Saturday, October 31
Cheney, Wash.
2 PM (MT)
Montana
6-3 , 4-2
42
at
33
Eastern Washington
2-7 , 1-5
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | 7 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
| Eastern Wash. | 3 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 33 |
Photo by: Montana Photgoraphy
10/31/2026 6:52:00 PM | Football
CHENEY, Wash. – The Montana Grizzlies made a statement coming off the bye week, setting a new program record with 11 sacks while leaning on explosive offensive performances from Brooks Davis and Eli Gillman to defeat Eastern Washington 42-33 on Saturday in Cheney.
Montana's offense continued to produce big plays throughout the afternoon, led by quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat, who threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns. Davis delivered a career performance with 231 receiving yards and three touchdowns, while Gillman added 145 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground, along with a receiving score.
The win gives Montana important momentum heading into the November stretch and improves the Grizzlies to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
"I'm just so proud of this team and this coaching staff because, when you look at the way we started, we were getting sacks and doing all these different things, playing with freshman corners and our sixth-and seventh-string safeties at times in the game," said head coach Bobby Kennedy. "I'm just proud of these guys because they love Montana and they believe in each other. I'm just so happy for these guys."
Ah Yat continued his impressive stretch through the air, extending his streak of 300-yard passing performances to four consecutive games. He finished with 327 passing yards and four touchdowns despite throwing two interceptions. Ah Yat becomes the first Grizzly to record four straight 300-yard passing games since Drew Miller accomplished the feat twice during the 1999 season.
Davis delivered the biggest performances of his career, finishing with nine catches for 231 yards – the fifth-most yards in a game in Grizzly history – and three touchdowns. The receiver tied his personal best with three touchdown receptions while establishing a new career mark in receiving yards, surpassing his previous mark of 205 yards earlier this season. Davis also surpassed 1,000 receiving yards on the season, reached double-digit touchdowns and extended his streak of consecutive games with a receiving touchdown to four.
"I'll tell you what, I've not said this yet about Brooks Davis, and I mean it sincerely: I've had a lot of great receivers in my career, but he is going on my Mount Rushmore of receivers," Kennedy said.
Gillman continued to climb the Big Sky Conference record books with another outstanding performance. The senior rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns on the ground while adding a four-yard receiving touchdown. His 21st career game with at least 100 rushing yards helped push his career rushing total to 4,838 yards, moving him past Portland State's Ryan Fuqua's 4,730 yards and into fifth place on the Big Sky Conference's all-time rushing list.
Gillman also reached 20 rushing touchdowns on the season and 74 career touchdowns, putting him four away from passing Eastern Washington's Cooper Kupp, who finished his career with 77 touchdowns.
Montana's defensive front also delivered a historic performance against the Eagles, recording 11 sacks to establish a new program single-game record. The previous record of 9.5 sacks had stood since the Grizzlies recorded it against Cal Poly in 2000. The Griz also recorded four sacks on Eastern Washington's opening possession and finished the afternoon with three interceptions. The last time Montana recorded at least eight sacks in a game came last season, ironically against Eastern Washington.
"We decided that we were going to go all in, put all our chips in the middle of the table. Like I said, we didn't talk about unforeseen circumstances on this defense. I have great belief in this defensive staff, and I knew that there were going to be some growing pains," Kennedy said. "If I didn't believe we were coaching the right way, if I thought that our schemes were flawed, then I would have had to get more involved. But I believe in these guys."
Kennedy praised the team's ability to rally around one another despite the challenges it faced throughout the season, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
"Our expectations are really high at the University of Montana, and I will never back away from that, and neither will our team," Kennedy said. "When we hold ourselves to a high standard and know that we're in it together and we're fighting together, then hopefully we come out with a win."
The Grizzlies opened the afternoon with an immediate statement. On Montana's first possession, Ah Yat found Davis on a swing pass down the right sideline for a 75-yard touchdown, giving the visitors a 7-0 lead just moments into the game.
Eastern Washington responded with a lengthy possession but struggled to move the ball against Montana's defensive pressure. The Griz recorded four sacks on the opening drive, forcing the Eagles into a fourth-and-long situation before Eastern Washington settled for a 50-yard field goal to make it 7-3.
