MISSOULA, Montana. (KNFL/KFGO/AP) — Keali’i Ah Yat threw for 300 yards and two scores, including a 28-yard touchdown pass to Brooks Davis with 1:35 left, to give Montana a 24-23 victory over North Dakota on Saturday.
Ty Morrison kicked a 42-yard field goal to get Montana within 23-17 with 4:23 remaining. Following North Dakota’s three-and-out on its next possession, Ah Yat’s winning TD pass capped a seven-play, 67-yard drive that took about a minute.
North Dakota (1-2) then drove to its 43, but Jerry Kaminski threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-7 with 34 seconds left to seal it for Montana (2-0), ranked seventh in the FCS coaches’ poll.
Ah Yat completed 25 of 39 passes and Davis finished with five receptions for 98 yards. The duo also connected on a 24-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.
Kaminski threw a pair of touchdown passes to give No. 17 North Dakota a 13-0 first-quarter lead. Stevie Rocker Jr.’s 3-yard touchdown run pulled the Grizzlies to 13-7 late in the first. C.J. Elrich’s 32-yard field goal stretched the Fighting Hawks’ advantage to 16-7 at the break.
Kaminski was 17-of-40 passing for 258 yards and threw three touchdown passes, and he added 85 yards rushing on 12 carries. B.J. Fleming caught an 82-yard touchdown pass and finished with five receptions for 138 yards. Korey Tai and Deng Deng also had touchdown catches for the Fighting Hawks.
It was the first meeting between the teams at Washington-Grizzly Stadium since Oct. 14, 2017, which Montana won 41-17. Last season, North Dakota scored 20 unanswered points at home to beat the Grizzlies 27-24.
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