Gillman, Davis and 11 sacks lift Grizzlies over Eagles

CHENEY, Wash. — The Montana Grizzlies made a statement on defense Saturday, racking up a school-record 11 sacks that helped them past Eastern Washington 42-33 in Big Sky Conference football.

Add in three touchdowns each from receiver Brooks Davis — who had nine catches for 231 yards — and running back Eli Gillman, and it was enough to subdue the explosive Eagles. 

Montana (6-3 overall, 4-2 in Big Sky play) snapped a two-game slide and won its second straight on the red turf of Roos Field. The Grizzlies had two weeks to reset a defense that was gashed by Northern Arizona and Idaho; they came back with a blitz-happy effort that, in addition to the sacks, picked off Eastern QB Nate Bell three times. 

“I’m just so proud of this team and this coaching staff because, when you look at the way we started, we were getting sacks and doing all these different things, playing with freshman corners and our sixth-and seventh-string safeties at times in the game,” UM coach Bobby Kennedy said. “I’m just proud of these guys because they love Montana and they believe in each other. I’m just so happy for these guys.” 

Montana’s offense also produced. Quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns, though he was intercepted twice. Davis delivered a career performance that started with a 75-yard catch-and-run on UM’s first offensive play.  

His second touchdown, on a 51-yard Hail Mary pass to close the first half, loomed large as Eastern (2-7, 1-5 in the Big Sky) kept the pressure on.  

The Eagles trailed 28-20 after the Hail Mary but kept it a one-score game until late. With 3:00 left, Bell found Jaxon Branch for 28 yards and a touchdown to cut Montana’s lead to 35-33. Bell’s game-tying PAT pass fell incomplete, though. 

Then with 1:54 left, Davis took a bubble screen 61 yards to paydirt, putting the Griz up two scores. Bell’s final pass was intercepted by UM lineman Zekiel Seumalo with 55 seconds remaining. 

Bell completed 19 of 33 passes for 269 yards and three TDs. Eastern never led, but his 24-yard strike to Drew Carlson cut the gap to 14-10 in the second quarter; his 29-yard pass to Wesley Garrett narrowed the score to 21-20 at 11:22 of the third quarter. 

Both those touchdown passes were set up by Ah Yat interceptions; his third came after Montana punted with 7:21 left in the game. Nine plays later Bell and Branch made it 35-33. Branch had seven catches for 131 yards. 

The Grizzlies kept answering, and not just Davis, who now has 1,145 receiving yards this season. Gilman caught a 4-yard scoring pass to make it 14-3, had a 1-yard scoring run to make it 28-20 and, after Bell’s 4-yard scoring run cut the gap to 28-27, tore off a 68-yard TD at 13:44 of the fourth quarter.  

He finished with 145 rushing yards on 24 carries and pushed his career touchdown total 74 — three short of the Big Sky record of 77 held by EWU’s Cooper Kupp. 

Montana’s previous sack record was 9.5, set against Cal Poly in 2000. Four sacks came on Eastern’s first drive, which still ended with a Soren McKee field goal. 

“We decided that we were going to go all in, put all our chips in the middle of the table. Like I said, we didn’t talk about unforeseen circumstances on this defense. I have great belief in this defensive staff, and I knew that there were going to be some growing pains,” Kennedy said.  

Gillman now has 4,838 career rushing yards, pushing him past Portland State’s Ryan Fuqua (4.730) and into fifth in Big Sky history. 

Montana is home to face Portland State on Saturday, at 1 p.m.