In Hauck’s first season back at Montana last fall, the unbalanced schedule of the Big Sky Conference steered the Griz away from an Eastern Washington team that, like the 2009 Grizzlies, raced all the way to the FCS national title game in 2018.

Saturday in Missoula, for stretches it looked like 2009 all over again. Leading up to the renewal of the rivalry, Hauck predicted that the team that ran the ball and stopped the run most effectively would win the day. In front of 24,072 who braved the wintery conditions, the Griz went to the ground early and often, giving supporters flashbacks that “Bobby Ball” might be back in Missoula.

 No. 10 Montana rushed for 254 yards and gave up just 101, including 131 yards and three touchdowns from junior running back Marcus Knight in UM’s favor and 79 more bruising yards to seal the game from true freshman Nick Ostmo on the way to a 34-17 victory over suddenly struggling EWU on Saturday afternoon in Missoula. 

“It’s nice to be right once in awhile,” Hauck said with a grin. “That’s good, hard-nosed football. It looked like late fall in the Northern Rockies out there early in the game. You’ve got to be able to run the ball here or you are not going to win late in the season. You have to be able to stop it because the other team is trying to do it.

“We did a good job on both sides of that equation. I really liked how our defense swarmed to both sides of the ball. And I really liked how our offense did the same.”

The win moves Montana to 3-1 in Big Sky Conference play, 6-2 overall entering the final month of the regular-season. The victory also helps the Griz wash the bad taste of last week’s 49-22 loss at No. 15 Sacramento State last week. And it keeps the in the mix for their first Big Sky title since, coincidentally, 2009.

“Certainly, to beat the team that played in the national championship game last year is a great win for us,” said Hauck after leading the Montana program to its 600^th win, the 22^nd FCS program to achive that feat. “I’m proud of our effort and played the game coming off a loss and how they finished it, frankly. Aaron Best had his team ready to go. They had a good first half. That was tough. We were down, had to fight our way back and I like our football team’s ability to do that.”

The Eastern Washington loss drops the Eagles to 3-5 this season, almost certainly out of the FCS playoff picture given EWU’s remaining schedule. A team that won 12 games last season despite losing senior quarterback Gage Gubrud in the final game of September of 2018. EWU is 2-2 in league play but on the outside of the postseason picture looking in.

“That’s a good outfit in a tough environment and those guys coming off a loss,” Best said. “Everyone wants to scrutinize the negative; scrutinize the positive. These guys played their asses off in the first half, played their ass off in the second half, didn’t score enough points against a good football team that didn’t score enough points against Coach Hauck and company who held serve at home.”

Montana’s run game helped make the absence of All-American quarterback Dalton Sneed a non-factor. UM junior Cam Humphrey operated too quickly in the first half, firing the ball after making one read for most of the first two and a half quarters. But once Knight, Ostmo and Montana’s diverse rushing attack spearheaded by a creative three-tight end set enforced its will, the Grizzlies overcame a 14-3 deficit by ending the game on a 31-3 run.

“I have a hell of a role model in front of me in Dalton so to fill in and see everyone step up, it made it easy for me to get in there and operate our run game,” Humprey said after chipping in 35 rushing yards.

Eastern Washington’s defense lost a slew of stellar talents from last season’s underrated unit, including Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year Jay-Tee Tiuli, All-Big Sky cornerbacks D’Londo Tucker and Josh Lewis and All-Big Sky safety Mitch Fettig. The Eagles welcomed back Chris Ojoh, a junior who was a breakout star for the Eagles last fall who has missed the last month with an injury. The EWU defense competed with great fervor throughout, particularly during the first two quarters as Eastern built a 14-3 lead and went into halftime up 14-10.

For the first time in the second rendition of the Hauck era, Montana was able to lean on a Big Sky opponent. Using a 3-tight end set that included senior Colin Bingham and sophomore Bryson Deming (usual suspects) along with newcomer true freshman Joey Elwell, who served in a wing/H-back role, plowed lanes for a ground game that averaged 4.8 yards per carry on a season-high 55 rushes.

“There was a big emphasis on the run game all week,” Knight said. “As a running back, you are always excited when you are told you are going to be able to run the ball and you have the whole o-line very excited. As the coaches said, those two, three, four-yard runs, as the game wears on, they turn into 10, 15, long runs. They will pop.”

