(Editor's note: University of Montana athletics release)
In the past two games, Montana dual-threat quarterback Dalton Sneed has run and passed for a combined 704 yards and nine touchdowns, more than some quarterbacks account for in half a season.
Sneed was especially super on Saturday, engineering one of the biggest Grizzly wins of the last half-decade when Montana traveled to California and throttled the No. 4/5 ranked and defending Big Sky co-champion UC Davis Aggies 45-20.
Now, as he and the Griz prepare to return to Missoula for Homecoming, the senior from Scottsdale has been named the ROOT Sports Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week for a second-straight week. This also marks the third player of the week honor of his career, and the seventh time he's earned Montana's nomination.
With Sneed at the helm, Montana's offense was a finely tuned machine at Davis as the Griz put up a total of 528 balanced yards, with 260 of them on the ground. Sneed finished the game as the team's second-leading rusher with 81 yards (8.1 yards per carry) and no sacks.
He was exacting in the passing game as well, completing 22 of his 33 passes (66%) for five touchdowns and 268 yards without an interception. He finished the day with 349 yards of total offense, more than any other player in the Big Sky Conference against a ranked opponent on week five.
Not only did his five passing TDs tie his career-high, it moved Sneed up on Montana's all-time passing touchdown leaders list, now with 35 in his career as a Grizzly. He currently sits at No. 11 on the list, passing current Grizzly assistant head coach Brent Pease. Sneed also moved up the career passing yards list ahead of former UM QB coach Andrew Selle with 4,205 career passing yards.
On Sunday, Sneed was named the College Football Performance Awards co-FCS National Performer of the Week for his efforts in Davis, alongside Princeton QB Kevin Davidson who passed for 381 yards and seven touchdowns against unranked Bucknell.
Last week against Monmouth, Sneed and Malik Flowers became the first pair of Grizzlies to be named ROOT Sports Player of the Week at the same time since 2013. Sneed's back-to-back honors are the first for a Grizzly since 2018 when Dante Olson opened the season with two straight.
Montana State Bobcat receiver Travis Jonsen was a nominee for the offensive player of the week honor, while the Bobcats' Brayden Konkol and the Grizzlies' Jace Lewis were defensive nominees. Northern Colorado defensive back Michael Walker (six tackles, two interceptions) earned the award, while Weber State punter Doug Lloyd (seven punts, 46.7-yard average) garnered the special teams player of the week honor.
