Griz survive Eagles, 29-24
FRITZ NEIGHBOR | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 1 week AGO
Grizzlies wide receiver Korbin Hendrix (14) catches a 29-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against Eastern Washington at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies punt returner Drew Deck (2) returns a punt 60 yards in the first quarter against Eastern Washington at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies running back Eli Gillman (10) heads to the end zone on a 25-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against Eastern Washington at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receivers Michael Wortham (6) and Drew Deck (2) celebrate after Wortham's 12-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against Eastern Washington at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Michael Wortham (6) celebrates after a 12-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against Eastern Washington at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies defensive lineman Kellen Detrick (47) celebrates after a sack in the second quarter against Eastern Washington at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies defenders force a fumble by Eastern Washington quarterback Jake Schakel (12) in the third quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies defenders Peyton Wing (32) and Kellen Detrick (47) pressure Eastern Washington quarterback Jake Schakel (12) in the fourth quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Montana fans big and small cheer on the Griz as they face Eastern Washington at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
MISSOULA — Saturday was a retelling of the classic, “Tortoise and the Hare,” if the tortoise turned turtle at the finish line.
Eastern Washington, which trailed 22-0 Saturday, was 5 yards from upsetting the No. 2 Montana Grizzlies at Washington-Grizzly Stadium when quarterback Jake Schakel mishandled a snap under center as the clock ticked under 5 seconds.
The ball squirted loose and was eventually covered by the Eagles, but they were out of timeouts and time: the clock ran out on Montana’s 29-24 victory at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
It was a weird win that improved the Griz to 10-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big Sky Conference. They had to survive 451 passing yards by a freshman, Schakel, making his first start; an onside kick that the Eagles recovered with 1:01 left; and an offense that did the defense no favors.
“Good by us, we’re excited to be 10-0,” Montana coach Bobby Hauck said. “We’re not going to act like we aren’t. I’m proud of our team.”
“Boy, we were 15 feet away,” Eastern coach Aaron Best said. “Fifteen 15 away.
For a kid’s first start in the Big Sky Conference at this place — just better than average.
No moral victories but I tell you what, 29-24 wasn’t in the cards for most of the people watching this game.”
After taking a 22-14 lead into intermission, the Grizzlies wrapped six punts and an unsuccess fake around a 3-play touchdown drive that lasted 64 seconds.
A 39-yard pass from Keali’i Ah Yat to Drew Deck and Eli Gillman’s 25-yard scoring burst made up most of that march, which put Montana up 29-14 at 12:34 of the third quarter. Deck also set up UM’s first touchdown, a 12-yard pass from Ah Yat to former Eastern Eagle Michael Wortham, with a 60-yard punt return.
After Korbin Hendrix made a spectacular one-handed catch of a 29-yard Ah Yat pass and Ah Yat capped an 88-yard march with a 3-yard run, it was 22-0 with 10:27 left in the first half. It looked like a laugher, but the Eagles tend to hang around on the Griz.
“It was one of those Eastern-Montana games,” said Best, whose club lost to UM 52-49 in 2024. “The game doesn’t end until there’s four zeroes up.”
Before the first half ended, running back Kevin Allen III hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Schackel (pronounced, “SKAWK-el”) and then capped up a 9-play drive with a 10-yard TD run. The gap was down to 22-14 with 1:16 left in the first half.
The Eagles kept the pressure on, finding ample room in Montana’s zone defense when Schakel found time — he was sacked eight times, three by Kellen Dietrich — and at times when he didn’t. He was good on third downs, where EWU converted 11 of 21 while UM was 1 of 10.
Miles Williams (11 receptions for 136 yards) and Cole Pruett (10 for 133) made some stellar catches; Pruett’s 8-yard TD with 1:01 left cut the gap to 29-24.
“Their determination to stop the run,” Best said of the Grizzlies, who employ a pressure-heavy 3-3-5 defense. “There is a lot of air out there and we had our best day in the air that we have in 10 games.”
Schaekel completed 43 of 63 passes.
“They abandoned the run game,” Hauck said. “That’s something that don’t do against other people but three out of four times they’ve played us they’ve given up on it, and we’ve had to adjust.
“We need to be better on both sides of the ball on third down and that was probably the main reason we couldn’t get away from them the second half,” Hauck said. “And then we had a hard time covering them.”
Schakel also threw two interceptions. The first, by Kenzel Lawler, preceded the Deck-and-Gillman drive. The second, by defensive tackle Hayden Schwartz on a pass batted in the air by Clay Oven, might have been the final nail for Eastern.
Taking over at their 11 with 6:37 left in the game, the Griz went 3-and-out for the fourth time the second half.
That led to Pruett’s TD, which led to the onside kick, which led to Schakel finding Landon Cooper for 18 yards and then a pass interference penalty on the next snap. With 23 seconds left, Allen hauled in a 4-yard pass to the 5 but was tackled in bounds. It appeared Eastern meant to spike the ball on third-and-1, but it never got into Schakel’s hands.
Ah Yat was 22 of 30 passing for 250 yards. Gilman picked up 84 yards on 13 carries. Wortham had five catches for 81 yards (but gained just 6 yards on four carries); Deck had three for 55.
Grizzlies punt returner Drew Deck (2) returns a punt 60 yards in the first quarter against Eastern Washington at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies running back Eli Gillman (10) heads to the end zone on a 25-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against Eastern Washington at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receivers Michael Wortham (6) and Drew Deck (2) celebrate after Wortham's 12-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against Eastern Washington at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Michael Wortham (6) celebrates after a 12-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against Eastern Washington at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies defensive lineman Kellen Detrick (47) celebrates after a sack in the second quarter against Eastern Washington at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies defenders force a fumble by Eastern Washington quarterback Jake Schakel (12) in the third quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies defenders Peyton Wing (32) and Kellen Detrick (47) pressure Eastern Washington quarterback Jake Schakel (12) in the fourth quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Montana fans big and small cheer on the Griz as they face Eastern Washington at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
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