Montana Grizzlies Keith Thompson Delivers NCAA Hit Of The Year On Matt Cline

We take you back to the beginning of the 2009 NCAA football season, when Georgia’s Reshad Jones nailed Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon with a bone crushing hit. We thought we had seen the NCAA hit of the year only one week into the season. Then, just a few weeks ago, Oklahoma State was on the receiving end again, as it was quarterback Zac Robinson who was leveled by Texas Tech’s Jamar Wall.

Either of those could have been named the “NCAA Hit of the Year,”…until this past weekend.

With the Montana Grizzlies taking on Appalachian State for a chance to go to the Football Championship Subdivision title game, the players were prepared to put their bodies on the line, but Matt Cline likely did not have this in mind.

Midway through the second quarter, with the game tied and Appalachian State driving down the field, Cline found himself wide open during a sideline route and called for the pass. When Armanti Edwards finally delivered it to him, Cline barely had enough time to turn up field and prepare himself for another delivery that was headed his way. Unfortunately, the messenger this time was Montana cornerback Keith Thompson, and what he was delivering was 179-pounds of pain directly to the chest of Cline.

The hit knocked Cline off his feet and forced him to seek attention from the medical staff for a few minutes as he lay on the field. He would eventually walk off the field, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that he left a spleen, some teeth, and maybe even a lung along the Montana’s sideline.

Hat Tip – [Outside the Boxscore]





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