HELENA — The first full week of Frontier Conference football saw many teams’ non-conference schedules come to a close and the league’s two highest nationally-ranked programs pick up victories.
Here’s how this week’s games unfolded around the Frontier.
All games were non-conference contests
No. 12 College of Idaho 42, Southern Oregon 16
Wide receiver Jon Schofield scored three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) and the Yotes wrapped up non-conference play with another resounding victory.
Redshirt junior wide receiver Brock Richardson caught eight passes for 163 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Andy Peters threw for 212 yards and two scores.
Southern Oregon led C of I 6-0 through a quarter and a half, but an Isaiah Griffin 30-yard pick-six snatched the momentum as the Yotes scored 28 of the game’s final 38 points.
People are also reading…
The Raiders started Missouri State transfer Matt Struck at quarterback, but he threw for just 95 yards.
Blake Asciutto found Jackson Clemmer for a 64-yard touchdown in the fourth, the Raiders’ only trip to the endzone of the game.
C of I amassed 342 yards of offense, including 130 on the ground.
After a second consecutive 25-plus point win, the Yotes open conference play on Saturday, against Montana Western, in Caldwell.
The Raiders host Willamette in two weeks.
College of Idaho’s Andy Peters (2) carries the ball during the Rocky Mountain College Battlin’ Bears’ game against the College of Idaho Yotes at Rocky Mountain College in Billings on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022.
No. 15 Carroll College 21, No. 16 Montana Tech 19
Running backs Duncan Kraft, Baxter Tuggle, as well as quarterback Jack Prka, all scored touchdowns for the Saints in the 130th installment of the Carroll-Tech rivalry on Thursday night in Butte.
A failed two-point conversion with under five minutes to play was the difference in a game that was only briefly a multi-score affair.
Tech quarterback Blake Thelen threw for 255 yards and a touchdown, while running back Blake Counts racked up 95 yards and a touchdown on the ground. It was his 39-yard score on 4th and 1 that presented Tech an opportunity to tie the game late.
Wyatt Alexander caught a 62-yard touchdown in the second quarter and finished the game with six receptions for 136 yards.
Carroll will now host No. 14-ranked St. Thomas (Fla.) on Saturday, while Tech completes its non-conference schedule with a road game against NCAA Division II Central Washington.
To read more about Thursday’s Carroll-Tech game, visit 406mtsports.com, or click here or here.
Carroll College running back Duncan Kraft (3) looks for a route while defended by Montana Tech Orediggers defensive back Angel Sanchez III (0) during the football game between Montana Tech and Carroll College on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023 at Alumni Coliseum in Butte.
RV Montana Western 38, Eastern Oregon 14
Michael Palandri started his first game as a Bulldog and tossed four touchdowns.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Dylan Shipley scored on an 81-yard catch and run in the third quarter and recorded the third, 100-yard game receiving game of his career.
Dillon’s own Jon Kirkley caught two touchdown passes, while fellow Beaverhead County High School graduate Eli Nourse hauled in a 16-yarder from Palandri in the third quarter.
This portion of the recap will be updated as statistics are finalized
Montana Western freshman Dylan Shipley accumulated 111 yards and two touchdowns to help the Bulldogs to a 35-14 win over No. 16 Dickinson State in Dillon on Sept. 10, 2022.
Rocky Mountain College 45, MSU-Northern 0
Zaire Wilcox rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns as the Battlin’ Bears won their 16th-straight game against the Lights dating back to 2014.
Washington State transfer quarterback Luke Holcomb took over for starter Trent Nobach in the first quarter and threw for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
Holcomb’s 14-yarder to Nakeo Thomas and 15-yarder to Joseph Dwyer were little more than five game minutes apart and established a three-score Rocky advantage by halftime.
406MTSports’ Briar Napier confirmed with Rocky officials that Nobach exited the game with an injury.
Northern was limited to just 46 total yards and two first downs in the loss.
A week after snapping a 13-game losing streak, the Lights went 0-for-10 on third down and netted negative-13 rushing yards.
All-American linebacker Dylan Wampler was credited with 10 tackles and a forced fumble.
Dwyer caught six passes for 73 yards and Thomas hauled in four balls for 43 yards in the victory.
Rocky’s Cade Lambert added a fourth-quarter rushing score to cap a 16-yard, 82-yard drive.
Sophomore John Aragon was credited with two sacks, while junior defensive back Kaysan Barnett scored on a 45-yard punt return and added a half-TFL.
Barnett returned five punts for 100 total yards on Saturday.
Rocky, behind 167 rushing yards and a 63 percent (10-for-16) efficiency on third down, picked up its second non-conference victory of the 2023 season.
Up next for the Battlin’ Bears is their league-opener against nationally-ranked Carroll College on Sept. 16.
Northern travels to ACU in two weeks.
Rocky Mountain College senior defensive back Wyatt Brusven recorded two tackles, including a sack and TFL, in Saturday’s 45-0 victory over MSU-Northern.
Email Daniel Shepard at daniel.shepard@406mtsports.com or find him on Twitter @IR_DanielS.