Pain in the Rain
Image: Pain in the Rain:Montana’s Justin Green, tackled by Ryan Kroeker with Ramon Payne(3) and Matt Logue (22) in pursuit, scored the first touchdown. — Photo by Kim Park/ State Hornet:
November 12, 2003
An early touchdown by running back Justin Green was all theUniversity of Montana needed in a 26-0 blowout victory overSacramento State on Saturday.
The Hornets’ (2-8 overall, 1-5 in the Big Sky) sixthstraight loss came on Senior Night in front of 2,122 fans whobraved the heavy showers and frigid temperatures.
The slick field conditions affected both teams, who combined for12 fumbles and six turnovers.
The Hornets, missing starting running back Tyronne Gross andquarterback Ryan Leadingham, both of whom are out for the season,played without wide receiver Fred Amey, who was nursing an ankleinjury.
Amey is expected to return Saturday in the season finale againstWeber State in Ogden, Utah.
Green’s 2-yard touchdown run capped a 10-play, 63-yardopening drive for Montana. He added an 11-yard run later in thequarter to give Montana a 13-0 lead and finished with 23 carriesfor 108 yards.
“Whoever can get the first score has a definite advantage(in these conditions),” Hornet head coach Steve Mooshagiansaid. “When they get two of them like they did, it’stough to come back.”
The Grizzlies (8-2 overall, 4-1 in the Big Sky) extended theirlead to 19-0 when safety Dave DeCoite recovered quarterback BlakeMori’s fumble with 1:57 left in the first quarter andreturned it 52 yards for a touchdown.
Down 26-0 at halftime, starting wide receiver Kenan Smith tookover at quarterback in the second half for the Hornets, replacingMori who went 5-of-10 for 54 yards.
Smith gave Sac State their best scoring opportunity of theevening, moving the ball to the 25-yard line with 5:12 left in thethird quarter, but his pass on fourth-and-ten was intercepted bysafety Kevin Edwards.
Smith finished his final home game 5-of-11 for 46 yards and wassacked four times.
“I felt with him being a senior, it would be a good timeto let him run around out there and make some plays,”Mooshagian said.
Montana limited the Hornets to 135 total yards and nine firstdowns, both marks tied the team’s second-worst totals sincemoving to Division I-AA in 1993.
Sac State only managed 35 rushing yards, 25 of which came fromJosh Farrell.
