Saturday, October 10
Flagstaff, Ariz.
3 PM (MT)
Montana
at
Northern Arizona
Photo by: Casandra Evans/University of Montana
Griz back on road to face No. 13 Lumberjacks
10/6/2026 5:05:00 PM | Football
The Montana Grizzlies return to the road this week for another top 25 showdown against a Big Sky Conference opponent as the No. 2/3 Griz travel south to Flagstaff to face the No. 13/14 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at the Walkup Skydome on Saturday.
It's the second ranked conference matchup in the last three weeks for UM after Montana went to UC Davis and dispatched the No. 9 Aggies 62-22 on the last weekend of September.
It's been all gas, no breaks for the Griz since that trip to California, with UM outscoring its last two opponents 98-36. They enter Saturday's game in Arizona at 5-1 overall and 3-0 in Big Sky play, now on top of the Big Sky standings for the first time this season.
The Lumberjacks are also entering this week's match riding high at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play after leaving one dome for another and coming away with a 38-31 road win at Idaho State on Saturday.
Head Coach Brian Wright has NAU looking like one of the most dangerous teams in the leauge, with a defense that leads the nation in turnovers gained and defensive touchdowns and a dual threat quarterback that guides and explosive offense with the third-best completion percentage in the Big Sky.
But Montana heads to the Skydome with a point to prove this week, having won just one game in Flagstaff since 2011 and looking to cement its place at the top of this year's standings in a topsy-turvy Big Sky Conference race.
Kickoff from the Walkup Skydome is set for 3 p.m. (MT)/2 p.m. (PT).
WATCH: The Grizzlies return to Montana Television Network/Scripps Sports stations around the state this week, with the Northern Arizona game in Flagstaff available on basic cable, satellite options, free-to-air channels, and online streaming.
This week's game will again be shown exclusively on "The Spot - MTN" around the state. "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. This week's game can also be seen on "The Spot" in Phoenix, Tucson, Boise, Twin Falls, and Local 3 in Denver.
The Spot is available around the state free-to-air for viewers with antennas in Billings (2.2), Butte/Bozeman (4.2/7.2), Great Falls (3.2), Helena (12.2) and Missoula (8.2). It is also available on Spectrum Cable, Tongue River Cable, TCT West Cable, Montana Opticom, Access Montana, DIRECTV, the DIRECTV streaming platform, and FUBO TV.
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 brings you all the action over the airwaves on the Grizzly Sports Radio Network and its sixteen affiliate stations around the state, and streaming nationwide on the Varsity Network App.
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' 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. The Game is also available to stream at GoGriz.com/Listen.
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.
///GRIZ TRACKS///
BREAKOUT BROOKS: Receiver Brooks Davis had a breakout game in an already breakout year last week, emerging as the top receiver in the subdivision with a career high 205 yards - the most by an individual in the Big Sky Conference and third-most in the FCS this season. He caught three touchdowns passes, logged a two-point conversion and added 28 punt return yards for a personal haul of 231 yards and 20 points in Montana's 36-14 win over UNC.
Those three touchdown catches? Davis was the first Grizzly to get a hat trick since Samori Toure went off for three TDs and an FCS record 303 yards in the 2019 playoffs against Southeastern Louisiana.
Davis was nearly unstoppable against the Bears' secondary, hauling in 9 catches on 11 targets with 64 YAC yards to average nearly 23 yards per catch. He was the most explosive player on the field, with five plays of 25+ yards with a long catch of 61 yards to highlight his day. He was impressively physical in the passing game as well, stretching out for a touchdown after getting hit across the middle at the 5-yard line on a 28-yard gain.
• Davis now leads the FCS and is second in all of college football with 772 receiving yards halfway through the season, already one of the top 35 seasons in program history. The only player with more receiving yards this week? Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith with 823. The player with the next-most yards behind Davis? Oregon State's Jesse Legree.
• That's an average of just under 130 yards per game. Extrapolate that average out through the rest of the regular season and Davis is on pace to set a new single season program record. Samori Toure currently holds the UM single season record with 1,495 yards set in 2019.
• Davis has now posted five-consecutive games of 100+ receiving yards, tying Hall of Famer Joe Douglass for the most in modern Montana history.
