Saturday, October 17
Missoula, Mont.
1 PM
Montana
vs
Idaho
Photo by: Ryan Brennecke / University of Montana
Little Brown Stein on the line as Griz host Vandals
10/13/2026 6:22:00 PM | Football
It's a matchup more than a century in the making this week as the Montana Grizzlies look to rebound from a road loss with the Idaho Vandals traveling to Missoula for the 91st meeting between the two old foes.
In a showdown between two of the winningest teams in Big Sky Conference history, both squads enter the game looking to get back in the win column this week as the Griz return home at 5-2 on the season and on top of the league standings at 3-1 in conference play.
The Vandals come to town with the taste of victory over a different team from Montana still fresh on their breath after beating the Bobcats in Moscow two weeks ago. That win has been tempered, however, with Idaho sitting at 1-5 on the season and 1-2 in Big Sky play following a loss at Weber State last weekend. Don't count the Vandals out though, Idaho has been right there for a win this season, losing three of those games by a single score and another by 11 points.
Regardless of record, there is never any love lost between these two storied programs as they meet in Washington-Grizzly Stadium this Saturday to battle it out for the Little Brown Stein, one of the oldest and most distinctive traveling trophies in FCS football.
Montana enters the matchup with one of the most explosive offenses in program history under first year head coach Bobby Kennedy having scored a league high 267 points this season. UM will be looking to regroup on the other side of the ball, with the Grizzlies' depleted defense suffering a series of explosive plays against it at NAU last week.
The Griz still have all their goals in front of them, however, and the path to a 20th Big Sky Conference championship runs through Missoula this week as the business end of the season nears.
Kickoff against the Vandals is set for 1 p.m.
WATCH: The Grizzlies return to CBS stations on the Montana Television Network/Scripps Sports channels around the state this week, with the game against Idaho available on basic cable, satellite options, free-to-air channels, and online streaming.
This week's game will be shown around the state on local CBS stations, including KPAX in Missoula/Kalispell, Q2 in Billings, KBZK in Bozeman, KXLF in Butte, KRTV in Great Falls and KXLH in Helena. This week's game can also be seen on "The Spot" in Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Boise, Twin Falls, and Local 3 in Denver. "The Spot" is a new independent television network that serves as the secondary home of Big Sky Conference games and will carry specific UM games in specific markets.
The Griz are also back on ESPN+ this week, with streaming available without blackout nationwide. ESPN+ serves as the primary streaming home of Montana Athletics for all sports.
Veteran play-by-play announcer Trey Bender and former Grizzly All-American Jordan Tripp return to the broadcast booth to call the game. Kyle Hansen will report from the sidelines. For complete broadcast details visit GoGriz.com/WhereToWatch.
LISTEN: "Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran is in his 11th season behind the mic at Montana and will once again bring you all the Grizzly action over the airwaves on the Grizzly Sports Radio Network and its 16 affiliate stations around the state.
Joining Corcoran in the booth this season is Chase Reynolds – a Montana native, Grizzly Sports Hall of Famer, five-year NFL veteran and one of the most decorated players in UM history – who brings his knowledge of the game to the airwaves as the Grizzlies' new radio analyst.
"Grizzly Gameday" starts two hours before kickoff each Saturday with the official pregame radio show featuring Ace Sauerwein and Denny Bedard before Corcoran and Reynolds take over 30 minutes to kickoff.
Griz fans outside the radio footprint can stream all of Montana's broadcasts on their mobile device LIVE and FREE of charge with the Varsity Network App, powered by Learfield and Sidearm Sports.
BOBBY KENNEDY RADIO SHOW: The Grizzly Coaches show returns to The Den on Upper Miller Creek Road each Wednesday at 7 p.m. this season as Coach Kennedy and Corcoran provide an exclusive breakdown of this week's opponent and relive all the highlights of last week's win. The Coaches Show can be heard on select Grizzly Sports Radio Network stations around the state, originating from 98.3 FM and 1290 AM KGVO Missoula.
GRIZZLY INSIDER: The Grizzly Insider takes fans inside the huddle every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on The Spot – MTN. Corcoran and Scripps TV sideline reporter Kyle Hansen break down that week's game with Kennedy and a featured player each week with up-to-date features on other Grizzly sports as well.
