Montana
5 things you might've missed in UND's 27-24 win over Montana
GRAND FORKS — UND came back from a 24-7 halftime deficit to stun No. 4 Montana 27-24 on Saturday night at the Alerus Center.
Here are five things you might’ve missed during the game.
1. Montana star doesn’t play
Montana wide receiver/returner Junior Bergen didn’t play against the Fighting Hawks.
The All-American, who didn’t play in Week 1 in a Montana win over Missouri State, dressed and made the trip.
Bergen warmed up on the field before the game but didn’t see any action.
2. UND tries to use Belquist
UND’s passing game struggled to get off the ground against Montana, specifically an effort to involve All-American wide receiver Bo Belquist.
Belquist was targeted 10 times with four catches for 33 yards and a long of 17 yards.
All 33 of Belquist’s yards came in the first half.
Nate DeMontagnac came up with the clutch plays late for UND in the passing game.
UND picked up a third-and-11 on the drive that ended with Elrichs’ game-winning kick when Simon Romfo connected with the Canadian wide receiver on a 14-yard slant pass.
3. UND finishes with six sacks
Early against Montana, Griz quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat was able to escape UND’s defensive pressure.
His ability to elude a cornerback blitz from Antonio Bluiett led to Ah Yat’s 37-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Harris to open the scoring in the first quarter.
But UND’s defensive pressure eventually got to Ah Yat and backup quarterback Logan Fife.
Ah Yat was sacked five times.
Craig Orlando, Josh Navratil and Wyatt Pedigo were each credited with two sacks.
4. UND uses the Quincy push
For the first time in his two-game tenure as offensive coordinator, Isaac Fruechte turned to tight end Quincy Vaughn to handle a short-yardage situation.
After not using Vaughn on third-and-1 to start the fourth quarter, a play in which Gaven Ziebarth picked up 3 yards, Fruechte went to Vaughn, a former quarterback, in the next situation.
With the game tied at 24, UND faced a fourth-and-1 from the Griz 44.
Vaughn entered the game and easily picked up the needed yard on a plunge up the middle.
UND’s home crowd made a difference in the second half.
The announced attendance was 11,595 — the most for a home opener since 2017 against Missouri State.
The game was a 6 p.m. kickoff — the first Saturday night kick at UND in 10 years.
Montana
Clark Fork River remains central to Missoula’s identity, conservation groups say
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Clark Fork River has long been a defining feature of Missoula, shaping the city’s culture, economy and outdoor lifestyle.
The river is so closely tied to the area that it helped inspire the well-known book and film “A River Runs Through It.” But local conservation advocates say its importance goes far beyond scenery.
“Without the Clark Fork River, Missoula would just be another town,” said Lisa Ronald, Northern Rockies associate conservation director for American Rivers. “We wouldn’t be the River City. I think we’re known in Montana as Missoula the River City, and it’s really because of the Clark Fork River and its central role in business, in economics, in recreation, that really makes Missoula the town that it is.”
Carmen Murill, a field organizer with Wild Montana, said the river is deeply woven into daily life for people who live in Missoula.
“A lot of us would wonder what to do on a beautiful or a rainy summer day,” Murill said. “I mean, it’s really a lifeforce of town. And I think it’s pretty unique that Missoula, as a community is living and breathing on both sides of the river. It’s really like two downtowns but connected by the Clark Fork.”
Conservation groups say protecting the river begins with community involvement.
Advocates encourage residents and visitors to spend time outdoors, whether on a trail, in the woods or along the river, and to learn how they can become better stewards of the environment.
Montana
Forstag secures democratic nomination for Western Montana Congressional District
MISSOULA — Sam Forstag edged out Ryan Busse to secure the Democratic nomination in Montana’s 1st Congressional District.
Busse conceded the race to Forstag on Wednesday morning. Forstag had trailed behind Busse Tuesday evening, but he made up ground as the votes were counted into the early hours of Wednesday morning. The other two candidates in the race, Russl Cleveland and Matt Rains, are sitting at third and fourth, respectively.
Forstag leads in close race for Montana’s 1st Congressional District
Forstag spent eight years as a wildland firefighter, including four as a smokejumper, and he’s been vice president of the local National Federation of Federal Employees union. Last week, U.S. House of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, held a rally in Missoula to support Forstag’s campaign.
He told MTN on Tuesday that his campaign has been for the working class.
“We got a whole lot of people here that have been working their tail off to finally get some working-class representation in Washington,” Forstag noted. “So proud of everything we’ve done and so grateful.”
Forstag further noted he wants Montanans to be able to afford groceries, have universal free childcare and restore and expand Affordable Health Care Act subsidies.
“Hearing people’s stories and struggles and commonalities in the ways that we’re all fighting in the system that does not serve us so often, and the government serves corporations and the richest people in this country more than working people. It has been frustrating and saddening, but it has also inspired so much hope in me, like the fixes we can actually make,” he told MTN.
The 1st Congressional District covers much of western Montana, including Kalispell, Missoula, Butte and Bozeman. It is currently held by Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, who chose not to seek reelection.
By securing the nomination, Forstag is slated tol face off against Libertarian candidate Nick Sheedy and Republican candidate Aaron Flint in November.
Montana
In eastern Montana, Brian Miller wins Democratic primary for U.S. House • Daily Montanan
Brian Miller won the Democratic primary Tuesday for the U.S. House seat in Montana’s eastern district.
The Associated Press called the race for Miller, an attorney in Helena, who fended off a challenge from state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, a longtime legislator from Box Elder, and Sam Lux, a farrier from Great Falls.
In the Republican and rural eastern district, any Democrat will be an underdog, and Miller will face off against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Downing, who was unopposed Tuesday.
Libertarian Patrick McCracken is also running.
In the primary, Miller took 58% of the vote. Lux took 27% and Windy Boy took 16%, according to the Montana Secretary of State’s website.
In April, Windy Boy paused his campaign amid “serious sexual abuse” allegations raised by the Montana Democratic Party — but Windy Boy restarted his campaign and later called the allegations “political attacks.”
Miller is representing the victim of the alleged abuse and her mother, although he said he didn’t take on the role until after Windy Boy initially suspended his campaign.
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