Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | MONTANA
Utah Tech Football Media Central
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TRAILBLAZER TALES 
• Utah Tech continues its 2026 non-conference slate this Saturday afternoon when the Trailblazers head north to Missoula to square off against No. 2/3 Montana.
• Though both the Trailblazers and Grizzlies are conference foes, Saturday's match-up is a non-conference game due to the fact that the contest was already on the 2026 schedule for both teams prior to Utah Tech accepting the invitation to join the Big Sky in June of 2025.
• Saturday's game is the third meeting between the two sides on the gridiron, and will be Utah Tech's second-ever visit to Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
• Utah Tech is 0-2 all-time in its brief series vs. Montana, which includes a 43-13 home loss to the Grizzlies three years ago (9/9/23). Montana also claimed a 31-14 home triumph in the first-ever meeting between the two programs in 2021 (31-14; 10/9/21).
• Saturday's game will also mark the second-straight season that Utah Tech will have faced three-straight ranked opponents to open a season. In fact, Utah Tech has played at least two ranked teams in its first three games in five of the Trailblazers' seven NCAA D-I FCS seasons overall. 
• Utah Tech enters Saturday's game at Montana with a 5-42 (4-41 overall vs. AFCA) all-time record vs. ranked opponents (FCS and D-II), which includes a 3-24 mark in its brief time as an FCS program.
• The Trailblazers' last victory over a ranked team came two seasons ago at home against then No. 9/11 Central Arkansas (34-21; 11/2/24). 
  
UTAH TECH ON THE AIR: All Utah Tech football games this season are broadcast live on The Fan Sports Network (99.5/95.3 FM in St. George; 93.1 FM/1400 AM in Cedar City; www.thefansportsnetwork.com), while all home games will be streamed live online on ESPN+.
        The "Voice of the Trailblazers" Rod Zundel is in his fifth season calling the play-by-play action, and will be on the call this Saturday from Missoula on The Fan Sports Network. 
        As part of this season's game day broadcast coverage, Utah Tech airs a 60-minute comprehensive pregame show, and 30-minute post-game show, both of which air live on The Fan Sports Network and streamed live on YouTube on Trailblazer SportsVision (youtube.com/TrailblazerAthletics).
        Along with complete Game Day coverage, Zundel hosts "The Lance Anderson Coaches Show" every Tuesday night on The Fan Sports Network and streamed on Trailblazer SportsVision at 6 p.m. (MT).
 
A TRAILBLAZER WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD...: Give Utah Tech its first-ever road victory during the Lance Anderson era. A win would also be Utah Tech's second against a Big Sky Conference opponent, and would be the program's sixth victory overall against a ranked opponent. 
   
LOOKING TO CLOSE THE GAP: Utah Tech enters Saturday's game at No. 2/3 Montana looking for its second-ever win against a Big Sky Conference opponent.
Prior to joining the conference on July 1, the Trailblazers had faced eight current football playing members of the Big Sky and are a combined 1-21 lifetime against the league, 0-6 as a D-II and 1-15 in their short time as a D-I FCS program. Utah Tech's lone win against the Big Sky came during the 2023 season, a 50-36 road triumph at Northern Arizona (9/16/23). 
 
MORE ABOUT YEAR ONE IN THE BIG SKY: Utah Tech will play 11 Big Sky opponents this season, including first-ever match-ups against Northern Colorado (9/26), Portland State (10/10), Cal Poly (10/24) and Eastern Washington (11/14).
However only nine of those 11 games will count in the conference standings as the Trailblazers will square off against both Montana and NAU in non-conference contests over these next two weekends. Those two games were already on Utah Tech's 2026 schedule prior to the program accepting the invitation to join the league one year ago.
The only Big Sky team Utah Tech will not play this season is Idaho, which the Blazers faced last season in Moscow. 
 
SO ABOUT THE 2026 SCHEDULE: Utah Tech's 2026 schedule is currently ranked as the third-hardest in both the current Massey and WarrenNolan.com ELO FCS strength of schedule ratings (out of 128 FCS teams).
The Trailblazers' schedule currently features five Big Sky teams ranked in the FCS top-25 preseason polls, while four conference foes are receiving votes. Meanwhile last week's opponent, BYU, is ranked 15th in both the current Associated Press and USA Today/AFCA Coaches' Top-25 polls. 
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech could not overcome three costly first half turnovers as the Trailblazers dropped their 2026 road opener at in-state foe and Big 12 power BYU, 63-7, last Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
 
TAKING ON ALL COMERS: Since transitioning to NCAA Division I FCS status in 2020-21, Utah Tech has faced 32 top-25 teams (3-29) and 26 total FCS playoff teams.   
        In fact, Utah Tech's 2021 fall schedule was rated as the second-toughest schedule in the entire country and featured seven ranked teams and seven 2021 FCS Fall playoff teams, including the 2021 spring national champion (Sam Houston) and runner-up (South Dakota State).
Utah Tech has also squared off against four FBS programs over that span - New Mexico State (2021 spring in El Paso, Texas), BYU (2022 and 2026), Colorado State (2023) and UNLV (2024).
 
