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Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears

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Events and Results

No. 24 Rocky Football Hosts No. 23 Montana Tech in Pivotal Frontier Conference Matchup

No. 24 Rocky Football Hosts No. 23 Montana Tech in Pivotal Frontier Conference Matchup

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Brandon Stinson | Sports Information & Media Coordinator

BILLINGS, Mont., Oct. 27, 2022- The No. 24 ranked Battlin' Bears football hosts No.23 Montana Tech in a matchup with massive Frontier Conference standings implications, presented by Stockman Bank.
 
Tickets Available Now: Tickets can be purchased now online using the link HERE. This will also be the avenue for purchasing tickets with a debit or credit card on gameday, so skip the line and get your tickets now!

Recap From Carroll College: The Battlin' Bears had a game to forget against Carroll College, losing 24-0 last weekend in Helena. The Carroll defense held Rocky to only 127 yards total on a cold and rainy day in Helena.
 
Checking in Around the Frontier: Rocky's loss to Carroll was one of two upsets within the Frontier Conference last weekend. Montana Western defended their home turf against undefeated College of Idaho, winning 40-35 behind quarterback Jon Jund's 354 yards passing and four touchdowns. Jund's performance earned him NAIA Offensive Player of the Week. College of Idaho's defeat dropped them from No. 9 in the nation to No. 12. 

Montana Tech took care of business and defeated Southern Oregon at home 45-21, moving them up a spot in the top-25 from 24 to 23. 

Eastern Oregon picked up their first win of the season, shutting out MSU-Northern 37-0 in La Grande. 

College of Idaho still holds first place with a 6-1 conference record. There is a three-way tie for second place currently between Carroll College, Montana Tech, and Rocky Mountain College, who are all 5-2 currently. Montana Western and Southern Oregon tie for fifth with a 3-4 record in conference. Eastern Oregon's win puts them in sixth seventh with a 1-6 conference record, with MSU-Northern still seeking their first win of the season at 0-7. 

Checking in with Coach Stutzriem: "I'm very excited for this weekend" Coach Chris Stutzriem said. "It's another opportunity to get better and work towards a championship. Tech is a very good football team and playing a team twice in six weeks is tough. We need to execute and play good football. I think our guys have had a tremendous week flushing last Saturday and getting back to work. It's a testament to their character and I'm very excited to watch this team play on Saturday."

Scouting the Orediggers: Montana Tech sits at 5-2 on the season going into this matchup, their only losses being to the Battlin' Bears and College of Idaho. The Orediggers offense averages 37 points per game while the defense is holding opponents to 16.14 points per game this season. 

Montana State transfer quarterback Blake Thelen has taken over the starting job from Jet Campbell and has flourished so far this season, averaging 188 yards passing per game with nine total touchdown passes in five games played. Junior running back Blake Counts sits second in the conference averaging 90 yards per game with five touchdowns this season.  Senior receiver Trevor Hoffman is the conference's leading receiver averaging 89.6 receiving yards per game with four touchdowns on the season. 

The Oredigger defense is led by senior defensive back Naoki Harmer, who is the team's leading tackler with 6.4 tackles per game, with 4.5 tackles for loss and a team leading seven pass breakups. Sophomore defensive lineman Keyshawn James-Newby is tied for the conference lead with five sacks on the season so far. The defense as a whole has forced 16 total turnovers this season, seven interceptions and nine fumble recoveries. 

Sophomore kicker Ryan Lowry is 9/12 on field goal attempts this season, hitting a long of 42 yards. Lowry is 32/33 on extra point attempts this season. Sophomore defensive back Andrew Almos is the Oredigger's punter, averaging 42 yards per punt this season. 

History: The Battlin' Bears won the last matchup against the Orediggers, defeating Tech 28-20 in Butte earlier this season. 

Since 2004, Rocky trails in the overall series 8-21 against Montana Tech. The Battlin' Bears fell just short in a comeback effort in last year's matchup on Herb Klindt Field, falling 29-31 after failing to tie the game on a two-point conversion with four seconds remaining. 

Social Media: Follow @BattlinBears on twitter for live updates as the game goes on.

 
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