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Rocky Mountain College Athletics

Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears

Events and Results

Events and Results

Browning vs MSU-Northern '24
Brandon Stinson
12
Montana State-Northe MSUN 0-2 , 0
27
Winner Rocky Mountain (MT) ROCKY 1-1 , 0
Montana State-Northe MSUN
0-2 , 0
12
Final
27
Rocky Mountain (MT) ROCKY
1-1 , 0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
MSUN Montana State-Northe 6 6 0 0 12
ROCKY Rocky Mountain (MT) 14 3 10 0 27

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

Rocky Football Wins Home Opener 27-12 Against MSU-Northern

BILLINGS, Mont.- Rocky Football held the Lights scoreless in the second half on their way to their first victory of the season, 27-12. 

How it Happened
Following a three-and-out to start for the Battlin' Bears, it was MSU-Northern who struck first, turning a fourth and long attempt into a 27-yard touchdown from Zach Brooks to Reid Woodward. AQ Peternal got a hand on the PAT to keep the opening score at 6-0. 

Graedyn Buell would have his response, keeping the ball on a read option and scrambling through the Light's defense for 53 yards and a touchdown. Austin Drake's PAT gave Rocky a 7-6 lead midway through the first quarter. 

The Battlin' Bears would continue their momentum as Mason Browning stepped in front of a pass from Zach Brooks on the following drive to give Rocky the ball right back in MSU-Northern territory. The excellent field advantage turned into quick points for the Rocky offense, as Graedyn Buell found a wide-open Eric Lira for a 25-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 14-6 going into the second quarter.   

With both teams trading punts, a special teams miscue for the Battlin' Bears turned into a touchdown for MSU-Northern. Spencer Lehnerz found a gap in the punt formation, blocked a Battlin' Bear punt, and recovered the ball inside the end zone to give MSU-Northern their second touchdown. Rocky would get their hands on another PAT attempt, as John Aragon got his arm on a line drive PAT attempt from MSU-Northern to hold the score at 14-12. 

The blocked punt would be the last scoring play for the Lights for the remainder of the game. The Battlin' Bears controlled possession with a stout running attack for the rest of the half and into the second half. A combination of Ben Rooney and Kyan Jesperson helped chunk the Battlin' Bears down the field to set up a 37-yard field goal from Austin Drake to extend Rocky's lead to 17-12 going into the half. 

The Battlin' Bears special teams unit got back on track and made a great play in the punt game, as Ben Rooney made a big hit on the Lights' returner to force a fumble, recovered by Rocky deep inside MSU-Northern territory. Graedyn Buell and the Rocky offense again took advantage of the field position given to them, as Buell found Joseph Dwyer across the middle of the field for an eight-yard touchdown to extend the Rocky lead to 24-12. 

An athletic interception by Cade Reynolds set up Rocky's final points in the third quarter. The takeaway led to a 12-play drive that led to a 30-yard field goal by Austin Drake, giving Rocky a 27-12 lead. 

The Rocky offense would take care of business in the fourth quarter, leading a 17-play, 73-yard drive that took nearly nine minutes off the clock. Despite the drive ending in a fumble, the Battlin' Bears left only 2:39 of the clock for the Lights, who were stopped on their following drive to lead the Battlin' Bears to victory formation. 

Notable Statistics
Quarterback Graedyn Buell finished the afternoon 21-29, passing for 128 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He also rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown, accounting for all three Battlin' Bear touchdowns. 

Ben Rooney finished with a career-high 93 yards rushing on 16 attempts, averaging nearly six yards a carry. Kyan Jesperson served well as a power back, tallying 44 rushing yards on ten attempts. 

Buell had five different receivers with multiple receptions on the day and completed passes to seven receivers. Eric Lira finished with a game-high 32 yards on two catches, including a touchdown. Jack Waddell totaled five catches for 28 yards, and Joseph Dwyer grabbed seven catches for 27 yards and a touchdown. 

Defensively, the starting linebacker duo of Mason Browning and Cade Reynolds grabbed interceptions in the win. It was both Browning and Reynolds's first career interception. AQ Peternal was Rocky's leading tackler on the day, totaling seven. Daniel Dominguez recorded the lone sack on the day for the Battlin' Bears. 

Austin Drake was perfect on the day, converting on all three PAT opportunities and both of his field goal attempts. 

The Battlin' Bears outgained MSU-Northern 344-202 in total offense, including 216-146 on the ground. The Rocky defense held the Lights to just 2-12 on third down and 2-4 on fourth down, including keeping MSU-Northern scoreless on both red zone trips. 

Up Next
The Battlin' Bears (1-1) hit the road next week to take on (RV) Carroll College in Helena on Saturday, September 14th—kickoff at 1:00 pm (MT).  
 
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