Sac State coach rips ‘atrocious’ defense as Sacramento native leads Montana rout
Michael Wortham made it a homecoming to remember, and the senior all-purpose marvel came to play with plenty to showcase and much to prove.
That theme was also true for his fired-up bunch of Montana Grizzlies, who, to a man, vowed to flex their considerable muscle to settle the war-of-the-words exchange that circulated this week for the nationally televised game on ESPN2.
With Wortham accounting for 222 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, Montana looked every bit the part of the national powerhouse it has been for decades, seizing control of a tight game in the third quarter and outlasting Sacramento State, 49-35, on Friday night at Hornet Stadium.
Wortham is one of the most electrifying players in the land of the FCS, and the Center High School and Sierra College graduate was a blur again for the No. 4-ranked Grizzlies, and if one player was the difference, it was the one-time prep and juco quarterback who is now a senior receiver quickly becoming a fan favorite in football-mad Missoula.
Wortham rushed seven times off direct snaps for 89 yards and two scores, and he had five receptions for 80 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown in torching the Hornets, who fell to 4-4 on the season and 2-2 in the Big Sky Conference. Wortham also had a 45-yard kickoff return. After one of his scores, Wortham said to giddy teammates as he headed to the sideline, “I’m him!”
Yep. That was him.
Sac State coach Brennan Marion praised Wortham, calling him “a special player,” and he lauded Montana for a fine game. He also ripped the Hornets defense for being “gross,” adding: “The defensive performance was absolutely atrocious tonight.”
A 19-time Big Sky champion, Montana is 8-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play. The Grizzlies improved to 22-4 all-time against Sac State in a series dating back to 1993. Sac State came in having won three of the last four against Montana.
Clowns, cheap shots and charity
This game added an extra layer of intrigue with digs and banter as Sacramento State president Luke Wood ribbed Montana as being the “Pandas” — and he called the game the Panda Bowl. Montana coach Bobby Hauck bristled at the mascot mention this week, calling Wood a “clown.” Hauck is the winningest coach in the history of the Big Sky, doing it at his alma mater, and he hasn’t lost an ounce of passion.
The fiery coach was heard barking to referees after his quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat was blown up on a hit in the third quarter, which drew a roughing-the-passer penalty. Ah Yat was flattened just as he fired an 11-yard touchdown to Evan Shafer for a 35-21 Montana lead, which led Hauck to shout at referees, “It’s not the first time they’ve cheap-shotted our quarterback!”
Ah Yat is as tough as he is talented, and he returned to action. He passed for 196 yards and three scores.
Said Hauck after the game: “We whooped their tail tonight. It wasn’t close, and it was fun to do it here.”
Wood earlier Friday announced that Sacramento State made a monetary donation to charity in Missoula, an act of good faith. Before the game, Wood good-naturedly chatted it up with fans of Montana, which annually travels well.
Wood this week wondered aloud whether Montana had played a taxing schedule, but the results are solid now: The Grizzlies are unbeaten, including ranked wins over North Dakota on Sept. 13 and over Idaho on Sept. 27.
Montana fans in attendance enjoyed rubbing it into Sac State, chanting late in the game, “You got Panda’d!”
Sac State showed it belonged on the same field with an elite FCS team, particularly in the first half as a team with 71 new players still trying to fully get on the same page. But the Hornets were undone by special teams breakdowns and penalties, garnering 10 flags for 80 yards. One crusher was a 98-yard kickoff return by Rodney Hammond Jr. for a score in the first half that was called back because of holding.
Sac State quarterback Cardell Williams completed his first 13 passes and finished 25 of 32 for a career-best 332 yards, including a 63-yard scoring strike to Ernest Campbell, who had a career day with nine catches for 206 yards. Campbell has six touchdown catches this season of 50 or more yards.
Williams never let up, competing to the end as he raced in for an 18-yard touchdown with 18 seconds left to account for the final points.
This story was originally published October 24, 2025 at 11:56 PM.