On Armed Forces Appreciation Day, the record crowd at Washington-Grizzly Stadium was dazzled by a military flyover, a goal line-to-goal line presentation of colors and a dominating 31-10 win by Montana over Weber State.

Yet the biggest cheer on Saturday might have come when UM student Matthew Brenner boomed through a 45-yard field goal as part of UM's "Kick for Cash" promotion.

The kick, during the first TV timeout of the fourth quarter, was a no-doubter, splitting the uprights before landing in the seats above the north end zone.

Whether Brenner can collect the $10,000 prize, minus taxes, is doubtful at best.

According to contest rules, the 20-year-old accounting major was ineligible because he played competitive football just two years ago. That he kicked in high school is not the question, says Dan Ingram, account executive for Grizzly Sports Properties, which organized the contest.

"You can play high school football, as long as you're five years removed from that," Ingram said Wednesday. "He signed a contestant agreement prior to him kicking, and it listed the regulations."

In fact, Brenner kicked a 27-yard field goal for the Sidney Eagles in 2007 to win their homecoming game. But the 2008 Sidney graduate didn't learn that it mattered until Wednesday.

In the twilight hours of Saturday, he thought he'd done something on par with his 2007 game-winner. His dad Bill was among the 25,811 in attendance. Griz coach Bobby Hauck joked that if his place-kicker, Brody McKnight, hadn't hit his last attempt in the game - a 42-yarder - he would've been out of the job.

He was, for the moment, $10,000 richer.

"I guess I should've read it," said Brenner of the contract.

Brenner said Saturday marked the first time he entered the contest. In the third quarter he was called to the sideline at the north end of the field. He said he wasn't asked about his athletic background.

"It was weird," he said Wednesday. "(The release) just kind of asked if you're 18 years old or not. I thought that was good enough. That's a really big shock."

On Tuesday he spoke with the insurance policy holder, which is Hole In One International. That conversation didn't raise any red flags with Brenner; he figured the check would eventually come.

"They just kind of asked me some basic questions," he said. "I had to explain the whole scenario, like if I was the only contestant, what town was I originally from and what sports I played in high school.

"He wanted to know if the kick was videotaped (it was), and he wanted to know how much I won. Just to make sure I was really me, I guess."

Carlos Concha, a spokesman for Hole In One, said the premium for a contest such as UM's is typically in the $300-500 range. It pays, then, to make the odds longer on somebody making the kick, and it follows that it would be tougher for somebody who hasn't played football for at least five years.

"In the excitement of the moment, he (Brenner) just signed it," said Ingram, who was sending off paperwork and video of the kick Wednesday. "There are about 11 different rules or regulations they have.

"We're going to try to do something or put something together for him. We obviously can't give him $10,000, but some sort of consolation prize. It's obviously disappointing for him, and we don't want him to go away with hard feelings."

Brenner, not surprisingly, has some. He wondered out loud about throwing the ball - he got to keep it - back on the field in protest.

"It's been two years since I've kicked a football, but I guess that doesn't matter now," he said. "I guess they can't take away the fact that I made it.

"I'm trying not to think about it now. I've got a stats test tomorrow. I have to study for that."

Ingram allowed that the turn of events was regrettable, and organizers needed to be clearer from the outset on the rules.

It's still a major comedown for Brenner. He was still excited on Tuesday, describing Saturday's events, including the fact that he was given an 11-year-old ball to kick. That led to a prescient statement.

"The ball actually said, 'Grizzlies '98,' " said Brenner. "I kind of said, 'I knew there was a catch to this.' "

Fritz Neighbor can be reached at 523-5247 or at fneighbor@missoulian.com.