Frontier Notebook: Upsets by Western, Carroll send shockwaves through the Frontier

Shockwaves were felt in Helena and Dillon this past weekend, and the aftershocks will be felt for sometime around the Frontier Conference.

Last Saturday in Dillon, the Montana Western Bulldogs knocked off No. 7 College of Idaho 40-25, ending the Yotes’ unbeaten run. However, because Carroll College clobbered Rocky Mountain College 24-0 in Helena at almost the same time last Saturday, the Yotes remained alone atop the Frontier standings despite their shocking loss in Dillon.

And the Frontier shakeup didn’t end there. In snowy Butte, Montana Tech thrashed Southern Oregon 45-21, ending the Raiders’ three-game winning streak.

So what does all this mean? The Frontier is officially wide open.

With three games left, the Yotes are still on track to earn the league’s automatic bid to the NAIA playoffs, as they are currently 6-1. But, Tech, Carroll and Rocky are all just one game out of first place at 5-2. At this point, any of those four teams could win the Frontier championship and go to the playoffs, but after last Saturday’s seismic shift, it’s becoming more and more unlikely that the Frontier will get two teams into the field of 16 next month.

Mounting Payback

Somebody was going to get their first win of the season Saturday in LaGrande, Oregon, and this time around it was the host Mounties. EOU knocked off MSU-Northern 37-0 Saturday for the Mountaineers first win of 2022. The win also avenged the 8-overtime loss EOU suffered at the hands of the Lights last October in Havre.

Defense was the name of the game at Community Stadium as EOU held Northern to just 28 yards of offense and -43 yards rushing. The Mounties did have some offensive woes of their own as Northern’s defense got takeaways from Josh Rose, Hunter Riley and Spencer Lehnerz.

Poll Position

With so much movement in the Frontier last week, that was certainly reflected in the new NAIA Coaches Poll, released on Monday. College of Idaho dropped from No. 7 to No. 12, while Rocky dropped to No. 14. Carroll College re-entered the poll at No. 25, while Montana Tech moved up one spot to No. 23. Former Frontier school Dickinson State is No. 21 in the new poll, while future Frontier member Arizona Christina is receiving votes.

Frontier Honors

Montana Western quarterback Jon Jund was named Frontier and NAIA Offensive Player of the Week. In Montana Western’s 40-35 upset home win over No. 7 and previously unbeaten College of Idaho, Jund was 26 of 35 for 354 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

He also caught a 16-yard touchdown reception, rushed for 48 yards and rushed for a successful two-point conversation.

Montana Western’s Tanner Harrell is the Frontier Defensive Player of the Week. In Montana Western’s 40-35 upset home win over No. 7 and previously unbeaten College of Idaho, Harrell recorded two crucial quarterback sacks on College of Idaho’s final drive. The second sack came on fourth down and sealed the Bulldogs’ upset victory.

Montana Tech’s Clay Fisher is the Special Teams Player of the Week. In No. 24 Montana Tech’s  45-21 home win over Southern Oregon, Fisher blocked a first quarter Raider punt and returned it eight yards for a touchdown.