Montana beats Utah Tech 35-14
Montana beat Utah Tech 35-14. Share this game
We had Montana favored. It won.
Next: Utah Tech lost to Northern Arizona 35-23, Sat Sep 19
How it swung
Before kickoff, our ratings gave Montana a 95% chance, and the closing betting line (Montana was a 35.5-point favorite) put it above 99%.
Montana led by 7 after the first quarter and by 21 at the half.
Favored the whole way: Montana never fell below 98%.
Utah Tech never had better than a 2% chance.
Montana 35-14 Utah Tech
Montana wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.Utah Tech 14-35 MontanaUtah Tech lostMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.No single play moved the chance by 20 points.
No single play moved the chance by 20 points.
How to read this chart
Starts from the pregame line (Montana -35.5), at 99% for Montana (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores.Every drive
Montana scored on 5 of its 14 drives; Utah Tech on 2 of its 14.
Montana’s drives are teal, Utah Tech’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.
Box score
Montana 35, Utah Tech 14
Utah Tech covered +35.5 by 14.5. The total, 49, stayed under 56.5.
Utah Tech leaders
- Passing Bronson Barben 21 of 35, 301 yds, 1 TD
- Rushing Asa Chatman 21 for 95 yds; Daron Tyson 2 for 9 yds
- Receiving Mike Williams 3 for 80 yds, 1 TD; Will Greene 1 for 51 yds
Montana leaders
- Passing Keali'i Ah Yat 25 of 35, 246 yds, 1 TD
- Rushing Eli Gillman 17 for 147 yds, 3 TD; Dylan Paine 5 for 80 yds, 1 TD
- Receiving Brooks Davis 12 for 151 yds; Lekeldrick Bridges 2 for 24 yds, 1 TD
Before kickoff
Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.
Recent games
Last two games
Utah Tech · 0-2
Rated 237th in our preseason ratings, 224th now, up 13 spots.
Two straight losses, each by 20 or more.
Last two games
Montana · 2-0
Rated 93rd in our preseason ratings, 99th now.
Two straight wins — but still hunting a ranked opponent.
Week by week
Montana
- Wk 1Wvs Southern Utah28-21
- Wk 1Wvs Drake45-10
Utah Tech
- Wk 1Lvs Montana State0-54
- Wk 1Lat BYU7-63
The series
Montana leads the series 2-0
2 meetings since 2021 · Montana has won the last 2
- 2023Montana 43-13
- 2021Montana 31-14
Line, fans and home field
The betting line, and the fans
Our model and the betting line don’t fully agree on Montana’s chances here.
Montana favored by 35.5 · Total 56.5
How games like this usually go
Montana by 35.5, and it went to form
Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game
The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 411 games since 2025 with a favorite of 21.5 points or more.
The market
The spread moved 3 points toward Utah Tech.
Spread: −38.5 → −35.5
Home field
Montana is worth +13.2 points (±7.9) more at home than on the road since 2018 — top tenth of FBS, 100th percentile.
83% at home, 25% on the road against FBS opponents (5-1 home, 2-6 away).
Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads +2.4 at home vs. away over 60 games — inside the ±8.8 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.
The visitors travel about 674 miles to get here.