MISSOULA — After a dominant 63-20 win over the Missouri Valley’s Indiana State Sycamores, the Montana Grizzlies doubled up on Big Sky Conference player of the week honors, the league announced Monday.
Following his second-straight 300-plus-yard game and his fourth straight game setting new career highs passing, quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat was named offensive player of the week for the first time in his career.
With another stellar day with his foot, senior kicker/punter Ty Morrison was also named the Big Sky special teams player of the week for a second consecutive week and the third time in his career.
At 3-0 on the season, the Griz have had at least one player of the week honoree following each of their three wins. This is the first time Montana’s had two Big Sky player of the week honorees since 2023, fittingly, after the win at Idaho. The Vandals come to Washington-Grizzly Stadium this Saturday for the first meeting between the two old foes since that win.
Ah Yat has been dealing in his first three games as a starter for the Grizzlies. The sophomore completed 22 of his 27 passes (an 82% clip) for a personal-best 313 yards and two touchdowns, all in two and a half quarters of play before being rested when the game was in hand. He also rushed for another score to total three touchdowns against the Sycamores.
The young signal caller now leads the Big Sky in average passing yards per game with 288 — the fourth-best average in the FCS this week and the most of any quarterback on a top 25 team. He’s also second among the QBs in the league in completion percentage (.678) and total passing yards (863).
Ah Yat is also the league leader in total offense this week with that average of 288 yards per contest. His 313 yards were the most of any Big Sky QB in Week 4 and are the fifth-most in the conference this season.
In his last four games dating back to the 2024 season finale he’s become increasingly more productive, throwing for 231 yards at SDSU, 250 vs CWU, 300 vs UND and 313 on Saturday against ISU, a total of 1,094 yards, or roughly half of his career total over his 19 appearances at UM.
"I think our young quarterback took another step forward today just in terms of pre-progression and seeing things more clearly and quickly. So, I thought that was good," said head coach Bobby Hauck after Saturday’s win.
"He's getting more and more confident. I think that's a week-to-week thing for him. When he's getting coached during the week and reviewing his performance, its more minutia than major mistakes. I like what he's got going right now. He's such a young player he's going to keep getting better and better."
Morrison filled up the stat sheet with another impressive day in the kicking game. The senior K/P went a perfect 7-for-7 on PAT attempts before being subbed out partway through the third quarter to stay a perfect 16-for-16 on the year.
He added four punts for 180 yards, averaging 45 per attempt with two inside the 20, and one that dropped at the Indiana State 4-yard line and led to a scoop-and-score defensive touchdown four plays later. He also logged a long punt of 49 yards, his second straight week hitting that number. He logged eight kickoffs for 510 yards and six touchbacks, as well.
Montana has now had three Big Sky players of the week after Eli Gillman earned offensive honors in Week 1 after rushing for a career-high 198 yards and three TDs.
The Grizzlies return home this week for their fourth of four straight home games, hosting rival Idaho in a battle for the Little Brown Stein to open conference play on ESPN2.