The Griz entered the game averaging 35 rushing attempts a game and 318 passing yards per outing because of Sneed’s impressive hot streak. Montana’s previous season-high for rushing attempt was 48 in a 61-17 win over North Alabama. UM’s season-high in rushing yards remains 260 in a 45-20 win at UC Davis.

Throughout last season, the narrative surrounding the Griz offense centered upon the deficiencies of the offensive line. Saturday, that improved group, spurred on by the move of senior Cy Sirmon to center, the addition of right guard Moses Mallory from the junior college, and the emergence of right tackle Dallas Cook, bulldozed the way to Knight’s dominant day and Ostmo’s brutish game-closing effort.

“A team that runs the ball well, if you can stick with it, that’s the way it’s going to be,” Hauck said when asked about his run game gaining steam. “You can wear on the other side if you are persistent and have the ability to do that. To do that, you have to be able to generate first downs and be able to continue on with it in the game. Today, that’s how it played out and it was fun to watch our big guys lean on them.”

Montana set the tone, forging a 16-play, 61-yard drive that lasted the first seven minutes, 14 seconds of the game. The Griz had to settle for a 35-yard Brandon Purdy field goal. But the tone was set. 

The two teams traded failed fourth down attempts in the first 20 minutes. Exactly two game minutes after Montana’s failed attempt, EWU sophomore wide receiver Andrew Boston maximized single-coverage against true freshman Corbin Walker, ripping off a 36-yard touchdown to put EWU in front.

A little over two minutes after that first touchdown, EWU junior quarterback Eric Barriere hit Talolo Limu-Jones for a 62-yard gain. On the next play, Tamarick Pierce, a standout on EWU’s 2018 squad who suffered a torn ACL during the playoffs lastfall that kept him out until Saturday, punched in a touchdown from five yards out.

Despite possessing the ball for less than eight minutes in the game’s first 23, Eastern Washington led 14-3 with 6:29 remaining in the first half.

The first gashing play by the Griz came when Humphrey hit Knight for a 37-yard gain, part of a three-catch, 65-yard receiving day, to spark a scoring drive that resulted in Knight’s first touchdown from four yards out.

Still, the Eagles entered the locker room with a 14-10 lead.

“We played really good football for a half, and didn’t play very good football for the other half,” EWU third-year head coach Aaron Best said. “That seems to be a common theme. We’ll tweak some things and we’ll make some adjustments. Because right now we are hitting on all cylinders for 30 minutes and hitting on very few for the next 30.”

After halftime, the Griz took full advantage of its newfound ability to wear out the Eagles but not before the latest electric play by Knight, the breakout big-play maker in the Big Sky this season. 

Following a 12-play, 63-yard drive that took up 4:29 and resulted in a Seth Harrison 35-yard field goal that put EWU up 17-10, Knight answered by breaking a tackle, cutting off a Cook block and racing for a 45-yard touchdown. That spurt tied the game 17-17 with 7:18 left in the third.

“When I got the ball, Cam yelled ‘Get it’ and I just followed the read,” Knight said. “I cut off the block and it was wide open.”

Montana never looked back. The next three EWU possessions resulted in punts. Those punts never made it across midfield. The Griz started with the ball on the Eastern 46 twice in a row, leading to a 46-yard Purdy field goal and a nine-yard Knight touchdown less than a minute into the final frame that gave the hosts a 27-17 lead. 

Following Knight’s second score, Griz kicker Adam Wilson made a rare mistake, botching the kickoff. An un-expecting Silas Perreiah muffed the kick and UM’s Malik Flowers recovered. Five plays and 23 yards later, Humphrey threw a back-shoulder dart to junior Sammy Akem for a six-yard touchdown that proved to be the final score fo the game with 12 minutes to play.

Montana had chance to close the game in dominant fashion when another stop and another bad EWU punt resulted in UM taking over on the Eastern 48 with 10:31 to play. Two Knight carries later, the sophomore upstart fumbled and Rudolph Mataia recovered. Knight would not see the field again despite finishing his day with 196 yards from scrimmage and three rushing touchdowns.

Ostmo, a 6-foot, 220-pound true freshman out of Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon, salted the game away with 11 of his 18 carries over the final two Griz possessions.

“He was in there for a reason,” Hauck jabbed, referring to Knight’s fumble. “We will forgive the guy to my right for that (Knight). Our backs are running hard. Marcus ran hard. Nick ran hard. A lot of yards after contact. They were breaking tackles. Front was pushing it.”