HAPPENINGS: This week marks the 40th birthday celebration of Washington-Grizzly Stadium (more on that later) and to celebrate the Grizzlies are calling all former football players home on Saturday. The Grizzly Football Players Association is spearheading a reunion of all former Grizzly football players and features a whole weekend of activities celebrating the brotherhood.
The Montana GSA is also putting on "the social event of the year" on Friday with the Montana Beer and Wine Festival returning to the Adams Center.
It's also Family Weekend at the University of Montana, with students reuniting with their families for football and a full weekend of activities.
///GRIZ TRACKS///
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WGS! Montana celebrates the 40th anniversary of Washington-Grizzly Stadium this week. UM played its first game in the new stadium on Oct. 18, 1986, with now-Offensive Coordinator Brent Pease leading the Griz to a 38-31 win over Idaho State under center. Since that day, Montana's trajectory as a football program has been exponential, eventually leading to the first of two national championships in 1995.
• The Griz have been dominant at home, entering Saturday's game with a 249-38 record inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium in its 40-year history. Meaning, should the Griz win on Saturday it will mark win No. 250 in the stadium in almost exactly 40 years to the day.
• A word of caution, however: Montana's third game at WGS on Nov. 1, 1986, was against the Idaho Vandals and turned out to be a 31-38 loss for the Grizzlies.
• Against Big Sky competition, the Griz enter Saturday's game having won exactly 100 more conference games than they've lost at home, with UM currently holding a 126-26 record against other teams in the league since beating Idaho State in 1986.
• The postseason offers the same amount of success at home as the cold winds from Hellgate Canyon greet FCS visitors, often from the south. In the playoffs, UM is 38-7 at home.
• In this year's home opener, Montana again proved hard to beat in the first game of the season. UM is now 36-4 in the first game of the year in Missoula and is riding a 23-game win streak, dating back to a 2003 loss to NDSU. The Griz are also riding the FCS's longest season-opening win streak at 12-straight years with opening the season with a W. It's a streak that dates back to 2015 and a win, this time, over NDSU, and includes a historic win at No. 20 Washington in 2021.
• Montana currently leads the FCS in total attendance with 105,293 through the turnstiles and has the second-highest average attendance after four games with 26,323 per game. UM also led the FCS in total attendance with 252,636 fans in 2025 and was second in average attendance at 25,264 per game. That average was, by far, the best average in the Big Sky (9,401 fans per game), and the FCS in general (6,949 per game).
Montana's average was even above the Group of 6 FBS average of 20,255 as well as the Mountain West Conference's 2025 average of 24,979. UM's average was ranked higher than 52 FBS programs, including notables like Duke, James Madison, and Wyoming, among others.
• UM's average attendance number of 26,323 makes Washington-Grizzly Stadium the eighth-largest city in Montana on a Saturday afternoon, close behind Kalispell's population of 28,450.
• Washington-Grizzly Stadium also continues to be a house of horrors for visiting teams as one of the loudest venues in college football. Over the last three seasons, Griz fans have helped cause a total of 85 false start penalties on UM's opponents, making a tangible impact on the game leading to more wins for Montana. So far this season UM opponents have jumped a total of 10 times. In the last game at home in 2025, Montana fans piled on South Dakota in the FCS Quarterfinal, forcing the Yotes to jump offsides an amazing eight times in one game.
SERIES VS THE VANDALS: A major part of the lore of Washington-Grizzly Stadium has involved the Idaho Vandals, who come to Missoula for the 44th time in program history but will play their 12th game inside the venue.
Montana holds a 7-4 advantage over Idaho inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium since it opened in 1986, with two of those wins coming in the rarest of circumstances: when Idaho was an FBS program. UM and UI played three games total in Missoula when the Vandals were playing up a subdivision in 1999, 2001, and 2003. They remain the only games in stadium history against an opponent who was actively playing in the FBS.
