DILLON, Mont. – Head Coach Randy Bandelow picked up his first career win on Saturday, as Rocky Football secured a 38-32 victory over No. 21-ranked Montana Western.
The fast-paced battle produced over 1,000 combined offensive yards, with the Battlin' Bears fending off a fourth-quarter comeback effort by the No. 21 Bulldogs to earn their first win of the season.
How it happened
The Battlin' Bears struck early, forcing a three-and-out on Montana Western's opening drive before launching a seven-play, 73-yard touchdown march. Highlighting the drive was a trick-play reverse sweep flea-flicker, resulting in a 36-yard completion from Jhett Schwahn to Colton Deatherage, as Jae'sean Pete punched it into the end zone on the next play to give Rocky a 7-0 lead just five minutes into the contest. Rocky kept the momentum rolling after another defensive stop, as Ty Battle reeled in a 17-yard pass to flip field position into Bulldog territory. Facing fourth-and-short, Jhett Schwahn connected with Jae'sean Pete through the air, who reeled in a one-handed catch before cruising into the end zone to extend the advantage to 14-0 with 5:55 remaining in the opening quarter.
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Special teams briefly swung momentum in favor of the Bulldogs, pinning Rocky inside its own 10-yard line. Following a Rocky three-and-out, a bobbled punt in the end zone resulted in a safety, putting Montana Western on the board before the Bulldogs had recorded their first first down on offense. A strong kick return gave the Bulldogs starting position in Rocky territory, but the Battlin' Bear defense stood firm at the goal line, stopping Montana Western on back-to-back plays at the 1-yard line to force a turnover on downs.
Field position played a crucial role again in the second quarter, as a tipped punt gifted the Bulldogs a drive starting at the Rocky 38-yard line, leading to Montana Western's first offensive touchdown and cutting the lead to 14-9 with 8:45 to play in the half. Rocky answered immediately on the next possession, as Ty Battle opened the drive with a 19-yard rush, and Bergen Mysse caught three passes for 39 yards, which was capped off by a 17-yard touchdown reception, to push Rocky ahead 21-9 with 4:32 left in the quarter.
Montana Western constructed a late scoring drive before halftime, but the Battlin' Bear defense again stiffened in the red zone, forcing a field goal as time expired to preserve a 21-12 lead heading into the break.
After a promising opening drive to start the second half ended with a Rocky fumble inside the red zone, Sa'mar Turner quickly reclaimed momentum by grabbing Rocky's first interception of the season and returning it to the Bulldog 17-yard line. Jordan Legg capitalized on the turnover with a 29-yard field goal, extending the lead to 24-12 with 8:29 remaining in the third quarter.
Following traded missed field goals by both squads, the Rocky defense forced another three-and-out. Despite a Bulldog punt that pinned the Battlin' Bears back at their own 15-yard line, Ty Battle erupted on the next play for an 85-yard touchdown run, extending the cushion to 31-12 late in the third quarter.
Montana Western refused to go quietly, putting together a 13-play touchdown drive to narrow the deficit to 31-26. Needing to halt the Bulldogs' momentum, Ty Battle responded once more by breaking free for a 57-yard touchdown run to give Rocky a 38-26 lead.
The Bulldogs answered quickly on offense, finding the end zone just after the two-minute timeout to trim the lead back to a single score. Gage Goltz safely recovered the ensuing onside kick, allowing the Battlin' Bears to drain the clock and force Montana Western to burn its final timeouts. The Bulldogs gave themselves one last opportunity by blocking a Rocky 45-yard field goal attempt with 1:36 left in regulation.
With the game on the line, the Rocky defense again held the Bulldogs out of the end zone when they needed it most, swatting down consecutive Hail Mary pass attempts in the end zone to seal the victory in Dillon.
Notable statistics
Both teams combined for over 1,000 total yards in the offensive showcase. The Battlin' Bears accumulated 497 total yards, including 261 rushing yards, their highest single-game rushing total since Nov. 4, 2023 (291 vs. Arizona Christian) and their first 200-yard team rushing game since Sept. 7, 2024 (216 vs. MSU-Northern).
Jhett Schwahn delivered the finest performance of his young career in his third collegiate start, completing 21 of 30 passes for 236 yards, two touchdowns and zero turnovers. Supported by protection from the offensive line, Schwahn was not sacked during the victory. He spread the ball to seven different receivers, with Javonte King leading the group with six catches for 43 yards, while Bergen Mysse added five catches for 57 yards and a touchdown.
Rocky's backfield tandem turned in strong performances to lead the offense. Ty Battle rushed for 173 yards on eight carries, powered by touchdown runs of 85 and 57 yards. Jae'sean Pete carried the heavier workload, totaling 95 yards on 19 attempts for an average of 5.0 yards per carry. Both backs were also key contributors through the air, with Pete catching three passes for 44 yards and a score, while Battle caught three passes for 42 yards.
Defensively, DeAndre Reed, Sa'mar Turner and Sean Tutty led the team with three tackles each, while Jamal Jaber recorded his first sack of the season. Turner added a tackle for loss to complement his third-quarter interception.
While Montana Western moved the ball well, totaling 605 yards of offense, Rocky held the Bulldogs out of the end zone on three of their seven red-zone trips and held them scoreless on two of those drives.
Rocky Football (1-2) returns to Billings for its home opener this weekend, hosting No. 15-ranked Carroll College in a Saturday evening game to close out non-division play.