• Davis' 205 yards are one of just 13 games in UM history to see a receiver go for 200-plus, and rank tied at No. 10 among the biggest days ever for a receiver with Douglass, who had 205 against Montana State in 1996.
• About 30 seconds after hauling in a 61-yard touchdown pass against UNC, Davis took a knee for the PAT attempt as the holder and proceeded to run in a two-point conversion that put the Griz up 15-0 early in the second quarter. It was Montana's first two-point conversion in nearly a calendar year when Davis took another two-pointer in against Sacred Heart on Oct. 18, 2025.
GILLMAN GREATNESS: Despite Northern Colorado stacking the box in an effort to stop the run, Eli Gillman still managed to stack up 99 net rush yards, 31 receiving yards and a touchdown catch against the Bears to continue stacking school and conference records.
• Gillman already owns the Big Sky Conference record for most rushing TDs and school records for most career rushing yards (4,460), rushing TDs (60) and total TDs (67). With a pass catch for a score against UNC, he now needs just 11 more TDs this season to break Cooper Kupp's Big Sky record of 77 total TDs and 464 points. With 402 points scored Gillman also needs just two more TDs (12 points) to become UM's all-time outright leading scorer, set to pass kicker Dan Carpenter's career total of 413 points.
• Another rare program record is currently in reach for Gillman, who now needs just 227 more all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving or return) to break Hall of Famer Marc Mariani's school record of 5,441.
• Gillman enters the game at Northern Arizona as the Big Sky and FCS leader in scoring this season with 14 total touchdowns. Operating in Montana's balanced offense, he's now second in the league and third in the FCS in rushing yards with 783.
• He remained the active career leader in all of college football (FCS, FBS, D-II, and D-III) again this week in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. He is also now second in all-purpose yards this week behind Arizona's Ismail Mahdi who has 5,590 career all-purpose yards.
AH YAT ACCURACY: Not to get lost in Davis' dominant day against UNC was the elite performance of quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat, who tied his career high with 5 touchdown passes and 346 yards on 23-of-30 passing.
Ah Yat has been deadly accurate, leading the league and sitting top 10 in the FCS in completion percentage (min. 15 passes per game) at just under 68 percent of his throws.
After throwing a pick on his first toss of the season, Ah Yat has completed 138 of his next 203 attempts without an interception for 1,595 yards and 14 touchdowns to average nearly 266 yards per game over the air.
He's now one of just six QBs in program history to cross the 7,000 career passing yard mark with 7,057 to his name, holding a 67 percent completion rate – currently the second-best in program history.
KEEPING HIM CLEAN: Montana's offensive line has continued to lead the charge from the front, paving the way for record-setting numbers by the Grizzly speedsters. UM leads the Big Sky in sacks against this week, giving up just five sacks in six games and Ah Yat taking just four of those sacks.
OTHER STATURDAY STARS: • For the third-straight game, linebacker Nai Mose led the Montana defense in tackles in the 36-14 win over Northern Colorado. The senior logged a game-high eight total stops with three solo to lead a defensive effort that kept the Bears scoreless through three quarters of play and limited UNC to just 105 yards rushing. He's now top 20 in the Big Sky this week with 35 stops – having just earned a starting job two weeks ago.
• What's old was new again for UM receiver Ian Finch on Saturday, who caught the second touchdown pass of his career against UNC. It was his first TD since hauling in the only other one of his career at Northern Colorado in 2024.
• Kicker Ryder Barinowski logged a touchback on 5 of his 6 kickoffs against UNC for a total 390 yards and an average of 65 yards per kick. Barinowski has totaled 2,446 yards on 38 kickoffs this season with 28 touchbacks – a rate of 74-percent per attempt.
• Punter Everett O'Donnell continued to impress with his big and accurate boot against UNC, booming a career-long 68-yarder – the third-longest in the Big Sky this season. On 25 punts this season the Aussie has totaled just over 1,000 yards to average 43 yards per attempt – tied for the second-best in the league. Of those 25 punts, however, only one has gone into the endzone for a touchback while he's placed a conference-high nine inside the 20.
SACK STREAK: Montana's defense posted its second-straight game with three sacks against UNC, with Cooper Buffington, Manase Tupou, and Zekiel Seumalo all getting in on the action. Isaac Keim and Kade Boyd each split a TFL for the Griz as well for a team total of four against the Bears.
