Griz maul Wolves 32-7

Placekickers are often an afterthought in football games, but they are called upon in vital situations and have one duty: Get the ball through those yellow uprights.

Montana called on its kicker more often than usual as senior Brody McKnight set a single-game team record with six field goals to lead the Grizzlies past the Western Oregon Wolves 32-7 for its sixth straight win Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

McKnight passed the previous mark of five field goals set by former UM kicker Dan Carpenter, who currently plays for the Miami Dolphins in the NFL, against South Dakota State in 2006.

"I've always kind of looked up to Dan in a way, but I'm also a competitor," McKnight said. "When I'm on the field, I'm going to do my best. It feels real good to get that record."

Perhaps making the honor more special was the fact that Saturday's contest was Senior Day, the last regular season home game for the players who will have played on the team for their final year.

"You couldn't really draw it up any better on Senior Day," McKnight said. "I'm really grateful for every opportunity that I had there and I just credit the offense for making those field goals not too long for me."

The offense indeed offered relatively short distances on five of McKnight's six field goals as all but one was kicked from 36 yards out or less. Other than a 51-yarder, McKnight's kicks of 24, 21, 30, 36 and 24 meant the offense drove into the red zone before settling for field goal tries.

"I prefer touchdowns," McKnight said, "but whenever the team needs me, I'll go out there and do my best."

 And the 6-foot, 204-pounder from Vancouver, B.C., did not disappoint as he went 6-for-6 on the day, as well as 2-for-2 on extra point attempts.

McKnight scored all 12 of Montana's first half points, and made it 15 straight early in the third quarter before Western Oregon found the end zone for the first time for either team.

Junior quarterback Cody VonAppen found sophomore receiver Lucas Gonzalves over the middle for a 27-yard strike that cut UM's lead to 15-7.

Despite having to play without starting sophomore quarterback Jordy Johnson for three quarters due to injury, the Grizzlies responded with 17 unanswered points to close out the game.

The scoring run began with a nine-play, 54-yard drive ending with a one-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Brett Kirschner with 6:37 left in the third.

Kirschner's score was set up by the strong running of junior Peter Nguyen, who racked up a career high 149 yards on 22 carries.

"Peter Nguyen played well for us," UM head coach Robin Pflugrad said. "We were without some other running backs, like Beau Donaldson and Jordan Canada, so he really had to play well. He was kind of our spark on offense."

Nguyen left the game after a six-yard run on fourth-and-1, which gave Montana a first-and-goal at the Western Oregon one-yard line.

"I got hit on my side and I just laid there after the play for a while," Nguyen said. "I got up and felt kind of dizzy, so I knew I had to take it easy."

A five-yard touchdown pass on a fade route from junior quarterback Nate Montana to senior receiver Antwon Moutra put the Grizzlies up 29-7 with just over 13 minutes left in the fourth.

Perhaps fitting, the final points of the game came from the foot of McKnight, and from a distance the senior was familiar with. McKnight booted a 24-yarder, the same as his first field goal in this record-breaking performance, for his sixth such score with 8:30 remaining in the game.

The Grizzly defense stifled Western Oregon, as it did most of the game, keeping the score at 32-7.

Interceptions by defensive backs Sean Murray and Mike McCord helped Montana hold the Wolves to a mere 91 yards of offense in the first half.

"This is definitely the best defense we've ever faced," Western Oregon senior quarterback Cory Bean said. "The speed out there was ridiculous. They have great linebackers, a solid D-line and the secondary's great too. It's just a challenge across the board."

Murray added his second pick of the game in the third quarter and nearly had No. 3 in the fourth as the ball simply fell through his hands.

"That third one, I just misjudged it," Murray said. "I didn't make a great play like I should have. But hey, I had two (interceptions)."

Another freshman safety, Matt Hermanson, came up with Montana's fourth interception two series later, allowing the offense to simply run out the clock.

"I really credit the defense for another outstanding performance," Pflugrad said. "The interceptions by Sean Murray and Hermanson were outstanding plays."