Montana finally got another opportunity when Kade Boyd intercepted a pass late in the opening quarter, giving the Grizzlies possession near midfield.
The turnover carried into the second quarter, and Montana quickly took advantage. Ah Yat connected with Gillman for a four-yard touchdown reception, extending the Grizzly lead to 14-3.
Eastern Washington answered with its first touchdown of the afternoon. Quarterback Nate Bell found Drew Carlson for a 24-yard scoring strike, cutting Montana's advantage to 14-10.
The Grizzlies threatened to extend their lead on the following possession, putting together a lengthy drive that moved deep into Eastern Washington territory. However, the Eagles' defense came up with a fourth-down stop near the goal line, turning Montana away without points.
Eastern Washington had an opportunity to take the lead before halftime, but Montana's defense forced a punt on the Eagles' next possession. The Grizzlies threw an interception giving Eastern Washington possession with time to add points before the break.
The Eagles converted the turnover into a 39-yard field goal, bringing the score to 14-13.
With just seconds remaining before halftime, Montana got one final opportunity to respond. A 33-yard kickoff return from Landon Ransom-Goelz gave the Grizzlies favorable field position.
Ah Yat heaved a deep pass toward the end zone, where Davis came down with the ball after it was tipped by an Eastern Washington defender on the hail Mary attempt. The 51-yard touchdown gave Montana a 21-13 advantage heading into the locker room.
Eastern Washington came out of halftime looking to respond, but Montana's defensive front continued to dominate. The Grizzlies forced another difficult possession before the Eagles' defense came up with a turnover of its own, intercepting Ah Yat and setting up Eastern Washington near midfield.
Bell quickly capitalized on the opportunity, connecting with Wesley Garrett for a 29-yard touchdown to bring the Eagles within one at 21-20.
Montana responded with a defensive play of its own. Tanner Williams intercepted Bell in Eastern Washington territory, giving the Grizzlies possession inside the red zone.
Gillman finished the opportunity with a one-yard rushing touchdown, extending Montana's lead to 28-20.
Eastern Washington refused to go away, putting together a sustained drive on its next possession. Bell eventually finished the drive himself with a three-yard rushing touchdown, bringing the Eagles within one again at 28-27.
The Grizzlies carried the narrow advantage into the fourth quarter, but Montana wasted little time extending its lead. Gillman broke through the Eastern Washington defense for a 68-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Grizzlies some breathing room at 35-27.
The Eagles continued to fight, moving the ball downfield in search of another touchdown. Bell found Jaxon Branch for a 28-yard scoring strike, bringing Eastern Washington within two points. However, the Eagles were unable to convert the two-point attempt, leaving Montana ahead 35-33.
With less than two minutes remaining, Ah Yat connected with Davis on a screen pass, and he broke free for a 61-yard touchdown to extend the Grizzly advantage to 42-33.
Eastern Washington had one final opportunity to respond, but Montana's defense delivered the final blow. Zekiel Seumalo intercepted Bell on the Eagles' final possession, sealing the 42-33 road victory.
The Grizzlies return home next Saturday, Nov. 7, to host the Portland State Vikings at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula at 1 p.m.
Montana's offense continued to produce big plays throughout the afternoon, led by quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat, who threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns. Davis delivered a career performance with 231 receiving yards and three touchdowns, while Gillman added 145 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground, along with a receiving score.
The win gives Montana important momentum heading into the November stretch and improves the Grizzlies to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
"I'm just so proud of this team and this coaching staff because, when you look at the way we started, we were getting sacks and doing all these different things, playing with freshman corners and our sixth-and seventh-string safeties at times in the game," said head coach Bobby Kennedy. "I'm just proud of these guys because they love Montana and they believe in each other. I'm just so happy for these guys."
Ah Yat continued his impressive stretch through the air, extending his streak of 300-yard passing performances to four consecutive games. He finished with 327 passing yards and four touchdowns despite throwing two interceptions. Ah Yat becomes the first Grizzly to record four straight 300-yard passing games since Drew Miller accomplished the feat twice during the 1999 season.
