FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The No. 2 Montana Grizzlies traded blows with No. 13 Northern Arizona throughout the afternoon but fell to the Lumberjacks 49-44 in a ranked shootout at the Walkup Skydome on Saturday.
The loss drops Montana to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in Big Sky Conference play, while Northern Arizona improves to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in conference action.
The Griz and ‘Jacks went back and forth all game with UM holding a halftime lead, but a scoreless third quarter dug Montana a hole it couldn’t climb out of, even with 20 fourth-quarter points on the board.
Montana was again explosive on offense finishing with 489 total yards, but the Grizzlies struggled to contain Northern Arizona which produced 418 total yards as quarterback Ty Pennington scored three different ways and a total of six times.
The Grizzly offense came away with points on all but three of its 11 drives in the game and had a 24-21 lead heading into the locker room with possession to start the second half. But instead of building a two-score lead after the break, UM was forced to punt for the first of three times on the day, and NAU captured the momentum in the second half.
“That was disappointing because I thought really at the start of the third quarter that if we did something on offense, we could have taken that game kind of by the horns,” Kennedy said.
“We had some silly penalties down by the goal line that maybe ate up some time, but also, right, giving up a kick return. I mean, that’s what really hurt us.”
Montana committed six penalties, each of which seemed to come in critical down and distance situations that helped NAU convert eight of their 13 third-down plays, while going 2-for-3 on third-and-long.
After going scoreless in the third quarter, the Griz recaptured the momentum in the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to three late. But a 100-yard NAU kickoff return for a score took the wind right out of the UM sails and the clock worked against the Grizzlies for the rest of the contest as NAU held on for the win.
Despite the loss, record-setting running back Eli Gillman continued to make history, scoring three touchdowns to become Montana’s all-time leading scorer with 420 career points, passing former Grizzly kicker Dan Carpenter’s previous record of 413.
Gillman also moved to 70 career touchdowns, putting him eight away from breaking Cooper Kupp’s Big Sky Conference record of 77 career touchdowns. The senior running back climbed to sixth all-time in Big Sky history with 4,554 career rushing yards.
Quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, recording the second-highest passing total of his career and surpassing last week’s performance by one yard.
Wide receiver Landon Ransom Goelz led Montana with seven catches for 128 yards and a touchdown, while Lekeldrick Bridges added seven receptions for 79 yards and a score. Gillman contributed 94 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground while adding six catches for 46 yards and another score.
The Grizzlies opened the game with a defensive stop on fourth down, setting up an opportunity for the offense to strike first. Gillman hauled in a 29-yard reception to move Montana inside the red zone before punching it in from a yard out to give the Grizzlies a 7-0 lead.
Northern Arizona answered on its next possession, as quarterback Ty Pennington connected with Jeter Purdy for a 28-yard touchdown to even the score at 7-7.
The Grizzly defense responded later in the quarter when Chris Johnson forced a fumble that was recovered by Tanner Huff, giving Montana possession deep in Lumberjack territory. The Grizzlies carried the opportunity into the second quarter before settling for a 29-yard field goal to take a 10-7 lead.
Northern Arizona answered with a touchdown drive of its own, as Pennington scored on a four-yard rushing touchdown to give the Lumberjacks their first lead at 14-10.
Montana quickly regained the advantage when Ah Yat found Ransom Goelz for a 70-yard touchdown, putting the Grizzlies back in front 17-14.
Pennington continued to lead the Lumberjack offense, capping another drive with a three-yard rushing touchdown to put Northern Arizona ahead 21-17.
Montana responded before halftime. Ah Yat led the Grizzlies down the field before Gillman powered into the end zone from a yard out, reclaiming the lead at 24-21. The Grizzly defense held Northern Arizona scoreless on its final possession of the half, allowing Montana to carry the three-point advantage into the break.
Northern Arizona took control to open the second half. On the Lumberjacks’ first possession, wide receiver Joey Stout threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Pennington, giving Northern Arizona a 28-24 lead.
Montana’s next possession ended with an interception, and the Lumberjacks capitalized. Pennington finished the drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown, his third rushing score of the afternoon, extending the Northern Arizona advantage to 35-24.
The Grizzlies struggled to find an answer offensively during the third quarter, and Northern Arizona carried its 11-point lead into the fourth.
Montana began its comeback attempt with a lengthy scoring drive that ended when Ah Yat connected with Bridges for an 11-yard touchdown on third-and-goal. Ah Yat then found Jordan Denver for the two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to 35-32.
The momentum quickly swung back to Northern Arizona, however, as Lindsey Graves returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to extend the Lumberjacks’ lead to 42-32.
Montana answered again. Ah Yat moved the offense downfield before connecting with Gillman for a short touchdown reception, bringing the Grizzlies within three at 42-39.
Northern Arizona responded with another scoring drive, as Pennington rushed for a four-yard touchdown to push the lead to 49-39.
With time running down, Montana continued to fight. Ah Yat led another drive into field-goal range, and the Grizzlies converted a 35-yard field goal to make it 49-42.
The Grizzly defense then came up with a safety late in the game, trimming the deficit to 49-44, but Montana was unable to complete the comeback.
Kennedy pointed to Northern Arizona’s rushing attack as another challenge for the Grizzly defense, particularly after halftime.
“We felt like we shut their run game down in the first half, but then their quarterback runs hurt us,” Kennedy said. “We knew we were going to have to shut him down in the second half because he has a great way of getting those yards, but their scheme is tough, and they’re a good team.”
Kennedy also emphasized the importance of limiting mistakes and improving execution as Montana moves forward in conference play.
“Every week we got to show up and we got to play and we got to do our best,” Kennedy said. “It comes down to a small amount of plays. We can execute, execute, execute, then have a mistake, have a penalty. We’ve got to clean those things up. That’s on me. That’s on the coaching staff. We got to get better.”
The Grizzlies return home to Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula on Oct. 17 to face the Idaho Vandals as Montana looks to bounce back.
By: Montana Sports Information