from his coaches as the team's best route-runner.

White, a native of North Vancouver B.C., was ranked preseason at No. 10 on the top 20 Canadians eligible for the 2025 CFL Draft by the league's scouting bureau and lived up to those expectations in his senior season.

He was Montana's offensive MVP as a junior and capped his senior year at UM with another team-high performance, leading the Griz with 628 yards on 57 catches and four TDs to average just over 11 yards per catch and 48 yards per game – landing him among the Big Sky's 15 best receivers.

He graduates with a school record 57 appearances in a Grizzly uniform, totaling 161 catches to sit No. 11 in program history for 1,862 yards – No. 21 in program history. His 14 touchdown catches are also a Grizzly top 25 as well. Let's also not forget his school record 97-yard touchdown catch against Sacramento State as a junior.

"I thought we had a lot of good performances by a lot of lot of players. I can talk about how well the right guard played, but we had different guys all over the field that really produced for the Grizzlies. We had a lot of play making by a variety of guys on our offense, week in, week out," added Hauck.

"I'm excited to get into the offseason, study and diagnose why some weeks we had more success than others, and how we can continue to improve, be balanced, and put points on the board."

Defense

In a unit that featured five first-time starters thrown into the fray, Montana's 3-3-5 base defense may not have been as unbelievably historic as it was in 2023, but in typical Hauck fashion it was one of the saltiest in the league and continued to improve throughout the season.

The Griz had the third-best total D in the Big Sky in 2024, giving up an average of 358 yards per game on the season and just an average of 321 in the second half of the year after making mid-season adjustments following the loss to Weber State. Similarly, UM's fifth-ranked scoring defense gave up 25.9 points per game on the year, but that average dipped to 21.5 in the latter half of the season.

• In just two years with the Grizzlies Hayden Harris developed into the team's biggest disruptor on the defensive front in 2024. The former high school QB who came to Montana from UCLA and led the Big Sky in forced fumbles as a senior with three, was second in the league with two fumble recoveries, and third in the league in sacks (9.5) and Tackles for Loss (17).

He now looks for an opportunity in the pros after finishing his career at UM with 21.5 TFLs to tie him at No. 28 all-time in program history in that category. His 21.5 TFLs were responsible for 126 lost yards for opposing offenses, and his total of 84 tackles made one in every 4 of his stops a TFL. His season total of TFLs, sacks, and forced fumbles were also the most for the Griz since Patrick O'Connell (now on the Seattle Seahawks roster) was a senior in 2021.

• Missoula native Ryan Tirrell caps his career with 21 starts for his hometown Grizzlies and 185 total tackles, after posting 106 his senior season at linebacker. That total of 106 is a top 35 mark in program history and was the fourth-most in the Big Sky this season at 7.6 stops per game.

• Junior safety Jace Klucewich of Frenchtown and Missoula Sentinel had a breakout season for the Griz, earning five starts and leading the Big Sky Conference in interceptions with four. "Kluce" put in 27 tackles (13 solo) and logged a half-TFL, but it was his picks that stood him apart. Those four INTs tied him ninth in the FCS overall.

"We had quite a few new players on defense, and as they became more familiar with the how we play and our scheme, I thought we played better and better," said Hauck.

"We played really good defense, in particular the second half the season. We were probably just a play or two short, or a player or two short to really being dominant. Now we've got to retool that side of the ball, and that's the nature of college football in this day and age."

Special Teams

It will be impossible to write the book of Griz football going forward without the name Junior Bergen. In short, he was pure excitement every time he touched the ball and now tops program, conference, and NCAA record books because of it.

The Billings native caps his career tied for the most punt return touchdowns in NCAA FCS history with eight to his name. To get there he now also holds the UM school record for average yards per punt return at 16.71 (1,136 on 68 returns) to pass Marc Mariani's average of 15.01. That average of 16.71 per punt return also lands him third in Big Sky history behind EWU's Cooper Kupp (17.0) and Randle Anderson of WSU (18.48).

Bergen was most effective as a senior, despite limited opportunity. His average punt return yards this season was bolstered by a pair of TDs against Tennessee State and finished the season at 24 yards per attempt (10-240). That's also a school record and is the second-best average in Big Sky history behind Ellis Onic of UNC who averaged 24.5 (10-245) yards per return in 2015.

As an all-conference receiver, kick returner, and punt returner, Bergen finishes his career with 4,468 all-purpose yards, placing him sixth all-time in Grizzly history. All those touchdowns place him in UM's top 25 all-time in points scored as well with 164, and he finishes top 13 in total touchdowns with 26.