Montana has now out-scored its opponents 189-67 this season, or an average score of 23-8. This time, UM did it in a new, and in Hauck’s case, old fashion to beat EWU for the first time in 1,465 days.

“We are a second half team, a fourth-quarter team and that’s where we want to be playing our best on any given Saturday,” Hauck said. “Today, that’s what it was so I was happy for our guys.”

Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.

Elliss, a first-team All-Big Sky selection in 2018 after finishing second in the conference in tackles for loss, turned heads with dynamic workouts in the weeks before the draft, including running a 4.58 second 40-yard dash and recording a 34.5-inch vertical leap.

“This kid was an ultimate playmaker at Idaho,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said on the broadcast, per the Idaho Statesman. “He beat offenses in a variety of ways, tested off the charts. This kid has a chance as a guy that was way, way under the radar.”

That, combined with his strong track record of four years of production at Idaho, was enough to get a team to take a late-round flyer on the versatile linebacker — barely.

Elliss was the 244th pick out of 254 on an uneventful day for the Big Sky and FCS football in general.

Just 13 players were drafted out of FCS schools, making it the worst year of the decade for the level.

If Elliss hadn’t gone with 10 picks left, it would have been the first time since 2000 and only the third time ever that the Big Sky hadn’t had a player drafted.

Elliss was Idaho’s first draft pick since 2012, when linebacker Korey Toomer went in the fifth round to the Seattle Seahawks.

Following the draft came the usual flurry of news as undrafted players received UDFA deals and invites to training camp.

That included a number of Big Sky players. Skyline Sports will keep this list updated.

Marquez Tucker, Southern Utah OL, Chicago Bears … Listed at 6-4, 291 pounds…From Chandler, Arizona…Started all 11 games for the Thunderbirds in 2018 and was third-team All-Big Sky…Named second-team All-Big Sky as a junior in 2017…Transferred in to Southern Utah from Mesa Community College for his junior and senior years…Recorded a 30-inch vertical leap and put up 31 bench-press reps at 225 pounds during Southern Utah’s pro day.

Brian Fineanganofo, Idaho State OL, Cleveland Browns … Listed at 6-6, 295 pounds…First-team All-Big Sky in 2018 after anchoring Idaho State’s line as the left tackle…Appeared in 34 games over four years for the Bengals…from Los Angeles.

James Madison, Idaho State RB, Cleveland Browns (minicamp invite) … 5-11, 227 pounds…Physical running back was first-team All-Big Sky as a junior in 2017 after running for 933 yards…Ran for 974 yards and was named second-team all-Big Sky as a senior…Seventh on the Bengals’ all-time rushing list…Started on defense at Idaho State before switching to running back after his redshirt freshman year…from Banning, California.

Andre Lindsey, Sacramento State WR, Kansas City Chiefs … 6-3, 200…from Stockton, California…Transferred to Sac State from San Joaquin Delta College after his freshman year…Burner WR broke out as a junior with 756 yards on an FCS-leading 30.2 yards per catch…Was second-team all-Big Sky that year…Broke his arm and didn’t play the last four games of his senior season…Also ran track for the Hornets, winning the Big Sky championships in the 110 hurdles in 2017.

Logan Parker, Southern Utah TE, Kansas City Chiefs … 6-4, 251 pounds…from South Jordan, Utah…Played in all 45 games over his four years of eligibility for SUU…Best season was 2017, when he had 43 catches for 560 yards and five touchdowns as a junior…Had 241 receiving yards as a senior…Considered a strong blocker as well as a receiver…Ran a 4.84 40-yard dash at the Thunderbirds’ pro day.

Alex Wesley, Northern Colorado WR, New York Giants … 6-0, 190 pounds…from Murphy, Texas…Maybe the fastest player in the Big Sky…Ran track for the Bears, winning three Big Sky titles in the 400…Had 55 catches for 1,010 yards as a junior, earning second-team all-Big Sky honors…Improved on that slightly as a senior with 57 catches and 1,050 yards, again being named second-team all-Big Sky…Received an invite to the NFL Combine, where he ran a 4.45 40-yard dash (tied for 12th among receivers) and recorded a 38.5-inch vertical leap (tied for 7th), among other marks.

