Big Sky roundup: Grizzlies hold Coyotes

Ellis Henderson scored three touchdowns, two receiving and another on a kickoff return, as Montana held on for a 31-27 victory over South Dakota on Saturday in Vermillion, S.D.

With Montana up 24-17, Jordan Tripp forced a fumble that was returned 35 yards by Matt Hermanson for a touchdown with 6:33 remaining in the game. A 38-yard field goal from Miles Bergner with 1:48 left gave the Coyotes (4-6) a lead, but Henderson returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to give the Grizzlies (8-2) the win.

Southern Utah 27, Weber State 21: Aaron Cantu threw for 117 yards and a touchdown to help the Thunderbirds (7-3, 4-2 Big Sky) defeat the Wildcats (1-9, 0-6) in Ogden, Utah.

Cantu took over in the third quarter for injured starter Mike Sharp, who led Southern Utah in rushing with 87 yards. Cantu was 8 of 17 passing on the day.

Portland State 38, Idaho State 31: DJ Adams rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings (6-4, 3-3) earned a win over the Bengals (3-7, 1-6) in Pocatello, Idaho.

Collin Ramirez added 117 yards and two touchdowns for Portland State. The Vikings finished with 395 yards rushing and 539 yards total offense.

North Dakota 24, Northern Colorado 21: Greg Hardin caught an 11-yard TD pass late in the fourth quarter to give North Dakota its first lead and beat the Bears in Grand Forks, N.D.

As UND (3-7, 2-5) trailed 21-16 with 4:53 to go, QB Ryan Bartels put together a five-play, 31-yard drive capped by Hardin’s score, and a two-point conversion to put UND up 24-21 with 2:51 remaining.

Cal Poly 42, Sacramento State 7: Chris Brown completed just 6 of 10 passes but four were for touchdowns as the Mustangs dominated the Hornets in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Cal Poly (5-5, 4-2) rolled up 424 yards on the ground as Sacramento State (4-6, 3-3) had no answers.