Saturday, September 12
Missoula, Mont.
1 PM
Montana
3-0 , 1-0
35
vs
14
Utah Tech
0-3 , 0-1
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah Tech | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Montana | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
Gillman races to more records in Griz win over ‘Blazers
9/12/2026 6:09:00 PM | Football
MISSOULA – Another week, another chapter in Eli Gillman's record-setting career.
The 5th year running back continued his climb through the Montana and Big Sky record books Saturday, rushing for 175 yards and three touchdowns as the Grizzlies defeated Utah Tech 35-14 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
After breaking Chase Reynolds' all-time Montana rushing touchdown record last week, Gillman passed Reynolds for the Grizzlies' total touchdown record Saturday, pushing his tally to 62. Gillman also passed Reynolds for third all-time in career points among non-kickers at Montana, finishing the day with 372 points.
The fifth year running back continued his assault on the Big Sky record book as well, tying Sacramento State's Charles Roberts for the conference's all-time rushing touchdown record with 56. Gillman also moved into second place in Big Sky history with 62 total touchdowns, passing Portland State's Charles Dunn.
The only player ahead of Gillman on the conference's all-time total touchdown list is Cooper Kupp, who finished his career at Eastern Washington with 77 before going on to become a star with the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. Gillman now needs 16 total touchdowns to break Kupp's record.
Gillman also became just the fourth Grizzly in program history to surpass 4,000 career rushing yards with 4,005 at the end of the day. His 175-yard performance marked his 18th career 100-yard rushing game and his second consecutive week with three rushing touchdowns.
While Gillman continued to make history, Montana's offense received another big performance from wide receiver Brooks Davis, who hauled in 12 catches for 151 yards.
Davis has quickly become one of Montana's most productive weapons, and head coach Bobby Kennedy praised the junior's consistency and competitive mentality.
"He's so comfortable in the offense, and it seems like every time we throw to him, he's going to catch it, or he's going to break a tackle," Kennedy said. "He's just really, really productive. But the thing that I'm most proud of him about is that if you come to practice and you watch the way he competes, he doesn't want to give up a rep."
Davis was quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat's favorite target on the day, with the senior signal caller leading the offense to 462 yards of total offense while completing over 70-percent of his passes for 246 yards in the air.
Kennedy said the Grizzlies entered the game prepared to take what Utah Tech's defense gave them.
"We went into this game with an RPO mentality," Kennedy said. "When they were going to give it to us, we're going to hit those short passes and continue to try to move the sticks. I thought Keali'i played really well."
The Montana defense also came up with several of the game's biggest plays, forcing turnovers in critical situations and keeping the Trailblazers scoreless through the first three quarters.
The Griz held Tech to just 104 yards on the ground and 3-for-14 on third down, highlighted by a pair of takeaways with a pair of fumble recoveries.
Montana's defense eventually allowed two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but Kennedy said the opportunity to get younger players meaningful game action will pay dividends moving forward.
"We have some depth that we've worked hard to create, but to get those other guys in and for them to get game action is really valuable," Kennedy said. "Hopefully we can keep creating that depth. We would not have liked to give up 14 points, but we'll get better. Now we can coach a little harder on Monday."
The Grizzlies now turn their attention toward their first road test of the season. Montana will travel to face Oregon State next week, beginning a stretch in which three of the next four games will be played away from Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Kennedy said the team understands the challenge that comes with leaving Missoula.
"It's great to play here in Washington-Grizzly, but we know we're going to have to go on the road sometime," Kennedy said. "Every game is tougher. Every game we have to prepare a little better. We have to execute a little better. Now we're going to go on the road against a really good opponent. We do have a tough road, but our guys will be ready."
The Grizzlies improved to 3-0 on the season with the victory, while Utah Tech fell to 0-3.
Utah Tech opened the game with the ball, but Montana's defense immediately came up with a major play as the Trailblazers went for it on fourth down, only to fumble as Kade Boyd came up with the ball for the Grizzlies.
Montana quickly swapped the turnover for points as Ah Yat connected with Davis for a 33-yard gain, moving the Grizzlies into the red zone. Gillman then finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give Montana an early 7-0 lead.
After the teams traded punts, Montana again moved deep into Utah Tech territory late in the quarter, setting itself up just one yard from the end zone as the first quarter came to a close.
Gillman finished the drive on the first play into the second quarter, powering across the goal line from 1 yard out for his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon and a 14-0 Montana lead.
Utah Tech responded with a 51-yard catch to Will Greene that moved the Trailblazers into the red zone, but Montana's defense once again came through. Chris Johnson II forced a fumble near the goal line, and the ball rolled into the end zone and out of bounds for a touchback, ending Utah Tech's scoring opportunity.
The two defenses continued to trade stops before Utah Tech missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt wide right with just over two minutes remaining in the half.
