GLENDIVE, Mont. — In a unique neutral-site season opener, the Battlin' Bears dropped their opening contest of the season, 23-10, against NCAA DII University of Mary.
Despite outgaining the Marauders 266-255 in total offense, a special teams misstep and a pivotal second-half turnover gave the University of Mary the edge needed to hand Rocky its first loss of the season.
How it happened
Special teams played a factor early on, as Rocky's first two possessions were pinned inside its own five-yard line thanks to punts by the Marauders. Both drives resulted in quick Rocky punts, and the University of Mary capitalized on the field position on its second drive, scoring on a 20-yard touchdown pass to Karsyn Jablonski to hand the Battlin' Bears a 7-0 deficit after the first quarter.
Rocky responded on its opening drive of the second quarter. Driven by a strong ground attack from Jae'sean Pete and Jhett Schwahn, the Battlin' Bears marched downfield to set up Jordan Legg for a 37-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 7-3 with 8:46 remaining in the half. The Marauders countered late in the second, putting together a 13-play drive that culminated in a 33-yard field goal to extend the lead back to 10-3 heading into halftime.
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A special teams miscue on Rocky's opening possession of the second half set up the Marauders in excellent field position, and they eventually capitalized with a one-yard touchdown rush to open their lead to 17-3.
Making his first collegiate start and debut for the Battlin' Bears, Jhett Schwahn answered on Rocky's second drive. The redshirt sophomore converted a key third down with a 20-yard strike to Bergen Mysse, then later connected with receiver Javonte King on three straight plays to set Rocky up inside the five-yard line. Schwahn finished the drive himself on a designed run to the outside, scoring his first collegiate touchdown to bring the Battlin' Bears within a single score at 17-10 in the third quarter.
After the defense forced a Marauder punt, momentum shifted back to Mary on a strip-sack deep inside Rocky territory, and the visitors capitalized on the turnover on the first play of the fourth quarter as Jablonski hauled in his second touchdown reception of the day. Despite a blocked extra point, the Marauders pushed their lead to 23-10.
The 23-10 margin held until the clock hit zero. Despite the Battlin' Bears getting two drives into Marauder territory in the fourth quarter, they were stopped on fourth down twice, sealing the defeat to open the season.
Notable statistics
The Battlin' Bears outgained the University of Mary in total yards, holding the advantage both on the ground (90-81) and through the air (176-174). Schwahn finished his collegiate debut 19-of-34 for 176 yards and a rushing touchdown, enduring six sacks in the loss. Javonte King, Bergen Mysse and Tuff Adams tallied four receptions apiece, while Tyler Abbott led the team in receiving yardage with 51.
Defensively, Sean Tutty and Aaron Alvarez both totaled seven tackles. Wayne Queen and Jamal Jaber each added a sack, while DeAndre Reed tallied a pair of pass breakups.
For the Marauders, quarterback Ryan Blair threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jablonski, who finished with eight catches for 91 yards. Linebacker Christopher Federico led all defenders with 13 tackles.
Next up
Rocky football (0-1) will begin a stretch of three non-division Frontier Conference matchups against all top-25 teams, beginning with a road trip to Caldwell, Idaho, to face No. 4 College of Idaho.
