Montana reaches FCS semifinals for 12th time with 52-22 win over South Dakota

By Canadian Press on December 13, 2025.

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — Keali’i Ah Yat threw three touchdown passes, two of them of 50-plus yards to Michael Wortham, and Montana flew past South Dakota 52-22 on Saturday in a quarterfinal of the FCS playoffs.

The third-seeded Grizzlies (13-1) advanced to the semifinals for the 12th time and will play archrival No. 2 Montana State.

Montana dominated South Dakota from the start, driving 75 yards on the game’s opening possession. Ah Yat’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Drew Deck gave the Grizzlies a 7-0 lead and Ah Yat’s 53-yard touchdown pass to Wortham made it 24-0 in the second quarter.

The Coyotes made it 24-7 heading to halftime when L.J. Phillips Jr. scored on a 23-yard run.

Deck’s FCS playoff record 93-yard punt return touchdown early in the third quarter made it 31-7 and Ah Yat and Wortham connected on a 51-yard touchdown to make it 38-7.

South Dakota rallied on two touchdown passes by Aidan Bouman — 69 yards to Jack Martens and 20 yards to Tysen Boze to make it 38-22 with 8:42 remaining.

The Grizzlies responded with an 82-yard drive, highlighted by a unique trick-play in which Wortham caught a pass on a short slant then threw a backward pass across the field to Eli Gillman who took it for a 20-yard gain to the South Dakota 29-yard line. Wortham finished the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run and a 45-22 lead with 2:40 remaining.

Hashim Jones capped the scoring with a 20-yard run in the final minute.

Ah Yat threw for 305 yards. Wortham had 201 yards receiving on 11 catches plus 43 yards rushing on three carries to lift him to the Montana record for all-purpose yards in a single season.

Bouman had 231 yards passing and Martens had 93 yards receiving for the Coyotes (10-5).

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The Associated Press