Griz outlast T-Birds in Kennedy’s debut
8/30/2026 1:08:00 AM | Football
MISSOULA - Bobby Kennedy improved to 1-0 as Montana's 38th head coach on Saturday night as the Grizzlies used a late touchdown and big special teams plays to fend off an up-for-it Southern Utah squad and take a 28-21 victory at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
The Kennedy era opened with an offensive flourish as Montana's attack built a 14-3 first-half lead despite an interception on the Grizzlies' first play from scrimmage.
The Thunderbirds thundered back in the second half, however, tying the game at 21 with 11 minutes to play with the steady drum beat of a rushing game with big play ability in the air.
In the end though it was All-American quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat who found speedster Lekeldrick Bridges for a 53-yard strike down the right sideline for his first career touchdown catch that sealed the victory for the Grizzlies. That, and some big-time special teams moments as the UM defense held firm on a pair of SUU two-point conversion attempts and blocked both a field goal and PAT attempt.
The victory improves the Grizzlies to 1-0 in 2026, extends their home opener winning streak to 23 games and their FCS-best season opener winning streak to 11, coming in the first Big Sky Conference opener for Montana in 40 years.
Eli Gillman, as he's known to do, paced the Griz in nearly every way, racking up 169 all-purpose yards with 76 on the ground and 93 in the air and a touchdown each way.
But a pair of Grizzly turnovers paired with 259 SUU rushing yards, over 43 minutes of possession and over 500 yards of total offense put the Griz on their heels late in the game before the Ah Yat to Bridges connection sealed the win.
"We made it exciting, I would say that. It was a little nerve-wracking, but here's the fact of the matter. We're going to get better. We have really good kids on our team, and fact of the matter is, they just kept fighting. We made some silly mistakes, but we'll fix those this week," said Kennedy.
"Credit Southern Utah because that is a really well coached team, and I think they're going to win a lot of games. We knew they want to run the ball, eat the clock and control it. Obviously, we can't have those turnovers. Turnovers really hurt us. And anytime another team rushes for that many yards and they win the turnover battle, you usually you lose.
"But I really believe we have good kids that want to do well. They wear that Montana on the front of their jersey, and they're really proud to do it. So, I'm excited for these guys, and hopefully we make our biggest improvement from week one to week two."
With two touchdowns, Eli Gillman powered his way further up the Grizzly all-time greats list in the season opener. With one rushing TD he's now tied with Lex Hilliard for second in program history with 50, and his receiving TD on top of that brings his career total to 55 scores – now just five from breaking Chase Reynolds' program mark. With 76 net yards on the ground his career total now comes to 3,753, putting him now 318 yards shy of another school record.
"I really thought the defense played really well in in the first half, and they did some great things. Even though they were giving up some yards they never stopped believing. And we were very basic in terms of our scheme this week because we knew how they run the ball. They did a great job, and Coach White and the special teams, they were as big as anything," added Kennedy, who relished in his first victory.
"Tonight was awesome. Washington-Grizzly Stadium is a special place, and the fans make it that way. So, I just want to say thank you to all the fans. We use the motto "The Family You Choose" all the time, and it's become a motto in our locker room. But heck, they're our 12th man. They're a part of our family. So, thank you to all the fans."
The Grizzlies got off to a rough start when their first play of the season ended in an interception. Montana quickly bounced back on its next possession, though, as Ah Yat connected with Gillman on a swing pass and raced 85 yards to the end zone for the Grizzlies' first touchdown of the season and a 7-0 lead.
For the rest of the quarter Southern Utah struggled to find its footing offensively, as Montana's defense held strong and prevented the Thunderbirds from creating any big plays. After SUU got on the board with a 50 yard field goal in the second quarter, it was Gillman again who extended the Grizzly lead.
Instead of doing it over the air, he resorted to his usual rushing prowess, uncorking a 26 yard touchdown run that was set up by a 33-yard completion from Ah Yat to Brooks Davis into SUU territory.
Then, with less than a minute remaining before halftime the defense came up with a key play in the kicking game, blocking a Southern Utah field-goal attempt. The Grizzlies had a chance to add to their lead before the break, but a 54-yard field-goal attempt fell short as Montana took a 14-3 advantage into halftime.
Southern Utah came out of halftime with momentum, marching down the field before Floyd Chalk punched in a rushing touchdown from six yards out to bring the Thunderbirds within striking distance. Southern Utah's attempt at a two-point conversion failed, leaving Montana with a 14-9 lead.
The Grizzlies answered quickly after a failed onside kick by Southern Utah. Ah Yat capped the ensuing drive himself, rushing three yards for a touchdown to push Montana's lead back to 21-9.
Southern Utah refused to go away in the fourth quarter. Will Burns connected with Joshua Acord on a 13-yard touchdown pass, but the Thunderbirds had another failed extra point, cutting Montana's lead to 21-15.
The T-Birds struck again on their next scoring drive, as Burns found Acord again for a 58-yard touchdown to tie the game at 21. Special teams again came into play as Southern Utah's extra-point attempt was blocked, keeping the score even.
Montana answered with a big play of its own. Ah Yat found Lekeldrick Bridges for a 53-yard touchdown, putting the Grizzlies back in front, 28-21.
With less than 30 seconds remaining, Southern Utah had one final chance to tie the game. Burns was pressured as he scrambled to make a play and threw a desperation pass downfield. Montana defensive back Brock Beaner came down with the interception at the 5-yard line, sealing the 28-21 victory for the Grizzlies.
