The top 5 plays from Montana RB Eli Gillman’s Jerry Rice award season

MONTANA-FURMAN FCS QUARTERFINAL THRILLER SHARE: FULL OT

Eli Gillman, a running back for Montana, was selected as the 2023 Jerry Rice Award winner as the top FCS football rookie. With three 100-yard rushing games and 857 yards and 10 touchdowns on 152 carries during the 2023 regular season, Gilman becomes the first athlete from Montana to earn the honor in the 13-year history of the program.

RELATED: The Jerry Rice Award’s whole history

Gillman has put on an incredible season full of standout performances. The best plays from his rookie campaign are included below.

The best plays from Eli Gillman’s freshman season, who won the Jerry Rice Award
The longest touchdown run in the history of the Montana program
Many excellent FCS running backs from Montana, like Jordan Canada, Lex Hillard, Chase Reynolds, and Yohance Humphrey, have made it to the NFL, but none have achieved the feat of Eli Gillman’s 85-yard touchdown rush. Against UC Davis, Gillman rushed for the longest touchdown in Montana history, which was one of the season’s highlights.

Also included are several views of Eli Gillman’s (@eli_gillman) 85-yard touchdown run. The rookie made a huge play in the third quarter to give the #GrizFB some breathing room. ✇️ tweet.com/3C7MAFmyJu

— @khansen406 Kyle Hansen 9 October 2023
Watch as Montana running back Eli Gillman (@eli_gillman) records an 85-yard touchdown run at 20.8 mph. #AnalyticsReel

🎥: @BigSkyConf

🔗 pic.twitter.com/bpBFBDneFY https://t.co/orrD059ykP

October 11, 2023 — Reel Analytics (@RAanalytics) 🏈 MORE FCS FOOTBALL 🏈 🚨 Updates and alerts on Bleacher Report 🎥 FCS football on YouTube 🍎 Keep up with Apple News
Start first. initial touchdown. first-ever 100-yard contest
Against Butler in Montana’s season opener, Gillman received his first start. In his first game as a starter, the redshirt freshman played up to the expectations, averaging 6.3 yards per rush on his way to 119 yards, his first game with 100 yards in his young career.

In addition to scoring his first touchdown of the season against Butler, Gillman also scored his first touchdown of the career during his two-game redshirt season.

I can’t stop myself, @eli_gillman!XZEOdGwgDs pic.twitter.com/GoGriz

— September 2, 2023, Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB)
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Final area Eli
Eli Gillman demonstrated his ability to combine vision, elusiveness, and power with an eight-yard touchdown run in a top-10 game against Sacramento State.

Not for nothing is he called Endzone @eli Gillman! 👏 #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/4fcLFWbWCM

— November 5, 2023, Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB)
Score of the First Brawl of the Wild
The Brawl of the Wild, which pits Montana against Montana State, is one of the best rivalries in the FCS. Early in his debut iteration of the rivalry game, Gilman made his presence felt by scoring the first touchdown.

BRACKET: View the official FCS playoff schedule for 2023.

Additional highlights for Eli Gillman
See more of Eli Gillman’s highlights below.

Our friend @eli_gillman is a candidate for the Rice Award and the Big Sky 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫!

😤 #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/n4Xj4rKHkh This is the reason. ✇️

— November 26, 2023, Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB)
There’s a chance that @eli_gillman will win FCS Freshman of the Year!

💯#GoGriz pic.twitter.com/q6gBQitqU7 🙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙒𝙝𝙮

— October 21, 2023, Montana Griz Football (@MontanaGrizFB)
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Stan Becton began working for NCAA.com in 2021 and has covered HBCU, FCS, track and field, and cross country since then. He has covered a number of NCAA championship events, including as the Men’s Frozen Four, FCS Championship, and DI Track & Field Championships. He has also covered HBCU athletic events like the Celebration Bowl and Legacy Classic, as well as the Peach Bowl of the 2022 College Football Playoff. Stan was a five-year letterman in football and received a degree in professional writing from Carnegie Mellon University. He can be followed at @stan_becton on Twitter.

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