The talk of an infamous replay will rule the day on Sunday and for days to come around the state of Montana.
But what about everything that came before Jared Gipson’s controversial 4th down catch?
The seventh-ranked Montana Grizzlies seemed intent on mirroring the performance, game plan and style that helped Idaho hand UM its first loss last weekend in Missoula. UM’s opening drive was a 15-play, 88-yard march that ate up more than six minutes of clock.
By the time the first quarter ended, second-ranked Sac State had only touched the ball once and Montana led 7-0. Early in the second quarter, UM seventh-year senior quarterback Lucas Johnson was knocked out of the game on a roughing the passer late hit by Sac State’s Ayodele Adeoye. Still, UM did not delineate from its ball-control game plan even with sophomore Kris Brown at the controls of the offense.
Montana secured a time of possession advantage for the game before the fourth quarter was two minutes old. The Griz rushed for exactly 200 yards. Despite having to navigate a Top 10 matchup without their super senior quarterback, UM still led for the first 56 minutes, 21 seconds of the game against an undefeated Hornets team that had never trailed this season entering Saturday night’s nationally televised clash.
Idaho’s 30-23 win in Missoula last week derailed the storytelling of a manic Montana program and fan base who were certain the Griz would roll into Sac with an undefeated record. When Nick Ostmo capped a 13-play, 62-yard drive that ate up 6:05 and put Montana up 24-14 with 8:32 left, it seemed like Sac State head coach Troy Taylor’s ownership of the Griz and Montana’s uncommon losing streak to the once-mediocre, now exceptional Hornets would end.
Instead, an onside kick off the face, an inability to convert offensively down the stretch, an infamous replay and two Asher O’Hara touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime, helped Sac State survive with a 31-24 victory in OT that ended 46 minutes into Sunday morning.
“It’s a rough one to take obviously. I thought we played well enough to win,” head coach Bobby Hauck said in a UM press release. “We had quite a few really bad breaks go against us. I was proud of our guys. I thought they played really well.”
Despite turning the ball over four times, including three interceptions thrown by senior all-conference quarterback Jake Dunniway, and only possessing the ball for 22 minutes, 10 seconds, Sac State still moved to 7-0 for the first time in school history.
Sac’s third straight win over the Griz moved the hosts to 4-0 in Big Sky Conference play, keeping them among the ranks of the BSC unbeaten.
No. 3 Montana State moved to 5-0 in league play with a 43-38 win over No. 5 Weber State, handing the Wildcats their first loss of the season in the process on Saturday. Idaho also rolled Portland State 56-21 to move to 4-0 in conference.
The loss means Montana is officially on a two-game skid. Hauck had never lost three straight match ups to a league opponent until Sac solidified such a streak, moving to 19-1 in Big Sky games under Taylor in the process.
“I’m very happy for our guys,” Taylor said. “It felt like pushing a rope uphill at times. But our guys kept pushing. I’m happy for our guys and I’m happy for this football team and the city of Sacramento. We really want them to embrace this football team and our university.”
Following Ostmo’s short touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter, Sac answered with a long drive aided by a pair of pass interference calls on Montana cornerback Corbin Walker, who had one of UM’s three interceptions earlier in the game.
Walker’s second penalty gave Sac a first down 13 yards away from the end-zone trailing by 10 points. The march stalled out, resulting in Kyle Sentowski’s 27-yard field goal to cut the gap to a touchdown.
On the following kickoff, Sac State blasted an onside kick that ricocheted off UM linebacker Tyler Flink and that the Hornets recovered.
The Hornets took over near midfield and moved into Montana territory. On a 3rd & 10 from the UM 36, Dunniway found tight end Marshel Martin for a six-yard gain on a route run well short of the sticks. On the fourth down from the UM 30, Dunniway heaved a lofting ball toward the Griz sideline about four yards short of the corner pylon.
Gipson, who finished with five catches for 66 yards, hauled in the pass for a 26-yard gain. Several screen shots of the replay showed Gipson’s feet out of bounds.
But the angles of the official replay, influenced by the insatiable desire for college football teams to be on TV even if it means kicking off at 9 p.m. MST, provided not enough evidence to overturn the ruling on the field.
On the very next play, O’Hara scored a four-yard touchdown to tie the game 24-24 with 3:39 left.
Five plays into Montana’s next drive, Griz tight end Matt Rensvold picked up a flag for offensive pass interference, stalling a drive that ultimately resulted in a punt.
Sac’s next possession, the final of regulation, got into Montana territory. But Dunniway’s hail Mary to the end-zone was intercepted by Justin Ford.
In overtime, Sac got the ball first and needed just four plays, including three O’Hara runs and the senior quarterback’s second touchdown of the game from seven yards out, to take their first lead more than 60 minutes into the game.
Montana’s final possession included a two-yard run by Ostmo and three incompletions by Brown, who had to play against the Hornets for the second year in a row because of UM senior quarterback injuries.
“We were good up front on that last touchdown drive and we got the stop on defense when we needed to,” Taylor said. “The resiliency of this team to continue to play and give everything we have, I love these guys.”
Montana ran 95 plays, rushed for 200 yards and possessed the ball for 37 minutes, 50 seconds. Sac State ran 71 plays and possessed the ball for 22:10, yet still rolled up 479 yards of total offense and notched 24 first downs.
Dunniway finished 19-of-36 for 284 yards and two scores. O’Hara rushed for 56 of Sac’s 180 yards, carrying the ball 13 times. Cameron Skattebo rushed 13 times for 111 yards as the Hornets averaged 5.8 yards per carry to Montana’s 3.7.
A season that began with real national championships aspirations is now in peril for Montana. The Grizzlies will likely need to win out to secure a first-round bye in the FCS playoffs for the third season in a row. The Griz now sit at 3-2 in league play, so will almost certainly need help to win their first league title since 2009.
And the road doesn’t get any easier. Montana plays at No. 5 Weber State next week. The Griz last played the Wildcats in the quarterfinals of the 2019 playoffs. After destroying WSU 34-16 earlier that November in Missoula, the Griz lost 17-10 in Ogden.
“I told them I was proud of them and I think we have a really good team,” Hauck said. “They had a lot of things working against them tonight. They probably played well enough to win and didn’t which is a disappointment, but we will have a big game next week.”
Sac State head coach Troy Taylor/ by Jameel Pugh, for Skyline Sports 
Montana head coach Bobby Hauck/ by Jameel Pugh, for Skyline Sports 
Montana quarterback Lucas Johnson/ by Jameel Pugh, for Skyline Sports 
Montana quarterback Lucas Johnson/ by Jameel Pugh, for Skyline Sports 
Sac State running back Cameron Skattebo/ by Jameel Pugh, for Skyline Sports 
Sac State running back Cameron Skattebo/ by Jameel Pugh, for Skyline Sports 
Sac State quarterback Asher O’Hara/ by Jameel Pugh, for Skyline Sports
Photos by Jameel Pugh. All Rights Reserved.
