Saturday, October 3
Missoula, Mont.
2 PM
Montana
5-1 , 3-0
36
vs
14
Northern Colorado
2-4 , 1-2
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Colo. | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| Montana | 7 | 8 | 14 | 7 | 36 |
Explosive offense carries Griz to Homecoming win over Bears
10/3/2026 7:10:00 PM | Football
MISSOULA – Historic performances continued to pile up for the Montana Grizzlies on Homecoming.
Montana rolled past Northern Colorado 36-14 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium Saturday to improve to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in Big Sky play, remaining perfect against the Bears all-time at home.
Receiver Brooks Davis had a career day and entered some elite company with his fifth-straight 100+ yard day and three touchdown catches, while quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat tied his career high with five touchdown passes to lead UM.
The used explosive plays to build the offensive outburst with 10 gains of 20-plus yards or more leading to 553 yards of total offense for the Grizzlies, a week after posting 607 yards of offense against UC Davis.
The Grizzly defense held an improved Northern Colorado offense scoreless for nearly three quarters. By the time the Bears finally scored with 13 seconds remaining in the third quarter, it had been 14 consecutive quarters since Northern Colorado had scored on Montana, a streak dating to 2017.
"We came out today, we did not eat the rat poison," said head coach Bobby Kennedy.
"I talked about that this week, and I thought our guys did a good job. Now we had a couple times in the first quarter where I think we should have converted on the fourth down when we went for it, and then we had the high snap for a fumble. But overall, I thought the offense was really working, and the defense was playing really well again and had some key stops."
The victory improved Montana to 11-0 all-time against Northern Colorado at home and 36-4 on Homecoming at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, where the Grizzlies will celebrate the venue's 40th anniversary in two weeks.
Ah Yat turned in a vintage performance in the passing game, completing 23 of 30 passes for 346 yards, the second-most of his career, and five touchdowns without a turnover to tie his career high for touchdown passes.
Davis was once again at the center of Montana's offensive attack, turning in the first 200-yard receiving game of his career with 205 yards and three touchdowns, finding the end zone for the third consecutive game.
Davis' 205 yards surpassed his previous career high of 151 yards and extended his streak to five consecutive games with at least 100 receiving yards, tying Joe Douglass for the most consecutive 100-yard receiving games in program history.
Record-setting Grizzly running back Eli Gillman also got in on the scoring spree for the Grizzlies, rushing for 99 yards and adding 31 more receiving yards with a score to bring his career total touchdown mark to 67 with 130 all-purpose yards on the day.
It all went down in front of a raucous Homecoming crowd of 27,131 – the third highest attendance ever at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
"I am really pleased with the guys because when we come to practice, our guys are all about business. My challenge to not only our starters but also the guys who are backups and are not getting as much playing time — it is important how you practice and how you go about your job," Kennedy said.
"It was great to be back at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. We had a great crowd today with the alumni, the student section, the band, our fans - it was really special being home."
Ah Yat and Davis continued to build on their connection, with Davis producing a record-setting performance.
"After playing together for two full years, those guys are showing great growth, and they obviously have a comfort with each other, and they're on the same page," Kennedy said.
The Grizzly defense held Northern Colorado to 299 total yards and kept the Bears off the scoreboard for nearly three quarters.
"We were getting pressure with four rushers, which was good. Then we decided to mix in some blitzes," Kennedy said.
Northern Colorado entered the game as the Big Sky's top vertical passing team, but Montana's secondary consistently kept the Bears' receivers in front of them throughout the afternoon.
"They were the top team in the conference in the vertical passing game, and they had some great catches against Wyoming and Utah Tech," Kennedy said.
"We were concerned about their deep routes, and I thought our guys did a good job staying on top of them. We gave up some yards underneath, but our guys were rallying to the ball."
Kennedy also praised the depth of his secondary after Montana dealt with several injuries during the game.
"It is a tough game for tough people, and we have guys who are throwing their bodies around. Sometimes they get nicked, but it is good to see those other guys step up," Kennedy said.
After receiving the opening kickoff, Montana wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Ah Yat connected with Ian Finch for a 24-yard touchdown on the Grizzlies' opening possession, giving Montana a 7-0 lead.
Montana added to its advantage early in the second quarter after Northern Colorado missed a 38-yard field goal. On the ensuing possession, Ah Yat found Davis for a 61-yard touchdown, giving the Grizzlies a 13-0 lead. Davis then added the two-point conversion on the ground to push Montana's advantage to 15-0.