Keelan Doss, UC Davis WR, Oakland Raiders … 6-2, 211 pounds…from Alameda, California…One of the most decorated receivers in Big Sky history…Broke onto the scene as a sophomore in 2016 with 66 catches for 911 yards…Dominant junior year saw him named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year and a consensus All-American after he finished with 115 catches for 1,499 yards…With defenses keying on him as a senior, still finished with 118 catches for 1,334 yards, earning his second-straight first-team all-Big Sky nod…UC Davis’ all-time leader in receptions and yards…Was injured at the Combine and put up a disappointing eight reps on the bench press, the only event he participated in…Meshes speed, strength and route-running skills to rack up the catches.

Nsimba Webster, Eastern Washington WR, Los Angeles Rams … 5-10, 180 pounds…from Antioch, California…Started as a kick returner at EWU, showing his speed…Broke out as a receiver in 2017 with 59 catches for 693 yards…Followed that up with 84 catches for 1,379 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2018 as the Eagles advanced to the national championship game…Ran a 4.51 40-yard dash at EWU’s pro day.

Jay-Tee Tiuli, Eastern Washington DT, Seattle Seahawks … 6-4, 320 pounds…from Seattle…After a first-team all-Big Sky season as a junior in 2016, missed most of 2017 with an injury…Came back in 2018 with 38 total tackles and four sacks despite being double-teamed most of the time…One of the biggest, most dominant forces in the Big Sky since his sophomore year, when he led the Eagles with 4.5 sacks…missed the FCS semifinals and championship game this year after being charged with second-degree misdemeanor assault…put up 26 bench press reps and ran a 5.18 40-yard dash at EWU’s pro day.

Ketner Kupp, Eastern Washington LB, San Francisco 49ers (minicamp invite) … 6-0, 225 pounds…from Yakima, Washington…brother of NFL wide receiver Cooper Kupp…finished with 115 total tackles as a senior, including a season-high 16 in an FCS quarterfinals win over UC Davis.

Iosua Opeta, Weber State OL, Philadelphia Eagles … 6-4, 301 pounds…from Stansbury Park, Utah…Started as a defensive lineman at Weber, but soon switched to the offensive line and went on to start all 39 games there in his last three years…Led all players at this year’s NFL Combine with 39 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, three more than former Clemson, now New York Giants defensive lineman, No. 17 overall pick Dexter Lawrence.

Mason Moe, UC Davis LB, Philadelphia Eagles … 6-0, 210 pounds…from Kaneohe, Hawaii…Transferred from West Hills College, where he was primarily a defensive back, to Davis for his junior year…Played sparingly as a junior, recording 31 tackles…Became one of the best pass rushers in the Big Sky as a senior, leading the conference in sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (20.5)…Named second-team all-Big Sky and also received a nomination to the Buck Buchanan Award watch list…DB background might make him the rare pass-rushing linebacker who can also hold up in coverage.

Josh Lewis, Eastern Washington CB, Seattle Seahawks (minicamp invite) … 6-0, 190 pounds…from Lakewood, Washington…Started on special teams before breaking into the lineup as a sophomore…Named honorable mention all-Big Sky as a junior, racking up 52 tackles and leading the Eagles with three interceptions…Picked off five passes and broke up 12 others as a senior, leading to second team all-Big Sky honors…Ran a 4.52 40-yard dash and recorded a 37.5-inch vertical leap at EWU’s pro day.

Jacob Bobenmoyer, Northern Colorado LS, Denver Broncos (minicamp invite) … 6-2, 235 pounds…from Cheyenne, Wyoming…Snapped all four years for the Bears…Also played linebacker and edge, recording 26 total tackles and blocking a punt in his career.

Emmanuel Butler, Northern Arizona WR, New Orleans Saints … 6-4, 220 pounds…from Phoenix…One of the best pure athletes in the Big Sky, combining rare size and speed…Played in all 12 games as a true freshman for NAU…Had incredible back-to-back seasons as a sophomore and junior, receiving two straight first-team all-Big Sky honors…Was in some All-America teams after recording 1,208 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2015…Followed that up with 1,003 yards as a junior…Suffered a shoulder injury and missed all but two games of his senior season in 2017…Returned in 2018 to post 676 yards and seven touchdowns in just nine games…Ran a reported 4.48 40 at his pro day.

