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Offense struggles as No. 7 Montana drops 30-14 game to fourth-ranked UC Davis

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Offense struggles as No. 7 Montana drops 30-14 game to fourth-ranked UC Davis


MISSOULA — Montana’s offense, which has been one of the best in the country this season, couldn’t get untracked Saturday, as the seventh-ranked Grizzlies sputtered to a 30-14 loss to No. 4 UC Davis inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

It was just the Aggies’ second-ever win over the Grizzlies, who entered the game holding a 9-1 all-time advantage in the head-to-head series.

PHOTOS: NO. 7 MONTANA LOSES NIGHT GAME TO NO. 4 UC DAVIS

Montana’s offensive struggles wouldn’t have been expected — based on the body of work this season nor the early goings of Saturday’s game, as things couldn’t have started much better for Montana. The Griz held Davis to 15 yards on the game’s opening possession and then marched right down the field on a seven-play, 72-yard drive capped by a 23-yard Junior Bergen touchdown reception from quarterback Logan Fife. Fife was surgical on the drive, completing 4 of 4 passes for 55 yards and scrambling for another 13 yards.

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But the Griz offense stalled the rest of the first half and the Aggies started to gain some footing. Davis answered UM’s touchdown with its own TD — a 2-yard flip to Trent Tompkins to tie the game at 7-7. That would be the score going to the second quarter, as the teams traded three-and-outs over the next five drives.

Davis took a 10-7 lead in the second quarter on a 42-yard field goal by Hunter Ridley after the Griz defense — and the Washington-Grizzly Stadium crowd — kept the Aggies out of the end zone. Davis had driven to the UM 13-yard line, but two false starts, a delay of a game and a negative play pushed the Aggies back to the 30. They gained 5 yards on third-and-27 to set up Ridley’s field goal.

GRIZ POSTGAME: BOBBY HAUCK, PLAYERS BREAK DOWN LOSS TO UC DAVIS

The Griz offense found some momentum on the next drive with Fife and running back Eli Gillman partnering to get Montana deep into Davis territory. But facing third-and-10 from the Aggies’ 11-yard line, Fife was intercepted in the end zone by Davis defensive back Rex Connors to keep the score 10-7.

The Davis offense didn’t do anything with the possession, punting after three plays and giving Montana another scoring opportunity before halftime. The Griz, though, turned the ball over on downs at the Aggies’ 42-yard line.

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This time, Davis took advantage, quickly gaining 34 yards to get into field goal range. Ridley was good from 41 yards, and Davis entered the half with a 13-7 lead.

After both teams traded punts to start the second half, Keali’i Ah Yat — who again split time with Fife at QB — helped give the lead back to Montana midway through the third quarter. The redshirt freshman first ran for 12 yards to start the drive and then, on a designed quarterback draw from the Davis 18-yard line, powered through one Aggies defender and dragged another from the 6-yard line to inside the 1. Three plays later, Ah Yat helicoptered into the end zone on a 2-yard scramble. The point-after attempt gave Montana a 14-13 lead with 6:51 to play in the third quarter.

James Dobson / For MTN Sports

University of Montana freshman Keali’i Ah Yat (8) leaps into the endzone for a touchdown during the game against University of California-Davis at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, MT Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.

But, just as they did after Montana’s first touchdown, the Aggies had an answer. They drove 75 yards in eight plays — highlighted by running back Lan Larison catching a screen pass and hurdling a Griz defender on a 15-yard gain — with QB Miles Hastings finding Ian Simpson for a walk-in 22-yard touchdown. Davis took a 20-14 lead to the fourth quarter.

The Aggies made it a two-score game early in the fourth on a Hastings-to-Larison TD pass. The seven-play, 60-yard drive included a fourth-down conversion when the Griz had too many defenders on the field and a trick play where receiver C.J. Hutton completed a 29-yard pass to Simpson.

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On the first play of Montana’s ensuing drive, Ah Yat was intercepted by Davis linebacker Porter Connors, setting up Ridley’s third field goal of the game.

Montana had three more offensive possessions the rest of the game, with those drives ending in a punt and twice on turnovers on downs. The Griz totaled only 286 yards of offense — 209 through the air and 77 on the ground. Ah Yat led the team with 29 yards on seven carries. He was 7-of-18 passing for 62 yards, while Fife completed 13 of 23 passes for 147 yards.

Hastings completed 28 of 38 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns for the Aggies, who got 97 rushing yards and 48 receiving yards from Larison.

Turning point: In the first minute of the fourth quarter, Davis lined up to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the UM 41-yard line. The Aggies got a first down by virtue of Montana having too many players on the field, and three plays later Larison was in the end zone to make it a two-possession game.

Stat of the game: Montana had just 286 yards of offense, 170 yards lower than its season average. The Griz entered the game ranked third in the FCS in scoring offense (39.4 points per game) and eighth in total offense (456 yards per game).

