MISSOULA, Mont.—Montana's Cam Humphrey passed for 235 yards and three touchdowns as the Grizzlies handed Central Washington a 59-3 setback, Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Playing their only game of the 2020-21 COViD-impacted football season, the Wildcats were limited to just 178 yards of offense, while the Grizzlies piled up 529 yards of their own.
Montana jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Nick Ostmo, and a 45-yard field goal from Jack Cooper.
The Wildcats got on the board when
Van Soderberg connected on a 37-yard field goal with 8:57 left in the second quarter, CWU's only score of the day.
Montana followed Soderberg's field goal with two scores from Humphrey – one a 13-yard TD pass, the other a 5-yard scoring run. The Grizzlies led, 24-3, at halftime.
Despite the halftime deficit, the Wildcats had a chance to get back in the game early in the third quarter. Central took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove near midfield. Down by three touchdowns, the Wildcats went for it on fourth-and-1, but tailback
Tyler Flanagan was stopped for no gain, giving the ball back to the Grizzlies in Wildcats' territory.
Head coach
Chris Fisk called that drive a turning point for his team.
"When we came out in the third quarter, you know its going to take touchdowns against Montana to even have a chance in the fourth quarter," Fisk said. "We went for it on that fourth-and-1 and didn't get it, and I think that took the wind out of our sails. Up until then I was really proud of our effort."
Montana scored its fourth touchdown four plays later for a 31-3 advantage and added two more touchdowns before the quarter was over, seizing control of the game with a 45-3 lead.
Two more scores in the fourth quarter accounted for the final score.
Montana's special teams played a huge role for the Grizzlies on Saturday, averaging 19.3 yards on four punt returns, and 52.5 yards on two kickoff returns.
"We gave them four or five short fields on special teams coverage and just couldn't really get off of any blocking," Fisk said. "The was a major factor in the game."
Junior transfer
Jack Smith (Arizona State) got the start at quarterback for the Wildcats and threw for 113 yards on 13 of 21 passing. Smith also led the Wildcats with 24 yards on the ground.
"I really liked what we saw out of Jack today," Fisk said. "As the game slowed down for him, he was able to use his feet to make some things happen. He made some good decisions, and he made some bad decisions, but we really like what he can possibly do for us moving forward. He'll add some depth to that position group for sure."
Tyson Rainwater led the receiving corps with 38 yards on four receptions.
Donte Hamilton led Central's defensive effort with 18 tackles, including two for loss.
Daeon Hudson added 11 tackles of his own.