ABOUT THE MONTANA "GRIZZLIES": No. 2/3 Montana is off to a 2-0 start to the 2026 season, with both victories coming on its home field. The Grizzlies opened the season with a hard-fought 28-21 conference victory over Southern Utah during Week 0 (8/29), and thumped visiting Drake by a 45-10 count last Saturday afternoon. 
Senior QB Keali'i Ah Yat has completed 42 of his 68 pass attempts (.618) over his first two starts for 547 yards and four touchdowns. Ah Yat's favorite target in the early going has been junior WR Brooks Davis, who has hauled in 12 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown.  
Meanwhile, fifth year running back, and Preseason Big Sky Offensive MVP, Eli Gillman is coming off a record-breaking performance last week vs. Drake. Gillman rushed for 105 yards and three touchdowns, and in the process became Montana's career rushing touchdown leader (53).
Gillman, who scored four touchdowns overall in the Drake win, has rushed for 181 yards on 32 carries and four TDs through two games, and has caught four passes for 99 yards and two more scores for good measure.   
Defensively, senior DL Tyler King has recorded two of the Grizzlies' three sacks on the year and has nine total tackles to his credit overall. 
 
#AB3FOREVER: Fifth year defensive lineman Fasitootai Sagapolu was voted by his teammates to receive the honorary No. 3 jersey for the 2026 season. The senior defensive stalwart is the fifth Trailblazer player to earn the coveted privilege since the 2021 spring season. 
The awarding of the No. 3 jersey has become an annual tradition honoring the memory of former Trailblazer football player Abraham Reinhardt, who passed away unexpectedly on March 22, 2019.
Head coach Lance Anderson noted when he arrived on the Utah Tech campus that he took some time to get familiar with the story of Reinhardt, both as a student-athlete and as a young man. He quickly realized the importance and the impact this tradition has on the Trailblazer football program, a tradition he is very eager to continue.
"Once I heard the story about Abe Reinhardt, the kind of person he was, the kind of football player he was, and his tragic passing, I was very touched and felt like this is something we need to continue," said Coach Anderson. "I felt it was very important that our team understands who he was and what this jersey truly represents."
  
2026 TRAILBLAZER FOOTBALL POSITION-BY-POSITION NOTES
QUARTERBACK
• Junior Bronson Barben came on in the second quarter at BYU last Saturday and threw for 115 yards on 12-22-1 passing ... he also led the Trailblazers on their lone scoring drive of the game, a 7:45 drive that went 75 yards in 15 plays in the third quarter.
• Barben got the opening night start against Montana State (8/29) and went 9-for-21 passing for 78 yards and two interceptions ... Barben also led Utah Tech in rushing with 21 yards on six carries. 
• Barben threw for 1,682 on 58.7 percent passing and six touchdowns in 10 games a season ago. 
• Junior CJ Tiller started at BYU and went 3-for-9 for 20 yards and two first quarter interceptions. 
• Tiller played in the final two series vs. Montana State (8/29) and completed 10 of his 12 pass attempts for 91 yards. 
  
RUNNING BACK
• Junior Ace Chatman ran for a team-high 38 yards on 12 carries, and scored Utah Tech's lone touchdown, at BYU last Saturday night.
• Chatman's third-quarter score was his first of the season, and the junior's sixth career rushing TD overall. 
• Chatman carried the ball a team-high 13 times for 20 yards, and caught his lone target for three yards, vs. Montana State (8/29).
• Chatman's 13 carries vs. MSU tied for the third-most in a single game over his one-plus seasons as the starting tailback. 
• Chatman started in 10 of the 11 games he appeared in last season and rushed for 536 yards on 121 carries (4.4 ypc) with a team-high five touchdowns ... he also led the offense with 713 all-purpose yards (64.8 ypg).
• Senior tailback Kona Crowell tied a career high with four receptions out of the backfield for 21 yards at BYU ... he also rushed for seven yards on three carries. 
 
