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Montana Western, University of

Official Athletics Site of the Montana Western Bulldogs
27
Montana Western (MT) UMW 0-1
38
Winner Montana Tech (MT) MT 1-0
Montana Western (MT) UMW
0-1
27
Final
38
Montana Tech (MT) MT
1-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
UMW Montana Western (MT) 0 7 14 6 27
MT Montana Tech (MT) 21 10 0 7 38
8.28.25 UMW football vs MT

Game Recap: Football |

Second-Half Surge Not Enough as Montana Western Falls to Montana Tech 38-27 Thursday Evening

BUTTE, Mont. – The Montana Western football team (0-1) was clipped by rival Montana Tech (1-0) 38-27 Thursday in Butte. Despite holding the hosts to just seven points in the second half, the Bulldogs could not overcome the 21-point hole they found themselves in after the first quarter.

"Tech deserves all the credit for a great win, they outplayed us in every way," UMW head coach Ryan Nourse said. "They desired to win and most of our team merely wanted it to happen. Big games are normally won by the team that makes the fewest mistakes and makes big plays in special teams, and that was Tech today, not the Bulldogs. We have a long way to go to see if we can make this a great team, and we will regroup tomorrow and start working on improving and growing."

Michael Palandri paced the Bulldog offense, throwing for 285 yards and three touchdowns while also taking one to the house himself. Eli Nourse racked up 188 total yards and caught the first touchdown from Palandri to put UMW on the board.

Seth Shook (85 yards) and Landon Charlton (24 yards) also tallied receiving touchdowns for Western.

Connor Dunlea led UMW's defensive efforts, recording 11 total tackles, including four solo take downs. Tyler Schoen (nine) and Jace Fitzgerald (eight) ranked second and third in tackles, respectively. Fitzgerald led the game in solo tackles with seven, three more than any other player.

On special teams, Maclain Burckley was three-for-three on point-after attempts. He registered six punts for 247 yards (41.2 avg.).

UMW held the statistical advantage in first downs (20-18), total offense (390-387), and passing yards (285), but the Orediggers came out on top in rushing yards (214-105).
The biggest difference-maker in the contest was on special teams, with Montana Tech reaching 200 total return yards compared to just 26 from the Bulldogs.

Levi Torgerson put in a strong shift for Tech, recording 203 return yards and two return touchdowns. He opened the game with a 100-yard kickoff return to put the Orediggers up early, and followed that up with a 91-yard punt return later in the game. He also tallied one passing touchdown in the game.

Jarrett Wilson also earned a passing TD for the hosts, going 7-9 for 77 yards. Wykece Johnson rushed for 167 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown run, while Nick Michelotti and Parker Johnston each caught a touchdown pass as well.

LOOKING AHEAD 
Montana Western welcomes MSU-Northern Sept. 6 for its 2025 home opener. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. MT.
 
For complete coverage of UMW Football, be sure to follow us on social media at @umwbulldogfootball (Instagram), @UMWFootball (X), and @UMW Bulldog Football (Facebook) or visit our official website at UMWBulldogs.com.

#GOBULLDOGS!
 
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Scoring Summary

Scoring Summary
Scoring Play Visiting Team Score Home Team Score
1st Quarter UMW MT
MT
14:47 - MT - Levi Torgerson 100 yd kickoff return (Casey Kautzman kick)
0 7
MT
06:35 - MT - Wykece Johnson 74 yd run (Casey Kautzman kick), 3 plays, 84 yards, TOP
0 14
MT
03:13 - MT - Levi Torgerson 91 yd punt return (Casey Kautzman kick)
0 21
2nd Quarter UMW MT
MT
05:17 - MT - Casey Kautzman 35 yd field goal 9 plays, 47 yards, TOP 6:25
0 24
UMW
01:04 - UMW - Eli Nourse 25 yd pass from Michael Palandr (Maclain Burckle kick) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:06
7 24
MT
00:21 - MT - Parker Johnston 13 yd pass from Levi Torgerson (Casey Kautzman kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:43
7 31
3rd Quarter UMW MT
UMW
13:35 - UMW - Michael Palandr 4 yd run (Maclain Burckle kick), 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:25
14 31
UMW
06:23 - UMW - Landon Charlton 20 yd pass from Michael Palandr (Maclain Burckle kick) 5 plays, 74 yards, TOP 2:32
21 31
4th Quarter UMW MT
MT
14:54 - MT - Nick Michelotti 5 yd pass from Jarrett Wilson (Casey Kautzman kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 6:28
21 38
UMW
03:40 - UMW - Seth Shook 27 yd pass from Michael Palandr (Eli Nourse pass failed) 8 plays, 76 yards, TOP 2:18
27 38

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