Griz claw out a win
FRITZ NEIGHBOR | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months AGO
Grizzlies linebacker Peyton Wing (32) celebrates after intercepting a pass in the third quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies safety Kade Boyd (17) hits North Dakota quarterback Jerry Kaminski (11) causing an interception by linebacker Peyton Wing in the third quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies linebacker Peyton Wing (32) celebrates after intercepting a pass in the third quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Blake Bohannon (4) catches a 56-yard reception in the first quarter against North Dakota at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Brooks Davis (3) celebrates with tight end Josh Gale (81) after Davis' 28-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter against North Dakota at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies linebacker Elijawah Tolbert (11) celebrates after a stop in the second quarter against North Dakota at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Drew Deck (2) picks up yardage after a reception in the fourth quarter against North Dakota at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat (8) rolls out to throw in the second quarter against North Dakota at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies linebacker Clay Oven (37) celebrates after a tackle on a punt return against North Dakota at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
MISSOULA — Heels over the ledge most of the game, the Montana Grizzlies pulled off an unlikely comeback Saturday, scoring 10 points in the final 4 minutes and change to knock off North Dakota 24-23 in a battle of ranked FCS teams.
Quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat, a sophomore making his eighth start, completed a fourth-and-12 pass to Josh Gale that covered 27 yards, then found Brooks Davis on the next snap for 28 yards and a touchdown with 1:40 left.
Ty Morrison — who hit a 42-yard field goal with 4:23 left to draw Montana to 23-17 — drilled the PAT kick for the No. 5-ranked Grizzlies’ first lead of the ball game, in front of 26,492 fans at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
The No. 16 Fighting Hawks moved 15 yards before giving up the ball on downs.
“I’ve been saying it all week: They’re a really, really good football team,” said Montana coach Bobby Hauck, whose team fell 27-24 to UND last season on the road. “They were dialed in, ready to go; they’re going to have a really good season.
“As far as the rest of it goes, I’m proud of our team. It took a lot of guts to get that win. I thought our guys did a really nice job staying with it, being focused throughout the game. Up or down, doesn’t matter, we just play the same.”
It was, for most of the game, a slog. Ah Yat’s first pass of the day was intercepted by Antonio Bluiett; Bluiett picked off another pass, which was bobbled by Davis on what would’ve been a first down catch, toward the end of the first half.
After three quarters Ah Yat had thrown for 157 yards, completing 15 mostly short passes. Then he threw for 143 yards in the fourth.
Trailing 23-14 after Jerry Kaminski drove UND 75 yards to a touchdown with 14 minutes left in the game, Montana found a rhythm after exchanging punts with the Fighting Hawks.
Ah Yat got the Griz to the UND 9-yard line on the ensuing drive, only to take two sacks. On came Morrison to drill an important field goal.
“That was a big-ass kick,” Hauck said.
The Grizzly defense then got a 3-and-out to put the offense back in business. Ah Yat took them 70 yards, spurred by a horse-collar penalty on the Hawks.
Eventually it was fourth-and-12, where Ah Yat scrambled left and then hit Gale, the UC Davis transfer, just inside the Griz sideline.
“Just trying to make a play,” said Ah Yat, who finished 25 of 39 passing for 300 yards. “Through my first read nothing is open. I tried to extend to the play, make a play with my feet. Found Josh and Josh made a great play.”
The touchdown was a pocket pass on an adjusted route that left Davis wide open. It was the second touchdown of the day for the redshirt freshman — and second of his college career.
“Coach (Brent) Pease, he drew up a great play call,” Ah Yat said. “The corners were playing soft and biting hard on all the quick stuff, trying to wait for the rush to get home.
“The line just did a great job letting me go through that and Brooks, he did a great job as well on his route.”
A defense that allowed 460 yards was solid in between an 82-yard Kaminski-to-BJ Fleming bomb in the first quarter and that early fourth-quarter TD, with Kaminski hitting Korey Tai on third-and-goal.
Peyton Wing’s one-handed interception of Kaminski set up Davis’ first TD, covering 24 yards in the third quarter. Stevie Rocker, Jr., scored UM’s first touchdown, a 3-yard run set up by Ah Yat’s 56-yard strike to Blake Bohannan. That cut into an early 13-0 deficit.
Linebacker Elijawah Tolbert had nine tackles and batted down a pass to lead the Griz defense. Wing had six stops. Kyon Loud had six stops and two pass breakups.
The Grizzlies are 2-0.
“My main thought on this game is that we have a lot of inexperience,” Hauck said, then pointed at the players at the post-game press conference. “This guy (Tolbert) had never played a game as a Grizzly. He (Davis) has played a total of two. This guy (Ah Yat) is a sophomore.
“We’re probably not ready to win a game of that magnitude, but we did. As we get into the latter part of this season, if we continue to find ways to win we’re going to have a terrific football team.”
Grizzlies safety Kade Boyd (17) hits North Dakota quarterback Jerry Kaminski (11) causing an interception by linebacker Peyton Wing in the third quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies linebacker Peyton Wing (32) celebrates after intercepting a pass in the third quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Blake Bohannon (4) catches a 56-yard reception in the first quarter against North Dakota at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Brooks Davis (3) celebrates with tight end Josh Gale (81) after Davis' 28-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter against North Dakota at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies linebacker Elijawah Tolbert (11) celebrates after a stop in the second quarter against North Dakota at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Drew Deck (2) picks up yardage after a reception in the fourth quarter against North Dakota at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat (8) rolls out to throw in the second quarter against North Dakota at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies linebacker Clay Oven (37) celebrates after a tackle on a punt return against North Dakota at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
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