FARMINGTON, Utah (Nov. 21, 2023) – Yearly awards for Big Sky football were announced on Tuesday by the league office, with Montana winning four of the five individual honors up for grabs as the Griz were recognized for their outstanding season.
The award winners were voted on by the league’s 12 head coaches this past Sunday. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.
Alex Gubner, Clifton McDowell, Eli Gillman and Bobby Hauck won individual honors for Montana, while Lan Larison of UC Davis denied a Griz sweep.
Larison, who finished the season with 10 touchdowns in the final three games, was named the Offensive Player of the Year after an outstanding season for the running back. Larison rushed for 1,101 yards on the year and 13 touchdowns, despite missing three games due to injury midseason. Larison is the first Aggie to win Offensive Player of the Year since Jake Maier did in 2018.
Gubner was named Defensive Player of the Year after controlling the line of scrimmage for a dominant Montana defense all season. Gubner finished the year with 30 tackles, eight for loss, and three sacks. The Griz defense led the league in points allowed, giving up just 14.5 per game to rank third overall in the FCS. Gubner is the first Grizzly to win Defensive Player of the Year since Dante Olson won in 2019.
Clifton McDowell and Eli Gillman were named Newcomer of the Year and Freshman of the Year respectively, as the Griz one-two punch was honored by the league's head coaches.
McDowell, a transfer from Central Arkansas, had nearly 2,000 yards of total offense and 16 touchdowns as he finished the year leading Montana on a seven-game win streak. Gillman, a redshirt freshman from Dassel, Minnesota, rushed for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season.
McDowell is the first Newcomer of the Year winner for Montana since Justin Ford won in 2021, while Gillman becomes the program's first-ever Freshman of the Year winner in the award's history which began in 2013.
Rounding out the individual awards was head coach Bobby Hauck, who was named Coach of the Year for the fourth time and first since 2009. Hauck led Montana to a 10-1 record overall and 7-1 mark in league play, as the Griz won their first Big Sky crown since 2009.
Hauck also became the Big Sky's all-time wins leader, after he surpassed former Northern Arizona head coach Jerome Souers and sits with 126 victories at Montana heading into postseason play.
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2023 Individual Award Winners
Offensive Player of the Year: Lan Larison, RB, UC Davis
Defensive Player of the Year: Alex Gubner, DL, Montana
Newcomer of the Year: Clifton McDowell, QB, Montana
Freshman of the Year: Eli Gillman, RB, Montana
Coach of the Year: Bobby Hauck, Montana*
* - Unanimous Selection