• The Griz enter the 91st contest between the two with a 32-56-2 all-time record with a 17-26 record in Missoula. However, Montana has won 13 of the last 16 meetings in the series that dates to 1903 and has still only lost to the Vandals once this century with wins in nine of the last ten matchups. Going back even further, UM is 13-3 against UI since 1990, and went 4-1 overall when Idaho was an FBS program.
THE LITTLE BROWN STEIN: A history lesson: Montana and Idaho first squared off 123 years ago in 1903. The Stein was created by UM student newspaper writer John T. Campbell in 1938 for the cost of $25, paid for by a group of students to be crafted by a local carpenter.
Since then, the trophy has traveled back over Lolo Pass with the winner of the game, with Idaho holding a 38-27-1 advantage in Stein games. Montana has held the Stein for the bulk of two decades, with Idaho only capturing it for one year since 2000.
LAST MEETING: In a top 10 battle for the Little Brown Stein under the lights on national television, No. 4 Montana jumped out to an early lead over No. 8 Idaho and never looked back. The Griz put up over 400 yards of offense and allowed the Vandals to score just six first half points in a dominant 41-30 win that wasn't as close as the score would indicate on week four of the 2025 season. In a playoff-like atmosphere, the UM faithful packed Washington-Grizzly Stadium with 27,025 fans to see the win – the second largest crowd in program history.
Paced by a game-high 164 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns from Michael Wortham, 142 more rushing yards and another pair of TDs from Eli Gillman, and 17 of 23 passing for 223 yards and a score by Keali'i Ah Yat, Montana's offense continued to hum with its third 40-plus point game of the year.
In a strong overall defensive performance, Montana forced five Vandal three-and-outs on their first eight drives of the game and jumped on a fumble with just over seven minutes to play to ice the win for the Griz.
AWESOME OFFENSE: Paced by quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat and coordinator Brent Pease, the Grizzly offense has been humming. Montana put up 42 points last week while suffering a rare loss with that many on the scoreboard.
UM has averaged more than 47 points offensively in the last three games, now leading the Big Sky in total offense and sitting sixth in the FCS.
GO-GO-RANSOM-GOELZ: Receiver Landon Ransom-Goelz had a career day at NAU with seven grabs for 128 yards and a personal-long 70-yard touchdown catch where he gave the ol' stiff arm to preseason All-Big Sky defender Shoes Brinkley en route to the end zone.
Ransom-Goelz is now Montana's second-leading receiver with exactly 300 yards on the season on 28 grabs. His 70-yarder was the second-longest TD for the Griz this year.
GILLMAN GREATNESS: Another week, another record falls for Eli Gillman. The Grizzly running back rushed for 94 yards and caught a career high seven passes at NAU for 140 all-purpose yards with three touchdowns.
Now with 420 points to his name, Gillman passed Grizzly great kicker Dan Carpenter to become UM's outright leading scorer of all time. Even with so many records broken already this season, there are two more that are still within reach for Gillman.
• Marc Mariani's school record of 5,441 career all-purpose yards is now squarely in Gillman's sights. With 5,355 entering the Idaho game, Gillman needs just 87 more all-purpose yards to break his fifth school record this season.
• Cooper Kupp's Big Sky record for total touchdowns and points scored is also now within reach for Gillman after scoring three TDs at NAU. With 70 to his name, Gillman needs just seven more TDs to tie Kupp and eight to become the conference's all-time leading scorer.
AS GILLMAN GOES: With 94 net rush yards at NAU, Gillman was a first-down shy of his fourth 100-plus yard rushing day of the season and the 20th of his career. The Griz are 17-2 when Gillman goes for a hundred or more on the ground since his debut in 2022.
As we've learned this season, Gillman can also be a big play threat in the receiving game. He's totaled 23 days with 100-plus all-purpose yards in his career, with Montana going 19-4 in those games.
AH YAT ACCURACY: Ah Yat enters the week with the No. 6 completion percentage in the FCS, connecting on nearly 70 percent of his passes to lead UM to the second-best first down offense in the conference.
• His 347 yards through the air at NAU marked the second straight week Ah Yat topped 300 passing yards. He's now gone over 300 eight times in his career (paired with a strong UM rush game) and gone back-to-back since the 2025 playoff wins over South Dakota State and South Dakota.
