Griz maul S. Utah in opener
MISSOULA - Oh boy, Lex looks good.
Former Flathead High School star Lex Hilliard rushed for his 12th-career 100-yard game Saturday in his first action since rupturing his Achilles' tendon 13 months ago to help lead the second-ranked University of Montana football team past Southern Utah University, 37-17.
The Griz were ahead by just five points, 14-9, with 2 minutes, 30 seconds left in the third quarter of the season opener before kicking into gear in front of the largest home-opening crowd in Washington-Grizzly Stadium history (23,599).
"I summed it up in two words for our team: It was efficient and mechanical," UM coach Bobby Hauck said.
All-American kicker Dan Carpenter of Helena opened up that five-point lead with two of his three 40-plus yard field goals to put the game at 20-9 with 12:11 left in the fourth quarter.
After the Griz defense forced the Thunderbirds into a three-and-out on their next possession, Hilliard gained 30 yards on three straight carries to put the home team within striking distance again.
Junior quarterback Cole Bergquist capped that drive on the fourth play by pulling down the ball in the pocket and scrambling for a 14-yard touchdown. It was the first career rushing touchdown for the San Clemente, Calif., native, who started eight games as a redshirt freshman.
"It was kind of funny that it was my first one because that's all I did last year," Bergquist said. "I was happy to bounce it outside and then I found a little lane to the inside (at about the 5-yard line) and decided to go for it."
The touchdown put the game at 27-9 with 9:21 left. But Southern Utah responded with a nine-play, 78-yard touchdown drive and got the two-point conversion.
Then the Griz defense pounced.
With 3:35 left in the 27-17 game, UM's All-American defensive end Kroy Biermann of Hardin sacked SUU quarterback Wes Marshall and flung him so hard his helmet flew off.
It signaled a disastrous ending for the Thunderbirds, who committed three turnovers on their next five plays while the Griz turned them into 10 points and ended the game on the SUU 6-yard line.
"I felt like we had a chance in the second half of the fourth quarter but we had a few turnovers, just trying to force some things and make something happen," SUU coach Wes Meier said.
Montana's Class B high school football stars - Baker's Shann Schillinger and Fort Benton's Loren Utterback - each had interceptions in those closing moments. And linebackers Tyler Corwin and Alex Hawthorne combined on a hit that forced a fumble that safety Van Cooper Jr. recovered.
But it was Butte's Colt Anderson, a junior strong safety who fought off a 103-degree fever Friday night to start, who made the play of the game with 50 seconds left in the first half.
After Bergquist fumbled a snap deep in SUU territory and recovered it in the end zone to give the Thunderbirds a safety and put the game at 14-2, they took the ensuing possession down to the Grizzlies' 9-yard line. But on a second-down-and-8, Anderson stole their thunder by leaping to intercept a pass and getting his tip toes down inbounds on the west side of the south end zone.
"We were in a goal line defense but audibled into a cover two because they had a bunch split out," Anderson said. "I saw the guy over at the edge of the end zone and read the quarterback's eyes and got over there. I barely got my feet down inbounds."
The pick ended the T'birds only first-half threat. In fact, they had just one offensive play in Griz territory in the first half - and that was on the 49-yard line and it resulted in a third-down incomplete pass. The T'birds had just five plays in Griz territory in the second quarter.
"We fought hard through that," Meier said. "It would have been easy for the guys to let down after that interception. That hurt us. It would have been huge to get those points. But our guys kept a good frame of mind even after that."
Indeed, they did. They came out in the opening drive of the second half and marched 78 yards in 14 plays, chewing up 7:30 of the clock, for a touchdown.
All told, SUU amassed 304 yards of total offense - 86 on the ground and 218 through the air. Marshall, the T'birds QB, had 65 of those rushing yards and completed 19 of 32 passes (59 percent).
The Griz totaled 370 yards of offense - 177 on the ground and 193 through the air. Bergquist completed 15 of 22 passes (68 percent) for 150 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 34 yards and the score.
Jeff Larson of Cut Bank was 2-for-3 for 20 yards and rushed for 18 yards in the role that Bergquist played last year. Andrew Selle of Billings went 1-for-2 for 23 yards.
Hilliard finished with 109 yards and a touchdown on 22 attempts as seven other Grizzlies accumulated carries.
Ryan Bagley of Great Falls had three catches for 25 yards. Eric Allen had two for 43 yards and both were touchdowns. Nine different players caught a pass for the Griz and only two of them had just one reception.
The Griz are home again next Saturday, hosting NCAA Division II Fort Lewis College.
Montana 37,
S. Utah 17
S. Utah 0 2 7 8 - 17
Montana 7 7 3 20 - 37
First Quarter
Mont-Hilliard 2 run (Carpenter kick), 12:20.
Second Quarter
Mont-Allen 14 pass from Bergquist (Carpenter kick), 7:40.
SUt-Brown, 3:55.
Third Quarter
SUt-Sanchez 1 run (Pulver kick), 7:30.
Mont-FG Carpenter 42, 2:19.
Fourth Quarter
Mont-FG Carpenter 41, 12:11.
Mont-Bergquist 14 run (Carpenter kick), 9:21.
SUt-Sanchez 1 run (Edwards pass from Marshall), 5:14.
Mont-Allen 29 pass from Bergquist (Carpenter kick), 3:16.
Mont-FG Carpenter 41, 1:49.
A-23,599.
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SUt Mont
First downs 15 23
Rushes-yards 32-86 45-177
Passing 218 193
Comp-Att-Int 19-32-3 18-28-0
Return Yards 23 31
Punts-Avg. 6-41.8 3-46.0
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 1-0
Penalties-Yards 4-24 6-40
Time of Possession 31:51 28:09
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INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-S. Utah, Marshall 13-65, Sanchez 11-28, Coop 4-6, N.Miller 4-(minus 13). Montana, Hilliard 22-108, Bergquist 5-26, Coleman 2-16, Bradshaw 3-9, A.Schmidt 2-8, Larson 6-5, Johnson 1-3, Brooks-Fletcher 4-2.
PASSING-S. Utah, Marshall 19-32-3-218. Montana, Bergquist 15-22-0-150, Larson 2-3-0-20, Selle 1-2-0-23, Team 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING-S. Utah, Gritton 6-116, N.Miller 6-55, Logan 3-22, Edwards 2-26, Sanchez 1-1, Coop 1-(minus 2). Montana, Bagley 3-25, Bradshaw 3-1, Allen 2-43, Ferriter 2-32, Schulte 2-23, Mariani 2-18, Pfahler 2-11, Troxel 1-23, Hilliard 1-17.