Montana dominates South Dakota State to advance

Saturday, December 6

Missoula, Mont.

Noon

Montana

12-1 , 7-1

South Dakota State

9-5 , 4-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

South Dakota St.

Montana

Photo by: Ella Palulis/University of Montana

12/6/2025 7:47:00 PM | Football

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By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana Grizzlies got the Jackrabbit off their back in a big way on Saturday, exploding for over 550 yards of total offense while holding the prolific South Dakota State offense to just 61 rushing yards for a dominant 50-29 playoff win.

It's sweet revenge for Montana, who takes its first win over SDSU in the that last three meetings between FCS powers, all of which have come in the postseason. The No. 3 Griz beat No. 14 South Dakota State to avenge losses in the 2023 national championship and second round of the 2024 playoffs. UM now improves to 12-1 on the season and 9-2 all-time against SDSU, while staying unbeaten at 8-0 against the Jacks in Missoula.

With the second-round win, Montana advances to the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs for the 16^th time in program history. UM will now get to compete for the unofficial South Dakota state championship next week as the Griz get set to host the University of South Dakota at Washington-Grizzly on either Friday, Dec. 12 or Saturday Dec. 13, pending placement from ESPN.

"We played well and I'm proud of our guys. Obviously, you don't get to 12-1 without playing pretty well, but we've really come together as a team. Our guys don't care about touches and targets and all that crap. All they care about is the Grizzlies getting one more point than the opponent," said head coach Bobby Hauck.

"That's why we have a good football team, and it showed today. They're all together. They're in it for each other and for Montana, and it showed up today against South Dakota State."

Outside of a Jackrabbit goal line stand on UM's first drive of the game, Montana's offense was nearly unstoppable on Saturday, with Keali'i Ah Yat torching the SDSU defense for a career-high 360 yards and four touchdowns on 29-for-37 passing.

Big Sky Offensive MVP Eli Gillman ran for his seventh 100-plus yard game of the season and moved into fourth on Montana's career rushing yards list with 135 yards on 24 carries and a pair of touchdowns. He crossed another career milestone Saturday as well, now with 3,533 yards and passed Jordan Canada's career mark to move to fourth all-time.

Michael Wortham was again electric in nearly all facets of the game. The FCS' active career leader in all-purpose yards added 147 to his total as Ah Yat's favorite target against the Jacks. The first-team All-Big Sky pick caught eight passes on eight targets for 113 yards and a spectacular touchdown, with 60 YAC yards added on as he evaded tacklers all day. He added 22 yards rushing on six carries and went one-for-one passing from the QB position and added 12 kickoff return yards as well.

Senior Stevie Rocker Jr. also caught a pair of key touchdowns passes, one to answer an early Jackrabbit score from 45 yards out and another to put points on the board just before heading into the locker room at halftime and steal any momentum the visitors may have had at halftime.

Drew Deck of Kalispell also came in clutch, hauling in three passes for 43 yards, none more impressive than a diving touchdown grab from 29 yards out that is all but a shoo-in for a SportsCenter Top 10 play at the end of the night.

They were all part of a 552-yard day for the Grizzly offense – the most for UM since putting up 647 yards against another Missouri Valley Football Conference foe in Indiana State back in September. The Griz had zero three-and-outs and put points on the board on eight of 11 drives.

They also helped Montana's 2025 offensive unit earn a place among the most elite attack teams in program history. This year's Griz have now scored a new school record 540 total points and set a new program record for touchdowns as well with 74. That beats the old school record for points scored of 537 set in 2009, and the previous record of 69 touchdowns set in 2004 and 2019.

Montana's defense held SDSU in check, while the Grizzly offense ran wild on the day. UM held SDSU to just 61 rushing yards – the second fewest of any opponent this season – while grinding out 191 yards of their own, a difference of 130 yards that proved to be a big difference in the outcome. With the run game shut down, Jackrabbit quarterback Chase Mason threw for 356 yards but threw two picks as UM's D-line pressured him all afternoon.

"Rushing yards today was relevant. Kind of like turnovers. When you're playing South Dakota State, it's very similar to playing North Dakota State. If you're going to out rush them 200 to 60, they are going to have a really, really hard time beating you," Hauck said.

"We wanted to blow them out once we got rolling, and we did. I'm very pleased for our team to have controlled the line of scrimmage against a really good football team."

Solomon Tuliaupupu was playing with his hair on fire for the defense, totaling five tackles and a game-high three TFLs with a big sack on Mason.