• Ah Yat has been deadly accurate this season, completing 167 of his 243 passes with just two interceptions – a Big Sky-best passer efficiency rating of 157 and the fourth-best completion percentage in the FCS at .687. He threw his first interception since play No. 1 of the 2026 season at NAU, throwing exactly 222 passes in between without being picked off.
• Ah Yat's three TD passes at NAU have also boosted his career total of touchdowns responsible for. With one season left to play Ah Yat is now responsible for 76 Grizzly TDs (pass or run), which sits fourth all-time in the UM record books. He's chasing his dad's total of 93, and Dave Dickenson's total of 117. He's currently fifth in the FCS in points responsible for this season as well.
DAVIS DIALED IN: Despite a relatively quiet day at NAU with 38 receiving yards, Brooks Davis crossed a major milestone in Flagstaff. Just halfway through his second year as a starter and Davis is already inching his way closer to a place in the Grizzly record books.
• Davis enters the Idaho game with 1,508 career receiving yards and 11 touchdown catches, both totals that sit just outside UM's top 30 all-time lists. Another 132 yards and two TD catches will get his name forever in print in the Grizzly record books.
• With 810 receiving yards this season Davis leads the FCS and remains third in Division I football this week. The only two receivers in the nation with more? Oregon State's Jesse Legree with 932 and Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith with 916. Noah Kjar of Weber State is the closest to Davis in the FCS with 671 yards.
SPEAKING OF OSU: Montana's strength of schedule has continued to improve throughout the season, with a big help from Legree and the Beavers. The emergence of Oregon State as a G6 playoff contender has made UM's loss in Corvallis look a little more understandable. Since falling to a pair of top 25 teams in the first two weeks of their season, OSU has outscored its next four opponents 207-64, including a 66-14 rout of San Diego State, which was picked to finish second in the Pac-12.
KEEPING HIM CLEAN: Halfway through the year Montana's offensive line has given up just six sacks, with Ah Yat taking only five of those. That total currently leads the league and puts UM No. 10 in the FCS in sacks allowed.
Extrapolate that average of less than one per game out over the course of a 12-game season, and the Grizzly offensive line is on pace to give up the fewest sacks in program history. UM has only averaged less than a sack per game in one other season, giving up 10 sacks in 2011.
• With 1,978 passing yards this season, the Griz are roughly on pace for a second-straight 4,000-plus passing season. Last year UM gave up 32 sacks and passed for 4,282 yards, with the fewest sacks in a 4,000-yard season coming in 2009 & 1999 when they gave up 23.
TK SACKS: On the opposite side of the ball Montana D-end Tyler King has been a sack master for the Griz during his first season in Missoula. With 5.5 on the season (and one big one at NAU), the Central Washington transfer leads the Big Sky in sacks and is top 20 in the FCS in sacks.
• As a whole the Grizzly defense is currently fifth in the Big Sky in sacks.
DEPLETED DEFENSE: Montana's defense is now second in the FCS and leading the league in fumbles recovered this season while sitting top 10 in red zone defense under coordinator Eric Sanders. The Grizzly defense has been depleted, with six starters missing at least two games and three D-linemen likely out for the season.
A LOOK AT THE STANDINGS: The topsy-turvy world of the Big Sky standings continued to churn last week. Now nearly halfway through the conference schedule for most teams and the Grizzlies sit atop the conference standings, despite last week's loss.
At 5-2 overall and 3-1 in league play Montana and NAU are now tied atop the league standings with a .714 win percentage. Cal Poly, perhaps the surprise of the 2026 season so far, is close behind at 4-3 overall after an upset of Idaho State in Pocatello last week, tied at 3-1 in league play with Weber State as well.
Montana State sits fifth on the conference table this week after being upset by Idaho in Moscow two weeks ago, tied with UC Davis and Portland State at 2-1 in league play.
The only thing proven true in the league so far this season: Any team can beat any other team on a given week.
QUICK HITS: NAU quarterback Ty Pennington punched in four rushing touchdowns against the Griz last week, one of the rarest occurrences against the UM defense in recent history. The last time one player logged four rushing TDs against the Grizzly defense? 2010 when Vai Tafuna punched in four.
