October 2006
Bulldogs Lose Heartbreaker To Montana Tech
Sunday, October 29 2006
Justin Kegel hit Alex Grevas with a seven-yard touchdown pass in overtime to give Montana Tech a 30-27 Frontier Conference football victory over the University of Montana Western.
The Bulldogs forced the overtime on an 84 yard touchdown pass from Travis Blome to Omar Rodriguez with one second remaining in the fourth quarter.
Montana Tech scored first in the first quarter and led 9-0 at the half. The Bulldogs lone score of the half was a 22-yard Brad Hollen field goal.
The Orediggers extended their lead to 16-3 with a Corey Warner touchdown with five minutes to play in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter belonged to Montana Western. The Bulldogs scored back to back touchdowns on touchdown passes from Blome to Jake Larson. The second Blome to Larson strike gave Western a 17-16 lead.
With 2:39 to play, the Orediggers marched 76 yards on 12 plays capped by a Teague Egan one yard touchdown run. Tech added a two-point conversation to give them a 24-17 lead with 12 seconds.
After the kickoff, the Bulldogs used two plays capped by the Blome to Rodriguez scoring strike to send the game into overtime.
Western received the ball first and scored the first points in overtime on a 41 yard Brad Hollen field goal. The Orediggers sealed the overtime victory with the Kegel to Gevas touchdown pass.
The loss drops the Bulldogs to 0-8 in both league and overall play.
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Bulldogs Fall To Saints
Tuesday, October 24 2006
The Bulldogs lost 35-17 to top ranked and league leading Carroll College. The loss dropped Western to 0-7 on the season.
Carroll scored first and took a 7-0 lead mid-way through the first quarter. Western answered on a one ard touchdownn pass from Travis Blome to Matt Allen. Carroll answered on the next drive as they scored one play after a long kick return.
The Bulldogs then went on a 11 play, 83 yard drive capped by a 25 yard scoring strike from Blome too Jake Larson. Western led 17-14 at the half after a 40 yard Brad Hollen fieldl goal.
The second half belonged to Carroll as they held the Bulldogs scoreless and scored 20 points.
Blome throw for 233 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions. Adam Ridgeway led the defense with eight unassisted tackles five assisted tackles and one interception
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Bulldogs Travel To #1 Carroll College
Friday, October 20 2006
The University of Montana Western Bulldogs travel to Helena, Mont. for a Frontier Conference football game against the Carroll College Saints, Saturday, Oct. 21. Kickoff is 1 p.m. from Nelson Stadium.
The game will broadcast in Southwest Montana on KDBM-AM, 1490 on the AM radio dial.
Montana Western is 0-6 on the season, both overall and in league play after losing 34-14 to MSU-Northern last weekend in Havre.
The Saints are 7-0 overall, 6-0 in the Frontier and riding a 28 game winning streak. Carroll is ranked #1 in the latest NAIA power poll.
Carroll and the Bulldogs met in the second weekend of conference play in September, with the Saints pitching a shutout, 31-0.
In past years, it was the Carroll offense that made the headlines. This season, it is the defense turn to shine. The Saints have given up only two touchdowns this season. Carroll leads the nation in scoring defense, giving up only three points per game. The Saints give up 200 yards a game in total offense.
Western’s offense has shown they can move the ball, what the Bulldog have had trouble doing is putting the ball in the end zone. Montana Western is averaging only 12.5 points a game. The Bulldogs are averaging 248 yards a game in total offense. They are tops in passing offense with 250 yards a game, but only 28 yards a game rushing. Defensively, Western is last in both total defense and rushing defense, but second in the conference in passing defense.
Senior quarterback Travis Blome leads the Frontier in passing with 206 yards a game. Blome’s favorite receiver has been sophomore Michael Guelff, who leads the league in receiving yards per game with 65. He is second in the league in catches per game with 5.4. Junior Albert Distajo leads the league in kick returns with 23.2 yards per return.
The Bulldogs returns home on Oct. 28 to host Montana Tech in the 2006 Homecoming game.
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Bulldogs Fall To Lights
Monday, October 16 2006
Montana Western lost 34-14 to the MSU-Northern Lights in a Frontier Conference game from Havre. The loss dropped the Bulldogs to 0-6 on the season.
The Bulldogs were able to move the ball at times on the tough Northern defense, but were unable to score until the third quartter.
Montana Western's first points came on a five yard scoring pass from Travis Blome to Jake Larson. The Bulldogs other touchdown was the result of a exciting 92 yard kick return from Craigh Cornelius.
Turnovers hurt the Bulldogs again as they turned the ball over four times on three interceptions and one fumble. Northern recovered the fumble returned it 27 yards for a touchdown.
Derrick Pluff led the Bulldog ground attack with 61 yards on just six carries. Michael Guelff led the Montana Western receiving corps with seven catches for 51 yards.
