Bulldogs Power Past Rocky Mountain, 35-21

Sep 22
2 min read

BILLINGS, Mont. – Behind a balanced offensive attack and strong second-half adjustments, the Montana Western Bulldogs claimed a 35-21 road victory over Rocky Mountain on Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (2-1) piled up 498 yards of total offense, including 350 through the air, and moved the chains 30 times while converting nine critical third- and fourth-down plays.

Offensive Leaders

Quarterback Michael Palandri fueled the Bulldogs’ charge, throwing for 350 yards and three touchdowns while adding 50 rushing yards and a rushing score. Palandri also punched in a two-point conversion that gave Western a 28-14 cushion late in the third quarter.

Wideout Eli Nourse proved nearly unstoppable, hauling in 12 receptions for 148 yards and a touchdown. Seth Shook and Jakob Humphrey each added touchdown catches, with Humphrey also leading the ground game at 74 rushing yards on 6.2 yards per carry.

Special teams provided a boost as well. Kicker Maclain Burckley went 3-for-3 on extra points and drilled both field goal attempts, including a season-long 47-yarder just before halftime.

Defensive Highlights

Defensively, Keegan Muffich led the way with eight tackles, three of them solo stops. Romeo Simpson, Brady Mounts, Jace Fitzgerald, Tyler Walker, and Taylor Schoen each chipped in four tackles.

Walker tallied 1.5 tackles for loss, while Schoen recorded the Bulldogs’ lone sack, a five-yard drop of the Rocky quarterback. Mounts iced the win with a key interception in the fourth quarter.

Coach’s Take

“Rocky came to play and did some things on defense that were really tough to deal with,” head coach Ryan Nourse said. “They have a talented wide receiver group that really tested our secondary. The guys did an awesome job of taking the adjustments we made at half and putting them into action in the second half and getting a tough road win.”