• NAU also ran back a kickoff return against the Grizzly special teams – another rare occurrence. The last time that happened was in 2024, also against Weber State.
In a showdown between two of the winningest teams in Big Sky Conference history, both squads enter the game looking to get back in the win column this week as the Griz return home at 5-2 on the season and on top of the league standings at 3-1 in conference play.
The Vandals come to town with the taste of victory over a different team from Montana still fresh on their breath after beating the Bobcats in Moscow two weeks ago. That win has been tempered, however, with Idaho sitting at 1-5 on the season and 1-2 in Big Sky play following a loss at Weber State last weekend. Don't count the Vandals out though, Idaho has been right there for a win this season, losing three of those games by a single score and another by 11 points.
Regardless of record, there is never any love lost between these two storied programs as they meet in Washington-Grizzly Stadium this Saturday to battle it out for the Little Brown Stein, one of the oldest and most distinctive traveling trophies in FCS football.
Montana enters the matchup with one of the most explosive offenses in program history under first year head coach Bobby Kennedy having scored a league high 267 points this season. UM will be looking to regroup on the other side of the ball, with the Grizzlies' depleted defense suffering a series of explosive plays against it at NAU last week.
The Griz still have all their goals in front of them, however, and the path to a 20th Big Sky Conference championship runs through Missoula this week as the business end of the season nears.
Kickoff against the Vandals is set for 1 p.m.
WATCH: The Grizzlies return to CBS stations on the Montana Television Network/Scripps Sports channels around the state this week, with the game against Idaho available on basic cable, satellite options, free-to-air channels, and online streaming.
This week's game will be shown around the state on local CBS stations, including KPAX in Missoula/Kalispell, Q2 in Billings, KBZK in Bozeman, KXLF in Butte, KRTV in Great Falls and KXLH in Helena. This week's game can also be seen on "The Spot" in Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Boise, Twin Falls, and Local 3 in Denver. "The Spot" is a new independent television network that serves as the secondary home of Big Sky Conference games and will carry specific UM games in specific markets.
The Griz are also back on ESPN+ this week, with streaming available without blackout nationwide. ESPN+ serves as the primary streaming home of Montana Athletics for all sports.
Veteran play-by-play announcer Trey Bender and former Grizzly All-American Jordan Tripp return to the broadcast booth to call the game. Kyle Hansen will report from the sidelines. For complete broadcast details visit GoGriz.com/WhereToWatch.
LISTEN: "Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran is in his 11th season behind the mic at Montana and will once again bring you all the Grizzly action over the airwaves on the Grizzly Sports Radio Network and its 16 affiliate stations around the state.
Joining Corcoran in the booth this season is Chase Reynolds – a Montana native, Grizzly Sports Hall of Famer, five-year NFL veteran and one of the most decorated players in UM history – who brings his knowledge of the game to the airwaves as the Grizzlies' new radio analyst.
"Grizzly Gameday" starts two hours before kickoff each Saturday with the official pregame radio show featuring Ace Sauerwein and Denny Bedard before Corcoran and Reynolds take over 30 minutes to kickoff.
Griz fans outside the radio footprint can stream all of Montana's broadcasts on their mobile device LIVE and FREE of charge with the Varsity Network App, powered by Learfield and Sidearm Sports.
BOBBY KENNEDY RADIO SHOW: The Grizzly Coaches show returns to The Den on Upper Miller Creek Road each Wednesday at 7 p.m. this season as Coach Kennedy and Corcoran provide an exclusive breakdown of this week's opponent and relive all the highlights of last week's win. The Coaches Show can be heard on select Grizzly Sports Radio Network stations around the state, originating from 98.3 FM and 1290 AM KGVO Missoula.
GRIZZLY INSIDER: The Grizzly Insider takes fans inside the huddle every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on The Spot – MTN. Corcoran and Scripps TV sideline reporter Kyle Hansen break down that week's game with Kennedy and a featured player each week with up-to-date features on other Grizzly sports as well.
HAPPENINGS: This week marks the 40th birthday celebration of Washington-Grizzly Stadium (more on that later) and to celebrate the Grizzlies are calling all former football players home on Saturday. The Grizzly Football Players Association is spearheading a reunion of all former Grizzly football players and features a whole weekend of activities celebrating the brotherhood.