Reid Miller, Montana, SS, New Orleans (minicamp invite) … 5-10, 208 pounds…The Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania native started in eight games and played in 11 at Montana after grad transferring from Arkansas, where he played mostly on special teams for three seasons….With the Griz in 2018, he had 68 total tackles, which were the fourth most on the team, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

Joe Protheroe, Cal Poly RB, San Francisco 49ers (minicamp invite) … 5-11, 230 pounds…Big Sky legend for his production as the dive back in Poly’s triple option offense…Three-time first-team all-Big Sky selection…All-American in 2016 and 2018…Ran for 1,810 yards in 2018, setting the all-time single season record at Poly…That took him to 4,271 yards in his career, also a school record…Missed most of 2017 with an injury…Skill set is suited to play fullback at the next level…Ran a 4.75 40 and hit 22 reps on the bench press at Poly’s pro day.

Brady May, Weber State FB, New Orleans Saints (minicamp invite) … 5-11, 235 pounds…from Heyburn, Idaho…Played in 46 games for the Wildcats…Back-to-back first-team All-America and first-team all-Big Sky honors on special teams as a junior and senior…Was second-team all-Big Sky as a fullback both those years as well…Wasn’t used a runner, but did have 17 catches for 101 yards as a senior.

No. 3 Eastern Washington 50, No. 12 Maine 19

What follows is a photo essay of the players Skyline Sports observed as the best at their respective positions in the Big Sky Conference.

Offensive Player of the Year

Troy Andersen, Montana State, sophomore

Defensive Player of the Year

Dante Olson, Montana, junior

Newcomer of the Year

Dalton Sneed, Montana, quarterback, junior

Freshman of the Year

Josh Davis, Weber State, running back

First team offense

Quarterback

Jake Maier, UC Davis, junior 

Running backs

Josh Davis, Weber State, redshirt freshman

Elijah Dotson, Sacramento State, sophomore

Fullback

Joe Protheroe, Cal Poly, senior

Wide receivers

Mitch Gueller, Idaho State, junior

Keelan Doss, UC Davs, senior

Sammy Akem, Montana, sophomore

Tight end

Wes Preece, UC Davis, Junior

Offensive Tackle

Chris Schlichting, Eastern Washington, junior

 Iosua Opeta, Weber State, senior

Guard

Noah Johnson, Idaho, junior

Ty Whitworth, Weber State, sophomore

Center

Spencer Blackburn, Eastern Washington, senior

Kicker

Roldan Alcobendas, Eastern Washington, senior

All-Purpose

Troy Andersen, Montana State, sophomore

Returner

Rashid Shaheed, Weber State, sophomore

First team defense

Tackle

Jay-Tee Tiuli, Eastern Washington, Senior

Tucker Yates, Montana State, senior

End

 Tyrone Fa’anono, Montana State, senior

Adam Rodriguez, Weber State, junior

Edge

Bryce Sterk, Montana State, junior

Outside linebacker

 Mason Moe, UC Davis, senior

Landon Stice, Weber State, senior

Cornerback

Keilan Benjamin, Weber State, senior

Vince White, UC Davis, senior

Safety

Jahque Alleyne, Montana State, junior

Jordan Preator, Weber State, senior

Punter

Roldan Alcobendas, Eastern Washington, senior

Special Teams

Brady May, Weber State, senior

Second team offense

Quarterback

Tanner Gueller, Idaho State, senior

Running backs

Sam McPherson, Eastern Washington, senior

James Madison, Idaho State, senior

Wide receivers

Nsimba Webster, Eastern Washington, senior

Michael Dean, Idaho State, junior

 Emmanuel Butler, Northern Arizona, senior

Tight end

 Charlie Taumoepeau, Portland State, junior

Tackle

Brian Fineanganofo, Idaho State, senior

Mitch Brott, Montana State, junior

Guards

Kaleb Levao, Eastern Washington, senior

Korbin Sorensen, Portland State, sophomore

Center

 Dallen Collins, Idaho State, junior

Kicker

Cody Williams, Portland State, freshman

Returner

Malik Flowers, Montana, redshirt freshman

All-Purpose

Ulonzo Gilliam, UC Davis, freshman

Second team defense

Tackle

Filipe Sitake, Weber State, senior

 Semise Kofe, Portland State, sophomore

End

Larry Ross, Portland State, senior

Keifer Morris, Northern Colorado, senior

Edge

Kaden Ellis, Idaho, senior

Outside linebacker

Chris Ojoh, Eastern Washington, sophomore

Kody Graves, Idaho State, senior

Inside linebacker

Josh Buss, Montana, senior

Ketner Kupp, Eastern Washington, senior

Cornerback

 Khalil Dorsey, Northern Arizona, junior

Josh Lewis, Eastern Washington, senior

Safety

Kam’Ron Johnson, Northern Arizona, senior

Brayden Konkol, Montana State, junior

Robby Hauck, Montana, redshirt freshman

Punter

Jered Padmos, Montana State, junior

Special teams

 Eric Williams, Montana, senior punter

Photos by Brooks Nuanez. To reach Brooks for purchase or questions, email Brooks.Nuanez@gmail.com. All Rights Reserved. 

