Before the miracle comeback against South Dakota State in 2009, there was the rally against South Dakota State in 1993.
Montana’s 1993 football season opened against the then-Division II Jackrabbits and featured an NCAA-record 39-point fourth quarter as the Grizzlies rallied for a 52-48 win.
It’s not just the remarkable comeback that made the game special, but it also ushered in the Dave Dickenson era of Grizzly football. In his first collegiate start, the quarterback from Great Falls, Mont., showcased the magic and moxie that defined him throughout his illustrious caceer. The record-setting comeback ranks 33rd on the list of the Big Sky Conference’s “50 Greatest Men’s Moments.’’
“Things started to snowball and it started going downhill and it went downhill fast,’’ said Scott Gurnsey, who caught the game-winning touchdown that day and now serves as the Grizzlies’ radio color analyst. “We put ourselves in a huge hole. We were down 31-7 at the half, and I remember distinctly Coach (Don) Read at halftime telling us we were going to take the opening kickoff and put points on the board.’’
On the opening drive of the third quarter, Montana lost its fourth fumble of the game. South Dakota State scored to take a 38-7 lead.
“At 38-7, I went out there and said if anyone out here didn’t think we could win, they might as well not be out here,’’ Dickenson told the media following the game.
Those were big words from an untested sophomore collegiate quarterback. Dickenson had guided C.M. Russell High School to a state Class AA Montana championships in 1989 and 1990, compiling a 23-0 record as a starting quarterback. The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder sat out as a redshirt in 1991 and saw limited action as a backup in 1992.
He had yet to secure the full-time starting job. In fact, Read had already decided prior to the South Dakota State game that junior Bert Wilberger was going to start the following week’s game at Oregon. Wilberger replaced Dickenson for a time in the first half of the South Dakota State game, but Dickenson got another shot in the second half.
“We hadn’t even experienced the magic of Dave Dickenson yet,’’ Gurnsey recalled. “The quarterback situation was unsettled. But his demeanor in the huddle was one of, let’s get this done. I never once saw Dave panic in the two years I played with him.’’
So, down 39-7 with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter, the comeback began. Less than six minutes of game time later, Montana led 39-38.
Dickenson engineered drives of 76, 74, 37, 65 and 65 yards for touchdown. The special teams and defense helped the cause, as well. Safety Todd Erickson returned a fumble 42 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead 38-25. Shalon Baker returned a punt 82 yards to make it 38-32. Dickenson connected with running back Damon Boddie on a short screen pass to put UM ahead 39-38 with 9:21 to play.
The Jackrabbits, however, weren’t going away quietly. Adam Vinatieri – yes the same Vinatieri of NFL fame – made a 20-yard field goal, and then quarterback Todd McDonald threw a 20-yard TD pass to put the Jackrabbits up 48-45 with 1:26 to play.
With about 30 seconds left, Montana faced a fourth-and-1 on the SDSU 42-yard line. Dickenson went for it all, lofting a pass to Gursney, who caught it at the 25-yard line and raced untouched for the game-winning score.
“It was hot,’’ Gurnsey recalled. “Everybody was just drained. I remember being interviewed after the game and being told it was fourth down. I had no idea it was fourth down on the last play. My shoulder pad was floating outside my jersey, and I was too tired to try to put it back in. I was patting my head, trying to get a substitute. But I was too far across the field from our sideline. Dickenson called an audible. I ran a fade route, and they were in a Cover-2. The corner was up, and I got around him. Dave threw it between the corner and the safety. The safety didn’t get over. I got mobbed, and that was probably the worst thing that ever happened.’’
Dickenson finished the game 27-of-39 for 401 yards with four touchdown passes, and two rushing touchdowns. None of the scores were bigger than the game-winner to Gurnsey, who finished with eight catches for 118 yards.
“They had the right coverage for the fade, so I took it,’’ Dickenson said after the game.
“We got it to the right guy,’’ Read said in the post-game press conference. “He’s made some big plays. People go one-on-one with him and he isn’t the fastest guy, but he is the toughest.’’
Montana’s 39-point fourth quarter remains the most scored by an FCS team to win a game. At the time, the 31-point comeback ranked third in FCS history.
In 2009, Montana rallied from a 27-point second-half deficit to beat South Dakota State 61-48 in the first round of the FCS Playoffs.
A crowd of 11,366 watched the 1993 game at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Today, crowds of 26,000 routinely pack the stadium.
Dickenson led the Grizzlies to the 1995 National Championship, and won the Walter Payton Award that season. He set numerous Big Sky and FCS record during his storied collegiate career.