Montana took advantage of the opportunity, marching 72 yards in just 57 seconds. Davis provided another big play after a 42-yard catch that moved the Grizzlies inside the Utah Tech 20 before Ah Yat found Ledkeldrige Bridges for a 15-yard touchdown pass, giving Montana a 21-0 advantage.
Utah Tech went three-and-out on its next possession, giving Montana another chance to score before halftime. The Grizzlies moved into Utah Tech territory behind a pair of receptions from Davis, but Silver's 55-yard field-goal attempt hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced out.
Montana carried a 21-0 lead into halftime, with Davis already totaling nine catches for 119 yards.
Neither team found the end zone in the third quarter as both defenses opened the half unwilling to give anything up.
Utah Tech started the fourth quarter with a long, methodical drive that moved the Trailblazers deep into Montana territory. The drive eventually stalled, however, and Utah Tech attempted a 53-yard field goal that sailed wide left.
Montana answered immediately after taking over at their own 35-yard line, Gillman broke loose for an untouched 75-yard touchdown run, extending Montana's lead to 28-0 and giving him his third rushing touchdown of the afternoon.
Utah Tech finally broke through on its next possession, using three big completions to move inside the Montana 10-yard line before quarterback Bronson Barben scored on a 1-yard QB sneak giving the Trailblazers their first points bringing the score to 7-28.
Montana answered in a hurry with their next drive first play, Dylan Paine broke through Utah Techs defense and raced 57 yards for a touchdown, pushing the Grizzlies' advantage to 35-7.
Utah Tech added one more score late in the game on a two-play, 75-yard drive when Barben found Mike Williams for a 60-yard touchdown.
Montana's defense shut down the Trailblazers' final attempts, allowing the Grizzlies to close out the game 35-14.
Gillman finished with 175 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Davis totaled 12 receptions for 151 yards.
The Grizzlies take their 3-0 record on the road to Corvallis to face Oregon State on September 19.
The 5th year running back continued his climb through the Montana and Big Sky record books Saturday, rushing for 175 yards and three touchdowns as the Grizzlies defeated Utah Tech 35-14 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
After breaking Chase Reynolds' all-time Montana rushing touchdown record last week, Gillman passed Reynolds for the Grizzlies' total touchdown record Saturday, pushing his tally to 62. Gillman also passed Reynolds for third all-time in career points among non-kickers at Montana, finishing the day with 372 points.
The fifth year running back continued his assault on the Big Sky record book as well, tying Sacramento State's Charles Roberts for the conference's all-time rushing touchdown record with 56. Gillman also moved into second place in Big Sky history with 62 total touchdowns, passing Portland State's Charles Dunn.
The only player ahead of Gillman on the conference's all-time total touchdown list is Cooper Kupp, who finished his career at Eastern Washington with 77 before going on to become a star with the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. Gillman now needs 16 total touchdowns to break Kupp's record.
Gillman also became just the fourth Grizzly in program history to surpass 4,000 career rushing yards with 4,005 at the end of the day. His 175-yard performance marked his 18th career 100-yard rushing game and his second consecutive week with three rushing touchdowns.
While Gillman continued to make history, Montana's offense received another big performance from wide receiver Brooks Davis, who hauled in 12 catches for 151 yards.
Davis has quickly become one of Montana's most productive weapons, and head coach Bobby Kennedy praised the junior's consistency and competitive mentality.
"He's so comfortable in the offense, and it seems like every time we throw to him, he's going to catch it, or he's going to break a tackle," Kennedy said. "He's just really, really productive. But the thing that I'm most proud of him about is that if you come to practice and you watch the way he competes, he doesn't want to give up a rep."
Davis was quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat's favorite target on the day, with the senior signal caller leading the offense to 462 yards of total offense while completing over 70-percent of his passes for 246 yards in the air.
Kennedy said the Grizzlies entered the game prepared to take what Utah Tech's defense gave them.
"We went into this game with an RPO mentality," Kennedy said. "When they were going to give it to us, we're going to hit those short passes and continue to try to move the sticks. I thought Keali'i played really well."
The Montana defense also came up with several of the game's biggest plays, forcing turnovers in critical situations and keeping the Trailblazers scoreless through the first three quarters.
The Griz held Tech to just 104 yards on the ground and 3-for-14 on third down, highlighted by a pair of takeaways with a pair of fumble recoveries.
Montana's defense eventually allowed two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but Kennedy said the opportunity to get younger players meaningful game action will pay dividends moving forward.
"We have some depth that we've worked hard to create, but to get those other guys in and for them to get game action is really valuable," Kennedy said. "Hopefully we can keep creating that depth. We would not have liked to give up 14 points, but we'll get better. Now we can coach a little harder on Monday."
The Grizzlies now turn their attention toward their first road test of the season. Montana will travel to face Oregon State next week, beginning a stretch in which three of the next four games will be played away from Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Kennedy said the team understands the challenge that comes with leaving Missoula.