EWU’s first-year head coach instead told his Eagles to keep doing exactly what they were doing against Montana’s aggressive yet vulnerable defense.

“There wasn’t a message as much as we knew, we were in a lot of situations where we could’ve scored and didn’t,” EWU junior quarterback Gage Gubrud said following his team’s 48-41 comeback win here on Saturday night. “We missed a couple and also didn’t get into the end-zone a few times. We knew we had stuff there, we just had to execute it better. We knew what was going on, we knew what they were going to run, we just had to execute better and hit them.”

On Eastern’s first possession, Gubrud, the reigning Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year, over-threw a wide-open Nic Sblendorio in the middle of the field for what would’ve been a sure touchdown. Before the first half was over, Gubrud had moved the Eagles’ offense inside the Montana 25-yard line five separate times.

EWU settled for a pair of first half field goals, but what the Gubrud had seen on film preparing for the game played out in front of him. If not for the missed shot on the first possession, or two slight overthrows to Sblendorio in which the EWU wide receiver was pushed just out the back of the end-zone or an overthrow on fourth down to a wide open Nsimba Webster that would have been a certain touchdown, Eastern could have scored plenty more than the six points the Eagles took to the Washington-Grizzly Stadium visitors locker room.

“It wasn’t a magical speech at halftime,” first-year head coach Aaron Best said. “(Former head) Coach (Beau) Baldwin never gave magical speeches. That’s just the culture we have provided for our kids. They buy into it, do a good job of anything that comes their way.”

“It was expected,” Gubrud said when asked about Montana’s defense. “They did everything we thought they’d do. It’s exactly what we saw on film. We were ready for it and had a good game plan for it.”

In the second half, the Eagles converted in the red-zone for touchdowns instead of field goals, like on Sam McPherson’s two-yard touchdown catch set up by the sophomore’s 18-yard catch and run. That score helped cut the deficit to 27-13 and quickly erased the memory of Justin Calhoun’s 44-yard touchdown on a Hail Mary on the last play of the first half for the Griz.

The opening drive of the second half also sparked a 42-point avalanche that included 35 points in the last 16 minutes to help EWU rally from an 18-point deficit.  After halftime, Gubrud hit most of the shots he took down the field, including the 32-yard strike he found Dre Dorton on for a touchdown that cut what once was a 24-6 Montana lead to 27-21.

Eastern still had its hiccups — Gubrud threw an interception to Markell Sanders midway through the third quarter but Montana promptly went 3-and-out and the next EWU drive resulted in a missed 48-yard field goal Roldan Alcobendas — the Eagles’ persistence eventually paid off.

“Those are always important points coming after halftime because we in the past have always been a third quarter, score on the first possession of the second half outfit over the years,” Best said. “No matter what has happened in the second quarter, whether it’s good in your favor or not in your favor, I think those points after halftime truly matter. If you don’t get points, then you are still three scores out, they get the ball back and all of a sudden, you are down four scores. Those first and third quarters are extremely important.”

Following Dotson’s touchdown catch, Josh Lewis snared an interception off of Montana freshman quarterback Gresch Jensen. On the very next play, Gubrud found a stumbling McPherson, who regained his footing and sprinted past a group of gassed Grizzlies for the game-tying touchdown. The momentum belonged to EWU from that point forward.

“Red-zone opportunities ended in seven points instead of three points in the second half, “ Best said. “We had a few big plays, that screen to Sam McPherson got us rolling.

“But it wasn’t just one play. We felt like we were about four explosive plays on defense away from having a pretty good half on defense in the first half. We just gave up too many big plays. If you take away those explosives, it would’ve been a tighter ball game in the first half. But our guys kept chopping wood, believed in the system, got it to within two scores, then played lights out on defense in the second half.”

