MISSOULA — Joshua Wood and Idaho may be a five-loss team, but they continue to play their best against top competition.
Wood, Idaho's dynamic play-making quarterback, led the Vandals to a 42-35 victory to claim the Little Brown Stein rivalry trophy and upset No. 7 Montana. In the process, Idaho became the first Big Sky team since Sacramento State in 2019 to beat both Montana and Montana State in the same season.
Montana fell to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big Sky Conference. Idaho moved to 2-5 overall and 2-2 in the league.
Wood's performance was electric, but it came down to two defensive stops by the Vandals at the end of the game to preserve the win.
First, Idaho made a third-down stand with less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter that ultimately led to a missed field goal by Jo Silver, and then the defense forced an incompletion by Montana QB Keali'i Ah Yat on fourth down with just seconds left to seal the victory.
But it was a shootout throughout.
Idaho had some good fortune early. On the game's opening drive, Wood was intercepted by Montana's Chris Johnson II on a deflected pass, but Johnson was stripped of the ball while returning it the other way and Idaho recovered on UM's 39.
That led to a 10-yard touchdown pass from Wood to Zack Card on third down to give the Vandals a fortuitous 7-0 advantage.
Johnson, one of the Grizzlies' top defensive backs, was injured later in the first quarter.
Chris Johnson II with some heavy wrapping on his right left, speaking with family it looks like. Had his hands on his head for a long time with teammates consoling him. Up and walking now, but looks like his day is done. #BigSkyFB https://t.co/upH8SbFhOR
— Kyle Hansen (@khansen406) October 17, 2026
Idaho stretched that lead to 14-0 in the first on another Wood TD pass. By the end of first quarter, Idaho had run 21 offensive plays to Montana's eight, and had possessed the ball for 11 minutes, 3 seconds.
The Griz got on the board at the start of the second quarter when Ah Yat zipped an 18-yard TD pass to Brooks Davis just inside the boundary. But Idaho answered with a short Wood touchdown run on its next possession, which capped a 14-play, 76-yard drive that took 7:12 off the clock and produced a 21-7 lead.
Ah Yat threw an interception in the end zone as the Griz tried to cut into the deficit just before halftime, but it was negated by a defensive holding penalty and Montana had new life. Davis then caught a second TD pass from Ah Yat to make it 21-14, which was the score at the break.
The defensive holding penalty called against Idaho near the end of the first half loomed large.
Instead of Idaho perhaps taking a 14-point lead into intermission it was a one-possession game. Montana then got the ball to start the third quarter and quickly tied it 21-21 on a third Ah Yat touchdown connection with Davis, this time a 33-yarder.
But Idaho answered quickly, as Wood found Ryan Jezioro with a 13-yard TD throw to cap a 10-play, 75-yard march and put the Vandals back in front 28-21. The game was tied again, this time 28-28, after a great catch in the end zone by Montana's Landon Ransom Goelz on a pass from Ah Yat with 5:57 left in the third.
At that point, it was officially a shootout.
TURNING POINT: For the entire second half, neither defense was able to make a stop. Idaho's finally did with 5:30 remaining, when Mason Krahn sacked Ah Yat on third down at the Vandals' 16-yard line. Montana then opted to attempt a field goal, but Silver was wide left on a 34-yard attempt, which kept Idaho in the lead at 42-35.
But Montana followed by forcing an Idaho punt and got the ball back with just over two minutes left, and Davis made a solid return to midfield. Still, the Grizzlies weren't able to capitalize. They faced a fourth-and-10 play from the Idaho 19 with 39 seconds left, and Ah Yat fired high to his intended target in the end zone.
A DIZZYING DISPLAY: In a back-and-forth affair, the teams combined for 974 yards of offense and 56 first downs. Wood threw for 335 yards and three TDs on 30-of-38 passing. He also rushed for 85 yards and a score.
Ah Yat had 338 passing yards and tied his career high with five touchdown passes. Montana's Eli Gillman rushed for 139 yards on 19 carries and wideout Brooks Davis caught eight passes for 104 yards and three TDs.
Neither defense could muster an answer until the end of the game, and Idaho's two stops proved to be the difference.
POSSESSION PUNCTUATION: Idaho owned possession in the first half, running 41 plays to Montana's 23 and keeping the ball for 19:26 to Montana's 10:34. In the end, the Vandals ran 74 plays to the Grizzlies' 59 and possessed the ball for 36:43 to UM's 24:17. The Vandals finished with 32 first downs.
What really stood out was third-down efficiency. Idaho converted a staggering 11 of 14 third-down plays — including 7 of 9 in the first half — and scored all 42 of its points from the red zone.
ALL-PURPOSE PERFORMER: It's been an amazing year of record breaking for Gillman, and he took down another mark during the first half on Saturday.
With a run in the second quarter, Gillman reached 5,455 career all-purpose yards which broke the previous school record of 5,441 set by legendary UM receiver and returner Marc Mariani (2006-09). You can add that to the other records Gillman has broken this season, which include career rushing yards, career rushing touchdowns and career total touchdowns.
WHAT'S NEXT: After playing eight straight games, Montana will be idle next Saturday. The Grizzlies will next see action on the road on Saturday, Oct. 31, at rival Eastern Washington.
Montana is 13-11 all-time in road games against EWU but has only beaten the Eagles once atop "The Inferno" at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. — a 52-49 shootout victory on Sept. 28, 2024, in which Griz QB Logan Fife threw for 364 yards and five TDs.
