Many wondered how the Griz would respond, especially under a first-year novide head coach and a total identity makeover since the Darth Vader of Montana football (Bobby Hauck) departed.
The Griz barely got lined up right or made plays on the ball last wek in a 52-17 loss at Oregon State.
Saturday in Davis, California against a football program that’s been to the FCS Elite 8 two years in a row, Montana affirmed itself as a national power. again.
And Eli Gillman, who went from arguably the best player in the country to affirmatively within the converstaion, carried the evening once again.
As UM sports information wrote – “A game for the ages, and another week of history for Eli Gillman.”
The fifth-year running back delivered the biggest rushing performance of his career, running for a career-best 275 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries as the Griz rolled to a 62-22 win over UC Davis.
Gillman and the Grizzly offense proved to be a well-oiled machine, churning out 607 yards of total offense – one of only 23 games in program history over 600 yards – with a balanced attack of 366 yards on the ground and 241 over the air from quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat.
The Grizzly defense was also stifling, forcing a pair of Aggie fumbles and seven punts from the home team while racking up three sacks and eight tackles for loss.
“I’m really excited for our players and our staff. I think our staff did such a great job and our players really responded all week after a disappointing loss,” said head coach Bobby Kennedy.
“I’m excited because we played Montana football.”
Gillman’s rushed for 275 yards to break Montana’s single-game rushing record, surpassing Yohance Humphery’s previous mark of 265 yards set against Weber State in 2001.
Gillman also recorded his career-high touchdowns with four, giving him 60 rushing touchdowns for his career and moving him past Sacramento State’s Charles Roberts for the Big Sky Conference’s all-time rushing touchdown record. Gillman now has 66 total offensive touchdowns, eighth away from the previously infallible Cooper Kupp in the history of the league.
The record-setting performance continued what has been a historic season for Gillman, who entered the game tied with Roberts at 56 career rushing touchdowns while Gillman also became the first Griz in more than a decade to surpass 1,000 yards rushing
“He’s a generational player,” Kennedy said. “I mean, he’s a guy that comes to work every day. His teammates love him. He has a lot of fun with our guys, but he’s just a guy that just keeps chugging away.”
With four touchdowns, Gillman also moved to 396 career points, passing Montana’s Brody McKnight (387) and Chris Snyder (394) for third place on the Big Sky’s all-time scoring list. Only Dan Carpenter’s 413 points, and Eastern Washington’s Cooper Kupp’s 464 points remain ahead of him. He is also now in second in career points on Montana’s all-time points list, only behind Carpenter.
Gillman’s four touchdowns also moved him closer to Kupp’s Big Sky record of 77 total touchdowns. Gillman now has 66 career total touchdowns, putting him 11 away from breaking Kupp’s record.
The performance marked Gillman’s 19th career 100-yard rushing game and his first career 200-yard rushing performance, breaking his previous career high of 198.
“I’ve said this before, and people probably getting sick of me saying it. I mean, he’s a generational player,” Kennedy said. “I’m so proud of him, but I’m also proud of those guys up front.”
Gillman’s record-breaking performance was made possible by a Montana offensive line that helped the Grizzlies establish the run throughout the game and pile up the most rushing yards and points scored in the Big Sky so far this season.
“Kudos to the offensive line because they opened up some big holes and did a great job for Keali’i and Eli and all the guys,” Kennedy said. “I mean Brooks and Landon Ransom, the tight ends. I mean, they did a great job. I’m really proud of both lines.”
While Gillman stole the spotlight, Montana’s passing game continued to produce as well.
Ah Yat completed 21 of 31 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns while adding 22 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. The Grizzlies finished with 607 total yards and did not commit any turnovers.
Wide receiver Brooks Davis continued his impressive season, recording nine catches for more than 100 yards and a touchdown for the third consecutive game.
Davis’ performance marked his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season as he continued to establish himself as one of the top Big Sky’s receiving threats.
Landon Ransom-Goelz also found the end zone for the first time this season, hauling in a 2-yard touchdown pass from Ah Yat in the second quarter.