Davis delivered the biggest performances of his career, finishing with nine catches for 231 yards – the fifth-most yards in a game in Grizzly history – and three touchdowns. The receiver tied his personal best with three touchdown receptions while establishing a new career mark in receiving yards, surpassing his previous mark of 205 yards earlier this season. Davis also surpassed 1,000 receiving yards on the season, reached double-digit touchdowns and extended his streak of consecutive games with a receiving touchdown to four.
"I'll tell you what, I've not said this yet about Brooks Davis, and I mean it sincerely: I've had a lot of great receivers in my career, but he is going on my Mount Rushmore of receivers," Kennedy said.
Gillman continued to climb the Big Sky Conference record books with another outstanding performance. The senior rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns on the ground while adding a four-yard receiving touchdown. His 21st career game with at least 100 rushing yards helped push his career rushing total to 4,838 yards, moving him past Portland State's Ryan Fuqua's 4,730 yards and into fifth place on the Big Sky Conference's all-time rushing list.
Gillman also reached 20 rushing touchdowns on the season and 74 career touchdowns, putting him four away from passing Eastern Washington's Cooper Kupp, who finished his career with 77 touchdowns.
Montana's defensive front also delivered a historic performance against the Eagles, recording 11 sacks to establish a new program single-game record. The previous record of 9.5 sacks had stood since the Grizzlies recorded it against Cal Poly in 2000. The Griz also recorded four sacks on Eastern Washington's opening possession and finished the afternoon with three interceptions. The last time Montana recorded at least eight sacks in a game came last season, ironically against Eastern Washington.
"We decided that we were going to go all in, put all our chips in the middle of the table. Like I said, we didn't talk about unforeseen circumstances on this defense. I have great belief in this defensive staff, and I knew that there were going to be some growing pains," Kennedy said. "If I didn't believe we were coaching the right way, if I thought that our schemes were flawed, then I would have had to get more involved. But I believe in these guys."
Kennedy praised the team's ability to rally around one another despite the challenges it faced throughout the season, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
"Our expectations are really high at the University of Montana, and I will never back away from that, and neither will our team," Kennedy said. "When we hold ourselves to a high standard and know that we're in it together and we're fighting together, then hopefully we come out with a win."
The Grizzlies opened the afternoon with an immediate statement. On Montana's first possession, Ah Yat found Davis on a swing pass down the right sideline for a 75-yard touchdown, giving the visitors a 7-0 lead just moments into the game.
Eastern Washington responded with a lengthy possession but struggled to move the ball against Montana's defensive pressure. The Griz recorded four sacks on the opening drive, forcing the Eagles into a fourth-and-long situation before Eastern Washington settled for a 50-yard field goal to make it 7-3.
Montana finally got another opportunity when Kade Boyd intercepted a pass late in the opening quarter, giving the Grizzlies possession near midfield.
The turnover carried into the second quarter, and Montana quickly took advantage. Ah Yat connected with Gillman for a four-yard touchdown reception, extending the Grizzly lead to 14-3.
Eastern Washington answered with its first touchdown of the afternoon. Quarterback Nate Bell found Drew Carlson for a 24-yard scoring strike, cutting Montana's advantage to 14-10.
The Grizzlies threatened to extend their lead on the following possession, putting together a lengthy drive that moved deep into Eastern Washington territory. However, the Eagles' defense came up with a fourth-down stop near the goal line, turning Montana away without points.
Eastern Washington had an opportunity to take the lead before halftime, but Montana's defense forced a punt on the Eagles' next possession. The Grizzlies threw an interception giving Eastern Washington possession with time to add points before the break.
The Eagles converted the turnover into a 39-yard field goal, bringing the score to 14-13.
With just seconds remaining before halftime, Montana got one final opportunity to respond. A 33-yard kickoff return from Landon Ransom-Goelz gave the Grizzlies favorable field position.
Ah Yat heaved a deep pass toward the end zone, where Davis came down with the ball after it was tipped by an Eastern Washington defender on the hail Mary attempt. The 51-yard touchdown gave Montana a 21-13 advantage heading into the locker room.
