BILLINGS, Mont.- Fresh off a bye week, the Battlin' Bears face another formidable early-season test as they travel to Dillon to take on No. 21 Montana Western, the second of three straight top-25 opponents. 

Matchup

---

Rocky Mountain College (0-2) vs #21 Montana Western (1-1)
Dillon, Montana
1:00 pm (MT) 

Preview

---

Continuing Non-Division Play
The Battlin' Bears enter the weekend refreshed from their off week, ready to challenge No. 21 Montana Western in Dillon for another high-stakes non-division battle. Since 2016, the Bulldogs hold a 4-9 series record, winning each of the past four matchups. Since 2021, Rocky's offense has averaged 30 points per game against UMW. 

Early Season Breakouts
Redshirt senior Jae'sean Pete currently paces the Frontier East with 5.9 yards per carry through two games, leading Rocky's ground attack with 101 rushing yards and powering a Battlin' Bear offense that averages 114.0 rushing yards per game. On special teams, Ty Battle (3rd; 115 yards) and Seth Arnett (4th; 92 yards) both rank among the conference's top four in kick return yardage. Battle also sits seventh in the Frontier East with 93.5 all-purpose yards per game.

Strength on Strength
Through the first two contests of the season, Rocky's secondary ranks third in the Frontier East, allowing just 195.0 passing yards per game. Pass defense will be critical against a Bulldog offense averaging 304.5 air yards per game, with all seven of Montana Western's offensive touchdowns coming through the air.

Scouting the Bulldogs 
No. 21 Montana Western has had a tale of two weeks, starting with an explosive 49-35 win over MSU-Northern in week one before a 34-7 loss to No. 3 Montana Tech last week. The Bulldogs finished the 2025 season with an overall record of 7-3, ranked No. 18 in the NAIA Postseason Poll, and narrowly missed the NAIA Football Championship Series.

Montana Western fielded one of the NAIA's top offenses in 2025, averaging 43.7 points per game, scoring at least 20 points in every contest, and topping 40 points six times. They flashed that high-octane unit in their 2026 opener, exploding for 618 total yards and 49 points, including 44 in the first half alone. The Bulldogs return Second Team All-American and Frontier West Offensive Player of the Year wide receiver Eli Nourse, First Team All-Conference receiver Seth Shook, and Second Team All-Conference running back Jakob Humphrey from last year's squad. 

Defensively, Montana Western has surrendered 34.5 points per game through two contests, giving up over 300 passing yards against MSU-Northern and over 300 rushing yards against Montana Tech. The UMW defense is anchored by 2025 Second Team All-Conference defensive back Connor Dunlea, who leads the squad with 11 total tackles.