Montana’s defense played a major role in establishing the early lead, holding UC Davis without a touchdown until late in the second quarter as UM put 31 points on the board before the break – the most against a ranked team since beating Delaware in the 2023 playoffs.
“Well, they had some dangerous wide receivers, so I was really pleased with the defense for getting those stops, but also getting pressure on the quarterback,” Kennedy said. “And to be quite frank, I just think our guys just kept hitting and hitting and hitting.”
Linebacker Peyton Wing was a major part of the Grizzlies’ defensive effort, totaling five tackles with two TFLs and a pass breakup.
“He is such a great leader on our team,” Kennedy said. “I mean, he bleeds maroon and silver for Montana Grizzlies. I mean, he’s a great leader. He gets guys lined up, but then when he puts that helmet on, he comes to play.”
Linebacker Nai Mose led UM with eight stops and a TFL, while end Tyler King had two and a half sacks in another strong performance from the Central Washington transfer.
After UC Davis went three-and-out on its opening possession, Montana drove down the field behind a 23-yard pass to Davis before Gillman finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to give the Griz a 7-0 lead.
Montana struck again after a muffed punt gave the Grizzlies possession in Aggie territory. A 21-yard reception by Reese Brooks helped set up Gillman’s second touchdown of the night, another 5-yard run that pushed the lead to 14-0.
The Griz continued to control the first quarter, driving into UC Davis territory before Jo Silver connected on a 39-yard field goal to give Montana a 17-0 advantage.
Montana’s offense continued its momentum in the second quarter, putting together a long drive that began at its own 1-yard line.
Gillman broke off a 64-yard run during the drive, while Dylan Paine added a 26-yard reception to move the Griz deep into UC Davis territory.
Ah Yat eventually found Ransom-Goelz for a 2-yard touchdown pass, extending Montana’s lead to 24-0.
The Griz added another touchdown before halftime when Ah Yat kept the ball on fourth-and-1 and raced into the end zone from 7 yards out, giving Montana a 31-0 lead.
UC Davis answered late in the half as Treynor Cleeland found Zach Jones for a 27-yard touchdown pass. The Aggies added a two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 31-8 heading into halftime.
Montana opened the second half with another scoring drive.
Led by Davis and Gillman, the Griz moved down the field before Gillman found the end zone for the third time, this time from 17 yards out, giving Montana a 38-8 lead.
After Montana’s defense stopped UC Davis on fourth down, the Griz quickly added to their advantage. Ah Yat connected with Davis for a 3-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 45-8.
The Aggies answered with a three-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 27-yard touchdown run from Jordan Fisher, but Montana responded once again.
Ah Yat used his legs for his second rushing touchdown of the night, scoring from 12 yards out to push the Griz ahead 52-15.
Just seconds into the fourth quarter, Gillman broke through the UC Davis defense for a 58-yard touchdown run, his fourth touchdown of the night making it 59-15.
Montana added another score after recovering a UC Davis fumble, driving into position for Silver to connect on a 50-yard field goal and extend the lead to 62-15.
UC Davis added a late touchdown when backup quarterback Jackson Kollock found Xzavior Guess for a 6-yard score, but the Aggies could not slow down the Grizzlies’ offense.
Montana closed out the 62-22 victory, improving to 4-1 on the season and continuing its perfect record at Aggie Stadium.
“When we came out in the second half, I felt really good, obviously because we were up,” Kennedy said. “But the thing was, the way that our offense responded and moved the ball down. I think the first three drives and just kind of put it away. I kind of took a deep breath and I said, ‘Okay, we have this one at hand.'”
With the victory, the Grizzlies improved to 7-0 all-time on the road against UC Davis and 4-1 on the season.
“The lasting thought is this: every week we got to keep getting better,” Kennedy said. “We can’t let our foot off the gas, and we got to keep pushing, we got to keep working, and so when you do the little things right and you keep working, then good things happen.”
The Grizzlies return home for Homecoming on Oct. 3, hosting Northern Colorado at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