"It's great to play here in Washington-Grizzly, but we know we're going to have to go on the road sometime," Kennedy said. "Every game is tougher. Every game we have to prepare a little better. We have to execute a little better. Now we're going to go on the road against a really good opponent. We do have a tough road, but our guys will be ready."
The Grizzlies improved to 3-0 on the season with the victory, while Utah Tech fell to 0-3.
Utah Tech opened the game with the ball, but Montana's defense immediately came up with a major play as the Trailblazers went for it on fourth down, only to fumble as Kade Boyd came up with the ball for the Grizzlies.
Montana quickly swapped the turnover for points as Ah Yat connected with Davis for a 33-yard gain, moving the Grizzlies into the red zone. Gillman then finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give Montana an early 7-0 lead.
After the teams traded punts, Montana again moved deep into Utah Tech territory late in the quarter, setting itself up just one yard from the end zone as the first quarter came to a close.
Gillman finished the drive on the first play into the second quarter, powering across the goal line from 1 yard out for his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon and a 14-0 Montana lead.
Utah Tech responded with a 51-yard catch to Will Greene that moved the Trailblazers into the red zone, but Montana's defense once again came through. Chris Johnson II forced a fumble near the goal line, and the ball rolled into the end zone and out of bounds for a touchback, ending Utah Tech's scoring opportunity.
The two defenses continued to trade stops before Utah Tech missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt wide right with just over two minutes remaining in the half.
Montana took advantage of the opportunity, marching 72 yards in just 57 seconds. Davis provided another big play after a 42-yard catch that moved the Grizzlies inside the Utah Tech 20 before Ah Yat found Ledkeldrige Bridges for a 15-yard touchdown pass, giving Montana a 21-0 advantage.
Utah Tech went three-and-out on its next possession, giving Montana another chance to score before halftime. The Grizzlies moved into Utah Tech territory behind a pair of receptions from Davis, but Silver's 55-yard field-goal attempt hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced out.
Montana carried a 21-0 lead into halftime, with Davis already totaling nine catches for 119 yards.
Neither team found the end zone in the third quarter as both defenses opened the half unwilling to give anything up.
Utah Tech started the fourth quarter with a long, methodical drive that moved the Trailblazers deep into Montana territory. The drive eventually stalled, however, and Utah Tech attempted a 53-yard field goal that sailed wide left.
Montana answered immediately after taking over at their own 35-yard line, Gillman broke loose for an untouched 75-yard touchdown run, extending Montana's lead to 28-0 and giving him his third rushing touchdown of the afternoon.
Utah Tech finally broke through on its next possession, using three big completions to move inside the Montana 10-yard line before quarterback Bronson Barben scored on a 1-yard QB sneak giving the Trailblazers their first points bringing the score to 7-28.
Montana answered in a hurry with their next drive first play, Dylan Paine broke through Utah Techs defense and raced 57 yards for a touchdown, pushing the Grizzlies' advantage to 35-7.
Utah Tech added one more score late in the game on a two-play, 75-yard drive when Barben found Mike Williams for a 60-yard touchdown.
Montana's defense shut down the Trailblazers' final attempts, allowing the Grizzlies to close out the game 35-14.
Gillman finished with 175 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Davis totaled 12 receptions for 151 yards.
The Grizzlies take their 3-0 record on the road to Corvallis to face Oregon State on September 19.
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
S
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
CB
/ Football
RB
/ FootballTeam Stats
UT
UM
Total Yards
405
462
Pass Yards
301
246
Rushing Yards
104
216
Penalty Yards
96
64
1st Downs
20
20
3rd Downs
3
5
4th Downs
1
1
TOP
32:21
27:39
1st Quarter
UT 0, UM 7
UM - Gillman,Eli 1 yd run (Silver,Jo kick), 5 plays, 61 yards, TOP 02:16
2nd Quarter
UT 0, UM 14
UM - Gillman,Eli 1 yd run (Silver,Jo kick), 9 plays, 32 yards, TOP 04:27
UT 0, UM 21
UM - Bridges,Lekeldrick 15 yd pass from Ah Yat,Keali'i (Silver,Jo kick) 5 plays, 72 yards, TOP 00:57
4th Quarter
UT 0, UM 28
UM - Gillman,Eli 75 yd run (Silver,Jo kick), 1 plays, 66 yards, TOP 00:33
UT 7, UM 28
UT - Barben,Bronson 1 yd run (Iverson,Dax kick), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:59
UT 7, UM 35
UM - Paine,Dylan 57 yd run (Silver,Jo kick), 1 plays, 57 yards, TOP 00:11
UT 14, UM 35
UT - Williams,Mike 60 yd pass from Barben,Bronson (Iverson,Dax kick) 2 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:35
Game Leaders
CMP
25
TD
1
YDS
246
INT
0
CMP
0
TD
0
YDS
0
INT
0
Monday, September 07
Sunday, September 06
Tuesday, September 01
Sunday, August 30
