BILLINGS, Mont. -- The Eastern Oregon University football team takes its No. 24 ranking on the road in wintry conditions at Rocky Mountain College.
The Mountaineers (4-2) (4-1) have not won in Billings since their 42-35 double overtime victory in 2006. Saturday's game time temperature is forecasted at 21 degrees with a 10 percent chance of precipitation. There is a chance of snow overnight Friday so some traces of snow could be left on the natural grass turf.
EOU defeated Rocky (1-5) (0-5) earlier this season in its home opener on Sept. 5 in La Grande, 58-50. The teams combined for 1,229 yards with the slight advantage to the Bears with 623 yards of total offense. Eastern's Chris Ware finished the game completing 22 of his 30 passes for 336 yards and five touchdowns through the air and one on the ground. Ware's 407 yards of total offense awarded him national and conference offensive player of the week honors.
Rocky Mountain's Kasey Peters enters Saturday's game top in the nation in total offensive yards, 2,382, and total passing yards, 2,195. He is second in the country in total offensive yards per game at 397 yards per game and passing yards per game, 365.8. On Sept. 5, Peters completed 42 of his 61 passes for 513 yards and four touchdowns.
Levi Sutton caught 13 Peters' passes for a total of 131 yards receiving. Sutton ranks No. 1 in the NAIA in total receptions, 50. He is second in the country in total receiving yards, 620, and receptions per game, 8.3.
Eastern Oregon's last meeting with Rocky in Billings was Nov. 1, 2008, when the Bears bounced to a 37-21 win over the Mountaineers. RMC jumped out to 14-0 first quarter lead and stretched it to 28-6 at halftime. Peters threw for 312 yards, completing 22 of his 34 passes. Brian Guisti caught seven passes for 154 receiving yards for RMC. Ware finished 23 of 35 with 244 passing yards. EOU's Justin Reynolds had six catches for 104 yards. The 2007 meeting in Billings on Oct. 27 was a close outcome with the Bears holding off the Mountaineers, 21-17.
Rocky Mountain began the year strong defeating No. 16 at the time Dickinson State, 28-7. But RMC has dropped five consecutive games, all in Frontier Conference play, including last week's tough loss at Montana-Western. The Bears got out to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter and led 20-0 at halftime. Twenty-one unanswered points by the Bulldogs led to Western's rallying victory and depleted the Bears. Peters was 34 of 59 for 334 yards with three touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.
Eastern Oregon holds a 7-3 advantage over RMC in the all-time series, but the Bears have won three of the last five meetings with EOU. Eastern is 3-2 at on the road versus Rocky Mountain in all its meetings in Billings.
Saturday's game time is set for 1 p.m. MT, with pre-game beginning at 11:40 a.m. PT on 104.7 FM KCMB. The Bears play-by-play radio affiliates, KQBL, will be making the calls on the radio feed.
