Lindsey Branch, UMW Sports Information
DILLON, Mont. — The no. 11 ranked Montana Western football team (1-0) opened the 2024 campaign in style after taking to the turf in the brand-new Bulldog Stadium and showing dominance in a 59-21 rout of Eastern Oregon University (0-1).
The historic afternoon featured a massive offensive showing, with the Bulldog offense rattling off 49 points in the first half alone behind the arm of Bulldog quarterback Michael Palandri.
"The guys really focused on improving every week that we have been preparing for game one and it showed in our performance," Head Coach Ryan Nourse said. "We made several mistakes we can really learn from after this game, as well as did many good things. Our ability to make explosive plays was a real positive and something I think we can continue to grow."
How It Happened
The Bulldogs came out hot from the start, seeing Palandri connect with Coby Tanioka early on in the first quarter on a 62-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead.
It was Palandri who struck next, rushing in for a pair of back-to-back touchdowns to give UMW a 21-0 lead.
Despite gaining a first down and some momentum, the Mounties were stopped in their tracks when defensive back AJ Ulrichs picked off EOU quarterback Quincy Glasper.
With 11 minutes remaining in the first half, the Mounties then stopped the Bulldogs in their tracks to force the first Bulldog punt of the season. UMW's JK Shealey helped to keep the Bulldog offense on the field though after he forced a fumble to give the Bulldogs the ball at the Eastern 28-yard line.
A pass from Palandri to Dylan Shipley for a 22-yard touchdown pass on the following play added to the Bulldog lead to put UMW up 28-0.
The Mounties scored on their own pair of drives to bring the game to 28-14 with just under five minutes left in the half. The following kickoff saw Bulldog returner Tanioka take it to the house on a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown.
A quick three and out by the Bulldog defense fueled another Bulldog drive that saw Palandri rush for his third touchdown of the matchup and close out the half up 42-14.
A two minute, five play and 77-yard drive culminated in a touchdown pass from Palandri to Eli Nourse for another Bulldog score.
UMW would score once more on their following drive behind Jake Humphrey who broke out on a 43-yard touchdown rush. The Bulldogs would lead 56-14 with just under four minutes left in the third quarter.
EOU capitalized on their own two-minute drive with a touchdown to cap their score at 21 for the remainder of the game.
Bulldog kicker John Mears drilled a 49-yard field goal to close out scoring for both teams and cement the 59-21 opening victory.
Notables
Today's win marks the first victory in the newly built Bulldog Stadium and the first game to ever be played on the campus of Montana Western.
Veteran quarterback Palandri led the offensive attack, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for another three. He threw for 320 yards of offense and rushed for another 15 yards.
The Bulldog defense held the Mounties to just 31 rushing yards in the matchup and racked up six tackles for loss in the game.
Nourse led the Bulldog receiving corps, racking up 126 yards on nine receptions in the matchup.
The Bulldog ground game worked together for a total of 243 rushing yards. Humphrey led the ground game with 73 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Shealey and James Ochs led the defense with seven tackles apiece and a tackle for loss.
Up Next
The Bulldogs move to 1-0 this season and will move into a big week ahead to prepare for the no. 4 ranked College of Idaho Yotes. Last season, the Yotes were the Bulldogs' kryptonite and were the lone Frontier team to defeat UMW.
The last time the two team faced each other, the Yotes strung together a whopping 621 yards of offense and ended the Bulldogs' postseason run after a 49-42 final score.
The Yotes enter the sept. 14 matchup with a 2-0 record and the hopes of making it a third straight win over the Bulldogs. UMW last downed the Yotes in a home battle on Oct. 22, 2022 by a final score of 40-35.
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