Super Brawl Capsule
FRITZ NEIGHBOR | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 months AGO
SPORTS EDITOR Fritz Neighbor is the Sports Editor for the Daily Inter Lake. He oversees sports coverage across the Flathead Valley, including high school athletics, youth sports, and regional competitions. In his leadership role, he helps shape the newspaper’s sports coverage and editorial direction. Fritz’s column, Full Count, taps into his decades’ long career covering Montana sports. You’ll also see Fritz sharing his thoughts and insights on the Big Sky Now podcast. IMPACT: Fritz’s work celebrates the athletes and teams that bring Northwest Montana communities together. | December 18, 2025 11:00 PM
No. 4/3 Montana at No. 2/2 Montana St.
When: Saturday, 2 p.m. TV — ABC. Web — ESPN+; Radio — Grizzly Radio Network, Bobcat Radio Network. Where: Bobcat Stadium (17,777, FieldTurf). Records: UM is 13-1; MSU is 12-2.
When the Grizzlies have the ball: Eli Gillman has 1,434 yards and 20 touchdowns rushing, and Michael Wortham not only has 77 catches for 1,139 yards and 10 TDs but is also the second in rushing with 338 yards and seven scores. Quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat has thrown for 3,819 yards and spread his 32 TD passes out among 10 players; Brooks Davis has caught five and Drew Deck, four. Davis has 52 catches for 680 yards.
When the Bobcats have the ball: Julius Davis (1,044 yards) and Adam Jones (916) lead a mighty 1-2 rushing punch, combining for 21 TDs, 13 by Jones. Junior QB Justin Lamson isn’t far behind with 661 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground; he’s thrown for 2,683 yards and 22 TDs, with 3 interceptions. Twelve receivers have caught TDs; Taco Dowler (64 catches, 789 yards) and TE Rocky Lencioni have five each.
Notable: Wortham had 88 all-purpose yards against MSU on Nov. 22 while Taco Dowler had 33 all-purpose yards against UM. ... Davis had 106 rushing yards in the first meeting and Lamson had 80 rushing and 175 passing. ... Deck has 17 catches for 228 yards in his last six games and set the FCS playoff record for longest punt return with his 93-yard TD against South Dakota last week. ... Gillman has 29 catches for 203 yards and two scores. Jabez Woods (16.1 ypc.) and Ryan King (19.2) stretch the field for MSU. ... MSU is 3-0 at home in the semifinals and hasn’t lost at home to a Big Sky opponent in Brent Vigen’s tenure (22-0). ... MSU safety Caden Dowler, Taco’s twin, has 90 tackles and six interceptions (2 for TDs) to lead the defense. ... Defensive end Kenneth Eiden IV has 8.5 sacks for the Cats. ... Idaho transfer Diezel Wilkinson leads the Griz with 70 tackles but four more have 67-69 stops. ... Carroll transfer Hunter Peck leads UM with 4.5 sacks at defensive end. ... MSU is plus-14 in turnover margin and so is UM. ... At press time Montana State was a 4.5-point favorite.
Pick: Griz, 34-24.
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