Jensen hit Keenan Curran over the top of a busted coverage for a 66-yard gain to set up UM’s first touchdown. Montana’s second TD came after Schye forced a Gubrud fumble. UM’s first half field goal came after a 47-yard bomb to Calhoun and the final score of the first half came on the Hail Mary.

After the third quarter interception, Jensen engineered a 10-play scoring drive to begin the fourth quarter but the final frame belonged to the Eagles. Gubrud executed drives of 78 and 53 yards sandwiched around another Montana 3-and-out to give EWU a 41-34 lead. Two straight Montana drives stalled out in Griz territory on failed fourth down tries.

After the second failed fourth down — one came as Nzuzi Webster, Nsimba’s twin brother, sniffed out a backside running back screen and tackled Alijah Lee for a loss, the other that came by four straight incompletions on Jensen shots down the field — EWU assumed control at the Montana 20.

Antoine Custer moved the pile with authority on the first 10-yard run, then stiff armed UM senior safety Justin Strong to the ground on the second and final carry of the drive, a 10-yard touchdown run that gave EWU a 48-34 lead and essentially sealed the 48-41 with two minutes to play.

In the first half, Montana’s defensive line, namely senior Tucker Schye, manhandled EWU’s offensive line, a unit that had redshirt freshman Brett Thompson making his first start in front of nearly 26,000 people. In the second half, to alleviate the pressure Montana put on Gubrud, the junior quarterback threw to Sblendorio and Webster over and over again in the flats, exploiting UM’s corners playing as far as 12 yards off the wide receivers.

“I wasn’t surprised that was open,” Gubrud said. “Our receivers are exceptionally good blockers on the edge and they do a great job of making people miss. You get three against three over there, you theoretically only have to make one guy miss if everyone blocks it. It’s a numbers game for us. If they are going to overload the box, we are going to put it outside and make you run.”

Thompson is the third player to start at left tackle for EWU in four games this season. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound redshirt freshman took over for Tristen Taylor, who started at left guard instead. Sophomore Chris Schlichting started at left tackle against Fordham before moving to right tackle against Montana.

“The environment here is incredible and when you start a redshirt freshman left tackle, that’s not easy to do,” Best said. “When you are using a verbal cadence…when you start a redshirt freshman offensive tackle, as a former offensive line coach, there’s some nerves that go on.”

Sblendorio and Webster both had career nights in Missoula. Sblendorio caught 18 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown. His reception total shattered his career high and served as the second-highest total in program history, behind only the 20 catches instant legend and 2016 senior Cooper Kupp had against Northern Coloado in 2015. Webster finished with a career high 13 catches for 146 yards and Gubrud threw for a school-record 549 yards and four touchdowns.

“Eighteen catches, that’s phenomenal and his name is not Cooper and he doesn’t wear No. 10,” Best said. “I’m extremely proud of these guys, 1-0 in the Big Sky Conference is, especially when the first win comes in Missoula, that’s huge and I’m proud of these guys.

“You couldn’t have drawn it up any better,” Best continued about his first career league victory. “I always look forward to this trip. It’s the best venue in FCS. I look at it as an opportunity. The Griz have ‘it’. Going 1-0 in the Big Sky no matter where it’s at is pretty tough to do and we are proud of the way this unfolded tonight.”

Photos by Jason Bacaj. All Rights Reserved. 

Calhoun’s unlikely grab gave the hosts a 24-6 lead over No. 11 Eastern Washington here on Friday night in front of a packed house. At that moment, Montana had all the momentum in this matchup between the current kings of the Big Sky Conference and a Griz team desperately trying to reclaim its thrown.

The hosts held that momentum here deep into the third quarter. As Roldan Alcobendas’ 48-yard field goal attempt fell well short, it looked like Montana would ride into the Garden City night with a signature win.

But Eastern Washington has won five of the last seven Big Sky titles for a reason and on Saturday, the Eagles showed the resolve of a champion. Trailing 27-13 with two minutes to go in the third quarter, Eastern scored twice in 90 seconds to send the game into the fourth quarter tied at 27 before owning the final frame to emerge with a victory.

Eastern Washington All-American junior quarterback Gage Gubrud threw for a school-record 549 yards and four touchdowns and Eagles scored 35 points in the final 17 minutes to win 48-41 going away.

