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Rocky Mountain College Athletics

Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears

Events and Results

Events and Results

Barnett Celebration vs ACU '24
Brandon Stinson
24
Arizona Christian (A ARIZONA 1-8 , 1
49
Winner Rocky Mountain (MT) ROCKY 2-7 , 1
Arizona Christian (A ARIZONA
1-8 , 1
24
Final
49
Rocky Mountain (MT) ROCKY
2-7 , 1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ARIZONA Arizona Christian (A 3 7 6 8 24
ROCKY Rocky Mountain (MT) 0 14 7 28 49

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

Rocky Football Celebrates Senior Day with a 49-24 Victory over Arizona Christian

BILLINGS, Mont.- Rocky Football utilized a 28-point fourth quarter to run away with a senior day victory over Arizona Christian. 

How it Happened
Arizona Christian swiped early momentum on the opening kickoff, surprising the Battlin' Bears with an onside kick that was recovered to steal an opening possession. They would make good on their opportunity, kicking a 29-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. 

Rocky's offense took risks early, attempting a 4th and 1 on their first offensive possession on Arizona Christian's one-yard line, but they were stuffed on the running attempt and turned the ball over on downs. 

The Firestorm's Wing-T, run-heavy offense, played to their advantage in the first half, controlling the time of possession and keeping the Battlin' Bear offense off the field with just one possession through the first quarter. 

Arizona Christian would pad its lead on its second possession of the second quarter, punching in a three-yard rushing touchdown to extend its early lead to 10-0. 

Another Rocky mistake would take the wind out of the offense's sail, as an interception by linebacker Cameron Tibbetts inside the red zone would give the Firestorm the ball back with a ten-point lead with three minutes remaining in the half. 

After forcing a three-and-out and a punt, Rocky found life offensively, as Graedyn Buell found Eric Lira in the back of the endzone from 32 yards out to put the Battlin' Bears in the score column, trailing 10-7. 

Another three-and-out on Arizona Chrisitan's following possession would set up another score, as Kaysan Barnett broke free on the punt return for 64 yards to give the Battlin' Bears the ball deep inside of Firestorm territory. 

Thanks to the great field possession, Rocky's offense struck again, as Graedyn Buell would find DeNiro Killian Jr. on a go-route from 17 yards away to swipe a lead with six seconds left in the half, 14-10. 

Out of the halftime break, the Firestorm marched down the field for a 12-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a nine-yard rushing touchdown by Jon Wilson to give Arizona Christian the lead back. The Battlin' Bears got home on the PAT attempt, as Trey Smith broke free to block the kick attempt, holding the deficit to 16-14. 

Rocky responded on their following drive, as a breakout run of 13 yards by Tuff Adams set the tone for Rocky's drive. Graedyn Buell would eventually find space on a keeper to rush for seven yards and a Rocky touchdown, taking the lead back to 21-16. 

The Battlin' Bear defense would feed off the offensive momentum, as Landen Quesnell would grab his first career interception on the following Firestorm possession to keep Rocky's lead at 21-16 going into the fourth quarter. 

Rocky's second possession of the fourth quarter would be the first of four touchdown drives of the final period, as another great punt return from Kaysan Barnett set up Graedyn Buell to find Eric Lira for his second receiving touchdown of the afternoon, this time from 26 yards out to extend the Battlin' Bear lead to 28-16. 

Rocky would force another turnover on the defensive end, with Dylan Deines hitting the Firestorm running back to force a fumble, which Landen Quesnell recovered inside Arizona Christian territory. 

On the second play of the following drive, Tuff Adams would motion out of the backfield and break free down the sideline for a 44-yard catch and run, his first collegiate touchdown. 

The Firestorm would get a quick response on their following possession, with three straight big plays to get a quick score back, with a 15-yard rushing touchdown from Jon Wilson, his second of the afternoon. 

After the Battlin' Bears recovered the Firestorm onside-kick attempt, Ben Rooney erupted on the first play of the drive for a 45-yard rushing touchdown, the longest rush of his career, to extend the Battlin' Bear lead to 42-24. 

The Rocky defense forced their third turnover of the quarter on the first play of Arizona Christian's drive, as Kaysan Barnett reached high to make an impressive interception to give the Battlin' Bears the ball back. 

Rocky would keep their foot on the gas, as after Ben Rooney made solid efforts in the ground game to start the drive, setting up a play-action pass in which Graedyn Buell would find DeNiro Killian Jr. for a 22-yard touchdown catch. 

The defense put the cherry on top of the afternoon, as Dakota Sage jumped on a fumbled snap to total Rocky's fourth turnover, allowing the offense to run out the clock and secure a 49-24 win at home. 

Notable Statistics
The Rocky offense totaled 452 yards on the afternoon, featuring 186 yards on the ground and 266 through the air. Graedyn Buell, appearing in his first game in over a month, completed 16-of-26 passes for 266 yards and five touchdowns. Buell also added 33 yards on the ground with a rushing touchdown. 

Ben Rooney was the team's leading rusher, totaling 87 yards on 11 attempts. Tuff Adams totaled 100 yards from scrimmage, including 50 on the ground on six attempts and 50 through the air on two receptions. 

Jack Waddell was the leading receiver by yardage, totaling four catches for 63 yards. DeNiro Killian Jr. and Eric Lira both had two touchdown catches each. 

Dylan Deines and Landen Quesnell each tallied eight tackles a piece to lead the defense. 

Austin Drake was perfect on PATs on the afternoon, hitting all seven attempts. 

Up Next
The Battlin' Bears (2-7) will conclude their 2024 season with a road matchup against MSU-Northern next Saturday in Havre. 
 
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