Montana
UND scores 20 unanswered points to stun No. 4 Montana 27-24
GRAND FORKS — The UND football program broke out its legends Saturday night in the 2024 home opener against No. 4 Montana.
Minnesota Vikings veteran Jim Kleinsasser flipped the coin toss. Canadian Football League Hall of Famer Weston Dressler was recognized at a first-half timeout.
In the second half against the Griz, UND’s current roster turned in a performance befitting of the decorated guests.
UND rattled off 20 unanswered second-half points and C.J. Elrichs’ 40-yard field goal with 2 minutes, 16 seconds left gave the No. 23 Fighting Hawks a 27-24 win over No. 4 Montana.
UND won a national-best 38th consecutive home opener.
“Great win for our guys and our program,” UND coach Bubba Schweigert said. “I was really proud of our guys. We did not play well in the first half. We came out and responded. Our offensive line took control of the game.”
UND trailed 24-7 at halftime and Simon Romfo, making his first Grand Forks start, was just 5-for-14 for 54 yards and an interception.
The Griz, meanwhile, had 286 yards of offense at halftime and freshman quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat had 151 passing yards on 17-for-22 passing.
“We just kept it together as a team,” said UND nose guard Craig Orlando, who had two quarterback sacks. “First half, we came out slow. Second half, we knew we had to achieve greatness.”
Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald
The UND comeback started quick in the second half.
The Hawks opened with a scoring drive, jump-started by a Simon Romfo 17-yard run and a defensive pass interference in the end zone. Gaven Ziebarth capped the drive with a 2-yard run to trim the lead to 24-14.
After a quick three-and-out thanks to a third down breakup from corner Devin Hembry, UND scored a second time in the quarter on just five plays. On the scoring play, Romfo fumbled the snap, picked it up in the backfield and buried ahead for a 19-yard touchdown run in which he carried a defender the final few yards into the end zone. Romfo’s touchdown run cut the Griz lead to 24-21.
The Griz countered with another three-and-out thanks to a Josh Navratil sack on third down.
UND again went on a long drive, a staple through two weeks of the season. On the 17th play of the drive, Schweigert elected to kick a short field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 2 to tie the game at 24.
Once again, UND’s defense turned in a three-and-out. This time, UND linebacker Dylan Boecker broke through the line of scrimmage on third down to force an incompletion.
UND then chewed up more than seven minutes of clock as an inexperienced offensive line once again went to work.
On fourth-and-3 from the 24, Elrichs, who missed a kick last week at Iowa State, nailed the 40-yarder to take the lead.
“I knew there was a really good chance to go to a field goal,” Elrichs said. “Great snap by David. Great hold by Simon. The line was blocking great. It was a really cool moment.”
The Griz, however, had plenty of time to respond. Montana started its drive at its own 29.
On fourth-and-1 from the Griz 39, Ah Yat broke through the line for a 31-yard scamper to put pressure on the UND defense.
After an incompletion on first down, UND linebacker Wyatt Pedigo sacked Ah Yat. On third down, UND busted up a screen pass.
On fourth-and17, Montana attempted a 54-yard field goal with 39 seconds left and missed.
“Great job by (Schweigert) and what a great win for their program,” Montana coach Bobby Hauck said. “Obviously, not very good job by us. Can’t do what we did in the second half and hope to hold on to a big lead or win whatsoever. That starts with me. I have to do a better job figuring out how to get a first down.”
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.
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.
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.
-
Health3 minutes agoNew cancer vaccine delivers stunning result against one of the deadliest skin cancers
-
Sports6 minutes agoFan disrupts NBA Finals Game 1 while trying to take selfie with Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama
-
Business18 minutes agoHow Google’s 32-million mosquito project could change California’s battle against dengue
-
Entertainment20 minutes agoAfter ‘Barbie’ success, Mattel looks to He-Man for another box-office lift
-
Lifestyle26 minutes agoWith Highway 1 open, Big Sur braces for its busiest summer in years
-
Politics33 minutes agoCommentary: Bass clears first hurdle, but if Pratt holds off Raman, the mayoral race could be a holy war
-
Sports41 minutes agoThe Ball brothers’ head coach at Chino Hills, Steve Baik, is the new coach at Calabasas
-
World51 minutes ago
Social media operation linked to Iran manipulated public through fake Irish and Scottish profiles
