091325_FB_Kaminski at Montana
Leighton Chamblee
23
North Dakota UND 1-2 , 0-0
24
Winner Montana UM 2-0 , 0-0
North Dakota UND
1-2 , 0-0
23
Final
24
Montana UM
2-0 , 0-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
UND North Dakota 13 3 0 7 23
UM Montana 7 0 7 10 24

Game Recap: Football | | Tyler Wells, FightingHawks.com

No. 5/7 Montana edges No. 16/17 North Dakota, 24-23

MISSOULA, Mont. – Despite leading for over 50 minutes of game time, No. 16/17 North Dakota (1-2) fell at No. 5-7 Montana (2-0), 24-23, at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Grizzlies did not have the lead until the final 1:35.

The Griz trailed 23-14 early in the fourth quarter but scored the final 10 points of the contest to earn the victory. With less than five minutes to go, Montana drilled a 42-yard field goal to cap a 10-play, 67-yard drive and trimmed the deficit to 23-17.

After forcing North Dakota to go three-and-out, Montana went 70 yards over the next 1:07 and ended that drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Keali'i Ah Yat to Brooks Davis. It was the second time those two hooked up for a touchdown pass and ended up being the game-winner.

In the game, the Fighting Hawks accumulated 460 yards of offense and had 256 yards passing. Comparatively, the Griz amassed 371 yards and finished with 300 yards passing. UND ended the game +1.0 in turnover margin, thanks to a pair of interceptions from Antonio Bluiett.

Jerry Kaminski was 17-for-40 passing for 258 yards and a trio of scores, while surrendering one interception. B.J. Fleming was his favorite target and had five grabs for 138 yards and a touchdown. Korey Tai and Deng Deng also recorded touchdown receptions. Kaminski led the rushing attack with 85 yards on 12 attempts.

At intermission, North Dakota held a 16-7 lead. UND's first points came on an 82-yard strike from Kaminski to Fleming midway through the opening quarter. It was the longest scoring pass for NoDak since Sept. 15, 2018. The ensuing extra point was missed. Later in the quarter, Deng pushed the lead to 13-0 after hauling in a 10-yard touchdown pass to cap a nine-play, 74-yard drive. The Griz then scored on a three-yard rush late in the first quarter to cut the deficit to 13-7. C.J. Elrichs netted the final points of the half and connected on a 32-yard field goal to extend the lead to 16-7 with 11:11 left before intermission.

Kaminski was 12-for-22 passing for 231 yards and a pair of scores in the opening half, while Fleming led the receivers with three catches for 126 yards and a touchdown. In the first 30 minutes, NoDak piled up 295 yards of offense, highlighted by 231 yards through the air.

Bluiett was impressive defensively and had two interceptions by halftime. He picked off the Griz to end their first drive and then had an interception at the end of the half to shut down another Montana drive. The Griz had 133 yards offensively in the opening 30 minutes and only 80 yards passing.

Montana came alive late in the third quarter and intercepted Kaminski. Three plays later, the Griz scored on a 24-yard pass to narrow the gap to 16-14 with 3:24 left in the third stanza. In the first minute of the final quarter, North Dakota capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a four-yard strike from Kaminski to Tai. On that drive, UND made it a point to run the football and picked up 67 of its 75 yards on the ground. Neither team would score again after that point until Montana's scoring explosion in the final five minutes.

North Dakota will host Valparaiso on Saturday and the game is slated to kick off at 3 p.m. The contest will air on Midco Sports and will be carried on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.

Postgame Notes
  • North Dakota is now 10-16-1 in the all-time series with Montana.
  • UND is still looking for its first road win over a top five opponent since a 24-23 victory at No. 5 Sam Houston State on Sept. 15, 2018.
  • UM now holds a 238-27 record inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium since it opened in 1986.
  • The 82-yard touchdown strike from Jerry Kaminski to B.J. Fleming was the longest scoring pass for UND since an 80-yard completion from Joe Mollberg to Greg Hardin at Portland State on Oct. 26, 2013 (L, 10-14).
  • Fleming had a career-high 138 yards receiving. It was the second 100-yard receiving game of his career and first as a Fighting Hawk.
  • Antonio Bluiett recorded the first two interceptions of his career. He became the first player to pick off the Griz twice inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium since Sept. 11, 2021 (Michael Lawson – Western Illinois).
  • Malachi McNeal paced the UND defense with 12 tackles (six solo) and half a tackle-for-loss.
  • Lance Rucker led UND in sacks with two, while the Fighting Hawk defense recorded six sacks in the contest.
  • Montana's defense kept Jerry Kaminski in check and only allowed him to complete five passes for 27 yards in the second half. The Grizzlies also picked off a pass while allowing one touchdown in the final 30 minutes.
How It Happened
First Quarter
8:07 – UND | B.J. Fleming scores on an 82-yard pass from Jerry Kaminski. (C.J. Elrichs miss). 2 plays, 84 yards, 0:47.
3:24 – UND | Deng Deng scores on a 10-yard pass from Jerry Kaminski. (Elrichs kick). 9 plays, 74 yards, 2:54.
0:51 – UM | Stevie Rocker Jr. scores on a 3-yard rush. (Ty Morrison kick). 5 plays, 69 yards, 2:26.
Second Quarter
11:11 – UND | Elrichs connects on a 32-yard field goal. 5 plays, 32 yards, 1:44.
Third Quarter
3:24 – UM | Brooks Davis scores on a 24-yard pass from Keali'I Ah Yat. (Morrison kick). 3 plays, 33 yards, 0:57.
Fourth Quarter
14:00 – UND | Korey Tai scores on a 4-yard pass from Kaminski. (Elrichs kick). 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:24.
4:23 – UM | Morrison connects on a 42-yard field goal. 10 plays, 67 yards, 3:04.
1:35 – UM | Davis scores on a 28-yard pass from Ah Yat. (Morrison kick). 6 plays, 70 yards, 1:07.

For more information on North Dakota football, follow on social media @UNDfootball or visit FightingHawks.com.
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