The win improved the Grizzlies to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the Big Sky Conference. The Hornets fell to 3-7 overall and 2-5 in league games. The win was also the 10th-consecutive by Montana over Sacramento State.

Despite the loss, Sacramento State received two strong individual efforts. Senior wide receiver Fred Amey caught eight passes for 106 yards and a touchdown and freshman Ryan Mole rushed for 176 yards and a score. Amey’s performance raised his career total to 3,906 receiving yards — the best career mark in Big Sky history. He also surpassed 1,000 yards on the season, recorded his fourth-straight 100-yard game and moved into fifth place in Div. I-AA history in career yards. Mole tallied his fourth 100-yard game of the season and his second in as many weeks. The Santa Maria, Calif., native carried the ball 23 times and now has 431 rushing yards in the last two weeks.

Montana took control of the contest in the first quarter, staking a 28-0 lead in the first 13 minutes. Levander Segars juggled the opening kickoff then tight-roped the sideline to give the Griz the ball at the Sacramento State 43-yard line. Seven plays later, Justin Green scored from 1-yard out just 2:35 into the game. Ryan Leadingham was intercepted on the Hornets’ first play from scrimmage and Green struck again to make the score, 14-0, with 9:44 left in the quarter.

The Grizzlies took possession of the ball at the Sacramento State 30 when Leadingham was hit from behind by Mike Murphy and the loose ball was recovered by John Cahill. On the ensuing play, Ochs threw a backward pass to Jefferson Heidelberger who then threw back to Ochs. The quarterback then followed a wall of four blockers and ran into the end zone. The final score of the period came with 1:49 showing when Green scored for the third time on a 1-yard run.

Sacramento State scored its first points on the opening drive of the second quarter. The 84-yard drive was dominated by Amey and Mole as well as pivotal 25-yard third-down scramble from Leadingham. During the drive, Mole tallied 19 yards and Amey grabbed two passes for 45 yards.

A personal foul after the touchdown forced the Hornets to kick off from the 20-yard line and Montana capitalized on the field position. Ochs hit Heidelberger at the 34-yard line and another personal foul moved the ball to the 19-yard line before Jon Talmage caught the first of his three touchdowns to make the score 35-7.

Dan Carpenter added a field goal midway through the second quarter and Ochs and Talmage teamed up for two more touchdowns in the third quarter to give UM a 52-7 advantage. Sacramento State stopped the run when freshma Phillip Perry caught his first career touchdown on a 7-yard pass for the final points of the third quarter.

The Hornets scored the only points of the fourth-quarter on an 11-yard pass from Leadingham to Amey.

As a team, Sacramento State ended the day with 319 yards of total offense. That total counted 191 rushing yards and 128 passing yards. Montana produced 565 total yards (rushing for 144 and throwing for 421). Both teams were heavily penalized with the Hornets being flagged 10 times for 102 yards and the Grizzlies called for nine infractions for 101 yards.

Individually, Leadingham ended the day 12-of-26 for 128 yards and two touchdowns. The senior, however, was intercepted three times. Defensively, Jimmy Ellingson led all players with a career-high 19 tackles. Ellingson had nine solo stops and 10 assisted tackles to rank second in school history behind Ryland Wickman’s 22 tackles at Eastern Washington in 1997. Junior Matt Logue and freshman Brett Shelton each added 10 stops for the Hornets.

Montana received 66 rushing yards from Green and 48 from JR Waller to lead its ground attack. Tate Hancok caught seven passes for 58 yards and Talmage added five grabs for 85 yards. In all, nine different Grizzlies caught a pass in the game. Matt Lebsock, Loren Utterback and Tyler Joyce shared the team lead with six total tackles apiece. As a team, the defense forced five Sacramento State turnovers (four interceptions, one fumble) while the offense had just one turnover.

Sacramento State will conclude its 2004 season on Saturday, Nov. 20, against Cal Poly. The game against the Mustangs will begin at 4:05 p.m. Prior to the start, the team will honor each of its seniors who will be playing their final collegiate game.

NOTES: Freshman Chris Brown threw an interception for Sacramento State on a trick play. Brown took the handoff rolled to his right and was intercepted in the end zone…senior Ramon Payne returned a fumble 35-yards in the final minutes of the third quarter…the team received two of its longest kickoff returns of the season as Ryan Coogler had a 36-yard return and Mole had a 27-yarder…Logue had two tackles-for-loss to continue his climb up the career chart at Sacramento State…the Hornet defense, which entered the game with a league-high 31 sacks, tallied just two against the Griz…the 28-first quarter points were the most allowed in any quarter by Sacramento State this season…they were also the most points scored by Montana in a quarter this year.