The Grizzlies carried the 15-0 lead into halftime before adding another touchdown on their opening possession of the third quarter.
Ah Yat found Eli Gillman for a 9-yard touchdown, extending Montana's lead to 22-0.
The Grizzlies struck again later in the quarter after Gillman broke loose for a 55-yard rush to set up the score. Ah Yat then connected with Davis for a 25-yard touchdown, giving Davis his second touchdown of the afternoon and pushing Montana ahead 29-0.
Northern Colorado finally broke through later in the third quarter, as quarterback Kenny Lueth scored on a 2-yard touchdown run. The Bears' two-point attempt failed, cutting Montana's lead to 29-6.
Montana answered to open the fourth quarter when Ah Yat again found Davis, this time for a 28-yard touchdown, giving Davis his third touchdown of the afternoon and Ah Yat his fifth touchdown pass of the game. The score pushed the Grizzlies' lead to 36-6.
Northern Colorado added its final score later in the fourth quarter when Lueth capped a long drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. The Bears converted the ensuing two-point attempt to make it 36-14.
Montana's defense shut out Northern Colorado the rest of the way as the Grizzlies closed out another dominant Homecoming victory improving their record to 5-1.
The Grizzlies now head back on the road to Flagstaff, Ariz., to face Northern Arizona on Oct. 10.
"Good teams win on the road, and that will be my message this week. They are playing really well and are well coached, and yes — it is elevation, it is all those factors. We cannot buy into the rat poison, so we have to come to work and do our job," Kennedy said.
Montana rolled past Northern Colorado 36-14 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium Saturday to improve to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in Big Sky play, remaining perfect against the Bears all-time at home.
Receiver Brooks Davis had a career day and entered some elite company with his fifth-straight 100+ yard day and three touchdown catches, while quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat tied his career high with five touchdown passes to lead UM.
The used explosive plays to build the offensive outburst with 10 gains of 20-plus yards or more leading to 553 yards of total offense for the Grizzlies, a week after posting 607 yards of offense against UC Davis.
The Grizzly defense held an improved Northern Colorado offense scoreless for nearly three quarters. By the time the Bears finally scored with 13 seconds remaining in the third quarter, it had been 14 consecutive quarters since Northern Colorado had scored on Montana, a streak dating to 2017.
"We came out today, we did not eat the rat poison," said head coach Bobby Kennedy.
"I talked about that this week, and I thought our guys did a good job. Now we had a couple times in the first quarter where I think we should have converted on the fourth down when we went for it, and then we had the high snap for a fumble. But overall, I thought the offense was really working, and the defense was playing really well again and had some key stops."
The victory improved Montana to 11-0 all-time against Northern Colorado at home and 36-4 on Homecoming at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, where the Grizzlies will celebrate the venue's 40th anniversary in two weeks.
Ah Yat turned in a vintage performance in the passing game, completing 23 of 30 passes for 346 yards, the second-most of his career, and five touchdowns without a turnover to tie his career high for touchdown passes.
Davis was once again at the center of Montana's offensive attack, turning in the first 200-yard receiving game of his career with 205 yards and three touchdowns, finding the end zone for the third consecutive game.
Davis' 205 yards surpassed his previous career high of 151 yards and extended his streak to five consecutive games with at least 100 receiving yards, tying Joe Douglass for the most consecutive 100-yard receiving games in program history.
Record-setting Grizzly running back Eli Gillman also got in on the scoring spree for the Grizzlies, rushing for 99 yards and adding 31 more receiving yards with a score to bring his career total touchdown mark to 67 with 130 all-purpose yards on the day.
It all went down in front of a raucous Homecoming crowd of 27,131 – the third highest attendance ever at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
"I am really pleased with the guys because when we come to practice, our guys are all about business. My challenge to not only our starters but also the guys who are backups and are not getting as much playing time — it is important how you practice and how you go about your job," Kennedy said.
"It was great to be back at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. We had a great crowd today with the alumni, the student section, the band, our fans - it was really special being home."
Ah Yat and Davis continued to build on their connection, with Davis producing a record-setting performance.
"After playing together for two full years, those guys are showing great growth, and they obviously have a comfort with each other, and they're on the same page," Kennedy said.
The Grizzly defense held Northern Colorado to 299 total yards and kept the Bears off the scoreboard for nearly three quarters.
