Offense struggles as No. 7 Montana falls 30-14 to fourth-seeded UC Davis

MISSOULA — Montana’s offense, one of the best in the country this season, couldn’t get off the trail Saturday as the seventh-seeded Grizzlies lost 30-14 to No. 4 seed UC Davis at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

This was the Aggies’ second win over the Grizzlies, who entered the game with a 9-1 all-time lead in the head-to-head series.

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

Based on their work this season or the early going of Saturday’s game, Montana wouldn’t be expected to struggle offensively because things couldn’t have started off much better for Montana. The Griz held Davis to 15 yards on the game’s first possession and then marched down the field on a seven-play, 72-yard drive capped by a 23-yard Junior Bergen touchdown pass from quarterback Logan Fife. Fife operated on the drive, completing 4 of 4 passes for 55 yards and scrambling for 13 more yards.

However, the Griz’s offense stalled the rest of the first half and the Aggies began to gain some ground. Davis responded to UM’s goal with a TD of his own; He threw a 2-yard strike to Trent Tompkins to tie the game at 7-7. That would be the score heading into 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 from Hunter Ridley after the Griz defense and Washington-Grizzly Stadium fans kept the Aggies out of the end zone. Davis had gotten to the UM 13-yard line, but two false starts, a delay of play and a negative play pushed the Aggies back to the 30. They gained 5 yards on third-and-27, setting up Ridley’s field goal.

The Griz offense regained some momentum on the next drive as Fife and running back Eli Gillman partnered to take Montana deep into Davis territory. But facing third-and-10 from the Aggies’ 11-yard line, Fife was intercepted by Davis linebacker Rex Connors in the end zone, keeping the score at 10-7.

Davis’ offense did nothing on the possession, punting after three plays and giving Montana another scoring opportunity before halftime. However, the Griz turned the ball over on downs at the Aggies’ 42-yard line.

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

After both teams punted to start the second half, Keali’i Ah Yat, again splitting time with Fife at QB, helped Montana take back the lead midway through the third quarter. The redshirt freshman first rushed for 12 yards to start the drive and then on a designed quarterback draw from Davis’ 18-yard line, he powered past an Aggies defender and dragged another inside the 1 from the 6-yard line. Three plays later, Ah Yat helicoptered into the end zone on a 2-yard scramble. His post-point attempt gave Montana a 14-13 lead with 6:51 left in the third quarter.

James Dobson / for MTN Sports

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

The Aggies made it a two-score game early in the fourth quarter with a TD pass from Hastings to Larison. 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 in which receiver C.J. Hutton completed a 29-yard pass to Simpson.

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; those drives resulted in punts and twice in turnovers on downs. The Griz had just 286 yards of total offense; 209 in 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 received 97 rushing yards and 48 receiving yards from Larison.

Turning point: In the first minute of the fourth quarter, Davis lined up for a fourth-and-2 from the UM 41-yard line. The Aggies took the first down as Montana had too many players on the field, and three plays later Larison came into the end zone to make it a two-possession game.

state of the game: Montana had just 286 yards of offense, which was 170 yards below 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).

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

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

what’s next: Montana (7-3 overall, Big Sky 4-2) returns to Washington-Grizzly Stadium next week for its final home game of the regular season against Portland State (2-7, 2-4). Kickoff will be next Saturday at 1pm and the game will be broadcast on MTN in Montana.

UC Davis (9-1, 6-0), which has won nine straight games, has another big game next week, the de facto championship game of the Big Sky Conference. The Aggies will host second-seeded Montana State (10-0, 6-0) next Saturday at 6 pm mountain time. The game will air on CBS affiliates in Montana.