BUTTE, Mont. – The No. 21 Eastern Oregon University football team fell on the road at Montana Tech Saturday, 39-21.
In the Frontier Conference opener for both teams, Montana Tech (1-1) (1-0) amassed 467 yards of total offense. Matt Komac completed 14 of his 24 pass attempts for 234 yards and four touchdowns and ran in two scores. JT McIntyre caught four passes for 103 yards and a score. Drew Savage led the OreDiggers on the ground with 109 yards on 10 carries.
The Mountaineers (0-2) (0-1) had 307 yards of offense, 87 yards came on the ground. Eastern's
Chris Ware was 18 of 34 for 220 yards, threw three touchdowns, and was intercepted twice. EOU committed nine penalties and was charged with 76 yards, compared with Montana Tech's six penalties for 50 yards.
EOU's
Kevin Sampson ran for 84 yards on 19 carries and
Kirk Miller caught four passes for a team-high 90 yards receiving.
Eastern took a 7-0 lead early in the game with a 65-yard touchdown pass from Ware to Miller. Komac responded with a seven-yard touchdown run with 6:48 remaining in the first quarter. Komac connected with Craig Halko five minutes later for a 10-yard pass to take a 14-7 lead.
The Mountaineers scored first in the second quarter tying the game after Ware found
Abraham Naway for a nine-yard touchdown. Komac then found Bryce Worthington for a six-yard touchdown pass with 6:08 left in the first half. After having a 20-14 halftime lead, Tech started the second half scoring with a McIntyre 44-yard pass reception from Komac two minutes into the third quarter.
Eastern Oregon scored a 17-yard touchdown pass from Ware to Miller on a fourth-and-three, but the OreDiggers responded a minute later with a Brandon Boltz seven-yard pass from Komac. Montana Tech completed the scoring on its first possession of the fourth quarter when Komac punched in a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard-line at the 10:05 mark in the final quarter.
The Mountaineers host No. 3 Carroll College (1-0) (1-0) Sept. 11 in Community Stadium. The Saints held off Rocky Mountain College, 24-20, to open their season Saturday in Helena, Mont. Kickoff in La Grande is scheduled for 1 p.m. The game will be video streamed on EOUSports.com and be broadcasted by KCMB 104.7 FM.