Despite not logging one against UNC, Grizzly end Tyler King continues to lead the Big Sky in sacks this week with 4.5.
STREAKS ALIVE: Following Montana State's loss at Idaho last week, several of Montana's Big Sky record win streaks remain alive and well for another year.
UM holds Big Sky records for consecutive conference home wins (30 – 1994-97), consecutive conference overall wins (25 – 1999-02), consecutive regular season overall wins (25 – 2006-08), and overall wins (24 – 2001-02). MSU's streak of conference wins was snapped at 18 by the Vandals, their streak of regular season wins was snapped at 15, and their overall win streak was snapped at 19. With only three Big Sky home games left on their schedule and a streak running of 26-straight home league wins, UM's 30-game home conference game home win streak will remain intact for another year.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: The No. 2/3 Griz take on the No. 13/14 Lumberjacks in top 15 battle this week. Montana has fared well against ranked opposition in the last half-decade, with 17 wins and 13 losses against top 25 teams (FCS and FBS). In that five-year span UM sits at just over .500 against ranked Big Sky opposition at 8-7 after beating UC Davis two weeks ago.
GRIZ IN THE POLLS: Montana jumped up to No. 2 in the Stats Perform FCS media poll and No. 3 in the AFCA FCS coaches' poll, it was announced on Monday. The Griz also collected first place votes for the first time this season in both polls. All told, UM picked up 1,345 voting points in the media poll (74 shy of first place South Dakota St.) and 570 voting points in the coaches' poll (44 points shy of No. 3 Tarleton St.).
After MSU's loss to Idaho, the Griz are now the top ranked of five teams in the Big Sky in this week's top 25. Northern Arizona slotted in at No. 13 in the media poll and No. 14 in the coaches' poll this week after beating Idaho State. The Bengals slid to No. 16/17 in both polls, keeping the potential alive for a top 25 showdown on ESPN on Nov. 14 when ISU visits Missoula.
GRIZ IN THE RATINGS: Montana jumped to No. 101 in college football in this week's Sagarin Ratings – the fifth-highest rated FCS team with a 61.29, tied with Air Force and ahead of Utah State (61.08), Washington State (59.99) and Stanford (59.88). UM opponent Oregon State moved up to No. 59, the second-highest rated team in the Pac-12.
The Massey Ratings have UM at No. 3 in the FCS this week with a 6.77 rating behind MSU (6.91) and SDSU (7.13).
The Sagarin and Massey ratings are computer calculations that take into account strength of schedule, among other variables, to rank teams, and can be used in tiebreaking scenarios for championships and the postseason.
CAN'T WIN WITHOUT THE BALL: Montana came away from the UNC game +1 in the turnover battle after a Braeden Orlandi interception in the first quarter. That put Montana at +5 in the all-important turnover differential on the year with nine takeaways to just four giveaways – the No. 2 margin in the Big Sky.
Ball security will be of the utmost importance this week as NAU enters the game leading the Big Sky with nine interceptions and nine forced fumbles. As a team, UM has been great in ball security this season, giving up just two fumbles so far.
EXPLOSIVE PLAYS AND PLAYERS: Montana totaled a season high 10 explosive (20+ yard) plays against UNC, highlighted by Davis' 61-yard TD catch and a 55-yard run for Gillman. Contrast that to the Grizzly defense just giving up just three explosives, and Montana's chances of winning goes way up.
The Grizzlies have given up an average of just three explosives to anyone not named Oregon State, who has continued to prove it has one of the most dangerous offenses in the country. Montana's offense, meanwhile, is averaging just under six explosives per game against FCS opposition.
500-YARD DAYS: Chalk up another 500-plus yard day for offensive coordinator Brent Pease. With 553 yards of total offense, Pease's offense had its second-straight 500-plus yard day of the season after putting up 607 against UC Davis.
In his two terms calling plays as Montana's OC (1996-98, 2023-Pres.), Pease's offenses have now put up 26 games with 500+ yards and five with 600-plus yards.
MECCA MILESTONES: As Montana prepares to celebrate the 40th birthday of Washington-Grizzly Stadium at the next home game on Oct. 17, the Grizzlies are also nearing another milestone at the "Mecca of FCS Football."
Following UM's Homecoming win over Northern Colorado, the Griz are now 249-38 inside the venerable venue, an 86.8-win percentage. That means Montana could celebrate home win No. 250 and the stadium's 40th birthday on the same day.
