Griz defense no match for Montana State
(Montana Sports Information) Montana's magical run through the 2025 season came to a close on Saturday in Bozeman as Montana State came away with a 48-23 win over the Grizzlies in the FCS semifinal and the 125th meeting between the old rivals.
Montana State racked up nearly 450 yards of offense, including 240 yards on the ground.
A revenge win was not in the cards for Montana as the Griz close the season at 13-2 in the program's 13th appearance in the semifinal round of the playoffs, with the only two losses of the year coming at the hands of Montana State.
The Grizzlies took a 23-20 lead halfway through the third quarter, battling back from a slow start and a 17-point deficit to lead in Bozeman for the first time since 2017. The advantage wouldn't last long though as MSU piled on 28 unanswered points of their own down the stretch to pull away.
"I love our team. Not many teams in the country have 13 wins. We went out 11-0 and then lost to these guys and then kicked the dog out of two Missouri Valley teams and we were rolling,"
"At the end of the day they are good. We're good, they're good. Good job by them."
Montana outgained MSU in the passing game as Keali'i Ah Yat racked up 251 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Eli Gillman rushed for 106 yards and a score.
Montana captured the lead and the momentum in the third quarter with scores from both, but MSU converted a long third and 20 with an 87-yard strike from Justin Lamson to Taco Dowler that opened the flood gates in the third quarter and put the game out of reach for the Grizzlies.