CORVALLIS, Oregon – Oregon State caught almost all of the deep shots. Montana did not.
“Underdog Montana moved the ball early only to see missed opportunities turn into a snowball that eventually became an avalanche, ultimately resulting in the first loss of the Bobby Kennedy era with Big Sky Conference play looming. “
OSU quarterback Braden Atkinson threw for 333 yards and five touchdowns, including four touchdowns in the first half, as the Beavers turned a 35-3 halftime lead into a 52-17 runaway on Saturday night in a (new) Pac-12 after dark affair in front of more than 34,000 at Reser Stadium.
For Montana, the difference between a competitive road test and a blowout was measured in missed opportunities and explosive plays, both that UM did and did not make and what the visitors gave up.
The Grizzlies came to Corvallis with an undefeated record Kennedy, its first-year head coach, plus a veteran quarterback in Keali’i Ah Yat who’s father Brian had led Montana to a win here 30 years ago. The Griz scored nearly 100 points through its first three games of the BK era, posting three straight victories against lesser opponents in front of partisan crowds.
Early Saturday night, Montana looked like it could compete on the perimeter, particularly when the Griz had the ball.
Oregon State opened the scoring when Atkinson found tight end Eric Olsen, a Utah Tech transfer, for a 19-yard touchdown. On the next Montana possession, Ah Yat tried to answer.
After a sustained drive into Beaver territory, Ah Yat faced a fourth-and-four from the Oregon State 33. Montana’s All-American senior had Brooks Davis isolated in single coverage along the right sideline. Ah Yat dropped back and gave his leading receiver a chance.
Davis couldn’t come down with it. That play, which would’ve tied the game 7-7-, became an early snapshot of the night.
“It would’ve been nice completing those deep shots…” Davis, who finished with 11 catches for 135 yards, said before trailing off. Davis has 23 catches for 287 yards the last two weeks and continues to be one of the leading pass catchers in the country with 35 total receptions.
When Oregon State had opportunities down the field, the Beavers consistently finished them. When Montana had its opportunities, the Grizzlies struggled to do the same.
Atkinson followed the turnover on downs with another touchdown pass to Aeryn Hampton, then connected with freshman receiver Jesse Legree on a 23-yard scoring strike late in the second quarter to stake the Beavers to a 21-3 lead.
Legree entered the game as the nation’s leading receiver after exploding for 376 yards and three touchdowns through two games. He had already established himself as one of the most dangerous young players in the country, and Montana knew it, playing soft coverage with a tremendous amount of help over the top in coverage, but very little resistance to anything thrown to the middle of the field. Despite the extra attention, Legree maneuvered under the cushion to finish with four catches for 100 yards and the score.
Legree’s touchdown came with 8:42 until halftime. Atkinson rushed in a score before connecting with Hampton for a 16-yard gain to the 1-yard line on a lofting throw that was initially called a touchdown. Five passing touchdowns in a single half would’ve set an OSU record, but instead, Atkinson pounded in a one-yard TD run to put the Beavers up 35-3 in the first half.
“At the beginning, we need to communicate better,” UM senior safety Tanner Huff said. “That falls on me, that falls on everyone. That’s not our standard. We are doing to go back to work on Monday. We are going to get back to work. We are hard workers and that’s what we want to do: get better.”
The miscommunication might’ve stemmed from the fact that Peyton Wing, Montana’s defensive captain, was ejected in the first half for a targeting penalty. He wears the green dot on his helmet for in-game communication with the defensive coaches.
“Peyton’s our leader on defense. I mean, he gets the guys set. He moves people around. When you lose a guy like that, it’s tough. He can lead on the sideline, but obviously he’s not making plays on the field. But Peyton is a great kid, and he’s going to give his best for Montana all the time,” Kennedy said.
Atkinson entered Saturday having thrown for 789 yards in two games, including 413 last week in a 35-24 loss to No. 13 Texas Tech. Legree entered as the national leader in receiving yards. Under the direction of first-year head coach JaMarcus Shephard, the former offensive coordinator at Alabama, OSU had clearly shown that the intent was to air it out.
Montana’s defense had no answers. A secondary that had been a pleasant surprise when playing Southern Utah, Drake and Utah Tech found itself mismatched on almost every passing play as Atkinson went 22-of-29 before taking a seat following throwing his fifth touchdown to running back Aaron Butler less than a minute into the second half.
Ah Yat, who finished 21-of-40 for 215 yards, orchestrated a pair of touchdown drives before giving way to backup Luke Flowers. Ah Yat found Reese Brooks for his first career TD as a Griz to cap a 12-play, 72-yard drive mostly against Oregon State’s backup defense. And Davis eventually did haul in a deep ball, running underneath a lofting 40-yard touchdown for Montana’s final points to put the score at 49-17.
Lost in Atkinson’s offensive onslaught was the latest Eli Gillman record. The fifth-year running back became Montana’s all-time leading rusher, passing Yohance Humphrey for the top spot in UM history. Gillman finished with 81 yards on the ground against OSU, bringing his career total to 4,086 and moving him into first place in program history.
Gillman broke Humphrey’s record of 4,070, adding another milestone to a record-setting career that has already seen him climb to the top of Montana’s rushing touchdown and total touchdown lists.
“I’m really happy with Eli because he has invested in this program and in his teammates,” Kennedy said. “He’s a guy I want on my side.”
TThe Grizzlies entered Corvallis hoping to find out how their rebuilt roster would handle an FBS opponent on the road. Instead, several of the early pleasant surprises – secondary talent & depth, defensive line play — were abruptly turned into question marks with a pivotal conference opener at No. 11 UC Davis. The Aggies are 3-1 after Saturday’s 45-7 win over Stetson of the Pioneer Football League.
“Our guys kept competing,” Kennedy said. “There are a lot of kids in our locker room that are hurting right now because they expected to play better, but I’ll put that on the coaches. We have good kids that are prideful of Montana and what they wear on the front of their jersey, and we’ve just got to keep getting better.”
