Vandals knock off Griz, reclaim Stein

MISSOULA — Certainly a majority of the Idaho Vandals weren’t born when their football program last claimed the Little Brown Stein.

A win like they had Saturday — 30-23 over the No. 2-ranked Montana Grizzlies, on parents weekend at the gleaming stadium we call Wa-Griz — feels pretty good, landmark or no.

“No one thought we could win,” first-year Idaho coach Jason Eck said after his team improved to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the Big Sky Conference. “I saw everybody’s predictions. Nobody thought we could win this game. But the guys in our building believed, and we found a way to do it.”

The formula hasn’t changed all season: In the age of up-tempo offenses Idaho rarely runs a play with more than a few ticks left on the 40-second clock. Add in a quarterback like Gevoni McCoy (267 yards and two touchdowns) and players like Hayden Hatten and Jermaine Jackson, plus a fast and physical defense, and you can knock off some big boys.

Washington State almost found out. Montana did, after watching the Vandals hold the ball for 42 minutes, 8 seconds and outgain the Griz 334-220.

“I didn’t think we played particularly well, and that starts with the head coach,” UM’s Bobby Hauck said afterward. “I need to get us to play better.

“They bled the clock down, and tried to get it to the fourth quarter, which they did successfully. Then we didn’t move the chains on third down and let them move the chains.”

It was the first loss for this year’s Grizzlies (5-1, 2-1), who are now looking up at Idaho, Montana State, Weber State and Sacramento State in the league standings (and a road game at Sac State is next).

Montana seemed to have momentum when linebacker Patrick O’Connell undercut a slant and picked off a McCoy pass, returning it 42 yards. That set up Lucas Johnson’s 1-yard TD run and put the Griz up 13-5.

There was just 1:48 left in the first half, but Idaho mounted a clock drive, capped when McCoy took a shot and still got off a 24-yard strike to Hatten with 28 seconds on the clock.

The playmaking was one thing: Idaho also seemed just fine on second- and third-and-longs.

“It would have been nice for us to be better on first downs, but it is what it is,” said McCoy, who completed 19 of 25 passes (78 percent). “And I feel like we responded on second and third downs and got back in front of the chains.”

There wasn’t a phase that really pulled its weight for the Griz, including special teams.

Up 6-3 after Junior Bergen made a spectacular 19-yard touchdown catch, the Griz had their PAT kick blocked. Midway through the second quarter, Patrick Rohrbach mishandled a high punt snap for a safety — the second such result this season.

Down 13-12, Idaho recovered an onside kick to start the third quarter, and drove to a field goal in front of the half-empty stands. The Vandals had the lead for good, 15-12.

“They got three points out of it but it was more about us not having the ball,” Hauck said.

Montana answered with two straight three-and-outs. After the second, a solid punt return and late hit penalty on UM set up Idaho at its own 43.

McCoy, protected well, found Hatten with a 57-yard touchdown bomb.

“Before that drive, Coach (Matt) Linehan came up to me and said, ‘Hey, what do you think of this play?’ I said, ‘Playing man-to-man? I love it. We’ve got to throw this thing,’” Hatten said. “I feel comfortable in Gevani’s ability to throw it and my ability to catch it.”

That made it 22-13; Montana did answer with a Nic Ramos field goal to close the third quarter. Now down one score, the Griz forced a punt that Bergen returned 40 yards to near midfield, but then the offense faltered, twice: On each side of an Idaho 3-and-out, quarterback Lucas Johnson threw interceptions and consecutive passes.

Mathias Bertram returned the second pick down to UM’s 2, setting up a short touchdown run from Roshaun Johnson and a 30-16 lead with just 1:55 left.

The Grizzlies managed a final TD — Mitch Roberts hauled in a 6-yard pass — with 32 seconds left, then tried their onside kick. Hatten, who was also in on that safety, recovered for Idaho. The Vandals had lost seven straight in this series, but now the “Stein” is headed back to Moscow for the first time since 1999.

Johnson threw for 186 yards, and had a hand in all three Griz TDs. But the run game never developed: Take away a 25-yard end around by Malik Flowers and Montana gained 9 yards on 17 carries. Marcus Knight had two carries for 11 yards in the third quarter, then didn’t get another attempt.

“You know, we only had 56 plays and we weren’t very good on third down,” Hauck said. “There weren’t very many attempts at anything. Fifty-six plays is like a bad NFL game.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Idaho. LIke I said, good job by them. They came in and won the game, but I’m pretty (ticked), starting with the guy in the mirror. We didn’t coach well, we didn't play well.”