A backup quarterback has long been the favorite player of Montana Grizzlies fans. That tradition certainly continued Saturday night.
Though he wasn’t technically in the role of backup in the Grizzlies’ 62-44 win over Idaho State, senior Chad Chalich endeared himself to the faithful — and etched his name into the school’s record books in the process.
Chalich tossed a school record seven touchdowns passes and ran for another, setting Montana’s single-game total touchdown mark as the Griz continued a torrid offensive season within Washington-Grizzly Stadium scoring at least 60 points for the third straight home game, which also set a school record on a night when records were meant to be broken —or tied.
Chad Chalich/ by Jason Bacaj
“Chad did a great job putting the ball in the air and (wide receiver) Keenan (Curran) went and got it,” said Montana coach Bob Stitt, referencing the four touchdowns Curran caught, which tied the Grizzlies’ single-game record. “Those are the things that we’re talking about with our football team of how we can move forward.”
The offensive outburst, which is becoming a regularity when the Griz (6-3 overall, 3-3 Big Sky) step on the turf at Washington-Grizzly this season, was in sharp contrast with what took place a week ago in Cheney, Washington when Montana’s playmakers failed to complete their end of the bargain in a 35-16 loss.
That wasn’t the case in the rout of the hapless Bengals (2-7, 1-6).
Often times Chalich sent the ball down field and Curran or redshirt freshmen Jerry Louie-McGee or Justin Calhoun ran underneath it and found ways to come down with the ball secure, keeping the offense moving on their nine marches to the end zone.
Chalich threw four scores to Curran, two to Calhoun and one to Louie-McGee as the backup quarterback from Coeur d’ Alene dissected the Idaho State defense no matter what coverage they showed.
“It was the best day ever for a quarterback (at Montana) as far as throwing the ball,” said Stitt, who finally let Chalich take a seat on the bench after Joey Counts crossed the goal line to cap Montana’s scoring with 4:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. “I’m proud of him.”
At the post game press conference Chalich, with his 440 yards of total offense, sat with the same expression he had when he was invited to the Sky Club above Dahlberg Arena following Montana’s 67-7 dismantling of Mississippi Valley State in early October. His voice, like that of a librarian, barely reaching the back of the room when asked about his historic night.
Just a year earlier, Chalich was placed in the same situation, subbing for an injured Brady Gustafson for before an injury forced Chalich to the sideline. That’s where Chalich was when he watched Makena Simis tie the school record with six touchdown passes in a win over North Dakota last October.
This week against ISU, Simis, now an H-receiver, found Chalich on the sideline after he connected with Curran for a 4-yard score that put the Griz up 41-31 with 15 ticks left in the first half.
“(Simis) kinda, I can’t really say the word about it. He was like, ‘Yeah, you joined the club,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah,’ said Chalich, referencing Montana’s six-touchdown club that includes Dave Dickenson, Brian Ah Yat, Jordan Johnson and Simis. “It was great opportunity — it hasn’t really hit me yet.”
Chalich found out early this week that Gustafson was not going to be able to go after Montana’s starter injured his shoulder and chest in the loss at Eastern Washington. Chalich had been here before, starting three games last season as a junior, but never did he have a performance like the one he turned in Saturday.
His first pass went for a 6-yard loss, but his next was a sign of things to come. Known for his mobility, Chalich scrambled from the pocket and found Curran streaking along the end line for a 9-yard score.
Montana sophomore wide receiver Keenan Curran/ by Jason Bacaj
On Montana’s next drive, Chalich dropped the snap on first down setting the offense back, but he quickly made up for it running out of trouble and finding Curran along the sideline for an acrobatic 25-yard gain. Two plays later he tossed one down the Grizzlies’ sideline to Justin Calhoun, who snagged it out of the air, fought off a defender and went 61 yards to put the Griz up 13-7 following a botched point after, the ninth missed PAT of the season for Montana.
“It doesn’t faze us if a new quarterback is in because our system works,” said Curran, who finished his record-tying scoring night with seven catches for 129 yards. “It doesn’t really matter who is back there. I mean, credit to Chad, I’m not taking anything away from him, but our system works.”
Montana needed every score Chalich was able to provide.
Idaho State, the second-lowest scoring offense in the Big Sky, gashed Montana’s defense through the air and on the ground, churning out seven plays of at least 28 yards. By the time Chalich threw his fourth score, a 16-yarder to Calhoun, who somehow got a foot inside the playing field, Idaho State had scored 17 points. The Bengals then strung together 14 straight points to take a 31-27 lead 4:37 to go in the first half.
Montana responded with Chalich lofting a pretty rainbow of a throw to Louie-McGee, who ran underneath it, appearing to bend himself in half looking over his shoulder for the ball, for a 52-yard score.
Montana added the 4-yard touchdown to take a 41-31 lead into the locker room, marking the third consecutive game inside WSG that the Griz posted 40 in a half.
“I’m proud of how our kids came out and played,” Stitt said. “ … Those are the things we’re talking about with our football about how we can move forward and what we didn’t do last week, the difference in the game was just making a couple plays. The difference today was making those plays. We’ve got great football players, they’ve just got to continue to move forward.”
Montana travels Northern Colorado next week before finishing its season at home against Montana State.
