Big Sky roundup: Northern Colorado records first conference win over Montana

Kyle Sloter threw two touchdowns, the last a 5-yarder to Theron Verna with 3 minutes, 35 seconds to play, as Northern Colorado beat Montana 28-25 on Saturday in Greeley, Colorado.

The win is the first for Northern Colorado against Montana since the Bears joined the Big Sky Conference in 2006. Montana had won 13 straight against Northern Colorado in a series that dates to 1976.

Both teams are 6-4, 4-3.

Sloter engineered the winning drive in nine plays over 75 yards. Montana’s final drive ended when the Grizzlies turned the ball over on downs at their 35.

Chad Chalich put Montana ahead 25-21 with 7:18 to play when he ran in from 2 yards out to end an eight-play, 50-yard drive. Chalich threw for 172 yards and had 76 yards rushing. Joey Counts ran for 72 yards and scored twice for the Griz.

Darius Graham ran for 130 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown for Northern Colorado.

North Dakota 38, Northern Arizona 31: Deion Harris returned an interception 40 yards with 2:43 to play and the Fighting Hawks (9-2, 8-0) rallied to defeat the Lumberjacks (5-5, 4-3) in Grand Forks, North Dakota, for their ninth consecutive win and a share of its first conference title.

The Fighting Hawks trailed 31-10 early in the third quarter after the Lumberjacks scored on an 11-yard pass from running back Kendyl Taylor to Jonathan Baldwin.

John Santiago’s 15-yard touchdown run in the third quarter started the comeback. Running back Brady Oliveira had a 2-yard pass to Luke Fiedler and Keaton Studsrud’s 10-yarder to Demun Mercer tied the game at 31 with 3:21 to play.

Northern Arizona, which had won four straight, reached the North Dakota 20 before turning the ball over on downs with 29 seconds left.

Kemp finished with 416 yards passing with three scores but was picked twice. Delshawn McClellon, Elijah Marks and Emmanuel Butler each surpassed 100 yards receiving.

Studsrud was 13 of 34 for 252 yards. Oliveira ran for 103, and Mercer had 10 catches for 137.

Weber State 22, Cal Poly 15: Brady May scored on a 2-yard run, the sophomore fullback’s first career carry, in the fourth quarter to give the Wildcats (6-4, 5-2) a victory over the Mustangs (6-4, 4-3) in Ogden, Utah.

May’s touchdown completed a 13-play, 58-yard drive and kept alive the Wildcats’ hopes for an at-large bid into the FCS playoffs.

On their final drive, the Mustangs reached the Weber State 31-yard line before a fourth-down pass went incomplete.

Jadrian Clark threw first-quarter touchdown passes of 18 yards to Andrew Vollert and 16 yards to Drew Batchelor, and Taylor Hentze added a 33-yard field goal to give Weber State a 15-0 lead in the second quarter.

Joe Protheroe scored on a 1-yard run in the final minute of the first half and DJ Peluso on a 19-yard run in the third quarter with his conversion run tying the game.

Clark was 23-of-32 passing for 186 yards.

Sacramento State 42, Portland State 35: Jordan Robinson ran for a career-high 262 yards and four touchdowns, including the winning score with 1:56 left, lifting the Hornets (2-8, 2-5) past the Vikings (3-7, 2-5) in Sacramento, California.

Sacramento State’s defense sealed the win with a goal-line stand after Portland State drove 62 yards to the Hornets 3 before giving up the ball on downs with 9 seconds left.

Robinson had touchdown runs of 75, 40 and 13 yards before scoring the winner from the 9-yard line.

Nate Ketteringham threw for 195 yards and ran for a 7-yard touchdown for Sacramento State. Demetrius Warren scored on a 14-yard run in the second quarter. Jaelin Ratliff caught four passes for 103 yards.

Alex Kuresa threw a touchdown pass, and ran for 198 yards and two more scores for Portland State. Nate Tago had 148 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Montana State 27, UC Davis 13: Chad Newell ran for 132 yards and a touchdown to lead the host Bobcats (3-7, 1-6) over the Aggies (2-8, 1-6) in Bozeman.

BYU 37, Southern Utah 7: Taysom Hill threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns and the Cougars (6-4) secured a bowl berth with a nonconference victory over the Thunderbirds (5-5) in Provo, Utah.

The Cougars will play in the Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 21 in San Diego against a Mountain West Conference team.