CHENEY, Wash. – Logan Fife has completed the first part of this season playing or sharing time with fellow Montana quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat.

But the task was Fife’s on Saturday, and he made a big impression in the Grizzlies’ 52-49 Big Sky-opening (and long-awaited) victory atop ‘The Inferno’ at Roos Field in Eastern Washington – despite the Eagles’ best comeback. in an exhausting second half.

Tommy Martino / Montana Athletics

With Ah Yat out due to injury, Fife, a transfer from Fresno State, threw five touchdown passes in his first start at UM, and the Grizzlies needed them all as the Eagles put all kinds of pressure on the visitors.

Fife found Erik Barker tight on two scoring throws in the first half, a 29-yarder down the sideline that put the Grizzlies up 10-7 in the first half, and a 5-yarder over the top of the defense on play-action with 12 Just a few seconds left before rest.

Fife also connected with Junior Bergen on a 47-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Bergen had a great first half, catching six passes for 140 yards before the break alone.

Nick Ostmo added an 8-yard touchdown run as part of the Grizzlies’ big second quarter.

UM’s Ty Morrison opened the scoring with a 29-yard field goal. But the Grizzlies trailed 7-3 in the first quarter after EWU QB Kekoa Visperas ran one in from 2 yards out, and trailed again 14-10 when Visperas threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to productive wideout Efton Chism III. But Fife and Montana took control in the first half.

The Eagles took UM’s lead in the third quarter when QB Jared Taylor broke tackles and rushed for a 48-yard touchdown run, making the score 31-21. Taylor came in after Visperas was hacked.

That started a hectic period in the second half, as the team traded touchdowns in a high-scoring affair.

Eli Gillman countered first for the Grizzlies, barreling down the sideline for a 69-yard touchdown run to give Montana another three-score lead.

EWU later answered on another Chism TD catch to make it 38-28 early in the fourth, then the Eagles recovered a surprise onside kick and turned it into a 7-yard touchdown rush from Visperas, and suddenly Eastern Washington was within three points, 38. -35, with 10:59 remaining.

However, the Grizzlies made a huge fourth-and-2 conversion with a 40-yard run from Xavier Harris to the EWU 1-yard line. That set up a short TD pass from Fife to Ostmo just inside the nearest pylon with 5:11 left, giving Montana a 45-35 lead.

Tommy Martino / Montana Athletics

Still, the back-and-forth continued, as Chism caught another touchdown pass from Visperas, this time a 50-yarder, that put the Eagles back within 45-42.

But the Griz went back up by 10 after a long run by Ostmo and another Fife TD pass, this one to Jake Olson in the back of the end zone for a 52-42 lead with 2:34 to go.

It didn’t end there. Visperas threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Cole Pruett with 52 seconds left. The Eagles attempted their second onside kick recovery of the second half, but this time the attempt went out of bounds and Montana was able to run out the clock.

It was Montana’s first road win over Eastern Washington since 2008 and the first ever win on EWU’s signature red turf field, nicknamed “The Inferno,” since its installation in 2010.

Turning point: After Ostmo’s first-half touchdown run, Montana’s defense was able to come off the field with a key stop, sending Fife’s sweet 47-yard TD throw – on a double play – over the top to Bergen.

That gave the Grizzlies breathing room with a 24-14 lead. That cushion, which later grew and then shrank and then grew and then shrank, became crucial to the final result.

Statistics of the game: Fife and the Griz offense put together five straight scoring drives in the first half – including four straight touchdowns – to take a 31-14 lead into intermission. Fife’s halftime numbers were dazzling, with 21 of 28 passing for 309 yards and three touchdowns.

Grizzly play balls: QB Logan Fife (offense). Fife made his first Griz start in place of the injured Ah Yat and put up huge numbers: 364 passing yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. On offense, Montana rolled up 701 total yards.

LB Ryan Tirrell (Defense). Montana’s defense (and special teams) gave up its share of big plays, and the Eagles had 551 yards of their own. But Tirrell was all over the action, making a team-high 14 tackles.

What’s next: Montana (4-1, 1-0 Big Sky) returns to the friendly confines of Washington-Grizzly Stadium next week, hosting longtime Big Sky rival Weber State for a 1 p.m.

Although they have lost four of the past five, the Grizzlies lead the all-time series 40-16, including 15-2 at home.