Frontier Notebook: Frontier teams strike out to play big non-conference games

It's been quite the start to the 2018 Frontier Conference football season for the Rocky mountain College Battlin' Bears. In fact, in their 2-0 start to league play, the Bears have given up just seven points and yielded less than 400 yards of total offense. To say Rocky's defense is good would be a gross understatement.

Now however, the Bears will get a test of a different kind, as they get set to play a non-conference game against Dickinson State Saturday afternoon in Billings.

Needless to say, the game against the Blue Hawks, an NAIA playoff team from a year ago, will tell the Bears a lot about themselves. DSU is ranked No. 13 in the NAIA Preseason Coaches Poll, and the Blue Hawks crushed Jamestown 51-0 last Saturday, while RMC is ranked 20th. Of course, had there been a new poll before the release of the Sept. 10 regular season poll, the Bears would probably be ranked much higher, but in any event, Saturday's game at Herb Klindt Field is easily the biggest NAIA game of the weekend.

And it also sets the tone for a slew of exciting non-conference games in the Frontier Conference this season, and a couple this week.

While Rocky plays DSU, Carroll College, which is off to a disastrous 0-2 start to the season, will host NCAA DIII Linfield College Saturday in Helena. The squad from McMinville, Oregon is part of the Northwest Conference of DIII, and last year, the Wildcats went 9-2 overall and made it to the second round of the NCAA DIII playoffs. So that game will be a tough test for the Fighting Saints.

Speaking of tough tests, the College of Idaho will certainly be put to the test when the Yotes travel to Portland State next Saturday. That game is a matchup of the Frontier Conference versus the NCAA's FCS. The Vikings of course, are a member of the Big Sky Conference, so, it's a big step up in competition for the Yotes.

But of all the non-conference games being played around the Frontier this season, Saturday's game between RMC and DSU is the biggest, as it pits two of the best teams in the western NAIA currently, against each other.

Night Lights

The Montana State University-Northern Lights have already played a non-conference game this season, and they've already played perhaps the best team in the Frontier Conference. Games against Mayville State and Rocky have resulted in a 1-1 start to Northern's first season under new head coach Andrew Rolin.

Now Rolin's troops will leave the confines of Blue Pony Stadium for the first time this fall, as Northern heads south to Dillon to take on the UM-Western Bulldogs Saturday night. Northern hasn't played too many night games in its history, but recently, it's become more common, and this season, the Lights will play two night games in the regular season for the first time in school history.

Saturday night's game against the Bulldogs will kick off at 6 p.m. in Dillon, while Northern will also play a night game at home when the Lights host Eastern Oregon Oct. 6.

Of course, MSU-N is also hoping its first road game, and first night game, of the year will be a bounce-back affair after the Lights were run over by RMC last Saturday. But it won't be easy. Western opened its season with a 16-10 road win at Carroll last Saturday, and Saturday night will be the Dawg's home opener.

Against Carroll, Western broke in new starting quarterback Jon Jund, as well as a new running back, but it appears there's nothing new about the Bulldog defense. Anchored by star linebacker Jason Ferris, the Dawgs held Carroll to just 287 yards of offense, so it appears, for the second straight week, the Lights are going up against a very stout and stingy defense.

New Signal Callers

Jund wasn't the only quarterback making his debut last Saturday. While he went 18-of-35 for 209 yards against the Saints, Montana Tech and Southern Oregon also broke in new starters with success last weekend.

In Tech's 36-16 win at C of I, new Tech QB Tanner Kump threw for 248 yards and a score in his first career start. Kump, a red-shirt freshman, beat out former Montana Grizzly Danny Peoples for Tech's starting job.

Meanwhile, it was quite the debut for SOU's Wyatt Hutchinson, who won a three-way battle for the starting job. Hutchinson led SOU to a 32-13 win at Eastern Oregon, while throwing for 138 yards and rushing for 82 more. Hutchinson is replacing a two-time All-American in Tanner Trosin, so it was an impressive start to his career for sure.

Frontier Honors

Rocky Mountain quarterback Jacob Bakken was named Frontier Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Bakken is a 6-foot-4 senior quarterback from Wibaux. In No. 20 Rocky's 51-7 conference win over MSU-Northern, Bakken was 19 of 25 passing for 315 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed three times for 14 yards.

SOU's Devon Gage was named Frontier Defensive Player of the week. Gage is a 6-foot-2, senior linebacker from Salem, Ore. In No. 4 Southern Oregon's 32-13 opening season win over Eastern Oregon, Gage recorded seven solo tackles, one assisted tackle and one fumble recovery which he returned 55 yards for a touchdown.

SOU's Marcus Montano was named Frontier Special Team's Player of the Week. Montano, 6-foot-1 senior kicker from Manteca, Calif. In No. 4 Southern Oregon's 32-13 opening season win over Eastern Oregon, he was 2 for 3 in PATs and 2 of 3 in field goals (42 and 44-yards). This was the first time in his career he converted two 40-plus-yard field goals in the same game.

2018 Havre Daily News Frontier Power Rankings (Week 3)

1. Rocky Mountain

2. Southern Oregon

3. Montana Tech

4. Eastern Oregon

5. UM-Western

6. College of Idaho

7. MSU-Northern

8. Carroll College