WIDE RECEIVER
• Junior Darnell O'Quinn led all Utah Tech receivers with 41 yards on three catches at BYU last Saturday night.
• Senior Mike Williams caught four of his five targets for 42 yards in his Trailblazer debut vs. Montana State (8/29) ... his four catches vs. MSU matched his career total over three seasons at Southeastern Louisiana ... Williams hauled in one pass for nine yards at BYU last Saturday night. 
• Junior Prince Zombo Jr., who missed the BYU game last Saturday night (coaches decision - team rules), made three receptions for 29 yards vs. Montana State (8/29).
• Sophomore Will Greene was targeted a team-high eight times at BYU, and he caught three of those targets for 35 yards, including a 23-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter. 
• Sophomore Isaac McMullin hauled in both of his targets for 30 yards in his Trailblazer debut vs. Montana State (8/29), including a 26-yard hook-up with Tiller for a first down on 3rd and 13 in the fourth quarter.  
• Fifth-year DaJon Harrison collected 16 yards on two receptions in his season debut vs. Montana State (8/29).
• Freshman Zay Morris caught his first two collegiate passes for 12 total yards at BYU last Saturday night. 
 
TIGHT END
• Sophomore Brayden Hampsten hauled in three passes for 29 yards in his season debut vs. Montana State (8/29). 
 
DEFENSE LINE 
• Senior Brandon Jackson recorded his first collegiate sack and tallied four total tackles against Montana State (8/29). 
• Jackson also blocked a kick for the second time in as many season openers, swatting away a Bobcat PAT attempt late in the second quarter ... Jackson also blocked a field goal in last year's season opener vs. UC Davis (8/30/25).
• Junior Zayden Cook racked up a career high six tackles in his first collegiate start vs. Montana State (8/29) ... Cook collected three tackles at BYU last Saturday night. 
• Fifth year Fasitootai Sagapolu made four stops in the opener vs. Montana State (8/29).
 
LINEBACKERS 
• After opening the year with one sack and four total tackles vs. Montana State (8/29), senior Will Alovao duplicated that feat at BYU last Saturday night.
• Alovao has registered one sack in each of his last three starts dating back to last season, and has racked up at least one TFL in nine of his last 11 games overall with four total sacks over that stretch. 
• Junior Moe Passi posted a seven tackle night (2 solo) along with his second collegiate PBU at BYU last Saturday night ... Passi's seven tackles were one off of his career high of eight set in last season's home win over North Alabama (11/1/25). 
• Passi opened the year with six total tackles vs. Montana State (8/29). 
• Sophomore Daylen Love, who is expected to be back in the line-up this Saturday at Montana, registered five total tackles and one TFL in his season debut vs. Montana State (8/29). 
• Senior RJ Jones II was credited with six tackles in his first start of the year at BYU last Saturday ... Jones II opened the year with five tackles off the bench vs. Montana State (8/29). 
• Fifth year Helaman Ofahengaue was credited with four total tackles vs. Montana State (8/29).
 
DEFENSIVE BACKS 
• Senior safety Quincy Lejay co-led the Trailblazer defense with seven total tackles at BYU last Saturday night.  
• Lejay racked up a game-high 11 tackles (6 solo) and one QB hurry in the opener vs. Montana State (8/29).
• Lejay's 11 stops were two off of his career high of 13 set in Utah Tech's 2024 home win over Central Arkansas (11/2/24), and was his third double-digit tackle game overall. 
• Fifth year safety Brevin Czosnyka picked up right where he left off from a season ago with a Utah Tech career high nine total tackles (5 solo) vs. Montana State (8/29).
• Czosnyka followed that up with seven stops at BYU last Saturday night.
• Junior CB Jeremiah Jimoh was credited with six tackles and his sixth-career PBU in his season debut vs. Montana State (8/29). 
• Jimoh collected six more tackles last Saturday at BYU.  
• Junior reserve safety Brady Sorenson tallied a career high five tackles and his first collegiate TFL in the opener vs. Montana State (8/29). 
• Freshman CB Ryan Tillman made the most of his collegiate debut with four tackles and one TFL vs. Montana State (8/29).
• Freshman safety Shaun Niu Jr. racked up a career high four tackles at BYU last Saturday. 
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
• Senior punter Ryan Marks punted a season-high six times for 255 yards (42.5 ypp) at BYU last Saturday night. 
• Marks punted four times for 187 yards (46.8 ypp), including a 55-yard boot in the second quarter, in the opener vs. Montana State (8/29).
• Marks' 55-yarder vs. MSU was his 21st 50-plus yard kick in 13 games as Utah Tech's punter.  
• Marks was Utah Tech's lone representative on the preseason all-Big Sky team. • Marks also started the year on the 2026 FCS Punter of the Year Preseason Watch List, and was named a Stats Perform FCS Preseason Third Team All-American. 
• Sophomore kicker Dax Iverson recorded he first collegiate point with a third-quarter PAT at BYU last Saturday night. 
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech returns home for its 2026 non-conference finale vs. Northern Arizona next Saturday night, Sept. 19. Kick-off inside Greater Zion Stadium is set for 6 p.m. (MT).