GREELEY, Colo. — It wasn’t always pretty or high-energy, but No. 9-ranked Montana did what it needed to do Saturday in a 24-0 substance-over-style shutout over Northern Colorado at sun-splashed Nottingham Field.
UM’s defense intercepted three passes and quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat was effective in his first action in three weeks as the Grizzlies won their second straight outing.
Coming off a bye, the Griz improved to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big Sky and kept pace near the top of the conference race.
Logan Fife got the start at QB for Montana but Ah Yat got the lion’s share of the meaningful snaps. Ah Yat finished with 149 yards and two passing TDs, and outdueled UNC counterpart Kia’i Keone; both played high school football at Kapalama High School in Honolulu.
Neither team’s first possession produced points. But after a personal foul on linebacker Riley Wilson gave UNC a first down on its second drive, a Keone pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage by Ryan Tirrell and intercepted by Montana’s Jace Klucewich.
That produced an Eli Gillman-dominated drive, which the sophomore capped with a 4-yard touchdown run to produce a 7-0 Griz lead.
Trailing by a touchdown, UNC was on the march in the second quarter looking for the equalizing points. But an errant throw by Keone deflected off the hands of his intended receiver and into the arms of Montana’s Caleb Otlewski at the UM 3-yard line.
The Grizzlies eventually took a 14-0 lead on a short TD pass from Ah Yat to Ian Finch with less than a minute left in the first half.
Montana expanded its lead right away in the third quarter when a 76-yard kickoff return by Xavier Harris set the Griz up at the UNC 24, and Ty Morrison made a 47-yard field goal to make the score 17-0.
Later in the third, following an interception by Jaxon Lee, Ah Yat and Gillman connected for a 9-yard scoring pass, giving the Griz a 24-0 advantage. That capped a 16-play, 87-yard drive.
Montana stopped the Bears on fourth down inside the red zone early in the fourth quarter to preserve the shutout.
Turning point: After UM’s defense forced a punt in the later stages of the second quarter, Ah Yat placed a beautiful throw into the hands of Harris for a 35-yard gain down the right sideline.
Nick Ostmo followed with a 22-yard run inside the 5, and then Ah Yat rolled out and found Finch for a 2-yard touchdown toss as the Grizzlies took an all-important two-possession lead at 14-0 with 31 seconds left before intermission.
Stat of the game: Montana’s defense entered Saturday with only two interceptions through its first seven games but picked off three passes on this day. Otlewski’s interception at UM’s 3 was especially important as it prevented the Bears from potentially tying the game.
Grizzly game balls: QB Keali’i Ah Yat (Offense). Ah Yat suffered an injury on Sept. 21 against Western Carolina and saw limited playing time two weeks later against Weber State, but this was his most significant action in Big Sky play. He delivered with two passing touchdowns and no turnovers.
DE Hayden Harris (Defense). Everyone on UM’s defense stepped up, but Harris again led the team in tackles for loss (two solo) and helped the Griz pitch their first shutout of the year.
KR Xavier Harris (Special teams). Any time you can break a big one in the kicking game it helps your cause. Harris did that to open the third quarter with a 76-yard return that allowed the Grizzlies to build their lead.
What's next: The Grizzlies continue their road tour next Saturday when they face Cal Poly at Mustang Memorial Field. Montana owns the all-time series lead 18-5, and have won three in a row.
Kickoff is at 3 p.m. Mountain time, and the game will be broadcast by Scripps Sports.
Northern Colorado (1-7, 1-3) will also be on the road next week taking on another Big Sky contender, UC Davis.