• Fun fact: the starting quarterback in Montana's first game inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium (a 38-31 win over Idaho State) was none other than Pease.
SERIES HISTORY: Montana leads the overall series with NAU 38-15 dating all the way back to 1966 before NAU entered the Big Sky. While the Griz are 21-5 in Missoula, the rare air of Flagstaff has proven to be more difficult, with UM leading the 'Jacks 17-10 at 7,000 feet. It's been hotly contested in recent years as well, with UM leading 6-4 over the last 10 meetings.
LAST MEETING: It was another top 25 showdown in the last meeting between UM and NAU back in 2024 when the No. 24 'Jacks came to Missoula for Homecoming when the No. 14 Griz posted a 31-20 win.
Montana outscored NAU 28-7 in the second stanza and put up the final 21 points of the game to seal the win, with UM outgaining the 'Jacks 357-306 in total yardage and were much better on the critical downs as they went 6-of-12 on third down while holding NAU to just three third down conversions.
The game didn't start Montana's way as it allowed a defensive touchdown on the first offensive drive of the game with a returned fumble. UM also gave up an 88-yard score in the second half, but outside of those two big plays Montana held the Lumberjacks to just two scores on the other eight drives. Northern Arizona only made it to the red zone twice, and the Griz held them to field goals both times.
LAST TIME IN FLAGSTAFF: It was a different story the year before, however, as UM went to NAU in 2023, struggled to find offensive rhythm and were gashed by big plays defensively in a 28-14 loss for the Griz in both team's home opener.
The Grizzly QB found himself under pressure all day, completing 23 of his 37 passes for 210 yards in the air with one interception and was sacked five times. He was also strip-sacked for a fumble in the first half as the Lumberjacks capitalized off UM's two turnovers with a touchdown from each. Montana's rushing attack also failed to keep the chains moving with just 31 yards on the ground, the second straight game UM has tallied less than 100 yards on the ground.
The Grizzly defense came up with some big plays in big moments, with Braxton Hill and Trevin Gradney each picking off passes. Gradney's pick, his fourth in as many games, resulted in a touchdown shortly after for the Griz, but it wasn't enough as UM struggled with a varied offensive attack from NAU.
The good news: the loss sparked a run to the 2023 national championship with a string of 10-straight wins.
It's the second ranked conference matchup in the last three weeks for UM after Montana went to UC Davis and dispatched the No. 9 Aggies 62-22 on the last weekend of September.
It's been all gas, no breaks for the Griz since that trip to California, with UM outscoring its last two opponents 98-36. They enter Saturday's game in Arizona at 5-1 overall and 3-0 in Big Sky play, now on top of the Big Sky standings for the first time this season.
The Lumberjacks are also entering this week's match riding high at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play after leaving one dome for another and coming away with a 38-31 road win at Idaho State on Saturday.
Head Coach Brian Wright has NAU looking like one of the most dangerous teams in the leauge, with a defense that leads the nation in turnovers gained and defensive touchdowns and a dual threat quarterback that guides and explosive offense with the third-best completion percentage in the Big Sky.
But Montana heads to the Skydome with a point to prove this week, having won just one game in Flagstaff since 2011 and looking to cement its place at the top of this year's standings in a topsy-turvy Big Sky Conference race.
Kickoff from the Walkup Skydome is set for 3 p.m. (MT)/2 p.m. (PT).
WATCH: The Grizzlies return to Montana Television Network/Scripps Sports stations around the state this week, with the Northern Arizona game in Flagstaff available on basic cable, satellite options, free-to-air channels, and online streaming.
This week's game will again be shown exclusively on "The Spot - MTN" around the state. "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. This week's game can also be seen on "The Spot" in Phoenix, Tucson, Boise, Twin Falls, and Local 3 in Denver.
The Spot is available around the state free-to-air for viewers with antennas in Billings (2.2), Butte/Bozeman (4.2/7.2), Great Falls (3.2), Helena (12.2) and Missoula (8.2). It is also available on Spectrum Cable, Tongue River Cable, TCT West Cable, Montana Opticom, Access Montana, DIRECTV, the DIRECTV streaming platform, and FUBO TV.
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 brings you all the action over the airwaves on the Grizzly Sports Radio Network and its sixteen affiliate stations around the state, and streaming nationwide on the Varsity Network App.