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Bulldogs Face Nationally Ranked MSU-Northern On The Road
Thursday, October 12 2006
The University of Montana Western Bulldogs travel to Havre, Mont for a Frontier Conference football game against the MSU-Northern Lights, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006. Kickoff is 1 p.m. from Blue Pony Stadium.
The game will be broadcast in southwest Montana on KDBM-AM and televised across the state over the Treasure State Television Network on channel 63 in the Dillon area.
Montana Western is 0-5 on the season and 0-5 in league play after last weekend’s 28-21 loss to Eastern Oregon. MSU-Northern raised their record to 5-1 overall and 4-1 in league play after last weekend’s 12-7 victory over Montana Tech. The win also propelled the Lights into the top-10 of the NAIA top-25, moving from 11th to ninth.
The two teams met last month in Dillon with Northern winning 34-16. The Lights dominated Western out-gaining the Bulldogs 491 yards to 299.
MSU-Northern leads the Frontier Conference and is seventh in the nation in total offense with 387 yards per game. The Lights average 27 points per game. Offensively, the Bulldogs average 281 yards per game but only 12.2 points per game.
Defensively, the Bulldogs give up 456 yards per game (296 on the ground and 160.8 through the air) while the Lights give up 250 yards per game.
The Bulldogs have been the most productive in the first half scoring 33 points to their opponents 38. In the second half, they have been outscored 41-14.
Sophomore punter Brad Hollen is second in the league in punting with per punt average of 39.2 yards. Senior safety Aric Harris leads the team, and is tied for fourth in the league in tackles with 9.5 per game.
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Bulldogs Fall To Eastern Oregon
Monday, October 9 2006
The Eastern Oregon Mountaineers converted two University of Montana Western turnovers into touchdowns on the way to a 28-21 Frontier Conference victory from Dillon.
The loss drops Montana Western to 0-5 on the season and 0-5 in Frontier Conference play. Eastern raises their record to 2-3 in league play and 3-3 overall.
The Mountaineers scored first on one year run by Jomo Wilson with three minutes left in the first quarter. Montana Western scored two touchdowns in the second quarter on touchdown runs from Derrick Pluff and Jeff Schultz and led at the half 14-7.
Eastern Oregon converted two Bulldog turnovers into two second half touchdowns. Western committed four turnovers in the game, two interceptions and two fumbles.
In total offense, Eastern Oregon rushed for 301 yards and passed for an additional 119. The Bulldogs passed for 268 yards and rushed for 84.
Western travels to MSU-Northern next Saturday, Oct. 14 while Eastern Oregon hosts Carroll College.
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Bulldogs Host Eastern Oregon
Friday, October 6 2006
The University of Montana Western Bulldogs host the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers in a Frontier Conference football game, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2006. Kick off is 1 p.m. from Dillon’s Vigilante Field.
The game will be broadcast in Southwest Montana on KDBM Radio, 1490 on the AM dial.
Montana Western is 0-4 on the season and in the Frontier after last Saturday’s 34-17 loss at Rocky Mountain College.
“We continue to beat ourselves,” said Bulldog coach Tommy Lee. “We play well at times and then other times we make mistakes that come back to haunt us. Our players keep battling and you can’t ask for anything more. We are getting closer to putting everything together. Our kids need to relax. I think they are putting too much pressure on themselves to win, and as a result, are playing too tight. We want them to relax, go out and play, and have fun. We need to play better consistency. We can’t play in spurts where we play well in one series or two and then come back in the next series and not play well.”
Eastern Oregon, 1-3 in the Frontier and 2-3 overall, lost to MSU-Northern 41-21 last Saturday. The Mountaineers lone conference win was a 27-20 come-from-behind victory over Rocky Mountain College. At one point, Rocky had led Eastern 20-0.
“Eastern has a new staff with a new philosophy and a lot of new players,” said Lee. “. With that transition, there is a lot of learning on both sides. They have had their ups and downs this season, regardless, they are a good football team and we expect another tough ball game. Eastern is a run-oriented team. Their quarterback is a good runner, but when they go to the pass, he has tall, fast receivers to throw to. Defensively, they like to blitz. They will bring the corner or the linebacker. Eastern has a lot of different looks on defense.”
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Bulldogs Fall to Rocky
Monday, October 2 2006
The Bulldogs dropped their fourth game in a row as they fell to Rocky Mountain College 34-17. The loss dropped Western to 0-4 overall and in Frontier Conference play.
Western scored first on a Travis Blome to Michael Gluff 14 yard touchdown pass. Brad Hollen kicked a career best 47 yard field goal in the second quarter to round out the Bulldog scoring in the first half.
In the second half, the Bulldog offense sputtered and could only manage one touchdown. Overall, Rocky's defense held the Bulldogs to 327 yards in total offense. Travis Blome passed for 220 yards and one touchdown. Derrick Pluff led the Bulldog ground attack with 65 yards on 17 carries.
Western's defense gave up 466 yards, 203 on the ground and 263 through the air.
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