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Grizzly game balls: WR Junior Bergen (Offense). Bergen didn’t have many opportunities in the return game, but he was Montana’s most consistent player on offense. He finished with six catches for 92 yards and the game’s first touchdown.

S Ryder Meyer (Defense). Meyer finished with a game-high 17 tackles, including eight solo and one tackle for loss. Fellow safety Jaxon Lee was in on 13 tackles.

What’s next: Montana (7-3 overall, 4-2 Big Sky) is back inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium for its final home game of the regular season next week against Portland State (2-7, 2-4). Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. next Saturday, and the game will be broadcast on the MTN channel across Montana.

UC Davis (9-1, 6-0), which has now won nine consecutive games, has another big game next week in what will be the de facto Big Sky Conference championship game. The Aggies host second-ranked Montana State (10-0, 6-0) at 6 p.m. Mountain time next Saturday. The game will be broadcast on CBS affiliates across Montana.





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Montana

Montana's Most Expensive Towns To Live In.

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Montana's Most Expensive Towns To Live In.


For those renting here in Montana, the price can be a little steep. While some areas are cheaper than others, for those looking to live in Montana’s more popular areas, you can plan on paying a little or sometimes, a lot more.

As a resident of Bozeman, my wife and I pay double the price we paid for our last place.

The last place had more square footage, a double-car garage, and an extra bathroom. Granted, the prices have come down a little over the last year or so, however, compared to other areas, renting in Montana can be very expensive.

Why is rent so high in Montana?

Most of it is supply and demand.  In more popular areas like Bozeman, Kalispell, and Missoula, folks have been flocking to those areas which means that landlords and property managers have been able to take advantage.

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While I’m all for capitalism, I question those organizations that charge an “application fee” when they only have one or two units and allow 50 people to apply. That seems super shady to me.

Another factor is that home prices are so high that those who can’t afford to purchase a home are left with renting, so….you can add a couple hundred dollars a month and people have to pay it.

Will rent prices go down in Montana?

We shall see. While places like Bozeman continue to build lots of apartments and townhomes, one would think that would bring down the prices of rent, and it has to some extent. Now that renters have more options, they can be a little more picky on what they want to pay.

Montana’s Most Expensive Towns To Live In

It’s not a secret that home prices are out of reach for many Montanans, but what about rental properties? We take a look to see which towns are the most expensive to live and rent in here in Big Sky Country.

Gallery Credit: Derek Wolf

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Montana’s Top 6 Most Affordable Places To Live

If you’re looking for a piece of Montana to call home, but you’re on a budget, it can be hard to make the dream of home ownership come true. However, there are still towns here in Big Sky Country that are affordable to the average person.

Gallery Credit: Derek Wolf

5 Montana Towns You Should Avoid Moving To

Thinking of making your way to Big Sky Country? Before you decide to list the house for sale and schedule a moving service, here’s a list of towns you might want to avoid if you plan on moving to Montana.

Gallery Credit: Derek Wolf





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Montana State men unveil banner, cruise to home opener victory over NW Indian

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Montana State men unveil banner, cruise to home opener victory over NW Indian


BOZEMAN — The Montana State men rolled past Northwest Indian College in their home opener 93-35. The three-consecutive Big Sky tournament champions also unveiled their new banner with an updated “2024” program title on Monday night at the game.

Junior guard Bryce Zephir, who transferred to the Bobcats this season from Salt Lake CC, led all scorers with 16 points. Junior forward Brandon Walker followed with 13 points.

Utah State transfer Max Agbonkpolo grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. The win brought Montana State to 1-2 early in the season. The Bobcats face Denver University on the road on Sunday.

For full highlights, click the video reel above.

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Montana Red Cross looking for community support gifting overseas troops this holiday season

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Montana Red Cross looking for community support gifting overseas troops this holiday season


HELENA — The holiday season is right around the corner and the Red Cross is preparing a gift this year for active duty members.

“Operation Holiday Cheer” is a way for the public, and the Red Cross, to help thank active duty members by gathering care items for troops deployed overseas.

They’re asking the public to drop off requested items to their locations where Red Crossers will then assemble and ship the care packages to those serving in Camp Buehring in Kuwait.

“One of our biggest accomplishments is hoping to get that comfort and care item to our service members that are deployed. So for me personally, I have a spouse that’s been deployed a couple of times, just making sure that they know that people at home care about them and are thinking about them,” said American Red Cross of Montana Service to the Armed Forces Director Sara Cease.

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They’ll have drop-off stations at any of its blood donation centers across the state. The deadline to drop off requested itemsis now on November 15.

“Primarily items that they don’t necessarily get through other channels,” said Cease, “So some comfort items to bring a little touch of home. Amazing how much just a much of a tube of chapstick means to someone when they’re deployed. So making sure they have some comfort items, some refreshments and some fun items during the holidays.”





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