The Montana GSA is also putting on "the social event of the year" on Friday with the Montana Beer and Wine Festival returning to the Adams Center.
It's also Family Weekend at the University of Montana, with students reuniting with their families for football and a full weekend of activities.
///GRIZ TRACKS///
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WGS! Montana celebrates the 40th anniversary of Washington-Grizzly Stadium this week. UM played its first game in the new stadium on Oct. 18, 1986, with now-Offensive Coordinator Brent Pease leading the Griz to a 38-31 win over Idaho State under center. Since that day, Montana's trajectory as a football program has been exponential, eventually leading to the first of two national championships in 1995.
• The Griz have been dominant at home, entering Saturday's game with a 249-38 record inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium in its 40-year history. Meaning, should the Griz win on Saturday it will mark win No. 250 in the stadium in almost exactly 40 years to the day.
• A word of caution, however: Montana's third game at WGS on Nov. 1, 1986, was against the Idaho Vandals and turned out to be a 31-38 loss for the Grizzlies.
• Against Big Sky competition, the Griz enter Saturday's game having won exactly 100 more conference games than they've lost at home, with UM currently holding a 126-26 record against other teams in the league since beating Idaho State in 1986.
• The postseason offers the same amount of success at home as the cold winds from Hellgate Canyon greet FCS visitors, often from the south. In the playoffs, UM is 38-7 at home.
• In this year's home opener, Montana again proved hard to beat in the first game of the season. UM is now 36-4 in the first game of the year in Missoula and is riding a 23-game win streak, dating back to a 2003 loss to NDSU. The Griz are also riding the FCS's longest season-opening win streak at 12-straight years with opening the season with a W. It's a streak that dates back to 2015 and a win, this time, over NDSU, and includes a historic win at No. 20 Washington in 2021.
• Montana currently leads the FCS in total attendance with 105,293 through the turnstiles and has the second-highest average attendance after four games with 26,323 per game. UM also led the FCS in total attendance with 252,636 fans in 2025 and was second in average attendance at 25,264 per game. That average was, by far, the best average in the Big Sky (9,401 fans per game), and the FCS in general (6,949 per game).
Montana's average was even above the Group of 6 FBS average of 20,255 as well as the Mountain West Conference's 2025 average of 24,979. UM's average was ranked higher than 52 FBS programs, including notables like Duke, James Madison, and Wyoming, among others.
• UM's average attendance number of 26,323 makes Washington-Grizzly Stadium the eighth-largest city in Montana on a Saturday afternoon, close behind Kalispell's population of 28,450.
• Washington-Grizzly Stadium also continues to be a house of horrors for visiting teams as one of the loudest venues in college football. Over the last three seasons, Griz fans have helped cause a total of 85 false start penalties on UM's opponents, making a tangible impact on the game leading to more wins for Montana. So far this season UM opponents have jumped a total of 10 times. In the last game at home in 2025, Montana fans piled on South Dakota in the FCS Quarterfinal, forcing the Yotes to jump offsides an amazing eight times in one game.
SERIES VS THE VANDALS: A major part of the lore of Washington-Grizzly Stadium has involved the Idaho Vandals, who come to Missoula for the 44th time in program history but will play their 12th game inside the venue.
Montana holds a 7-4 advantage over Idaho inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium since it opened in 1986, with two of those wins coming in the rarest of circumstances: when Idaho was an FBS program. UM and UI played three games total in Missoula when the Vandals were playing up a subdivision in 1999, 2001, and 2003. They remain the only games in stadium history against an opponent who was actively playing in the FBS.
• The Griz enter the 91st contest between the two with a 32-56-2 all-time record with a 17-26 record in Missoula. However, Montana has won 13 of the last 16 meetings in the series that dates to 1903 and has still only lost to the Vandals once this century with wins in nine of the last ten matchups. Going back even further, UM is 13-3 against UI since 1990, and went 4-1 overall when Idaho was an FBS program.
