Give Gillman the crown: Griz ride RBs 4 touchdowns to win pver Drake
FRITZ NEIGHBOR | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 hours, 59 minutes AGO
Grizzlies running back Eli Gillman (10) scores a touchdown on a 1-yard run in the second quarter against Drake at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Landon Ransom-Goelz (2) holds on to a 37-yard reception in the second quarter against Drake at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies linebacker Peyton Wing (32) celebrates with defenders Nai Mose (38) and Tyler King (90) after a stop in the first quarter against Drake at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Brooks Davis (3) reaches just short of the goal line on a 6-yard reception in the third quarter against Drake at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Brooks Davis (3) catches a 26-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter against Drake at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies offensive lineman Torin Jeske (68) celebrates with running back Eli Gillman (10) after a third-quarter touchdown reception by Gillman against Drake at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies linebacker Peyton Wing (32) hits Drake quarterback Riley Warzynski (1) in the third quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies defenders Nai Mose (38) hits Drake quarterback Riley Warzynski (1) in the first quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies running back Eli Gillman (10) picks up yardage on a run in the second quarter against Drake at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Grizzlies quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat (8) drops back to pass in the first quarter against Drake at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
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. | September 6, 2026 12:00 AM
MISSOULA — The No. 3 Montana Grizzlies were the overdogs Saturday for their non-conference game with Drake, but a handful of things separated their 45-10 win over the Bulldogs from the mundane.
Four of them were touchdowns by Eli Gillman, three on the ground, which moved the senior running back past Chase Reynolds to the top of Montana’s career rushing TD list (53, to 52) and tied the legend out of Drummond for total times in the paint (59).
Gillman finished with 105 yards on 19 carries, plus had a 1-yard TD reception. The Grizzlies, held to 48 offensive plays by Southern Utah last week, had 42 snaps by halftime and 83 for the game Saturday, played in perfect weather in front of 25,915 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat had another stellar afternoon, completing 27 of 40 passes for 282 yards and two scores, one of them covering 26 yards to Brooks Davis.
“I did think we got on track offensively,” said Bobby Kennedy, now 2-0 as the Grizzlies’ coach. “This guy to my left (Gillman) had a lot to do with that. Overall, a lot of really, really good things. But there’s so much we can work on and clean up.”
Drake, from the non-scholarship Pioneer League, came in with an up-tempo offense led by quarterback Riley Warzynski. He served notice with a 67-yard strike to Willis Nofsinger on the Bulldogs’ third snap.
In a sign of things to come, Montana’s defense stiffened and the Bulldogs settled for a field goal.
Gillman then had scoring runs covering 3 yards, 3 yards and 1 yard as Montana went up 21-3 midway through the second quarter.
“I wasn’t aware of which one ties it and which one breaks it, to be honest,” Gillman said. “I was just kind of playing football.
“I don’t think it’s settled in yet. I just like celebrating with my fellas, especially my O-linemen. They get just as excited.”
For a minute Gillman’s day looked like it was over early. At the end of an 11-yard run he got popped on the Griz sideline by Drake safety Tommy Williams. Gillman appeared woozy, and Ah Yat motioned for a sub.
“I couldn’t feel my ear. My ear was ringing,” Gillman said. “That’s really all that happened. It still kind of feels weird.”
Four plays later he was back in; five plays after that he capped a 75-yard drive with his first TD. Montana led for good, 7-3, at 7:00 of the first quarter.
Gillman’s third touchdown was made possible by a bizarre play: On third and goal Ah Yat hit tight end Mariano Birdno for an apparent TD, but then teammate Dylan Paine came in with a power hug that popped the ball loose. Incomplete.
That and another spate of penalties — 16 for 138 yards — were the black marks on a fine day. After the non-TD the Grizzlies simply gave the ball to Gillman on the next play and he scored around the right side.
Drake put up some numbers but also gave the Griz some short fields. Twice the Bulldogs turned it over on downs inside their own 40; Gillman’s TD catch capped a 39-yard drive and made it 28-3 at 4:01 of the third quarter.
Another Bulldog drive ended at the Grizzlies’ 19 when defensive end Tyler King came in untouched and jarred the ball loose from Warzynski, and Zekiel Seumalo recovered. Keyed by a 37-yard strike to Landon Ransom-Goelz, the Griz drove 81 yards to Gillman’s third TD.
“I thought we fought, I thought we moved the football,” coach Matt Walker, in his first season at Drake, said. “It felt like from the 15 to the 15 the game was a little more even than the score indicated. Obviously, they finished drives that we didn’t. But I think we showed flashes of how dangerous we can be.”
Davis caught his TD late in the third quarter, and Drake found paydirt with 9:30 left in the game on a 10-yard pass from Warzynski to Marquis Monroe.
Jo Silver then hit a 50-yard field goal for UM with 4:05 left, and Paine scored his first Griz touchdown — the graduate transfer had three at Washington State — with 1:27 remaining.
Paine finished with 76 yards on 13 carries. Ransom-Goelz caught five passes for 101 yards; Davis had 8 for 95.
Warzinski threw for 252 yards, completing 31 of 60 passes. He fumbled twice; Styles Goodman forced one that Clay Oven recovered at the Drake 30, setting up Paine’s TD.
UM will host Utah Tech next Saturday and be overdog again. Soon after that they’ll face opponents they can’t afford to make so many penalties against.
“We talk about smart, tough, physical, disciplined,” Kennedy said. “We’ve got to be smarter; we’ve got to be more disciplined.”
Grizzlies wide receiver Landon Ransom-Goelz (2) holds on to a 37-yard reception in the second quarter against Drake at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies linebacker Peyton Wing (32) celebrates with defenders Nai Mose (38) and Tyler King (90) after a stop in the first quarter against Drake at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Brooks Davis (3) reaches just short of the goal line on a 6-yard reception in the third quarter against Drake at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies wide receiver Brooks Davis (3) catches a 26-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter against Drake at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies offensive lineman Torin Jeske (68) celebrates with running back Eli Gillman (10) after a third-quarter touchdown reception by Gillman against Drake at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies linebacker Peyton Wing (32) hits Drake quarterback Riley Warzynski (1) in the third quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies defenders Nai Mose (38) hits Drake quarterback Riley Warzynski (1) in the first quarter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies running back Eli Gillman (10) picks up yardage on a run in the second quarter against Drake at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Grizzlies quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat (8) drops back to pass in the first quarter against Drake at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
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