Football September 5, 2025 Claire Gay

Bulldog Football Hosts MSU-Northern Saturday for 2025 Home Opener

DILLON, Mont. – The Montana Western football team welcomes MSU-Northern to Bulldog Stadium Saturday afternoon its first home football game of the 2025 campaign. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. MT.

GAME COVERAGE
Saturday vs MSU-Northern- Watch Live, Live Stats

#ICYMI
The Bulldogs fell 38-27 to Montana Tech in their season opener Aug. 28. Despite holding the Orediggers to one score in the second half, UMW could not overcome a 21-point first-quarter deficit. Michael Palandri was involved in all four touchdowns for Western, throwing for three and running one in himself. Eli Nourse, Landon Charlton, and Seth Shook all caught TD passes and Maclain Burckley went three-for-three in point-after attempts.

FROM THE DAWG HOUSE
Montana Western racked up 379 total yards against Montana Tech, including 340 passing yards. The Bulldogs averaged 6.3 yards per play and ran 60 total plays. They earned 20 first downs in the game and converted on six third-down tries. UMW was successful on both of its red zone attempts, scoring a td in both. Defensively, the Bulldogs made 73 total tackles, including 27 solo efforts. They recorded three sacks for 10 total yards lost.

GO LONG
After one week of NAIA football action, Montana Western sits eighth in the nation in passing yards with 340. The Bulldogs averaged 9.7 yards per attempt and 14.2 yards per completion. They also lead the Frontier Conference in passing yards and rank second in total offense.

QB CLINIC
Senior quarterback Michael Palandri ranks first in the FC and sixth in the country in passing yards (340). He also leads the league completion percentage (70.6), touchdown passes (three), and total offense (354). In addition to his three passing TDs, Palandri also took it to the house on a four-yard rush, making him responsible for all four of the Bulldogs scores against Tech.

STEADY HANDS
Bulldog wide receiver Eli Nourse leads the conference and sits second in the NAIA in receiving yards (188). Against Montana Tech, Nourse tallied 12 receptions, averaging 15.7 yards and including a 55-yard catch.

RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE
Maclain Burckley currently sits second in the Frontier and fifth in the nation in punting, averaging 42.5 yards per punt.

OUR GO-TO GUY
Eli Nourse is ranked second in the league and seventh in the NAIA in all purpose yards (214) after one outing in 2025.

GETTING IT DONE ON DEFENSE
Defensive Back Connor Dunlea is third in the FC and tied for 16th in the country in total tackles (11). He tallied four solo and seven assisted against the Orediggers.

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE RIGHT, DO IT YOURSELF
Linebacker Jace Fitzgerald is tied for second in the conference in solo tackles after completing seven against Montana Tech. The mark also ties him for third in the nation in solo tackles.

THE OPPONENTS
MSU-Northern was blanked 20-0 by Carroll in its season opener. The Lights tallied 158 total yards (98 passing, 60 rushing). They ran a total of 52 plays, averaging 3.0 yards per play. They totaled 12 first downs, including converting on four third down tries.

Ashton Platt earned 88 passing yards with a 33.33% completion percentage (5-15). Bradley Roman led the Lights in rushing with 60 total yards while Tim Arnold (38) and Devin Shelton (36) were the top two receivers against Carroll.

Defensively, linebacker Michael Watkins recorded 14 total tackles, including seven solo tackles. Brady Smelser finished second on the team with 12 total, and accumulated a team-best nine solo tackles. The pair sit 1-2 in the league in total tackles and are ranked tied for sixth and tied for 11th in the nation, respectively. Smelser leads the FC and the nation in solo tackles with Watkins tied for second in the conference and third in the NAIA.

SERIES HISTORY
The Bulldogs are 29-15 all time against the Lights. They are currently on a 16-game winning streak against MSU-Northern, dating back to 2014. Last season in Havre, UMW upended the Lights 56-14.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Bulldogs are back on the road next week as they travel to Billings, Mont., to take on Rocky Mountain Saturday (9/20). Kickoff is set 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!

Print Friendly Version