Montana's secondary also benefitted from the return of cornerback Keyon Loud who had two tackles and a breakup but changed the defensive picture for Mason in the game overall with his physical play. With Loud back, fellow corner Kenzel Lawler reaped benefits as well with seven tackles and a pair of pass breakups.

With two powerhouse teams colliding, special teams were always going to be a factor as well. Missoula native Ian Finch put in an overall strong day in the kicking game, highlighted by a blocked Max Pelham punt (the first for the Griz since 2023 against Delaware), who was harassed into a shanked punt as well. They were just some of several special teams plays that helped UM enjoy good field position with an average drive start at the 37-yard line.

"Awesome game by Finch. He was all over. He's played terrific all year, so it was great to see him get his hand on that punt," Hauck added.

"We were really specific in our punt return game plan today and had their punter frazzled and rattled. Our guys had their number today, and Finch was terrific. I approve of the way that lad is playing."

South Dakota State opted to take the ball to start the game after winning the coin toss, but was held fruitless on their opening drive thanks to a turnover. Tuliaupupu pinned his ears back on third down and hit Mason in his throwing motion, setting up a floater of a pass that was picked off by TJ Rausch inside Grizzly territory for this third pick of the season.

Montana broke off chunk plays of eight-plus yards on four of its first six plays to march inside the Jackrabbit red zone, but ultimately UM was stifled when Malae Fonoti was stopped short of the goal line on fourth and one to be kept off the scoreboard.

The visitors then hit paydirt first from deep yardage when Mason found Matt Goering across the middle and turned a medium gain into one of the longest touchdown passes in Jackrabbit history thanks to a fluke, when a pair of Grizzly defenders bounced off one another in the coverage and Goering slipped out the back for a 95-yard score to take a 7-0 lead.

The Grizzly offense went right back on the march on the following drive. Brooks Davis put the Griz into SDSU territory with a 24-yard pickup across midfield. Two plays later Ah Yat threw his first TD of the day, stepping up in the pocket to avoid contact and slinging an off-balance pass to a wide-open Stevie Rocker along the left sideline for a 45-yard strike that would have tied the game at seven were it not for a doinked PAT off the upright by Joe Silver.

Mason then capped an eight play, 65-yard drive for the Jacks by picking up his own fumble on the one-yard line and diving in for SDSU's second score of the day to take a 14-6 lead with a minute to play in the opening quarter.

Montana opened the second quarter with more points when Silver connected from 31-yards out to cut the Jackrabbit lead to 14-9.

It was Tuliaupupu again that helped put a halt to the next SDSU drive when he broke through for a sack on Mason that led to the first of five consecutive punts for the visitors. That punt from Pelham was shanked for just 13 yards as UM ratcheted up the pressure, setting the Grizzly offense up at the Jackrabbit 46.

Ah Yat then found Wortham along the right sideline for a gain of 26 into the SDSU red zone. The Griz were then faced with a fourth and one in the Jacks' red zone for the second time of the day, but this time Gillman left no doubt, plowing ahead for six yards on a crucial 4^th and 1 that set him for a five yards score on the next play, and the Griz took their first lead of the day, 15-14.

Montana got another big defensive stop when Micah Harper broke up a deep pass from Mason on second down followed by a Loud breakup across the middle on third down as the secondary stepped up against one of the best QBs in the FCS.

The ensuing punt would be blocked by Finch with 1:13 left in the half setting up the perfect scenario for a clock drive, and Ah Yat delivered.

The sophomore marched UM 59 yards in eight plays thanks to chunk passes to Wortham for 19 yards and Blake Bohannon for 11 to put the Griz in the red zone. Ah Yat then found Rocker for his second TD of the day on a wheel route out of the backfield with six seconds to play and the Griz seized all the momentum headed into the locker room up 22-14.

After both teams exchanged punts to start the second half Montana got back on the board halfway through the third when Drew Deck had perhaps the highlight of the day, laying out for a highlight-reel diving touchdown grab from 29 yards out that extended the UM lead 29-14.

After the Grizzly D forced another Jackrabbit punt, Ah Yat struck again, capping a nine-play, 42-yard drive with another highlight reel score, connecting with Wortham on a post route to the endzone that put UM up 36-14 and the game essentially out of reach for the visitors.

Gillman would add one more score on an 11-yard run and sophomore Malae Fonoti also got in on the fun late in the game to add another two scores and put the game away 50-29 thanks to 28 second-half points.

The Griz now turn their attention to another MVFC team in the No. 11 South Dakota Coyotes, who went to Macon, Georgia, on Saturday and dispatched Mercer 47-0. USD comes to Missoula at 10-4 on the season with five-straight wins, including victories over North Dakota and SDSU in Vermillion.