Sacramento State ran up 456 yards on Montana’s defense and beat the Grizzlies 28-21 in Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday.
The loss was the second in three games for the No. 5 Grizzlies. The Hornets moved to 3-0 in the Big Sky Conference. The victory also marks the first win over Montana in Missoula in 13 all-time trips.
Quarterback Kris Brown finished 29 of 36 for 188 yards and ran for two scores for the Griz, but threw a crucial interception during a wild sequence early in the fourth quarter.
With the Griz down 28-21, Brian Buschini hit a corkscrewing punt into the sun that Sac State returner Marcus Fulcher muffed. Levi Janacaro recovered for the Griz at the Hornets’ 16-yard line, but on the very next play Brown, looking for Sammy Akem in the end zone, threw an interception to linebacker Marcus Hawkins.
The Grizzlies ran just 12 offensive plays the rest of the way. Brown was sacked on consecutive plays on third and fourth down with under a minute left to end it.
Jake Dunniway threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns for the Hornets, including two to Jared Gipson. Asher O’Hara, the other half of Sac State’s quarterback platoon, led the visitors with 72 rushing yards. Dunniway led a scoring drive on Sac State’s first offensive possession and O’Hara led a scoring drive late in the second quarter to help Sac build a 14-6 halftime lead.
The Griz failed to score a touchdown in the first half for the second straight game and went to halftime trailing 14-6 before Brown ran for two scores, a 2-yarder and a 23-yarder, in the third quarter to get Montana back in it.
The Griz play at Idaho next week.
