Cat-Griz Capsule, 124th meeting
FRITZ NEIGHBOR | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 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. | November 20, 2025 11:00 PM
No. 3/3 Montana St. at No. 2/2 Montana
When: Saturday, Noon; TV — MTN (KPAX, KRTV). Web — ESPN+; Radio — Grizzly Radio Network, Bobcat Radio Network. Where: Washington-Grizzly Stadium (25,217, FieldTurf). Records: MSU is 9-2, 7-0 in the Big Sky. UM is 11-0, 7-0.
When the Bobcats have the ball: MSU still loves to run with Julius Davis (786 yards, 7.5 a carry, 7 touchdowns) and Adam Jones (647 yards, 5.8 a carry, 9 TDs) but Justin Lamson balances things by throwing for 2,170 yards and 19 TDs against two interceptions. The Stanford transfer can also run — he has 509 yards and a team-high 10 TDs rushing. Taco Dowler is his main receiver with 56 catches, 723 yards and 5 scores, but tight end Rocky Lencioni has five TDs and nine more Cats have caught a TD.
When the Grizzlies have the ball: Eli Gillman has 1,180 yards and 16 touchdowns while averaging 16 carries a game (6.4 yards a carry). Michael Wortham is next in rushing with 238 yards and first in receptions (57), yards (822) and TD catches (7). Six Griz have at least two TD receptions, including Brooks Davis (4), Josh Gale (3) and Korbin Hendrix (3). Making everything go is QB Keali’i Ah Yat, who has passed for 2,968 yards and 24 TDs (with 7 INTs) in a steady sophomore season.
Notable: UM leads the series 74-43-5, but it is 11-11 from 2002-present. ... The Griz are 14-5 against the Cats at Wa-Griz. ... Lamson’s QB efficiency rating is 168.14, Ah Yat’s is 163.07. ... MSU holds a slight edge in average kick return (24.1-24.0) and punt return (14.3-12.8) average. ... Jabez Woods has averaged 34.0 yards on 10 kick returns for MSU and Taco Dowler is at 13.4 on 16 punt returns with a TD. ... Drew Deck is averaging 13.1 yards on 18 punt returns for UM, and Wortham is at 27.1 on 21 KORs. ... UM’s Ty Morrison is 60-for-60 on PATs and MSU’s Myles Sansted is 52-for-56. ... Sansted is 13-16 in field goals and Morrison is 6-10. ... Cats coach Brent Vigen is 2-2 in this series; Griz coach Bobby Hauck is 7-6. ... S Caden Dowler and LBs Bryce Grebe and Cole Taylor have between 47 and 72 tackles for MSU; LBs Elijawah Tolbert and Peyton Wing and DBs Diezel Wilkinson and TJ Rausch all have between 48 and 62 stops for UM. ...Forecast is a high of 48 degrees and dry in Missoula Saturday. ... As of Thursday the Bobcats remained 2.5-point favorites according to sportsbetmontana.com.
The Pick: Griz, 29-27.
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