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' 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. The Game is also available to stream at GoGriz.com/Listen.
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.
///GRIZ TRACKS///
BREAKOUT BROOKS: Receiver Brooks Davis had a breakout game in an already breakout year last week, emerging as the top receiver in the subdivision with a career high 205 yards - the most by an individual in the Big Sky Conference and third-most in the FCS this season. He caught three touchdowns passes, logged a two-point conversion and added 28 punt return yards for a personal haul of 231 yards and 20 points in Montana's 36-14 win over UNC.
Those three touchdown catches? Davis was the first Grizzly to get a hat trick since Samori Toure went off for three TDs and an FCS record 303 yards in the 2019 playoffs against Southeastern Louisiana.
Davis was nearly unstoppable against the Bears' secondary, hauling in 9 catches on 11 targets with 64 YAC yards to average nearly 23 yards per catch. He was the most explosive player on the field, with five plays of 25+ yards with a long catch of 61 yards to highlight his day. He was impressively physical in the passing game as well, stretching out for a touchdown after getting hit across the middle at the 5-yard line on a 28-yard gain.
• Davis now leads the FCS and is second in all of college football with 772 receiving yards halfway through the season, already one of the top 35 seasons in program history. The only player with more receiving yards this week? Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith with 823. The player with the next-most yards behind Davis? Oregon State's Jesse Legree.
• That's an average of just under 130 yards per game. Extrapolate that average out through the rest of the regular season and Davis is on pace to set a new single season program record. Samori Toure currently holds the UM single season record with 1,495 yards set in 2019.
• Davis has now posted five-consecutive games of 100+ receiving yards, tying Hall of Famer Joe Douglass for the most in modern Montana history.
• Davis' 205 yards are one of just 13 games in UM history to see a receiver go for 200-plus, and rank tied at No. 10 among the biggest days ever for a receiver with Douglass, who had 205 against Montana State in 1996.
• About 30 seconds after hauling in a 61-yard touchdown pass against UNC, Davis took a knee for the PAT attempt as the holder and proceeded to run in a two-point conversion that put the Griz up 15-0 early in the second quarter. It was Montana's first two-point conversion in nearly a calendar year when Davis took another two-pointer in against Sacred Heart on Oct. 18, 2025.
GILLMAN GREATNESS: Despite Northern Colorado stacking the box in an effort to stop the run, Eli Gillman still managed to stack up 99 net rush yards, 31 receiving yards and a touchdown catch against the Bears to continue stacking school and conference records.
• Gillman already owns the Big Sky Conference record for most rushing TDs and school records for most career rushing yards (4,460), rushing TDs (60) and total TDs (67). With a pass catch for a score against UNC, he now needs just 11 more TDs this season to break Cooper Kupp's Big Sky record of 77 total TDs and 464 points. With 402 points scored Gillman also needs just two more TDs (12 points) to become UM's all-time outright leading scorer, set to pass kicker Dan Carpenter's career total of 413 points.
• Another rare program record is currently in reach for Gillman, who now needs just 227 more all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving or return) to break Hall of Famer Marc Mariani's school record of 5,441.
• Gillman enters the game at Northern Arizona as the Big Sky and FCS leader in scoring this season with 14 total touchdowns. Operating in Montana's balanced offense, he's now second in the league and third in the FCS in rushing yards with 783.
• He remained the active career leader in all of college football (FCS, FBS, D-II, and D-III) again this week in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. He is also now second in all-purpose yards this week behind Arizona's Ismail Mahdi who has 5,590 career all-purpose yards.
AH YAT ACCURACY: Not to get lost in Davis' dominant day against UNC was the elite performance of quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat, who tied his career high with 5 touchdown passes and 346 yards on 23-of-30 passing.
Ah Yat has been deadly accurate, leading the league and sitting top 10 in the FCS in completion percentage (min. 15 passes per game) at just under 68 percent of his throws.
After throwing a pick on his first toss of the season, Ah Yat has completed 138 of his next 203 attempts without an interception for 1,595 yards and 14 touchdowns to average nearly 266 yards per game over the air.
He's now one of just six QBs in program history to cross the 7,000 career passing yard mark with 7,057 to his name, holding a 67 percent completion rate – currently the second-best in program history.
