South Dakota Coyotes @ Montana Grizzlies
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SDAK | 0 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 22 |
MONT | 10 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 52 |
Cats-Griz II: Montana routs South Dakota 52-22 to set up FCS semifinal against Montana State
MISSOULA, Mont. -- — Michael Wortham had 244 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, Keali’i Ah Yat threw for 305 yards and three scores and Montana routed South Dakota 52-22 on Saturday to set up a rematch against Montana State in the FCS semifinals.
Third-seeded Montana (13-1) advanced to the semifinals for the 12th time. Montana State will host the game Saturday after beating the Grizzlies 31-28 in Missoula on Nov. 28 to win the Big Sky title and secure the second seed. The Bobcats beat Stephen F. Austin 44-28 on Friday night.
Wortham had 201 yards receiving on 11 catches and 43 yards rushing on three carries to break the Montana record for all-purpose yards in a season.
Montana dominated from the start, driving 75 yards on the opening possession. Ah Yat's 1-yard touchdown pass to Drew Deck gave the Grizzlies a 7-0 lead and Ah Yat's 53-yard touchdown pass to Wortham made it 24-0 in the second quarter.
The Coyotes (10-5) made it 24-7 heading to halftime when L.J. Phillips Jr. scored on a 23-yard run.
Deck's FCS playoff-record 93-yard punt return touchdown early in the third quarter made it 31-7 and Ah Yat and Wortham connected on a 51-yard touchdown to make it 38-7.
South Dakota rallied on two touchdown passes by Aidan Bouman — 69 yards to Jack Martens and 20 yards to Tysen Boze to make it 38-22 with 8:42 remaining.
The Grizzlies responded with an 82-yard drive, highlighted by a unique trick-play in which Wortham caught a pass on a short slant then threw a backward pass across the field to Eli Gillman who took it for a 20-yard gain to the South Dakota 29-yard line. Wortham finished the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run and a 45-22 lead with 2:40 remaining.
Hashim Jones capped the scoring with a 20-yard run in the final minute.
Bouman had 231 yards passing and Martens had 93 yards receiving for the Coyotes (10-5).
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Game Information
Missoula, MT
2025 Standings
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota State | 8-0 | 12-1 |
| South Dakota | 6-2 | 10-5 |
| North Dakota | 5-3 | 8-6 |
| Youngstown State | 5-3 | 8-5 |
| Illinois State | 5-3 | 12-5 |
| South Dakota State | 4-4 | 9-5 |
| Southern Illinois | 4-4 | 7-5 |
| Northern Iowa | 1-7 | 3-9 |
| Murray State | 1-7 | 1-11 |
| Indiana State | 1-7 | 3-9 |
| Big Sky Conference | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Montana State | 8-0 | 14-2 |
| Montana | 7-1 | 13-2 |
| UC Davis | 6-2 | 9-4 |
| Sacramento State | 5-3 | 7-5 |
| Idaho State | 5-3 | 6-6 |
| Northern Arizona | 4-4 | 7-5 |
| Eastern Washington | 4-4 | 5-7 |
| Northern Colorado | 2-6 | 4-8 |
| Cal Poly | 2-6 | 4-8 |
| Idaho | 2-6 | 4-8 |
| Weber State | 2-6 | 4-8 |
| Portland State | 1-7 | 1-11 |
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