THE LITTLE BROWN STEIN: A history lesson: Montana and Idaho first squared off 123 years ago in 1903. The Stein was created by UM student newspaper writer John T. Campbell in 1938 for the cost of $25, paid for by a group of students to be crafted by a local carpenter.
Since then, the trophy has traveled back over Lolo Pass with the winner of the game, with Idaho holding a 38-27-1 advantage in Stein games. Montana has held the Stein for the bulk of two decades, with Idaho only capturing it for one year since 2000.
LAST MEETING: In a top 10 battle for the Little Brown Stein under the lights on national television, No. 4 Montana jumped out to an early lead over No. 8 Idaho and never looked back. The Griz put up over 400 yards of offense and allowed the Vandals to score just six first half points in a dominant 41-30 win that wasn't as close as the score would indicate on week four of the 2025 season. In a playoff-like atmosphere, the UM faithful packed Washington-Grizzly Stadium with 27,025 fans to see the win – the second largest crowd in program history.
Paced by a game-high 164 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns from Michael Wortham, 142 more rushing yards and another pair of TDs from Eli Gillman, and 17 of 23 passing for 223 yards and a score by Keali'i Ah Yat, Montana's offense continued to hum with its third 40-plus point game of the year.
In a strong overall defensive performance, Montana forced five Vandal three-and-outs on their first eight drives of the game and jumped on a fumble with just over seven minutes to play to ice the win for the Griz.
AWESOME OFFENSE: Paced by quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat and coordinator Brent Pease, the Grizzly offense has been humming. Montana put up 42 points last week while suffering a rare loss with that many on the scoreboard.
UM has averaged more than 47 points offensively in the last three games, now leading the Big Sky in total offense and sitting sixth in the FCS.
GO-GO-RANSOM-GOELZ: Receiver Landon Ransom-Goelz had a career day at NAU with seven grabs for 128 yards and a personal-long 70-yard touchdown catch where he gave the ol' stiff arm to preseason All-Big Sky defender Shoes Brinkley en route to the end zone.
Ransom-Goelz is now Montana's second-leading receiver with exactly 300 yards on the season on 28 grabs. His 70-yarder was the second-longest TD for the Griz this year.
GILLMAN GREATNESS: Another week, another record falls for Eli Gillman. The Grizzly running back rushed for 94 yards and caught a career high seven passes at NAU for 140 all-purpose yards with three touchdowns.
Now with 420 points to his name, Gillman passed Grizzly great kicker Dan Carpenter to become UM's outright leading scorer of all time. Even with so many records broken already this season, there are two more that are still within reach for Gillman.
• Marc Mariani's school record of 5,441 career all-purpose yards is now squarely in Gillman's sights. With 5,355 entering the Idaho game, Gillman needs just 87 more all-purpose yards to break his fifth school record this season.
• Cooper Kupp's Big Sky record for total touchdowns and points scored is also now within reach for Gillman after scoring three TDs at NAU. With 70 to his name, Gillman needs just seven more TDs to tie Kupp and eight to become the conference's all-time leading scorer.
AS GILLMAN GOES: With 94 net rush yards at NAU, Gillman was a first-down shy of his fourth 100-plus yard rushing day of the season and the 20th of his career. The Griz are 17-2 when Gillman goes for a hundred or more on the ground since his debut in 2022.
As we've learned this season, Gillman can also be a big play threat in the receiving game. He's totaled 23 days with 100-plus all-purpose yards in his career, with Montana going 19-4 in those games.
AH YAT ACCURACY: Ah Yat enters the week with the No. 6 completion percentage in the FCS, connecting on nearly 70 percent of his passes to lead UM to the second-best first down offense in the conference.
• His 347 yards through the air at NAU marked the second straight week Ah Yat topped 300 passing yards. He's now gone over 300 eight times in his career (paired with a strong UM rush game) and gone back-to-back since the 2025 playoff wins over South Dakota State and South Dakota.
• Ah Yat has been deadly accurate this season, completing 167 of his 243 passes with just two interceptions – a Big Sky-best passer efficiency rating of 157 and the fourth-best completion percentage in the FCS at .687. He threw his first interception since play No. 1 of the 2026 season at NAU, throwing exactly 222 passes in between without being picked off.