KEEPING HIM CLEAN: Montana's offensive line has continued to lead the charge from the front, paving the way for record-setting numbers by the Grizzly speedsters. UM leads the Big Sky in sacks against this week, giving up just five sacks in six games and Ah Yat taking just four of those sacks.
OTHER STATURDAY STARS: • For the third-straight game, linebacker Nai Mose led the Montana defense in tackles in the 36-14 win over Northern Colorado. The senior logged a game-high eight total stops with three solo to lead a defensive effort that kept the Bears scoreless through three quarters of play and limited UNC to just 105 yards rushing. He's now top 20 in the Big Sky this week with 35 stops – having just earned a starting job two weeks ago.
• What's old was new again for UM receiver Ian Finch on Saturday, who caught the second touchdown pass of his career against UNC. It was his first TD since hauling in the only other one of his career at Northern Colorado in 2024.
• Kicker Ryder Barinowski logged a touchback on 5 of his 6 kickoffs against UNC for a total 390 yards and an average of 65 yards per kick. Barinowski has totaled 2,446 yards on 38 kickoffs this season with 28 touchbacks – a rate of 74-percent per attempt.
• Punter Everett O'Donnell continued to impress with his big and accurate boot against UNC, booming a career-long 68-yarder – the third-longest in the Big Sky this season. On 25 punts this season the Aussie has totaled just over 1,000 yards to average 43 yards per attempt – tied for the second-best in the league. Of those 25 punts, however, only one has gone into the endzone for a touchback while he's placed a conference-high nine inside the 20.
SACK STREAK: Montana's defense posted its second-straight game with three sacks against UNC, with Cooper Buffington, Manase Tupou, and Zekiel Seumalo all getting in on the action. Isaac Keim and Kade Boyd each split a TFL for the Griz as well for a team total of four against the Bears.
Despite not logging one against UNC, Grizzly end Tyler King continues to lead the Big Sky in sacks this week with 4.5.
STREAKS ALIVE: Following Montana State's loss at Idaho last week, several of Montana's Big Sky record win streaks remain alive and well for another year.
UM holds Big Sky records for consecutive conference home wins (30 – 1994-97), consecutive conference overall wins (25 – 1999-02), consecutive regular season overall wins (25 – 2006-08), and overall wins (24 – 2001-02). MSU's streak of conference wins was snapped at 18 by the Vandals, their streak of regular season wins was snapped at 15, and their overall win streak was snapped at 19. With only three Big Sky home games left on their schedule and a streak running of 26-straight home league wins, UM's 30-game home conference game home win streak will remain intact for another year.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: The No. 2/3 Griz take on the No. 13/14 Lumberjacks in top 15 battle this week. Montana has fared well against ranked opposition in the last half-decade, with 17 wins and 13 losses against top 25 teams (FCS and FBS). In that five-year span UM sits at just over .500 against ranked Big Sky opposition at 8-7 after beating UC Davis two weeks ago.
GRIZ IN THE POLLS: Montana jumped up to No. 2 in the Stats Perform FCS media poll and No. 3 in the AFCA FCS coaches' poll, it was announced on Monday. The Griz also collected first place votes for the first time this season in both polls. All told, UM picked up 1,345 voting points in the media poll (74 shy of first place South Dakota St.) and 570 voting points in the coaches' poll (44 points shy of No. 3 Tarleton St.).
After MSU's loss to Idaho, the Griz are now the top ranked of five teams in the Big Sky in this week's top 25. Northern Arizona slotted in at No. 13 in the media poll and No. 14 in the coaches' poll this week after beating Idaho State. The Bengals slid to No. 16/17 in both polls, keeping the potential alive for a top 25 showdown on ESPN on Nov. 14 when ISU visits Missoula.
GRIZ IN THE RATINGS: Montana jumped to No. 101 in college football in this week's Sagarin Ratings – the fifth-highest rated FCS team with a 61.29, tied with Air Force and ahead of Utah State (61.08), Washington State (59.99) and Stanford (59.88). UM opponent Oregon State moved up to No. 59, the second-highest rated team in the Pac-12.
The Massey Ratings have UM at No. 3 in the FCS this week with a 6.77 rating behind MSU (6.91) and SDSU (7.13).
The Sagarin and Massey ratings are computer calculations that take into account strength of schedule, among other variables, to rank teams, and can be used in tiebreaking scenarios for championships and the postseason.
