BUTTE, Mont. — The Montana Western football team (4-1, 2-1) took down the No. 11 ranked Montana Tech Orediggers (4-2, 3-1) this afternoon after the Bulldog offense rattled off a total of 497 yards. The Bulldog defense also held the Orediggers to a single score in the second half.
"Really proud of the guys and what they did during the bye week. Our three goals were to improve, improve and improve and that is what they did," Head Coach
Ryan Nourse said. "They went out and they improved on the details that they knew they would need to. This week, they were just focused and workmanlike. It was all straight up let's do what it takes to win the game."
How it Happened
The Orediggers were quick to score in the first quarter, picking up an early 7-0 just over two minutes into the game. Montana Western answered on their opening drive of the game, going 75 yards in four minutes to score a touchdown off of an 11-yard rush from
Jake Humphrey.
The following Oredigger drive was cut short following a fumble by the MT offense that was picked up by linebacker
Kameron Rauser who recorded a scoop and score for a total return of 43 yards. With the Bulldogs up 14-7, the Orediggers worked to tie the game just before the second quarter at 14.
UMW remained in control of the ball heading into the second quarter and capped off a 15-play 8-minute drive with a field goal from
John Mears that gave UMW the lead once more.
Following another successful drive for the Orediggers that gave them the scoring edge, the Bulldogs were able to capitalize just before the half on a pass from
Michael Palandri to
Eli Nourse for a touchdown.
Up 24-21 at the start of the second half, the Bulldog defense held strong throughout the quarter. The Orediggers worked to get down to the Western 25-yard line, but were forced to kick a field goal after a big third down stop by the defense. Bulldog linebacker
Braden Smith was able to get a hand on the ball and block the kick from Oredigger kicker Ryan Lowry.
The Bulldogs capitalized and scored on the following drive as Palandri rushed it in 13 yards for a touchdown, claiming a 31-21 lead.
The Bulldog defense held strong once more forcing a stop that fueled a 9-play scoring drive once more for the offense. Palandri's hand-off to Nourse was good for a touchdown to bring the score to 38-21.
Despite allowing the Orediggers to claim their lone score in the second half, the Bulldogs were able to claim victory by a score of 38-28.
Notables
- The Bulldog offense was on fire today, racking up 497 total yards and scoring on all but two drives. Palandri threw for a total of 224 yards, a touchdown, and rushed it in for a touchdown.
- The Bulldog run game saw a total of 273 rushing yards across four different ball carriers.
- Pete Gibson led the ground game with a total of 102 rushing yards with an average of 9.3 yards per carry. Humphrey followed closely with 98 total rushing yards and a touchdown.
- Nourse led the Bulldog receiving corps with a total of 81 receiving yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a touchdown and seven yards.
- Brady Mounts and AJ Ulrichs led the Bulldog defense with eight tackles apiece.
- Rauser recorded the first fumble recovery for a touchdown since the UMW's 2019 season when J.D. Ferris scored on a 24 -yard fumble recovery for a touchdown against Southern Oregon.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will return to Dillon next week on Oct. 14 and host the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears for homecoming weekend. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Vigilante Field.
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