• Ah Yat's three TD passes at NAU have also boosted his career total of touchdowns responsible for. With one season left to play Ah Yat is now responsible for 76 Grizzly TDs (pass or run), which sits fourth all-time in the UM record books. He's chasing his dad's total of 93, and Dave Dickenson's total of 117. He's currently fifth in the FCS in points responsible for this season as well.
DAVIS DIALED IN: Despite a relatively quiet day at NAU with 38 receiving yards, Brooks Davis crossed a major milestone in Flagstaff. Just halfway through his second year as a starter and Davis is already inching his way closer to a place in the Grizzly record books.
• Davis enters the Idaho game with 1,508 career receiving yards and 11 touchdown catches, both totals that sit just outside UM's top 30 all-time lists. Another 132 yards and two TD catches will get his name forever in print in the Grizzly record books.
• With 810 receiving yards this season Davis leads the FCS and remains third in Division I football this week. The only two receivers in the nation with more? Oregon State's Jesse Legree with 932 and Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith with 916. Noah Kjar of Weber State is the closest to Davis in the FCS with 671 yards.
SPEAKING OF OSU: Montana's strength of schedule has continued to improve throughout the season, with a big help from Legree and the Beavers. The emergence of Oregon State as a G6 playoff contender has made UM's loss in Corvallis look a little more understandable. Since falling to a pair of top 25 teams in the first two weeks of their season, OSU has outscored its next four opponents 207-64, including a 66-14 rout of San Diego State, which was picked to finish second in the Pac-12.
KEEPING HIM CLEAN: Halfway through the year Montana's offensive line has given up just six sacks, with Ah Yat taking only five of those. That total currently leads the league and puts UM No. 10 in the FCS in sacks allowed.
Extrapolate that average of less than one per game out over the course of a 12-game season, and the Grizzly offensive line is on pace to give up the fewest sacks in program history. UM has only averaged less than a sack per game in one other season, giving up 10 sacks in 2011.
• With 1,978 passing yards this season, the Griz are roughly on pace for a second-straight 4,000-plus passing season. Last year UM gave up 32 sacks and passed for 4,282 yards, with the fewest sacks in a 4,000-yard season coming in 2009 & 1999 when they gave up 23.
TK SACKS: On the opposite side of the ball Montana D-end Tyler King has been a sack master for the Griz during his first season in Missoula. With 5.5 on the season (and one big one at NAU), the Central Washington transfer leads the Big Sky in sacks and is top 20 in the FCS in sacks.
• As a whole the Grizzly defense is currently fifth in the Big Sky in sacks.
DEPLETED DEFENSE: Montana's defense is now second in the FCS and leading the league in fumbles recovered this season while sitting top 10 in red zone defense under coordinator Eric Sanders. The Grizzly defense has been depleted, with six starters missing at least two games and three D-linemen likely out for the season.
A LOOK AT THE STANDINGS: The topsy-turvy world of the Big Sky standings continued to churn last week. Now nearly halfway through the conference schedule for most teams and the Grizzlies sit atop the conference standings, despite last week's loss.
At 5-2 overall and 3-1 in league play Montana and NAU are now tied atop the league standings with a .714 win percentage. Cal Poly, perhaps the surprise of the 2026 season so far, is close behind at 4-3 overall after an upset of Idaho State in Pocatello last week, tied at 3-1 in league play with Weber State as well.
Montana State sits fifth on the conference table this week after being upset by Idaho in Moscow two weeks ago, tied with UC Davis and Portland State at 2-1 in league play.
The only thing proven true in the league so far this season: Any team can beat any other team on a given week.
QUICK HITS: NAU quarterback Ty Pennington punched in four rushing touchdowns against the Griz last week, one of the rarest occurrences against the UM defense in recent history. The last time one player logged four rushing TDs against the Grizzly defense? 2010 when Vai Tafuna punched in four.
• NAU also ran back a kickoff return against the Grizzly special teams – another rare occurrence. The last time that happened was in 2024, also against Weber State.
Players Mentioned
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/ FootballMonday, October 12
Monday, October 05
Sunday, October 04
Saturday, October 03
