MISSOULA, Mont. – The Southern Utah University football team walked into Washington-Grizzly Stadium and punched the No. 11 Montana Grizzlies in the mouth Saturday afternoon but could not hold onto the lead late as the Griz escaped with a one-point victory in the final minutes.

The loss dropped Southern Utah to 1-8 overall and 0-6 in Big Sky play. Montana improved to 6-2 and 3-2 in conference competition with the victory.

"I'm proud of the guys and the way they fought," said SUU head coach Demario Warren. "They came out here and fought their guts out. I love the way they competed and I'm so grateful for their effort."

The Thunderbirds took advantage of an early Montana miscue to get on the scoreboard first. On its second drive of the game, the Griz snapped the ball out of the shotgun but fumbled, and Aubrey Nellems quickly jumped on the ball to earn possession for SUU. The T-Birds then drove down to the Montana 14-yard line before Noah Alejado trotted out on fourth down to connect on a 32-yard field goal, making the score 3-0 in Southern Utah's favor.

SUU's second score of the day followed the same pattern as the first with the defense forcing a turnover and the offense capitalizing. On the opening play of the second quarter, the Grizzlies snapped the ball near midfield and the defense brought heavy pressure. Linebacker Quaid Murray grabbed the quarterback and forced a strip sack which was recovered by teammate Jayden Clark. The T-Bird offense took over and drove all the way down to the two-yard line where Isaiah Williams then punched in a touchdown run to put SUU up 9-0.

After Montana rattled off 10-straight points to take its first lead of the afternoon, Southern Utah's offense came up with a big answer to take a 16-10 lead into the locker room at halftime. Facing a 3rd down and nine in their own territory, Justin Miller sent a bomb down the sideline and connected with Brandon Schenks on the other end. Schenks broke a tackle and made his way down the sideline to find the endzone for a 60-yard touchdown.

The second half turned into a gritty defensive battle as both teams struggled to move the ball after Montana scored a touchdown in the half's opening minutes. Southern Utah was able to drive down to the Montana five-yard line at the end of the third quarter but could only manage a field goal. Alejado connected from 23 yards out to put SUU back in front by a score of 19-17.

Montana appeared to be driving for the end zone to open the fourth quarter, but SUU's defense made a big stand and held the Grizzlies to a field goal. Trailing 20-19, the T-Birds took over possession and went on a long drive all the way to Montana's 18-yard line. On fourth down, SUU called on the field goal unit, but the Griz blocked the go-ahead field goal and sealed the one-point win on their next possession.

Justin Miller led Southern Utah's offense with 250 yards passing and a touchdown on the afternoon. His top targets were Schenks and Lance Lawson, who finished the night with 85 and 79 yards, respectively. Thomas Duckett was the leading rusher with 36 yards, while Williams accounted for SUU's lone rushing touchdown.

Southern Utah's defense kept things close by forcing four turnovers on the day. In addition to fumble recoveries by Nellems and Clark, AJ Stanley forced and recovered one in the fourth quarter and Kobe Singleton managed an interception. Clark led the team with 10 tackles while Akili Gray, Stanley and Nellems contributed eight apiece. Murray and Mykeal White both tallied sacks on the afternoon.

The Thunderbirds now head into their final road game of the season when they travel to take on Idaho on Saturday, November 6, at 2:00 p.m. MT. The game will be available for streaming on ESPN+.

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