Brooks Davis Scores Three Long Touchdowns as Montana Holds Off Eastern Washington 42-33

Montana had to win this one more than once. The Grizzlies built leads of 14-3 and 21-13, watched Eastern Washington climb back within a point and then within two, and finally let Brooks Davis settle it. Davis turned a short pass from Keali'i Ah Yat into a 61-yard touchdown with 1:54 to play, the third Davis touchdown of the day and the third of at least 50 yards.

Montana beat the Eagles 42-33 on Saturday afternoon at Roos Field in Cheney, snapping a two-game losing streak and improving to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big Sky. Eastern Washington fell to 2-7 and 1-5. Davis finished with nine catches for 231 yards, Eli Gillman ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns, and Ah Yat threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns, enough to cover for two interceptions and a fourth-down stop at the Eastern Washington 2.

Eastern Washington had its chances. Nate Bell found Jaxon Branch for a 28-yard touchdown with 3:00 to play to pull the Eagles within 35-33, but Bell's two-point pass to tie failed, and Montana needed only four plays to answer. Davis took a short pass 61 yards for a touchdown with 1:54 left, and Zekiel Seumalo intercepted Bell on the Eagles' last possession to end it.

Ah Yat Strikes on the First Snap

Montana did not waste any time. On the first offensive snap of the game, Keali'i Ah Yat threw deep to Brooks Davis, and Davis went 75 yards for a touchdown just 14 seconds in. Jo Silver's extra point made it 7-0 before most of the crowd at Roos Field had settled in for the Eagles' 100th game on the red turf.

Eastern Washington answered with patience. The Eagles went 43 yards in 10 plays and Soren McKee hit a 50-yard field goal at 9:58 of the first quarter. Late in the period, Bell was intercepted by Kade Boyd at the Eastern Washington 43, and Montana cashed it in early in the second quarter when Ah Yat hit Eli Gillman with a 4-yard touchdown pass for a 14-3 lead.

Bell Keeps the Eagles Close

Bell kept answering. The Eastern Washington quarterback led an eight-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Drew Carlson at 10:20 of the second quarter, and the Eagles were within 14-10.

Then came the first of several sequences that swung momentum. Montana put together its longest drive of the half, 14 plays and 78 yards over 6:55, and had fourth-and-goal at the Eastern Washington 2. Ah Yat's pass for Davis fell incomplete, and the Eagles took over with 3:18 left in the half.

Montana got the ball back and gave it away. With 35 seconds left, Ah Yat was intercepted by Bryce Smith at the Montana 44, and five plays later McKee made a 39-yard field goal with 10 seconds left to cut the lead to 14-13. It looked like the Eagles would go into the locker room with all the momentum.

They did not. On the next snap from scrimmage, Ah Yat found Davis again, this time for 51 yards and a touchdown with two seconds left in the half. Montana led 21-13 at the break, and Davis already had two touchdown catches of 50 yards or more.

A Third Quarter of Trades

Early in the second half, Eastern Washington took the ball away again. Ben Voigtlaender intercepted Ah Yat at the Montana 42, and three plays later Bell threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Wesley Garrett. McKee's extra point made it 21-20 at 12:30 of the third quarter.

Montana's defense answered in kind. Tanner Williams picked off Bell at the Eastern Washington 11, and four plays later Gillman ran it in from a yard out for a 28-20 lead at 5:43. Eastern Washington responded with its best drive of the day, a 12-play, 77-yard march that burned 5:36, and Bell finished it with a 3-yard run. McKee's kick made it 28-27 heading to the fourth quarter.

Gillman Breaks It Open

The reigning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year picked the right moment for the longest run of the day. On Montana's first drive of the fourth quarter, Gillman broke a 68-yard touchdown run, capping a three-play, 79-yard drive in 1:12, and Montana led 35-27 with 13:44 to play.

Eastern Washington's next drive went nowhere despite a fourth-and-1 conversion at its own 34. Styles Goodman sacked Bell for an 11-yard loss two plays later, and the Eagles punted. Montana went three-and-out in return, but Everett O'Donnell's 51-yard punt pinned Eastern Washington at its own 20 with 7:21 left.

Davis Delivers Again

The Eagles made the most of that field. Bell converted a third-and-3 with a 15-yard run to the Montana 33, and two plays later threw deep to the right for Branch, who caught it in the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown. Down 35-33, Eastern Washington went for two to tie, and Bell's pass failed.

Montana took over at its own 25 after a touchback, and the Eagles spent their last two timeouts trying to get the ball back. Gillman was stopped for no gain, then ripped off 12 yards for a first down and added 2 more. On second-and-8 from the Montana 39, Ah Yat threw short to the right, Davis caught it behind the line at the 36 and outran the Eagles 61 yards to the end zone. Jo Silver's extra point made it 42-33. Bell moved the Eagles to their own 43 on the next possession, but on third-and-14 from the 32, Zekiel Seumalo intercepted Bell at the Eastern Washington 38 with 59 seconds left, and Montana ran out the clock.

The Numbers That Mattered

Montana outgained Eastern Washington 489 to 379 and averaged 11.7 yards per pass attempt. Ah Yat completed 21 of 28 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns, with two interceptions, and Davis accounted for 231 of those yards on nine catches, with touchdowns of 75, 51 and 61 yards. Gillman carried 24 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns, including the 68-yard run, and caught a 4-yard touchdown pass. Nai Mose led Montana with 11 tackles, and Tyler King, Clay Oven and Peyton Wing each had two sacks.

For Eastern Washington, Bell completed 19 of 33 passes for 269 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions, and carried the ball more than 20 times, though sacks wiped out most of those rushing yards. Branch caught seven passes for 131 yards, and Myles Mayovsky led the Eagles with 13 tackles. Eastern Washington held the ball for 33:15 to Montana's 26:45 and converted 7 of 16 third downs, but Montana averaged 4.8 yards per carry to the Eagles' 2.6 and won the turnover battle, 3-2.

What It Means

Montana came into the week ranked No. 14 in both the AFCA and Stats Perform polls, but on a two-game slide after losing 42-35 to Idaho and 49-44 to Northern Arizona, according to Eastern Washington Athletics. A third straight loss would have badly damaged the Grizzlies' Big Sky hopes. Instead, Montana is 4-2 in the league with three games left in the regular season.

The win also extended Montana's lead in the series to 33-18-2, based on the series record Eastern Washington Athletics listed before the game, and gave the Grizzlies a third straight win over the Eagles after a 52-49 shootout in 2024 and a 29-24 win in 2025. Eastern Washington, a week removed from a 56-20 loss to Montana State, has lost two straight and hosts Idaho on Nov. 7.

The Take

Montana's last two games were high-scoring losses, and for most of the fourth quarter this one looked like it might go the same way. The difference was a receiver who kept turning ordinary throws into touchdowns. Davis caught a ball on the first snap and went 75 yards, caught another with two seconds left in the half and went 51, and then took a pass behind the line of scrimmage 61 yards when the Grizzlies needed one more score.

Eastern Washington will look at this one and see a game it could have won. The Eagles forced two interceptions, stopped Montana on fourth-and-goal at the 2 and got 269 passing yards and three touchdown passes from Bell. In a season that has gone sideways, it was one of their better performances. It just came against an offense with a big-play receiver the Eagles never found a way to contain.

Full stats are in the official box score (opens in a new tab).

Sources: ESPN box score and play-by-play, Eastern Washington Athletics. More college football coverage on Undrafted.

Photos: Eastern Washington Athletics (file photo).