Spiders wrap up Griz

The Daily Inter Lake

The Richmond defense was just more than Montana could handle.

The Spiders (13-3) held the Griz scoreless until the final quarter, defeating the Grizzlies 24-7 to cinch its first Football Championship Subdivision national championship in school history Friday in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Montana got on the board for the first time during the fourth quarter, when running back Chase Reynolds bulldozed his way into the end zone from the 4-yard line.

The Griz got the ball back shortly afterward, looking to keep the comeback alive. But Richmond, which recorded seven sacks in the game, kept Griz quarterback Cole Bergquist scrambling and intercepted a pass.

The University of Montana (14-2) lost the national championship game in 2004 to James Madison. On Friday, the Grizzlies were a poor 5-for-14 on third-down conversions.

For complete statistics and more on the game, see page B1.