Grizzlies manhandle Wildcats
Ochs, Hilliard help offense put on another explosive display
MISSOULA - The theme going into Saturday's Division I-AA quarterfinal playoff game was that something had to give - New Hampshire's 8-0 road record versus Montana's 8-0 home mark.
Well, it was New Hampshire that gave. Like a wet paper towel holding a bowling ball on a platter of gold bricks.
After some first quarter miscues, the Griz turned it on and made a laughing stock out of a highly regarded playoff foe for the second consecutive week, manhandling the Wildcats for a 47-17 win at Washington Grizzly Stadium.
Montana will host Sam Houston State next Saturday at noon. Tickets go on sale today at 1 p.m. The Griz lost to Sam Houston 41-29 in Huntsville, Texas, on Sept. 18.
It wasn't all a cakewalk for the Griz against the Wildcats. The offensive line was already scrambled before the start of the game when Brad Rhoades became ill and Cody Balogh was pressed into starting duty. Then Jason Frink was lost to a left knee injury, forcing Ryan Wells into action.
Those two developments, coupled with center Jay Green's season-endinginjury in the 'Cat-Griz game, could have spelled disaster for the Griz. But it didn't, not on this day.
"I can't express how proud I am of Cody Balogh and Ryan Wells," tackle Cory Procter said. "Two guys who weren't expecting to play stepping in and taking the role."
Behind the patchwork O-line, Montana was still able to run for 200 yards, keyed by an extremely effective 1-2 punch from Lex Hilliard and Justin Green, who was himself returning from an injury.
Hilliard had 107 yards on 18 often punishing carries and two touchdowns.
"I just have to keep confidence in my linemen," Hilliard said. "No matter if they're a starter or a backup."
It was Hilliard's 7-yard touchdown run just a few plays after Frink was injured that established the tone for the rest of the game. Sprung by an excellent block by H-back Colt Palmer, Hilliard ran right up the gut on a counter play on first-and-goal.
The score broke a 3-3 tie with 11:46 to go in the second quarter, and that was the spark that sent the Griz rolling.
"The second and third quarter we had a lot of confidence," quarterback Craig Ochs said. "I think we all trust each other on this team, and the offensive line is so well coached."
After Hilliard's run, Montana's defense forced a quick punt despite committing two personal foul penalties. When the Griz got the ball back, Ochs engineered an 8-play, 87-yard drive capped by a 4-yard toss to Levander Segars.
By then it was 17-3, the house was rocking, and you could feel the game getting away from New Hampshire.
"A very good football team, the University of Montana," Wildcats coach Sean McDonnell said. "They were one step ahead of us the whole time. The best team we've played all year."
Green made it 24-3 at the half with a 1-yard plunge just before the intermission. Whatever thoughts New Hampshire had of another comeback - the Wildcats rallied to defeat Georgia Southern last week - were squashed early and emphatically by the Griz.
The defense forced a three-and-out on the first drive of the second half, and Segars returned the punt 52 yards to the New Hampshire 22. Hilliard ran hard up the middle for 18, then slammed it in from 4 yards out.
Another New Hampshire three-and-out gave the Griz the ball at their own 44. Green ran for 16, Hilliard for 22 and Ochs finished it off with a pretty rainbow to Jefferson Heidelberger in the end zone.
Six defensive plays, five offensive plays and Montana had ballooned its lead to 37-3 just four minutes into the second half.
"The last two weeks, we've blown out two very good teams," UM coach Bobby Hauck said.
The Griz extended the lead to 44-3 on Ochs' fade pass to Jon Talmage from 3 yards out and then to 47-3 on Dan Carpenter's second 31-yard field goal of the game early in the fourth.
"Unbelievable," New Hampshire defensive end George Peterson said of the Griz offense. "You look at them on tape and sometimes they look great and sometimes they look very beatable.
"Then you get here … right in your face. They did what they wanted to do."
A Montana playoff-record crowd of 20,919 - short of a sellout but still intimidating - had a grand time under the temporary lights and in front of the ESPN2 cameras, rollicking to music during the TV timeouts and eventually organizing a clockwise wave.
Now the Griz will play in the semifinals for the seventh time since 1989 and first since the 2001 championship year. This will be the fifth straight time Montana has hosted a semifinal game, and each of the last four times the Griz have advanced to the title game.
GRIZ 47, WILDCATS 17
New Hampshire 3 0 0 14 -17
Montana 3 21 20 3 -47
First Quarter
UM-FG Carpenter 31, 10:26
UNH-FG McCormick 35, 7:02
Second Quarter
UM-Hilliard 7 run (Carpenter kick), 11:46
UM-Segars 4 pass from Ochs (Carpenter kick), 6:29
UM-Green 1 run (Carpenter kick), 1:36
Third Quarter
UM-Hilliard 4 run (Carpenter kick), 12:59
UM-Heidelberger 7 pass from Ochs (run failed), 11:07
UM-Talmage 3 pass from Ochs (Carpenter kick), 4:57
Fourth Quarter
UM-FG Carpenter 31, 14:17
UNH-Williams 24 pass from Santos (McCormick kick), 11:22
UNH-McCoy 2 run (McCormick kick), 2:44
A-29,919.
UNH Mont
First downs 22 26
Rushes-yards 28-75 44-217
Passing 347 257
Comp-Att-Int 33-50-1 24-31-1
Return Yards 13 73
Punts-Avg. 6-34 3-43
Fumbles-Lost 3-2 0-0
Penalties-Yards 4-40 5-49
Time of Possession 27:55 32:05
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-New Hampshire, Harvey 7-43, McCoy 7-19, Santos 12-10, Diner 1-4. Montana, Hilliard 18-107, J. Green 9-55, Ochs 5-32, B. Green 8-17, Waller 4-6.
PASSING-New Hampshire, Santos 33-50-1-347. Montana, Ochs 24-31-1-257.
RECEIVING-New Hampshire, Bailey 8-75, Williams 7-101, LeVan 5-41, Brown 4-42, Diner 4-29, McCoy 2-35, Henry 2-20, Harvey 1-4. Montana, Heidelberger 7-107, Hancock 7-84, Talmage 3-23, Segars 3-15, Bagley 1-10, Waller 1-8, Palmer 1-6, Hilliard 1-4.