Eastern Washington came out of halftime looking to respond, but Montana's defensive front continued to dominate. The Grizzlies forced another difficult possession before the Eagles' defense came up with a turnover of its own, intercepting Ah Yat and setting up Eastern Washington near midfield.
Bell quickly capitalized on the opportunity, connecting with Wesley Garrett for a 29-yard touchdown to bring the Eagles within one at 21-20.
Montana responded with a defensive play of its own. Tanner Williams intercepted Bell in Eastern Washington territory, giving the Grizzlies possession inside the red zone.
Gillman finished the opportunity with a one-yard rushing touchdown, extending Montana's lead to 28-20.
Eastern Washington refused to go away, putting together a sustained drive on its next possession. Bell eventually finished the drive himself with a three-yard rushing touchdown, bringing the Eagles within one again at 28-27.
The Grizzlies carried the narrow advantage into the fourth quarter, but Montana wasted little time extending its lead. Gillman broke through the Eastern Washington defense for a 68-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Grizzlies some breathing room at 35-27.
The Eagles continued to fight, moving the ball downfield in search of another touchdown. Bell found Jaxon Branch for a 28-yard scoring strike, bringing Eastern Washington within two points. However, the Eagles were unable to convert the two-point attempt, leaving Montana ahead 35-33.
With less than two minutes remaining, Ah Yat connected with Davis on a screen pass, and he broke free for a 61-yard touchdown to extend the Grizzly advantage to 42-33.
Eastern Washington had one final opportunity to respond, but Montana's defense delivered the final blow. Zekiel Seumalo intercepted Bell on the Eagles' final possession, sealing the 42-33 road victory.
The Grizzlies return home next Saturday, Nov. 7, to host the Portland State Vikings at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula at 1 p.m.
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
S
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DL
/ Football
LB
/ FootballTeam Stats
MON
EWU
Total Yards
489
379
Pass Yards
327
269
Rushing Yards
162
110
Penalty Yards
39
22
1st Downs
19
22
3rd Downs
4
7
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
26:45
33:15
1st Quarter
MON 7, EWU 0
MON - Davis,Brooks 75 yd pass from Ah Yat,Keali'i (Silver,Jo kick) 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:14
MON 7, EWU 3
EWU - McKee,Soren 50 yd field goal 10 plays, 43 yards, TOP 04:41
2nd Quarter
MON 14, EWU 3
MON - Gillman,Eli 4 yd pass from Ah Yat,Keali'i (Silver,Jo kick) 6 plays, 41 yards, TOP 02:05
MON 14, EWU 10
EWU - Carlson,Drew 24 yd pass from Bell,Nate (McKee,Soren kick) 8 plays, 80 yards, TOP 04:05
MON 14, EWU 13
EWU - McKee,Soren 39 yd field goal 5 plays, 22 yards, TOP 00:25
MON 21, EWU 13
MON - Davis,Brooks 51 yd pass from Ah Yat,Keali'i (Silver,Jo kick) 1 plays, 51 yards, TOP 00:02
3rd Quarter
MON 21, EWU 20
EWU - Garrett,Wesley 29 yd pass from Bell,Nate (McKee,Soren kick) 3 plays, 35 yards, TOP 01:08
MON 28, EWU 20
MON - Gillman,Eli 1 yd run (Silver,Jo kick), 4 plays, 11 yards, TOP 01:29
MON 28, EWU 27
EWU - Bell,Nate 4 yd run (McKee,Soren kick), 12 plays, 77 yards, TOP 05:36
4th Quarter
MON 35, EWU 27
MON - Gillman,Eli 68 yd run (Silver,Jo kick), 3 plays, 79 yards, TOP 01:12
MON 35, EWU 33
EWU - Branch,Jaxon 28 yd pass from Bell,Nate () 9 plays, 80 yards, TOP 04:21
MON 42, EWU 33
MON - Davis,Brooks 61 yd pass from Ah Yat,Keali'i (Silver,Jo kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:06
Game Leaders
CMP
21
TD
4
YDS
327
INT
2
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