DAVIS, Calif. — The incomparable Eli Gillman hit more career milestones and No. 5-ranked Montana put together its most complete performance of the season Saturday night.
Gillman broke UM's single-game rushing record with 275 yards and added four rushing touchdowns as the Grizzlies hammered No. 10 UC Davis 62-22 in what was one of the season’s most anticipated Big Sky Conference and FCS matchups.
It was a dominant and consequential victory for the Grizzlies in terms of the early conference landscape, and it stands as the biggest win of Bobby Kennedy's first season as head coach. Montana moved to 4-1 overall and, more importantly, to 2-0 in the Big Sky standings. UC Davis slipped to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the league.
The Griz controlled the first half and took a 31-0 lead after quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat scored on a 7-yard run with 1:48 left before halftime. That came after Ah Yat hit Landon Ransom-Goelz with a short TD pass and after a pair of 5-yard rushing scores by Gillman, who now owns the Big Sky's career record for rushing touchdowns and set a personal career high for single-game yardage.
Gillman was again the story. The senior running back shattered his previous career best of 196 yards and broke the single-game school record of 265 set by hall of famer Yohance Humphery in a 2001 game against Weber State.
Shellshocked, the Aggies didn't get on the scoreboard until Treynor Cleeland hit Zach Jones with a 27-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the first half. With a successful two-point conversion, UM's lead was 31-8 at intermission.
Defensively, Montana sacked Cleeland three times and had six tackles for loss in the first half. Also, the Grizzlies incurred just two penalties in the opening 30 minutes, a drastic improvement over previous weeks.
The trend continued in the second half. An Ah Yat TD pass to Brooks Davis and another scoring run by Gillman put the Grizzlies ahead 45-8 in the third quarter. They never took their feet off the gas.
TURNING POINT: If there really was one, it occurred in the first quarter when UC Davis' Jones muffed a punt that was recovered by the Grizzlies' Tanner Huff under a huge pile of humanity.
That led to Gillman's second 5-yard touchdown run and put Montana ahead 14-0. But that was only the start. Montana was the better team in all three phases. Kicker Jo Silver added a 50-yard field goal for good measure in the fourth quarter.
GILLMAN STANDS ALONE, AGAIN: With his first touchdown run in the first quarter, Gillman broke the Big Sky record for career rushing TDs, surpassing the previous mark of 56 held by Charles Roberts of Sacramento State (1997-2000).
Gillman had already set Griz career records for rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns. The only career record left on his radar is the Big Sky mark for total touchdowns — 77 by receiver Cooper Kupp of Eastern Washington (2013-16).
Including Saturday, Gillman's updated career totals are: 4,361 rushing yards, 60 rushing touchdowns, and 66 total touchdowns.
Also of note, Humphrey's prior single-game record of 265 rushing yards in 2001 was achieved on a school-record 38 carries. Gillman broke it on 26 attempts.
PENALTIES NOT A PROBLEM: Montana really cleaned up its act in the penalty department this week, and it helped pave the way to a dominant road victory.
The Grizzlies came in with per-game averages of 11 penalties for 78.5 yards. But against UC Davis, Montana was flagged five times for 50 yards.
DOMINANCE UP FRONT: The Grizzlies' front seven was a force all night, sacking the quarterback, affecting the pocket with pressure to disrupt the Aggies' passing game and also keeping their ground game under wraps.
Defensive end Tyler King led the Griz with 2.5 sacks and the team finished with eight tackles for loss.
But Montana's offensive front wasn't to be outdone. UM's O-line helped pave the way for 366 net rushing yards and a total offensive output of 605 yards.
ONLY ONE DAVIS SHINES: Davis (the team) had high hopes, but Davis (the receiver) did his part to dash them.
Montana's Brooks Davis, continuing his stellar sophomore campaign, finished with nine receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown. He had 50 yards after the catch, and was targeted a total of 13 times.
WHAT'S NEXT: After spending the past two weeks on the road, Montana — now riding some momentum — returns to Missoula for homecoming next Saturday to host Northern Colorado in another Big Sky Conference matchup.
The Bears, under coach Ed Lamb, will visit Washington-Grizzly Stadium on a two-game winning streak after beating Utah Tech 37-13 at home on Saturday night.
