MISSOULA — It was as complete a performance the Montana Grizzlies have had all season when No. 3-seeded UM topped No. 14 South Dakota State 50-29 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the second round of the FCS playoffs.
And it was highlighted by the team's biggest stars coming through in the biggest moments.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
"We got a lot of selfless guys, and shoot, we just go out there, we just want to win," UM wide receiver Drew Deck said. "We just trust our coaching and trust the position they put us in and go out there and win."
While the start was sluggish, once Montana got rolling it couldn't be stopped.
The progression of sophomore quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat has been at the forefront of the season and the signal-caller delivered his best performance to date, going 29 for 37 with 360 yards and four touchdowns.
"Our offense was clicking. I thought the quarterback, the game was moving slow for him today," Griz coach Bobby Hauck said. "He was seeing everything the way he needed to see it. I mean, everything from seeing the corner blitz and hurting them there. He was on the money. He did a great job today."
Photos: Montana trounces South Dakota State to advance in FCS playoffs
"He's a gamer. He's a leader out there and when he's operating like that, it's fun," Deck said of Ah Yat. "This offense, we feed off each other. We're all out there, make plays. So when people are making plays, we get fired up, rally off that."
Eli Gillman continued to climb the record books with two touchdowns and 135 yards rushing, while Michael Wortham also played a major role with eight catches, 113 yards and a touchdown.
And the likes of Deck, Stevie Rocker Jr. and Malae Fonoti also found the end zone as Ah Yat got everyone involved and the Griz offense attacked the Jackrabbits from every angle to the tune of 552 total yards and 50 points.
"I think the main thing is we have guys that can make plays throughout our offense," Hauck said. "And I think the best thing is, you read the stat sheet and everyone wants to talk about touches and targets and all that crap. They don't care about that. All they care about is getting one more point than the other team. That's why this works."
Defensively, that unit got a boost from the return of cornerback Kyon Loud who made an instant impact. Linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu wreaked havoc in the SDSU backfield with three tackles for loss, and TJ Rausch and Kenzel Lawler also shined as the defense settled in after a rocky first quarter.
"(Credit to) coach Hauck and coach (Roger Cooper) for putting me in good positions to make plays," Tuliaupupu said. "And also my brothers on the field that do the same thing. We play as a unit, we play together, and the plays I make are the plays they make. So I really appreciate them."
Montana trailed 14-6 at the end of the first quarter, but by the fourth quarter and 30 unanswered points later the Griz were in complete control.
They exacted revenge on the Jackrabbits for playoff losses in the previous two seasons, and now are just one of eight teams remaining in a now wide-open playoff field, with a date with the No. 11 seed South Dakota Coyotes next Saturday in Missoula in the quarterfinal round.
"Went in the last game 11-0 (against Montana State) and didn't feel like the ball bounced our way much in that game and came out of there with a loss," Hauck said. "And I kind of attitudinally go the way the team goes. And our team was fired up to get back into game week this week. And it showed today."
