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Rocky Mountain College Athletics

Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears

Events and Results

Events and Results

Haskin TD vs UMW '24
Jacob Jewett
42
Winner Montana Western (MT) WESTERN 5-1 , 3
24
Rocky Mountain (MT) ROCKY 1-6 , 1
Winner
Montana Western (MT) WESTERN
5-1 , 3
42
Final
24
Rocky Mountain (MT) ROCKY
1-6 , 1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
WESTERN Montana Western (MT) 7 7 21 7 42
ROCKY Rocky Mountain (MT) 0 10 7 7 24

Game Recap: Football | | Brandon Stinson | Sports Information & Media Coordinator

Rocky Football Defeated 42-24 by #6 Montana Western

BILLINGS, Mont.- JT Allen and Darius Haskin produced touchdowns in their first collegiate starts, the Battlin' Bear defense held the Bulldogs to a season-low 147 yards through the air, but Rocky was unable to come out on top at home, 42-24.  

How it Happened
The Bulldogs would be the lone team to score in the opening quarter, as running back Jake Humphrey punched a four-yard rush into the endzone to capitalize an eight-play, 80-yard drive that gave Montana Western a 7-0 lead as the first quarter came to an end. 

Rocky had their response on the first play of the second quarter, as JT Allen found Darius Haskin in the back of the endzone from 30 yards out to tie the game at 7-7 following Austin Drake's PAT. The touchdown marked the first collegiate touchdowns for Allen and Haskin, who both drew the first starts of their careers on Saturday. 

The Bulldogs would have an instant response. On a third-and-short on the ensuing drive, Jake Humphrey would break free out of the pile and run for 60 yards and a touchdown to give Montana Western a 14-7 lead right back. 

Rocky's offense would not shy away from the task, as JT Allen would lead Rocky down the field following a pair of explosive plays back-to-back, as Allen found tight end Donavan Clinton for 26 yards and a first down before handing the ball off to receiver Eric Lira on the following play, who broke away for a 24 yard gain to get the Battlin' Bears inside the Bulldog ten yard line. While Rocky had chances close to the endzone, a pair of incompletions would lead to an Austin Drake field goal from 23 yards out to bring the score to 14-10. 

Both teams would trade punts until the final twenty seconds of action, where Montana Western had the ball inside of Rocky territory. At the 43-yard line, the Bulldogs would attempt to convert a 4th and ten opportunity, only for John Aragon to explode through the offensive line to record a sack to send the teams to the locker room at a 14-10 game. 

After Rocky would begin with the ball in the second half, the Battlin' Bears offense would go three and out. After a strong punt return from Eli Nourse, Jake Humphrey would rush for his third touchdown of the afternoon, using back-to-back 16-yard rushes to extend the Western lead to 21-10. The Bulldogs would make it 14 unanswered points two drives later, as Michael Palandri would find Dylan Shipley from 48 yards out for a touchdown to grow the Battlin' Bear deficit to 18. 

Rocky simply had no answer for Jake Humphrey on the afternoon, as the sophomore running back would rumble for a 70-yard touchdown later in the quarter to give Montana Western a 35-10 lead through the end of the third quarter. The 21 unanswered points seemed to make the difference in the matchup on Saturday, but the Rocky offense wouldn't go out quietly. 

JT Allen would get Rocky back in the score column with another connection from Allen to Haskin, this time from 19 yards out, as Rocky pulled within 18 as the third quarter wrapped up. 

The Bulldogs would get the insurance they needed to open up the fourth quarter, as Tony O'Neel would break through the Battlin' Bear front line to block a punt, which would lead to Jake Humphrey's fifth touchdown of the afternoon, this time from just a yard out. 

Rocky's offense would score again in the game, as JT Allen found Eric Lira from seven yards out to bring the score to 42-24, where it would remain through the final whistle. 

Notable Statistics
In his first collegiate start, redshirt junior JT Allen finished 24-of-41 for 218 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Freshman Darius Haskin recorded six catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns, while Eric Lira added 83 all-purpose yards between five rushes and six receptions. Redshirt freshman Kyan Jesperson tallied his first career 100-yard game, totaling 105 yards on the ground on 24 rushing attempts, reaching an average of 4.4 yards per carry. 

Defensively, Dylan Deines and Mason Browning each tallied seven total tackles. John Aragon, the conference leader in tackles for loss, added two more to his total, including a sack. Rocky's defense held the Bulldogs to just 147 yards total, a season-low for Montana Western, who had thrown for over 230 yards in all five games this season. 

Total yardage was comparable, as the Bulldogs narrowly outgained the Battlin' Bears 403-389, led by 256 total rushing yards. Redshirt sophomore Jake Humphrey had a career afternoon, rushing 20 times for 215 yards and five touchdowns overall. 

Overall, it was a clean game by both sides, as neither team tallied a turnover. 

Up Next
The Battlin' Bears (1-6) hits the road to take on #15 Montana Tech in Butte next Saturday afternoon. 
 
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