•Junior kicker/punter Ty Morrison quietly emerged as one of UM's most reliable specialists in recent years with 100 points scored with his foot, a top 20 total in program history that made him one of just 17 players to ever put up a century's worth of points in a season.

A 34-yarder in the first quarter at SDSU gave him 17 made field goals on 23 attempts in his first year at UM, which equates out to a 73.91 percent success rate. Had he kicked two more his percentage might have ranked as the sixth-best season in program history, but the minimum to enter the grizzly record book is set at 25 attempts.

Morrison also capped the year having made 49-straight PAT attempts, not missing since his first-ever live kick inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium (practice or game) on week one, helping him earn Player of the Week honors from the league. He tied for the second-best PAT percentage (49 of 50) in the Big Sky and has the third-most made PATs. He also came on strong in the punting game, with his three of his best averages since week four in the past three games (46 yards at SDSU, 45 yards against TSU, and 44 against MSU).

• Development of future Grizzly stars was, as it always is on a Hauck-led Montana team, a calling-card of UM's special teams in 2024.

Four Grizzly freshmen earned their stripes primarily on special teams this year. Hayden Opitz of Helena, Clay Oven of Billings, Cy Stevenson of Libby, and Ian Finch of Missoula each played a majority of special teams snaps on many coverage and return units this year. They made a combined 51 appearances between them and Finch earned his first touchdown as a receiver at Northern Colorado as well.

More than 13 sophomores and juniors also cut their teeth on special teams this season, each of whom will be looked to for increased roles in 2025.

"We really tend to develop our young players in the kicking game. I know it's not the way of some, and maybe that's a byproduct of the head coach being the special teams coordinator, but we really didn't play any of our starters in the kicking game this year. I think it's great development of our young guys," Hauck added.

"Ty Morrison has potential to be a really good player at the specialist positions. With Junior going out the door, that's another NCAA record holder that we've had. There's been a long list of them over the years, and I'm really proud of him and the punt return team for doing what they did. It's just spectacular in terms of performance by those guys."

• Let's not forget three other true freshmen who also earned reps as backups in the two-deep and will feature heavily in the rotation going forward.

Running back Malae Fonoti impressed in just three appearances this season, rushing for 234 yards and a touchdown on 36 carries to average 6.5 yards per tote to become the third-leading rusher on the team. He was also named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week in his first ever game of college football on week three.

True freshman cornerback Kyon Loud established himself in the defensive backfield throughout the season. A tall, lengthy, and physical defender, he totaled 18 tackles (12 solo), two pass breakups and one QB hurry while appearing in all 13 games.

Lekeldrick Bridges was another true freshman to earn time toward the end of the season at wide receiver. The electric Texan was credited with a single reception for six yards, but fans saw his big play ability on several occasions with passes for an explosive play slipping through his fingers.

ON TO THE NEXT: With the early signing period for high school prospects opening on Dec. 4 and the transfer portal officially opening four day later, recruiting season is in full swing at Montana.

The Grizzlies added a star-studded cohort of 16 players to the incoming class of 2025 to open the early signing period, with nine rated as three-star prospects. With 26 seniors lost to graduation and yet more to the transfer portal, Montana will have plenty of shoes to fill in 2025.

"I thought we did well with our high school recruiting and now we're into the mid-year transfer recruiting piece. After that, we'll get back into high school recruiting, add couple of current seniors and then look at seniors to be. Then we'll have another transfer recruiting period after spring practice. So, recruiting continues, assembling a team for August continues, and we are on the case," said Hauck.

"The next three weeks are going to be vital to the success of our team next year. In 2024 and now 2025 the nature of college football is every player on every team is at his school for one year, and then you see if they re-up. So, we are in what is going to be a yearly battle trying to put our team together for next August.

"The other coaches and I are really excited for the next year. We have good guys in our locker room, and they're fun to coach. I'm excited to watch the young guys develop over this next eight months and we have a good core of contributors coming back," said Hauck.

"Enthusiasm is high within the program."

///GRIZ TRACKS///

SALUTE TO SENIORS: Montana won't say "goodbye", but "see you soon" to 26 seniors in this year's class, most of whom played a pivotal role in the 2023 championship run and painted some of the most memorable pictures in Grizzly history. The (increasingly rare) players that have been here since their true freshman season weathered a pandemic and helped Montana put together a 52-19 record in their careers since 2019.

