(STATS) – It’s true No. 18 Montana pulled a road upset of No. 4 UC Davis on Saturday. The national rankings confirmed it.
But the Grizzlies’ 45-20 romp was the type that’s been typical of their traditional-rich program – at least under coach Bobby Hauck – and they expect to have more of them.
In the second season of Hauck’s second stint guiding the longtime Big Sky power, Montana made a much-needed statement, dominating a UC Davis program that one week earlier troubled top-ranked North Dakota State. Senior quarterback Dalton Sneed’s 349 yards of total offense and five touchdown passes led the STATS FCS Team of the Week.
“We have tremendous confidence in our ability. I don’t think we’re there yet, but this is a good win for us obviously against the fourth-ranked team in the country, and it wasn’t close,” Hauck said. “I’m pretty happy. That’s a nice win for our team.”
Montana (4-1) posted its first road win over a ranked opponent since beating No. 3 Northern Iowa on Sept. 3, 2016 and it arguably was the Grizzlies’ most important victory since beating South Dakota State in their most recent FCS playoff appearance in 2015. They have only four postseason wins since Hauck’s first stint in Missoula from 2003-09, when they claimed Big Sky titles in all seven of his seasons and had three national runner-up finishes.
In winning its conference opener, Montana took a 17-7 halftime lead when Brandon Purdy kicked a 21-yard field goal to end the first half. Wide receiver Samuel Akem then had a 62-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown in the first minute of the third quarter and Sneed connected for two straight touchdowns to Jerry Louie-McGee as the Grizzlies made it 24 unanswered points and a 38-7 advantage just six minutes into the second half.
The offensive line didn’t allow a sack as Montana posted terrific offensive balance (260 rushing yards, 268 passing). Defensive end Ryder Rice recovered a fumble and forced another, and both takeaways were turned into touchdowns. Linebackers Jace Lewis (13 tackles) and Dante Olson (eight tackles, interception) also posted big games.
HONORABLE MENTION: Austin Peay (52-33 win over No. 11 Jacksonville State); Campbell (34-27 win over Mercer); Delaware (17-14 loss to Pittsburgh); No. 2 James Madison (45-10 win over No. 24 Elon); No. 5 Weber State (29-17 win over No. 9 Northern Iowa)
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