"We were getting pressure with four rushers, which was good. Then we decided to mix in some blitzes," Kennedy said.
Northern Colorado entered the game as the Big Sky's top vertical passing team, but Montana's secondary consistently kept the Bears' receivers in front of them throughout the afternoon.
"They were the top team in the conference in the vertical passing game, and they had some great catches against Wyoming and Utah Tech," Kennedy said.
"We were concerned about their deep routes, and I thought our guys did a good job staying on top of them. We gave up some yards underneath, but our guys were rallying to the ball."
Kennedy also praised the depth of his secondary after Montana dealt with several injuries during the game.
"It is a tough game for tough people, and we have guys who are throwing their bodies around. Sometimes they get nicked, but it is good to see those other guys step up," Kennedy said.
After receiving the opening kickoff, Montana wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Ah Yat connected with Ian Finch for a 24-yard touchdown on the Grizzlies' opening possession, giving Montana a 7-0 lead.
Montana added to its advantage early in the second quarter after Northern Colorado missed a 38-yard field goal. On the ensuing possession, Ah Yat found Davis for a 61-yard touchdown, giving the Grizzlies a 13-0 lead. Davis then added the two-point conversion on the ground to push Montana's advantage to 15-0.
The Grizzlies carried the 15-0 lead into halftime before adding another touchdown on their opening possession of the third quarter.
Ah Yat found Eli Gillman for a 9-yard touchdown, extending Montana's lead to 22-0.
The Grizzlies struck again later in the quarter after Gillman broke loose for a 55-yard rush to set up the score. Ah Yat then connected with Davis for a 25-yard touchdown, giving Davis his second touchdown of the afternoon and pushing Montana ahead 29-0.
Northern Colorado finally broke through later in the third quarter, as quarterback Kenny Lueth scored on a 2-yard touchdown run. The Bears' two-point attempt failed, cutting Montana's lead to 29-6.
Montana answered to open the fourth quarter when Ah Yat again found Davis, this time for a 28-yard touchdown, giving Davis his third touchdown of the afternoon and Ah Yat his fifth touchdown pass of the game. The score pushed the Grizzlies' lead to 36-6.
Northern Colorado added its final score later in the fourth quarter when Lueth capped a long drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. The Bears converted the ensuing two-point attempt to make it 36-14.
Montana's defense shut out Northern Colorado the rest of the way as the Grizzlies closed out another dominant Homecoming victory improving their record to 5-1.
The Grizzlies now head back on the road to Flagstaff, Ariz., to face Northern Arizona on Oct. 10.
"Good teams win on the road, and that will be my message this week. They are playing really well and are well coached, and yes — it is elevation, it is all those factors. We cannot buy into the rat poison, so we have to come to work and do our job," Kennedy said.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
UNC
UM
Total Yards
299
553
Pass Yards
194
355
Rushing Yards
105
198
Penalty Yards
40
47
1st Downs
16
24
3rd Downs
5
3
4th Downs
0
3
TOP
31:03
28:57
1st Quarter
UNC 0, UM 7
UM - Finch,Ian 24 yd pass from Ah Yat,Keali'i (Silver,Jo kick) 7 plays, 69 yards, TOP 02:57
2nd Quarter
UNC 0, UM 15
UM - Davis,Brooks 61 yd pass from Ah Yat,Keali'i (Davis,Brooks rush) 5 plays, 80 yards, TOP 02:29
3rd Quarter
UNC 0, UM 22
UM - Gillman,Eli 9 yd pass from Ah Yat,Keali'i (Silver,Jo kick) 8 plays, 84 yards, TOP 03:46
UNC 0, UM 29
UM - Davis,Brooks 25 yd pass from Ah Yat,Keali'i (Silver,Jo kick) 2 plays, 80 yards, TOP 01:03
UNC 6, UM 29
UNC - Lueth,Kenny 2 yd run (), 12 plays, 65 yards, TOP 05:22
4th Quarter
UNC 6, UM 36
UM - Davis,Brooks 28 yd pass from Ah Yat,Keali'i (Silver,Jo kick) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:00
UNC 14, UM 36
UNC - Lueth,Kenny 1 yd run (Lueth,Kenny rush), 10 plays, 63 yards, TOP 04:25
Game Leaders
CMP
23
TD
5
YDS
346
INT
0
CMP
1
TD
0
YDS
9
INT
0
Wednesday, September 30
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