MISSOULA — The 2025 season for the Montana Grizzlies is in the books, and it's a campaign that will be remembered for many successes — and also a reminder that Montana still has work to do as the Griz fell just short once again.
Montana finished the season with 13 wins, and offensively the Griz were as exciting as they've ever been as the program set program records across the board in total points, touchdowns and yards for a single season.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
Keali'i Ah Yat broke out as a premier talent in the Big Sky at quarterback while Eli Gillman won the league's offensive MVP and continues to close in on a number of career records with the Grizzlies.
Michael Wortham's transfer from Eastern Washington proved to be everything fans hoped for and more as the do-it-all talent broke UM's all-purpose yards record, and he electrified Griz fans with big play after big play as he was a threat everywhere on the field.
Freshman Brooks Davis also shined while others on offense like Drew Deck, Evan Shafer, Stevie Rocker Jr. and more came up in big moments to supplement UM's charging offense.
Defensively, the Grizzlies brought in a unit with no returning starters from a year ago. And while there were moments of unease, the unit also proved formidable as a turnover-causing machine led by Peyton Wing, TJ Rausch, Hunter Peck, Caleb Otlewski, Kenzel Lawler and more, though injuries to several key players especially in the secondary forced the team to adjust on the fly.
The Griz earned 18 all-conference selections and multiple All-America honors too.
They beat three of the four Dakota schools — including both South Dakota programs in the playoffs — and another in a comeback effort early against North Dakota, plus picked up big wins over rival Idaho and a road victory over Sacramento State that held plenty of outside noise.
It was a better season than last year. But on the flip side the two losses came at the hands of the same opponent — archival Montana State.
The Griz are now watching the Bobcats head to the FCS title game for the third time in five seasons, and twice they measured up against MSU this season and fell short, proof that they aren't quite where they need to be as a program.
While MSU is humming in all facets and has found a way to be in the championship mix year in and year out, UM is back to the drawing board, and a semifinal run for most fans doesn't quite cut it when expectations at Montana are always championship or bust.
