Lindsey Branch, UMW Sports Information
DILLON, Mont. – The no. 9 ranked Montana Western football team racked up an impressive 541 total yards of offense in a 42-25 upset of the no. 3 ranked College of Idaho Yotes (2-1).
Bulldog quarterback Michael Palandri put on a show, throwing for 416 passing yards with four passing touchdowns and rushed for two on the ground.
"Just really proud of the guys and their focus and preparation going into the week. Offensively to be able to run the football proficiently and to stretch these guys and beat them vertically was a big part of the game plan. We were fortunate for that to happen," Head Coach Ryan Nourse said. "For our defensive guys to stop the run and to force them to throw every down and to step up and make plays with some big third and fourth down stops was excellent. I am glad we could get a victory. We made a lot of mistakes but we have a really good football team that is focused on making improvements and we will do that this week."
How It Happened
The Bulldogs were the first to light the scoreboard up in today's matchup, rattling off 21 unanswered points across the first quarter stretching early into the second quarter.
The first touchdown of the game would come following an explosive opening drive that saw the Bulldog offense march 76 yards down the field and score on a 36-yard Palandri touchdown pass to Eli Nourse.
After the Bulldog defense stopped the Yotes on fourth and six, the Bulldog offense marched down once more on an eight play and 91-yard drive that saw Palandri rush it in for a touchdown from the 1-yard line.
Leading 14-0 with 1:40 left in the first quarter, UMW's defense once again proved they were ready for a battle and forced a three and out that fueled another Bulldog scoring drive. Palandri tossed up a 44-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Shipley to push UMW to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.
The Yotes started to find some momentum on offense and added seven to the scoreboard with 9:37 left in the half.
Riding behind a 7 play, 80-yard drive, Palandri hit Nourse once more for another touchdown on a 44-yard touchdown pass with just under two minutes to play in the half.
A quick three and out forced by the Bulldog defense gave the Bulldog offense the ball back on their own 38-yard line. After the Yotes picked off Palandri's second pass of the drive, they would score in three plays to close scoring out for the half at 28-10.
The Yotes closed the scoring gap to 28-17 with 5:36 remaining in the third, but the Bulldogs answered once again on the following drive and scored on a 66-yard toss to Jon Kirkley to bring the score to 35-17.
Western would score their final touchdown of the game within the first three minutes of the fourth after Palandri crossed the goal line after a two-yard rush.
The Yotes would add one more score before closing the game out with the Bulldogs up by a final score of 42-25.
Notables
Today's win breaks the stalemate in the series with the Yotes that dates back to 2014, leading the series 8-7.
Today's game was one of just five games in the series history decided by more than one score.
Two Bulldog receivers handled business on the receiving end with both Nourse and Shipley totaling more than 100 receiving yards. Shipley led with 179 yards and Nourse added 127 yards with two receiving touchdowns.
UMW linebacker Keegen Muffich lit up the Yotes, totaling 12 tackles with seven solo tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss of a total of five yards.
John Mears went six for six on PATs and added another 347 yards on kickoffs in the game.
Up Next
No. 9 ranked Montana Western moves to 2-0 this season and will hit the road for a three-game road stand over the coming weeks. They will first travel to Portland, Ore. next week where they will take on NCAA Division III opponent Lewis & Clark College (Ore.). The game is set for 2 p.m. next Saturday Sept. 21.
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