“What I do know and everyone here knows is that Eastern Washington University, regardless of who’s coaching, it’s a matter of who is playing and we will always play for 60 minutes,” EWU first-year head coach Aaron Best said. “It wasn’t a magical speech at halftime. (Former head) Coach (Beau) Baldwin never gave magical speeches. That’s just the culture we have provided for our kids. They buy into it, do a good job of anything that comes their way.”

While Eastern Washington showed the fight and resilience that has trademarked the Eagles’ spot atop the league for the duration of this decade, Montana continued to struggle to make defensive adjustments or finish games.

“Of course I feel like we let one slip away,” UM senior defensive end Tucker Schye said after notching three sacks and four tackles for loss, plus a forced fumble in the first quarter. “We just didn’t make plays in the second half. That’s what it came down to. There’s not much more I can say about that.”

Even without highly successful head coach Beau Baldwin calling the plays — he left EWU in the off-season for the offensive coordinator position at Cal — Gubrud diced Montana’s defense for most of the second half. After enduring four sacks and throwing for 218 yards before halftime, Gubrud was sacked just once and threw for 331 yards and four touchdowns after halftime.

“They did everything we thought they’d do,” Gubrud said of Montana’s defense. “They were exactly who we thought they were on film so we were ready for it and had a good game plan for it.

“It helps when you go out there and you can confirm on the first possession that they are exactly who we thought they were.”

The Grizzlies seemed to be in complete control leading by two touchdowns with 17 minutes remaining in the game. But Gubrud found Dre Dorton for a 32-yard score. On Montana’s next play, Jensen felt pressure from behind, threw an ill-advised ball into coverage and Josh Lewis made a leaping interception. On EWU’s very next play, Gubrud found Sam McPherson on a short pass that turned into a 50-yard touchown.

In the matter of 60 seconds, a two-score game was all of a sudden tied and the momentum belonged exclusively to the Eagles.

“This is a big win for us,”Gubrud said. “It’s not easy to come here and win. I think the last time we did was 2012 and before that, it was 2005 so it’s not a reoccurring occurrence. I think this is big for us not just to get a win here but to start off 1-0 in the Big Sky.”

For the duration of the first half, Montana put Gubrud under heavy pressure, sending blitzers from multiple angles. When EWU moved into the red-zone, Montana’s defense stiffened on multiple occasions, forcing a pair of short Alconbendas field goals.

Meanwhile, Jensen operated the offense with confidence, taking shots down the field frequently. Jensen’s 66-yard bomb to Keenan Curran down the EWU sideline set up his two-yard touchdown run to give UM a 7-3 lead midway through the first quarter.

On EWU’s second possession, Schye made the first of many big plays, sacking and stripping Gubrud to give UM possession on the EWU 32. Jensen’s 17-yard scramble on third and long extended a drive that was capped by Jeremy Calhoun’s two-yard touchdown plunge. Eastern went 3-and-out to help Montana end the first quarter with a 14-3 lead.

The teams traded field goals to help the UM advantage stand at 17-6 late in the first half. On fourth down inside the red-zone, Gubrud had Nsimba Webster open but overthrew him, giving the ball to Montana with 49 seconds left in the first half.

The Griz handed the ball up the middle twice before a penalty put the ball 44 yards away from the end-zone. Jensen spiked the ball to stop the clock with six seconds left. On the next play, he heaved a pass into the right corner of the North end-zone that landed in Justin Calhoun’s hands to push the halftime lead to 24-6.

“I saw Justin and threw it up there for him, give him an opportunity at the end of the half, make a play,” said Jensen, who threw for 358 yards and two touchdowns in his debut. “We were ready to run it out but then we had the personal foul so we gave it a shot.”

On the possession following Alcobendas’ missed field goal, Montana’s wave of inertia began to level out. In his first start, Jensen did not hold back taking shots down the field from the opening minutes. Following the missed field goal, Jensen took two shots to the end-zone, including one that would’ve been a sure touchdown but Lamarriel Taylor dropped the ball. Montana had to settle for a 39-yard field goal from Brandon Purdy.

EWU’s avalanche ensued thereafter, leaving Montana to wonder how to rebound.

“It feels like we let it slip in certain areas but we kept plugging away,” Montana head coach Bob Stitt said. “That’s what we needed out of this football team. It’s what we talked about since November as far as how do we deal with these things. This game hurts right now but it’s going to make us stronger. It’s going to make us better down the line.”

Photos by Jason Bacaj. All Rights Reserved.