By ERIC TABER
Montana quarterback Dalton Sneed added to his award collection on Monday with his biggest weekly honor to date, being named the STATS FCS National Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career following UM’s 59-20 win.
The honor comes just hours after Sneed earned his third-straight ROOT Sports Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week recognition following a career-best day in Montana’s come-from-behind win over Idaho State.
Against the Bengals, Sneed accounted for career-high 464 yards of total offense and four touchdowns as the Griz rallied from a 17-point deficit to outscore ISU 59-3 in the final three quarters and posted a new school record with 35 first downs. He responded to the early deficit by throwing for 358 yards over the course of the next three quarters, completing 21 of his last 28 passes (.750), including a pair of TDs and 12 first downs.
The senior QB’s total offense blitz was the most of any player in the Big Sky Conference on week six, and the second-most of any player in the league so far this season. He also helped set a new school record, leading the Griz to 35 first downs. The previous school record was 34, set in 2012 against South Dakota.
Sneed now becomes the first Grizzly to ever win three consecutive Big Sky Player of the Week honors and is the first player to earn three weekly honors from the league since Dante Olson did it in 2018. Sneed is also the first UM quarterback to win three weekly honors in a single season since John Edwards in 2002. He is the first QB in the Big Sky to earn three weekly honors since Eastern Washington’s Gage Gubrud did it in 2017.
In the last three games, Sneed has thrown for a total of 999 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for an additional 169 yards and two TDs to bring his total offensive output 1,168 yards and thirteen scores. In that three-game span, he’s also completed nearly 70-percent of his passes.
Sneed ranks among the top-12 players in the FCS in seven different statistical categories, including completion percentage, completions per game, passing touchdowns, passing yards, passing yards per game, points responsible for per game, and total offense.
With 4,602 career passing yards, Sneed has now passed Andrew Selle on UM’s all-time passing leaders list at No. 12.
Sneed’s award marks the second-straight national player of the week honor for the Grizzlies after punter/kicker Adam Wilson earned national special teams accolades last week.
The Grizzlies moved up a spot to No. 8 in the FCS coaches’ poll and held steady at No. 8 in the STATS FCS media poll following the win over ISU.
Montana will next take the field on Oct. 19 at Sacramento State following the bye week.
