Grizzlies shut down Jackrabbits

Lex Hilliard rushed for 128 yards and a first-quarter touchdown Saturday as Montana beat South Dakota State 7-0 in a defensive battle in Missoula.

Montana (2-1), ranked fourth in NCAA Division I-AA, shut out the Jackrabbits (2-1), who had averaged 55 points a game in their first two outings. The Grizzlies have yet to be scored on at home this season.

Hilliard scored on a 3-yard run with 4:18 left in the first quarter. The Grizzlies never got inside the SDSU 40-yard line for the rest of the game.

Jason Washington completed 18 of 29 passes for 114 yards for Montana, while Jon Talmage led all Griz receivers with nine catches for 62 yards.

South Dakota State fumbled the ball on the Montana 27 with 16 seconds left in the half. SDSU advanced to the Montana 4 late in the fourth quarter before a fumble on a trick play led to the Jackrabbits turning the ball over on downs on the Montana 18 with 2:18 remaining.

Portland St. 28, Sac St. 12

Joe Rubin rushed for 156 yards and a touchdown to lead the Vikings over the Hornets in Portland.

The Portland State defense added two big fumble returns – including a touchdown – while the offense struggled most of the night, picking up just 228 total yards.

Leading just 7-6 early in the third quarter, the Vikings got their first big break when Kenneth Mackins blocked a Sacramento State punt and recovered it at the Hornets’ 25-yard line. Three plays later, Rubin carried for a 2-yard touchdown to put Portland State ahead 14-6.

The Vikings pushed their lead to 21-6 late in the third quarter when defensive end Cole Smith picked up a fumble and returned it eight yards for a touchdown.

Cal Poly 38, Montana St. 10

Cal Poly’s defense scored two touchdowns and quarterback Anthony Garnett rushed for two more as the Mustangs (2-1) cruised past the Bobcats (1-2) in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Cal Poly’s defense held the Bobcats’ usually explosive offense to 320 total yards and one touchdown.

The Mustangs scored on a 28-yard interception return by Courtney Brown, his third pick in as many games, and a fumble recovery by Chris Gocong in the end zone.

North Dakota St. 41, Weber St. 0

Junior running back Kyle Steffes rushed for a career-high 179 yards and one touchdown to help the 12th-ranked Bison (3-0) run over the Wildcats (1-2) in Fargo, N.D.

Cory Vartanian kicked a pair of field goals for the Bison, who also received touchdowns from their defense and special teams.

It was NDSU’s first shutout since the opening game of the 2004 season.

Steffes scored the first time he touched the ball, taking a handoff up the middle and bouncing outside en route to a 51-yard scamper. It was the longest touchdown run of his career.

The Bison forced Weber State to punt 11 times.

The victory was the third straight for NDSU over Big Sky Conference teams.

Idaho State 37, Mont.-Western 0

Ken Cornist rushed for 120 yards and three touchdowns, and the Bengals (2-1) outgained the NAIA Bulldogs (1-3) 444-156 in total yards in a victory in Pocatello.

Idaho State opened the scoring halfway through the first quarter, as junior tight end Brandon Mennear made his first career touchdown reception on an 11-yard pass from Matt Hagler. The 31-yard drive was set up by a D.J. Clark interception.

On the ensuing drive, Montana-Western got as deep as the ISU 26-yard line, but Dustin Shroader sacked Justin Hartman on a third down, ending Western’s drive. Bulldogs kicker Brad Hollen missed a 48-yard field-goal attempt. That was the closest Western came to scoring.

N. Arizona 27, Southern Utah 7

The Lumberjacks (2-1) scored two late fourth-quarter touchdowns en route to a victory over the Thunderbirds (0-3) in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Ryan Williams’ 1-yard TD run gave the Lumberjacks a 20-7 lead with 6:30 remaining.

On their next possession, Philo Sanchez scored on a 24-yard rush with 3:28 left. He finished with a game-high 97 yards rushing on 25 carries.

NAU’s Bruce Branch had 10 tackles and recovered a fumble.