Grace Schalk Photography

Football November 6, 2026 Claire Gay, UMW Sports Information

UMW Football Wraps Up 2026 at Arizona Christian

GAME NOTES (PDF)

DILLON, Mont. – The Montana Western football team (3-6, 1-4 FC) travels to Glendale, Ariz., to face off against Arizona Christian (0-8, 0-4 FC) in the final contest of the 2026 regular season.

GAME COVERAGE
@ Arizona Christian – 1 p.m. MT | Live Stats | Watch Live

LAST WEEK ON...
UMW fell to Eastern Oregon 31-17 last weekend.

Western put up 427 yards of total offense,342 passing yards, 85 rushing yards, two touchdowns, one field goal, and 28 first downs in the contest.

Kaden LaPlaunt threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns on 27 completions.

Eli Nourse tallied 144 yards and one touchdown on 10 receptions while Brody Munson had two catches for 27 yards and one touchdown.

Santana Luna led the Bulldogs on the ground with 48 yards on nine rushes.

Bryson LeCoure led the team with 10 total tackles while he, Connor Dunlea, and Carter Petre each had six solo efforts.

LeCoure, Aedan Baker, and Mason Kralj each had 1.0 tackles-for-loss.

Romeo Simpson snagged an interception and Drew Humphrey led with two pass breakups.

Maclain Burckley drilled a 37-yard field goal and was 2-for-2 on PATs in the game.

Nourse and Colton Cornwell both had two kickoff returns for 20 and 44 yards, respectively.

FROM THE DAWG HOUSE
The Bulldogs are averaging 26.3points, 420.7 yards of total offense, 283.1 passing yards, and 137.6 rushing yards per game on the campaign. They have put up 30 touchdowns, eight field goals, and 191 first downs.

Western has scored on 24-of-33 red zone attempts and converted on 36.9 percent of third downs.

The defense has posted 63.6 tackles, 3.3 TFLs, and 1.4 sacks per game.

BACK IN ACTION
Kaden LaPlaunt returned to the field after two games out against Eastern Oregon, throwing for 342 yards and two passing touchdowns in 27 completions.

THE COMPASS POINTS NOURSE
Eli Nourse caught for 144 yards and one touchdown on 10 receptions against EOU. It marked his fifth 100-yard game of the season.

SANTANA'S ON A STREAK
Santana Luna has posted over 70 total yards in three-straight games after doing so just once in the first five outings of the season.

TAKING IT INTO HIS OWN HANDS
Connor Dunlea posted a season-high six solo tackles against Eastern Oregon. He leads the Bulldogs with 37 solo efforts on the year.

LEADING THE PACK
Bryson LeCoure led Western in tackles against the Mountaineers, marking the second consecutive game that he has led the Bulldogs in the category. Moreover, his 10 tackles against EOU are a career best.

DYNAMIC DUO
Receivers Eli Nourse and Seth Shook have tallied nine touchdowns each this season. Additionally, both players longest reception is over 70 yards at 75 and 79, respectively.

BULLDOGS IN THE RANKINGS
As a team, the Bulldogs rank 10th in the nation in passing yards per game (283.3), 20th in yards of total offense (3,785), and 24th in yards per game (420.6)

On offense, Eli Nourse is seventh in the country in both receptions (61) and receiving yards (934), tied for 12th in receiving touchdowns (nine), and 18th in all-purpose yards (1,080)

Seth Shook is also tied for 12th in receiving TDs (nine)

Kaden LaPlaunt sits 17th in total passing yards (1,971), 19th in passing touchdowns (17)

On the defensive side of the ball, Connor Dunlea is sixth in the nation in fumble recoveries (two).

Tyler Schoen is 11th in sacks (3.0).

THE OPPONENTS
Arizona Christian is averaging 7.8 points, 180.6 yards of total offense, 86.6 passing yards, and 94.0 rushing yards. They have tallied seven touchdowns, five field goals, and have 89 first downs.

Cole Meidinger is leading the team with 76.0 passing yards per game/ He has two passing touchdowns on 27 completions. Josh Bell and Michael Butler have also tossed passing scores for the Firestorm.

Jacobee Taylor has caught two TDs and is averaging 27.9 yards per game on 17 receptions. Nate Pele-Tukumoeatu and Jerome Broadus have also caught touchdown passes.

Ty Cole is rushing for a team-high 64.5 yards per game. Bell and Meidinger both have rushing touchdowns for ACU.

The Firestorm defense is averaging 66.0 tackles, 4.8 TFLs, and 1.3 sacks per game. They have tallied four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and two interceptions.

Joseph Munoz leads the team with 54.0 total tackles while Cooper King leads in solo takedowns with 29.

Max McDowell and Jacob Swanson are tied for the team-high in tackles-for-loss with 4.5 apiece. McDowell is also tied with Tyras Blake in sacks at 2.5 each.

Blake also has one interception on the year, which he returned for a touchdown. Jax James has posted one interception as well.

Cam Sanderlin has recovered a team-best two fumbles while McDowell, King, Munoz, and IvRick Carrigan have all forced one fumble.

Lukas Hall is 4-for-5 on field goals and 5-for-5 on PATs.

SERIES HISTORY
Western is 3-0 all-time against the Firestorm. Last season, the Bulldogs took home the 66-14 win.

For complete coverage of UMW Football, be sure to follow us on social media at @umw_football (Instagram), @UMW_Football (X), and @Montana Western Football (Facebook) or visit our official website at UMWBulldogs.com.

#GOBULLDOGS!

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#17 Aedan Baker: DB; 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior

#18 Eli Nourse: WR; 5' 10"; Senior

#29 Carter Petre: DB; 5' 9"; Redshirt Freshman

#9 Seth Shook: WR; 5' 10"; Redshirt Junior

#6 Maclain Burckley: K/P; 6' 1"; Redshirt Sophomore

#20 Connor Dunlea: DB; 6' 0"; Redshirt Sophomore

#2 Drew Humphrey: DB; 6' 1"; Senior

#43 Mason Kralj: LB; 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman

#4 Kaden LaPlaunt: QB; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#33 Bryson LeCoure: LB; 6' 3"; Redshirt Freshman

#45 Tyler Schoen: DL; 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior

#8 Romeo Simpson: DB; 5' 9"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#17 Aedan Baker
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior
: DB

#18 Eli Nourse
: 5' 10"; Senior
: WR

#29 Carter Petre
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Freshman
: DB

#9 Seth Shook
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Junior
: WR

#6 Maclain Burckley
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Sophomore
: K/P

#20 Connor Dunlea
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Sophomore
: DB

#2 Drew Humphrey
: 6' 1"; Senior
: DB

#43 Mason Kralj
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman
: LB

#4 Kaden LaPlaunt
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: QB

#33 Bryson LeCoure
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Freshman
: LB

#45 Tyler Schoen
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior
: DL

#8 Romeo Simpson
: 5' 9"; Senior
: DB