UMW Sports Press Release:
The Montana Western football team defeated MSU-Northern by a score of 35-6 today in Havre, Mont. The Bulldog defense continued to stand out as they recorded four sacks, three interceptions, and 12 tackles for loss in the win. Bulldog running backs led the way as Reese Neville rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown and DJ Kirven rushed for 75 yards with two touchdowns.
"It was a good team win. Defense played great like they have been all year and our Dawg run game really clicked. We need to start faster and get some small things cleaned up. But overall, we had a good team win and are looking forward to next week's home game." senior running back Reese Neville said after the win.
How It Happened
The Bulldog defense came out to start the game and forced its first three and out of the day on the opening drive. The Bulldog offense struggled to piece together a scoring drive, despite reaching the Northern 23-yard line on their second drive of the game. With four minutes remaining in the first quarter, linebacker Braden Smith intercepted a Lights pass and returned it for 32 yards. The Bulldogs jumpstarted their offense as a 30-yard touchdown rush by Reese Neville got the first points on the board for the Bulldogs at the start of the second quarter. The Bulldog defense forced a much needed three and out fueling a three minute and six second drive that culminated in a Jon Jund rushing touchdown. John Mears completed his second PAT in the game to bring the score to 14-0. MSU-Northern then got the ball and on the second play of the drive, Kameron Rauser picked off Lights quarterback Jamari Johnson and returned it for 14 yards. The Bulldogs capitalized on the play as DJ Kirven scored on a five-yard rushing touchdown to bring the score to 21-0. Just before the half, defensive back Cody Whalen intercepted a pass from Lights quarterback Kaymen Cureton and returned it for 13 yards.
The Bulldogs came out in the second half and after two possession changes, a Jund 46-yard pass to wide receiver Dylan Shipley resulted in a touchdown for the Bulldogs, bringing the score to 28-0. In the following MSU-N drive, James Aragon and Reese Artz combined for a sack for loss of nine yards on third down to force the Lights to punt. The following Lights drive also saw Brandon Aimsback and Tanner Harrel record a sack for loss of six yards. The Bulldogs offense came back out and in four plays, Kirven rushed for his second touchdown on the day on a nine-yard touchdown run. With the score 35-0, the Bulldogs would then give up a touchdown after bad snap was picked up by Josh Rose of the Lights and returned for a touchdown. The PAT attempt was blocked by Reese Artz, bringing the score to 35-6. The UMW defense continued to hold the Lights for the remainder of the game as the Bulldogs finished off their victory over MSU-Northern and improve their record to 3-1.
"This trip to Havre was challenging in many ways. Some guys were able to meet the challenge and some weren't. Overall, our defense was on point but we were sloppy and careless on offense and special teams. It is a win, but we have much to work on for the matchup with Montana Tech if we are going to be able to compete for a win." Head Coach Ryan Nourse said.
Notables
Bulldog running backs led the way today as Neville rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown. Kirven had a career high rushing day as he recorded 75 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Lights.
Reese Artz picked up nine tackles on the day, two of which were tackles for loss of six yards.
Jund threw for 141 yards and tacked on two touchdowns, one passing and another on the ground.
Harrell had 2.5 tackles for loss of 22 yards, 1.5 sacks, and had seven tackles.
Shipley totaled 98 receiving yards on five receptions and one touchdown.
The Bulldog defense had three interceptions, Smith (34-yard return), Rauser (14-yard return), and Whalen (13-yard return).
Up Next The Bulldogs will be back home next week for the Red Out game against Montana Tech on Saturday Sept. 24 at 1 PM MST. Tickets can be purchased online for the game at the link here.
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