Southern Utah put together a strong second-half comeback in its return to the Big Sky Conference, but Montana's late touchdown and final defensive stand secured the win.
Montana returns to action at home next week, hosting the Drake Bulldogs at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5.
The Kennedy era opened with an offensive flourish as Montana's attack built a 14-3 first-half lead despite an interception on the Grizzlies' first play from scrimmage.
The Thunderbirds thundered back in the second half, however, tying the game at 21 with 11 minutes to play with the steady drum beat of a rushing game with big play ability in the air.
In the end though it was All-American quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat who found speedster Lekeldrick Bridges for a 53-yard strike down the right sideline for his first career touchdown catch that sealed the victory for the Grizzlies. That, and some big-time special teams moments as the UM defense held firm on a pair of SUU two-point conversion attempts and blocked both a field goal and PAT attempt.
The victory improves the Grizzlies to 1-0 in 2026, extends their home opener winning streak to 23 games and their FCS-best season opener winning streak to 11, coming in the first Big Sky Conference opener for Montana in 40 years.
Eli Gillman, as he's known to do, paced the Griz in nearly every way, racking up 169 all-purpose yards with 76 on the ground and 93 in the air and a touchdown each way.
But a pair of Grizzly turnovers paired with 259 SUU rushing yards, over 43 minutes of possession and over 500 yards of total offense put the Griz on their heels late in the game before the Ah Yat to Bridges connection sealed the win.
"We made it exciting, I would say that. It was a little nerve-wracking, but here's the fact of the matter. We're going to get better. We have really good kids on our team, and fact of the matter is, they just kept fighting. We made some silly mistakes, but we'll fix those this week," said Kennedy.
"Credit Southern Utah because that is a really well coached team, and I think they're going to win a lot of games. We knew they want to run the ball, eat the clock and control it. Obviously, we can't have those turnovers. Turnovers really hurt us. And anytime another team rushes for that many yards and they win the turnover battle, you usually you lose.
"But I really believe we have good kids that want to do well. They wear that Montana on the front of their jersey, and they're really proud to do it. So, I'm excited for these guys, and hopefully we make our biggest improvement from week one to week two."
With two touchdowns, Eli Gillman powered his way further up the Grizzly all-time greats list in the season opener. With one rushing TD he's now tied with Lex Hilliard for second in program history with 50, and his receiving TD on top of that brings his career total to 55 scores – now just five from breaking Chase Reynolds' program mark. With 76 net yards on the ground his career total now comes to 3,753, putting him now 318 yards shy of another school record.
"I really thought the defense played really well in in the first half, and they did some great things. Even though they were giving up some yards they never stopped believing. And we were very basic in terms of our scheme this week because we knew how they run the ball. They did a great job, and Coach White and the special teams, they were as big as anything," added Kennedy, who relished in his first victory.
"Tonight was awesome. Washington-Grizzly Stadium is a special place, and the fans make it that way. So, I just want to say thank you to all the fans. We use the motto "The Family You Choose" all the time, and it's become a motto in our locker room. But heck, they're our 12th man. They're a part of our family. So, thank you to all the fans."
The Grizzlies got off to a rough start when their first play of the season ended in an interception. Montana quickly bounced back on its next possession, though, as Ah Yat connected with Gillman on a swing pass and raced 85 yards to the end zone for the Grizzlies' first touchdown of the season and a 7-0 lead.
For the rest of the quarter Southern Utah struggled to find its footing offensively, as Montana's defense held strong and prevented the Thunderbirds from creating any big plays. After SUU got on the board with a 50 yard field goal in the second quarter, it was Gillman again who extended the Grizzly lead.
Instead of doing it over the air, he resorted to his usual rushing prowess, uncorking a 26 yard touchdown run that was set up by a 33-yard completion from Ah Yat to Brooks Davis into SUU territory.
Then, with less than a minute remaining before halftime the defense came up with a key play in the kicking game, blocking a Southern Utah field-goal attempt. The Grizzlies had a chance to add to their lead before the break, but a 54-yard field-goal attempt fell short as Montana took a 14-3 advantage into halftime.
Southern Utah came out of halftime with momentum, marching down the field before Floyd Chalk punched in a rushing touchdown from six yards out to bring the Thunderbirds within striking distance. Southern Utah's attempt at a two-point conversion failed, leaving Montana with a 14-9 lead.
The Grizzlies answered quickly after a failed onside kick by Southern Utah. Ah Yat capped the ensuing drive himself, rushing three yards for a touchdown to push Montana's lead back to 21-9.
Southern Utah refused to go away in the fourth quarter. Will Burns connected with Joshua Acord on a 13-yard touchdown pass, but the Thunderbirds had another failed extra point, cutting Montana's lead to 21-15.
The T-Birds struck again on their next scoring drive, as Burns found Acord again for a 58-yard touchdown to tie the game at 21. Special teams again came into play as Southern Utah's extra-point attempt was blocked, keeping the score even.
Montana answered with a big play of its own. Ah Yat found Lekeldrick Bridges for a 53-yard touchdown, putting the Grizzlies back in front, 28-21.
With less than 30 seconds remaining, Southern Utah had one final chance to tie the game. Burns was pressured as he scrambled to make a play and threw a desperation pass downfield. Montana defensive back Brock Beaner came down with the interception at the 5-yard line, sealing the 28-21 victory for the Grizzlies.
Southern Utah put together a strong second-half comeback in its return to the Big Sky Conference, but Montana's late touchdown and final defensive stand secured the win.
Montana returns to action at home next week, hosting the Drake Bulldogs at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5.
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