CAN'T WIN WITHOUT THE BALL: Montana came away from the UNC game +1 in the turnover battle after a Braeden Orlandi interception in the first quarter. That put Montana at +5 in the all-important turnover differential on the year with nine takeaways to just four giveaways – the No. 2 margin in the Big Sky.
Ball security will be of the utmost importance this week as NAU enters the game leading the Big Sky with nine interceptions and nine forced fumbles. As a team, UM has been great in ball security this season, giving up just two fumbles so far.
EXPLOSIVE PLAYS AND PLAYERS: Montana totaled a season high 10 explosive (20+ yard) plays against UNC, highlighted by Davis' 61-yard TD catch and a 55-yard run for Gillman. Contrast that to the Grizzly defense just giving up just three explosives, and Montana's chances of winning goes way up.
The Grizzlies have given up an average of just three explosives to anyone not named Oregon State, who has continued to prove it has one of the most dangerous offenses in the country. Montana's offense, meanwhile, is averaging just under six explosives per game against FCS opposition.
500-YARD DAYS: Chalk up another 500-plus yard day for offensive coordinator Brent Pease. With 553 yards of total offense, Pease's offense had its second-straight 500-plus yard day of the season after putting up 607 against UC Davis.
In his two terms calling plays as Montana's OC (1996-98, 2023-Pres.), Pease's offenses have now put up 26 games with 500+ yards and five with 600-plus yards.
MECCA MILESTONES: As Montana prepares to celebrate the 40th birthday of Washington-Grizzly Stadium at the next home game on Oct. 17, the Grizzlies are also nearing another milestone at the "Mecca of FCS Football."
Following UM's Homecoming win over Northern Colorado, the Griz are now 249-38 inside the venerable venue, an 86.8-win percentage. That means Montana could celebrate home win No. 250 and the stadium's 40th birthday on the same day.
• Fun fact: the starting quarterback in Montana's first game inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium (a 38-31 win over Idaho State) was none other than Pease.
SERIES HISTORY: Montana leads the overall series with NAU 38-15 dating all the way back to 1966 before NAU entered the Big Sky. While the Griz are 21-5 in Missoula, the rare air of Flagstaff has proven to be more difficult, with UM leading the 'Jacks 17-10 at 7,000 feet. It's been hotly contested in recent years as well, with UM leading 6-4 over the last 10 meetings.
LAST MEETING: It was another top 25 showdown in the last meeting between UM and NAU back in 2024 when the No. 24 'Jacks came to Missoula for Homecoming when the No. 14 Griz posted a 31-20 win.
Montana outscored NAU 28-7 in the second stanza and put up the final 21 points of the game to seal the win, with UM outgaining the 'Jacks 357-306 in total yardage and were much better on the critical downs as they went 6-of-12 on third down while holding NAU to just three third down conversions.
The game didn't start Montana's way as it allowed a defensive touchdown on the first offensive drive of the game with a returned fumble. UM also gave up an 88-yard score in the second half, but outside of those two big plays Montana held the Lumberjacks to just two scores on the other eight drives. Northern Arizona only made it to the red zone twice, and the Griz held them to field goals both times.
LAST TIME IN FLAGSTAFF: It was a different story the year before, however, as UM went to NAU in 2023, struggled to find offensive rhythm and were gashed by big plays defensively in a 28-14 loss for the Griz in both team's home opener.
The Grizzly QB found himself under pressure all day, completing 23 of his 37 passes for 210 yards in the air with one interception and was sacked five times. He was also strip-sacked for a fumble in the first half as the Lumberjacks capitalized off UM's two turnovers with a touchdown from each. Montana's rushing attack also failed to keep the chains moving with just 31 yards on the ground, the second straight game UM has tallied less than 100 yards on the ground.
The Grizzly defense came up with some big plays in big moments, with Braxton Hill and Trevin Gradney each picking off passes. Gradney's pick, his fourth in as many games, resulted in a touchdown shortly after for the Griz, but it wasn't enough as UM struggled with a varied offensive attack from NAU.
The good news: the loss sparked a run to the 2023 national championship with a string of 10-straight wins.
Players Mentioned
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/ FootballMonday, October 05
Sunday, October 04
Saturday, October 03
Wednesday, September 30
