It came in the end zone, after Montana had driven to the SHSU 30-yard line. Griz quarterback Craig Ochs tried to hit Jon Talmage on a post pattern, but overthrew it and Talmage ended up looking like the defensive back on the play.
"The play was there," said Ochs, who later left the game with a calf injury. "I had Jon one-on-one, and I think it was just a tremendous individual effort by that corner. Usually when I throw it high, Jon can go get it."
"It was big because it was a defensive stop early on," said the Bearkats' 23rd-year head coach. "I think it gave our defense a boost because you know, we're young over there. I think we're going to get better. I think our defense is coming along.
"It's been hard on our defense's confidence in spring and early fall camps, some days, when Dustin (Long) is throwing it like that and the receivers are catching it and Noah (Allen) comes in and throws it. It hasn't been easy on them."
Long, a senior transfer from Texas A&M, was 26-for-33 passing. Allen, a sophomore transfer from Oklahoma, didn't throw a pass Saturday but gained 9 yards on two rushes in relief.
Ochs was sacked only once on a bruising hit from Paul Donalson that lost 11 yards, but he took plenty of shots. When he threw to Jefferson Heidelberger for 69 yards and a touchdown, he was under pressure and said he took a cleat to his right calf.
"I got hit on the play where I hit him for the touchdown," Ochs said, still limping after the game. "I either cramped up real bad or have a deep bruise."
Montana's ground game netted just 78 yards against some excellent SHSU defense. Lex Hilliard led the team with 30 yards on seven carries. Justin Green, who cramped up during the game played in 90-degree heat, added 24 yards on seven totes.
And Tyson Johnson added 2 yards on two carries from his punter's spot. The first time he rolled out, Johnson could've had a big gain but Sam Houston's Corey Zeno shed his blocker and made a shoe-string tackle.
"He's actually looking to punt that, on both of them," Montana head coach Bobby Hauck said. "If he breaks contain and there's nobody there, he's got the option to run.
"On the first one maybe it was a good one for him to run it. The second one we should've punted."
The heat affected some Grizzlies. One apparently vomited on the field, which led to a Keystone Cops cleanup attempt that included several pounds of ice on the 40-yard line.
"We were hot, and I started cramping up, but I don't think that's that big of a factor in that game," said linebacker Shane MacIntyre, who led the Griz with 6fi tackles and a fumble recovery. "They beat us. That's about all I can say."
Kevin Edwards and Tuff Harris added five tackles each for the Griz. Donalson led the Bearkats with 6fi.
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