Junior Bergen in the playoffs? What else needs to be said. His pass to Keelan White for a two-point conversion against NDSU in last year's semifinal? Unforgettable. Jaxon Lee and Ryder Meyer's interceptions to help win at Idaho? Evan Shafer leveling a Delaware DB en route to the endzone in the playoffs? Nick Ostmo's massive day in the snow against Cal Poly? Gradney's PBU that sealed a win over Furman? Just some of the legendary moments brought to you by this year's senior class. All of whom will be missed.

HAUCK HISTORY: Hauck earned his 18th career playoff win against Tennessee State in late November and made his 12th appearance in the FCS playoffs as Montana's head coach. That win made him the winningest active coach in FCS postseason history, passing UNI's Mark Farley's total of 17. He is now tied for third in subdivision history with former NDSU head man Chris Kleiman (who went 18-1 in five postseason appearances) and SDSU's John Stiegelmeier who retired at 18-11 in the postseason after winning a national title.

Legendary Youngstown State coach Jim Tressel holds the record for most 1-AA/FCS postseason wins with 23, making Hauck 7 playoff wins away from becoming the winningest overall coach in the history of the tournament. Jerry Moore of Appalachian State had 22 wins.

• Hauck also finished the season with 137 career wins at Montana. He's now the No. 4 winningest active head coach in the FCS today. He capped the regular season with 79 career wins in Big Sky Conference play – the second most in league history. He enters 2025 needing 7 more league wins to pass Jerome Souers' total of 85 at NAU to become both the winningest overall coach and winningest coach in league play in Big Sky history.

• Since returning to UM in 2018, Hauck (who serves as the de facto Special Teams Coordinator) has coached two FCS record holders, with Malik Flowers tying the kickoff return record with seven, and Bergen tying the punt return record with 8. He's also coached-up two FCS Punters of the Year, and had FCS Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year award winners under his watch.

POSSESSION, POSSESSION, POSSESSION: Despite Montana giving the ball away five times in the last two games, the 2024 Griz were on pace to set a record in the turnover margin at the end of the regular season but still protected the ball better than most teams in modern program history.

Montana finished the year +4 in turnover margin, the fourth-best rate in the Big Sky. With a fumble recovery at SDSU the Griz totaled 19 takeaways while suffering 15 giveaways (8 INTs, 7 fumbles) – which ties the 2023 season total of turnovers committed and is tied for the third-fewest at UM in the last 30 years.

The two quarterbacks that split reps under center threw the fewest INTs for the Griz since 2018, with eight being tied for the third fewest in the last three decades as well. Montana's previous record low giveaway total was 11 in 2014 (7 INTs, 4 fumbles). UM has only had fewer than eight INTs three times and fewer than seven fumbles five times in the last 30 years.

Montana made the most of its turnovers in 2024, scoring 53 points off takeaways and giving up only 26 points to giveaways.

FALSE START FRENZY: The Grizzly faithful brought the noise once again in 2024, helping make Washington-Grizzly stadium one of the most difficult places in all of college football to play. With five in the last home game of the year, Montana's opponents totaled 26 false start penalties inside the "Mecca of FCS Football" for a second-straight season. That number brings the two-year total to 52 false starts for the Grizzlies' foe since the false start tracker began in 2023.

ATTENDANCE LEADER: Montana led the FCS in accumulative attendance by a country mile in 2024 with 193,391 passing through the turnstiles in UM's eight home games to date. Jackson State came second in the category with 136,063 fans at its five home games. JSU's relative dearth of home games and a larger stadium brought its per-game attendance average up to 27,213 to top the FCS in that category. Montana finished second in the FCS in average attendance at 24,174 after the Thanksgiving weekend game.

The Grizzlies set two program records in 2024. The first was for season ticket packages sold/distributed at 18,881. The second was for consecutive sellouts, a mark set at 16-straight regular season games with WGS filled to capacity. That streak started in 2022 against Portland State and ended in 2024 against the Vikings, with 16-straight sold-out regular season games in between.

University of Montana Athletics

Players Mentioned

Junior Bergen

Lekeldrick Bridges

Ian Finch

Malae Fonoti

Eli Gillman

Hayden Harris

Jace Klucewich

Jaxon Lee

Kyon Loud

Ryder Meyer

Ty Morrison

Hayden Opitz

Nick Ostmo

Clay Oven

Evan Shafer

Cy Stevenson

Ryan Tirrell

Keelan White

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