Great Play, Less Shilling New Montana Qb Star Buttons His Lip

His coach insists that Brian Ah Yat is simply striving to become the best University of Montana quarterback he can be. And, from all indications, the young, talented sophomore may eventually reach that goal.

But for now, he seems content to be simply the best University of Montana quarterback nobody has heard from.

Ah Yat, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound sophomore from Honolulu, was shoved into the role of reluctant celebrity earlier this fall when coach Mick Dennehy named him the Grizzlies’ starting quarterback and successor to the throne vacated last fall by Dave Dickenson.

Dickenson, who won the Payton Award as the country’s top Division I-AA player in leading Montana to its first national championship last season, redefined what already was a well-defined position in Missoula.

In his four years as a Grizzly, Dickenson threw for 11,080 yards and 96 touchdowns, to account for just a couple of his 25 individual school records. As an eloquent spokesperson for the program, he lifted Montana football into the national spotlight, and when he graduated last spring, he left a void that screamed for another high-profile media darling.

Instead, the public got Ah Yat, who upon being named the starter, promptly clammed up. No interviews, no comments, no questions about it.

And he maintained his self-imposed silence until last week when he honored postgame interview requests after throwing for 385 yards and five touchdowns in a 43-19 rout of Idaho State.

The win lifted UM’s overall record to 5-0 and its Big Sky Conference mark to 2-0. Ah Yat’s performance not only cemented the Grizzlies’ No. 2 national ranking, but it propelled him into the conference lead in total offense (306.2 yard per game) and passing efficiency (152.3).

Yet he kept his post-game comments guarded and to the point, crediting his offensive line and receivers with his success.

Then this week, in preparation for Saturday’s crucial 1:05 p.m. Big Sky showdown against Eastern Washington (5-1, 2-1) at Woodward Stadium, Ah Yat resumed his no-interview posture.

Dennehy, in his first season, stands behind his young quarterback’s decision to shun the spotlight 100 percent, and with good reason.

In his first five starts, Ah Yat has completed 100 of 174 passes for 1,476 yards and 18 touchdowns. And if a 20-year-old can put up those kind of numbers and handle the pressure of following Dickenson without wanting to talk about it, amen.

“Brian, particularly in light of the fact that he followed a legend, has done as good a job as anyone in that situation,” Dennehy said. “And I’ll tell you what, sometimes you can understand why kids don’t want to talk to the press - honest to God.”

Dennehy explained that Ah Yat came into the interview room last Saturday expecting to be quizzed about the performances of himself and his team.

“But the kind of questions he gets are, ‘Brian, why did you decide not to talk to the press?”’ Dennehy added. “I mean, give me a break. A guy ought to be able to figure that out.

“I think everybody - at least in the media - had the impression that he felt uncomfortable or that maybe he was inarticulate, but that’s not the case. I was proud of the way he handled it.”

According to Dennehy, Ah Yat explained to reporters that the Grizzlies offense was extremely intricate and that he didn’t feel he could do the job justice if he devoted time to interviews at the expense of studying film and preparing for the upcoming opponent.

“And he told them we’ve got a lot of seniors on this team who deserve a lot more credit than he should get,” Dennehy added. “I think that’s sincere. I think it’s heartfelt and pretty damn smart on his part.

“We’re not trying to guard him, we’re not trying to muzzle him. He’s just a kid who’s very, very dedicated and wants to be as good a quarterback as he can be. If he feels he shouldn’t spend his time doing (interviews), I can appreciate that.”

The talking Ah Yat has done on the field has been heard loud and clear - especially by opposing coaches like EWU’s Mike Kramer, who is in charge of trying to slow Montana’s offense this weekend.

“He looks like he’s gaining a strong grasp of what they’re asking him to do,” Kramer said of Ah Yat. “He’s made mistakes where he’s misread rotations and thrown some picks (nine), but every week you can see him make a quantum step forward in becoming a better quarterback.”

If Kramer doesn’t exactly gush about Ah Yat’s talents, consider the fact that he is absolutely elated to be preparing for anybody other than Dickenson, who burned the Eagles for 1,096 passing yards and 10 touchdown in his final three seasons at UM - even if there are some obvious drawbacks.

“The one thing about Ah Yat is he’s no Dickenson, and I don’t mind saying it,” Kramer said. “But on the other hand, he might be better - which is scary.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo