MISSOULA, Mont. -- Vernon Adams threw six touchdown passes Saturday to lead Eastern Washington to a 42-37 victory over Montana in a Big Sky Conference showdown.

Adams threw for 457 yards while tying his own school record for touchdown passes in a game.

Eastern Washington (6-2, 4-0 Big Sky) opened a 28-17 halftime lead on Adams' passes of 19 and 34 yards to Cooper Kupp, 4 yards to Ashton Clark and 86 yards to Shaquille Hill.

Montana (6-2, 3-2) got first half touchdowns on a 24-yard Jordan Canada run and a 42-yard pass from Jordan Johnson to Ellis Henderson.

Adams continued his hot hand in the second half with a 52-yard scoring toss to Clark and a 9-yard touchdown pass to Mario Brown to put the Eagles up 42-17 at the end of the third quarter.

Montana rallied back, trimming the Eastern Washington lead to 42-31 on touchdown passes of 7 and 48 yards from Johnson to Henderson, the second coming with 7:36 to play.

The Grizzlies cut the Eagles lead to 42-37 on a 6-yard Johnson toss to Jordan Harper with 1:44 left in the game. Johnson was tackled a yard short of the end zone on the two-point conversion attempt.

Eastern Washington ran out the clock after Montana's onside kick attempt was recovered by Kupp at the Montana 49-yard line.

Kupp finished with 11 receptions for 182 yards and Hill had three catches for 112.

Johnson threw for 349 yards, 147 to Henderson on eight receptions.