BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana Western football team (2-1) earned the 35-21 victory over Rocky Mountain (0-3) Saturday afternoon in Billings.
The Bulldogs compiled 498 yards of total offense (350 passing, 148 rushing) and earned 30 first downs. They converted eight third-down and one fourth-down effort.
"Rocky came to play and did some things on defense that were really tough to deal with," Head Coach
Ryan Nourse said. "They have a talented wide receiver group that really tested our secondary. They guys did an awesome job of taking the adjustments we made at half and putting them into action in the second half and getting a tough road win."
Michael Palandri paced the Bulldog offense, throwing for 350 yards and three touchdowns. He also ranked second on the team in rushing with 50 yards and a rushing TD. He also successfully ran in a two-point conversion to increase the lead to 28-14 late in the third period.
Eli Nourse tallied 12 catches for 148 yards and a touchdown to lead UMW's receiving efforts.
Seth Shook and
Jakob Humphrey also caught touchdown passes.
Humphrey was Western's top rusher, posting 74 yards (6.2 yards per carry).
Maclain Burckley had a perfect night kicking, going 3-3 on PATs and 2-2 on field goals, including a season-best 47-yard score just before half.
Keegan Muffich led the Bulldog defense with eight tackles, including three solo.
Romeo Simpson,
Brady Mounts,
Jace Fitzgerald,
Tyler Walker, and
Tyler Schoen posted four tackles each.
Walker topped the team in tackles for loss with 1.5 (four yards) while Schoen earned the lone sack of the contest for a five-yard loss for Rocky.
Mounts snagged an interception in the fourth quarter to help ice the game.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bulldogs return home next week when they play host to Dickinson State. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. MT
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