Eastern Washington fumbled the ball at Montana’s five yard line in the final moments and by the time it was recovered time had run out on the Eagles’ comeback effort as the No. 2 Grizzlies survived for a 29-24 victory on Saturday afternoon in Missoula.
Early on the game appeared to be headed towards a blowout, with Montana exploding for 22 unanswered points to start the day, scoring on each of their first three possessions.
However that was not a sign of things to come, as Montana struggled after that and was outscored by Eastern 24-7 over the final 40 minutes of action.
Ten of Eastern’s points came in the final 2:30 of the game and the Eagles nearly added another touchdown in that time frame if it hadn’t been for quarterback Jake Schakel’s slip of grip as he was attempting to kill the clock.
Schakel’s heart-breaking blunder spoiled what was an otherwise impressive showing by the redshirt freshman as he finished his day completing 43 of 63 passes for 451 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.
Eastern outgained Montana 479 to 351 in total yards on the day but Montana’s two interceptions on defense allowed them to keep control of the contest as the Grizzlies’ committed zero turnovers on the day.
Grizzlies’ quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat finished his efficient day completing 22 of 30 passes for 250 yards with two touchdowns and no picks.
Montana’s run game was successful as well with Eli Gillman’s 13 carries for 83 yards and touchdown pacing the Grizzlies’ backfield.
The biggest issue for Montana on the day was third downs where the Grizzlies converted just one time on 10 attempts. Eastern was 11 for 21 on third downs for the day.
The win for Montana improves their undefeated record to 10-0 overall with a 6-0 mark in Big Sky Conference play, their best start to the season since 2009 when Montana went 14-1 with their only loss coming against Villanova in the national championship game.
Eastern Washington drops to 4-6 overall and 3-3 in league action.
Montana improves their commanding advantage to 32-18-1 all-time against Eastern and Bobby Hauck-coached Griz teams hold an 11-2 mark against the regional rival.
GAME SCORING SUMMARY
Montana started fast out of the gates by forcing Eastern Washington into a three and out which led to a 60 yard punt return by UM’s Drew Deck and setup a 12 yard touchdown pass from Keali’i Ah Yat to Michael Wortham, giving the Grizzlies a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.
😄 IYKYK… @Moneymike61 with the first Griz TD of the day!#GoGriz pic.twitter.com/ZXKabF9p0G
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) November 8, 2025
The Grizzlies put together another speedy scoring drive on their next possession with Korbin Hendrix securing an impressive one-handed touchdown catch from 29 yards out to make it a 14-0 lead with 4:10 left in the opening quarter.
Montana continues their success with a third straight scoring drive when Ah Yat scored on a 3 yard quarterback keeper, making it a 22-0 lead following a successful Brokos Davis rush for the 2-point conversion.
Eastern answered back on the ensuing drive for their first points of the day when Jake Schakel found Kevin Allen for a 10-yard touchdown on third-and-goal, making the score 22-7 with 8:17 left in the opening half.
The Eagles made it 14 unanswered points on their next drive when Kevin Allen III rushed in for six points from 10 yards away, bringing the score within 22-14 with just 76 seconds left to play in the opening half.
Montana was next to hit paydirt as they scored on their second drive of the second half when Eli Gillman ran in a 25 yard touchdown to make it a 2914 lead at the 12:34 mark of the third quarter.
Defense ➡️ Offense!
😤 Grown man run from @eli_gillman #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/jAt0Hk34q1
— Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB) November 8, 2025
The Eagles responded with a 24 yard field goal from Soren McKee to pull within 29-17 late in the third quarter.
Eastern Washington found the endzone again with 61 seconds left in the game when Jake Schakel’s 8 yard touchdown pass to Cole Pruett pulled the Eagles to within 29-24.
EWU was then able to recover the ensuing onside kick attempt, giving them a chance to pull off the last second upset victory inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
The Dribbler 👀 @PatMcAfeeShow would be proud of this onside kick 👀 pic.twitter.com/6OSGUHdAoK
— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) November 8, 2025
However a botched play on the final play of the game sealed the victory for Montana as Eagles quarterback Jake Schakel lost control of the ball while attempting to spike it at the five yard line with about five seconds left on the clock. The fumble was recovered by Eastern but the clock had run out, delivering a dramatic 29-24 win over the Eagles.
THE SPIKE IS FUMBLED 🤯@MontanaGrizFB holds on pic.twitter.com/n9qm9bjxap
— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) November 8, 2025