Bulldogs bite the Lights

After last week's win over Eastern Oregon University, the Montana State University-Northern Lights were looking to make it two in a row when they faced Montana Western at Tilleman Field on Saturday. The Lights were also looking to send off their seniors in style with it being senior day and their last home game of the season. However, the Bulldogs came out strong on both sides of the ball as they defeated MSU-N, 63-7.

"We just didn't play our game," MSU-N head coach Andrew Rolin said. "Didn't show up and play at the level that we need to play to win the game."

The Bulldogs' dominance started early in the afternoon. After both teams punted on their opening possessions, Western got its offense rolling. On their second drive of the game, it only took the Bulldogs three plays to get in the end zone. Western quarterback Jon Jund showed off his arm as he connected with Nate Simkins deep down the middle for a 32-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead.

Later in the quarter, Jund continued to dissect the Lights' secondary. After Jund connected with Simkins for a 35-yard gain to get into the red zone, Western running back Colten McPhee carried it from nine yards out for the score and a 14-0 lead.

The Lights had no answers for the Western passing attack as Jund threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Simkins in the final minute of the first quarter to increase the lead. As the Western offense was humming, the MSU-N offense failed to gain any traction as penalties and negative plays held them back. It was not until the final few minutes of the first half that the Lights were able to pick up their first first down of the game.

"We just didn't make the plays that needed to be made," Rolin said about the MSU-N offense. "You got to win one-on-one matchups at whatever position, it doesn't matter. You got to establish the run which we've done all year and just didn't get it going."

The Bulldogs ended the first half with six straight drives that ended with touchdowns. Early in the second quarter, Jund connected with McPhee for a 26-yard touchdown pass. The next Western drive ended with a four-yard touchdown run from Sean Cooney. On Western's last drive of the half, Jund threw a five-yard touchdown to Trey Mounts to make the score 42-0 at the half.

The Lights already played the Bulldogs earlier this season in Dillon. MSU-N lost that game, 42-28, after trailing, 28-0, at halftime. However, MSU-N fell behind in the first half because several mistakes gave Western great starting field position. The MSU-N defense also made many plays in that game with three takeaways. But on Saturday, the Lights could not take away the ball or slow down the Western offense.

"Early one, guys were losing one-on-one matchups in the pass game in the secondary," Rolin said. "You got to be in the right place at the right time and to do your job. If you don't, that's what happens. It results in touchdowns and the result is what happened today."

Early in the third, both teams continued their trends. On their opening drive of the half, the Lights went for it on fourth and one at their own 34-yard line. On the quarterback keep, Kaymen Cureton fumbled the ball and Western defensive lineman Reese Artz recovered it at the MSU-N 14-yard line. Four plays later, Jund threw his fifth touchdown pass of the game when he connected with Simkins for a four-yard score.

Over the second half of the game, Western put its backups in the game. Even then, the Bulldogs scored another pair of touchdowns to increase their lead to 63-0 with just over ten minutes left in the game. Late in the game, a high snap from the 50-yard line went over the Western punter's head all the way back to the goal line. Canaan Smith recovered it in the end zone to get the Lights on the scoreboard.

Cureton finished the day completing 30 percent of his passes for 29 yards and an interception. As a team, the Lights only managed to gain five first downs and recorded negative-nine rushing yards on the day.

The loss dropped the Lights to 1-8 on the season and 1-7 in the Frontier Conference. The Lights ended the season 1-5 at home in their new stadium Tilleman Field. While the Lights played there this past spring season, it was the first time that fans were able to attend games in the new venue.

"We got great fans. We got a great community," Rolin said about hosting fans in the new stadium this season. "I appreciate their support and everything that they do. They show up to every game and they bring it so it's a lot of fun. It's a beautiful stadium to be a part of."

The Lights now only have two games left this season, both on the road. If the Lights are going to end the 2021 season on a positive note, Rolin believes his guys need to be resilient.

"We got to battle better and we got to find guys that we can count on all the time," Rolin said. "That's what it comes down to: counting on those guys and trusting that everyone's going to do their job and what they're supposed to be doing all the time."

The Lights will next play in Billings against Rocky Mountain College next Saturday at 1 p.m.