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BUTTE, Mont. -- The Eastern Oregon University football team begins its 2011 season at Montana Tech Saturday. The weekly notes are now available.

* Game 1: Eastern Oregon (0-0, 0-0 Frontier) at Montana Tech (1-0, 0-0 Frontier)
* When: Saturday, Sept. 3, 6 p.m. MT
* Where: Alumni Coliseum, Butte, Mont.
* Live Stats: EOUSports.com      
* Live Video: EOUSports.com      
* Live Radio: KCMB 104.7 FM
* Series: Montana Tech holds an 11-6 all-time advantage.

GAME TIME
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. MT at Alumni Coliseum with a live video stream on EOUSports.com. A live radio broadcast will also be available on KCMB 104.7 FM in La Grande and Baker City.

THE SERIES
* Montana Tech leads the all-time series 11-6.
* The Orediggers have a 6-2 advantage over Eastern in Butte.
* The last time EOU won at Alumni Coliseum was Sept. 19, 2009, 32-20.
* The last meeting between the teams was last season in La Grande on Oct. 15.
* Eastern Oregon won that meeting, 31-28, on EOU's Homecoming.
* The winner in five of the last six meetings has scored at least 28 points..
* Three of the last six meetings have been decided by a combined eight points.
* The last six meetings have been split between the teams.
* Tech has a 7-3 advantage over EOU in the last 10 meetings.

QUICK HITS
* Eastern has won four of its last 10 season openers, but has lost two straight.
* The Mountaineers last season-opening win was against Montana Tech in 2008.
* EOU is 32-46 all-time in season-openers, a percentage of .410.
* The Mountaineers' Chris Ware is two rushing touchdowns from breaking the Eastern Oregon career school record. It would be his 13th school record.
* In the games Eastern lost last season it had been outscored 86-23 in the first quarter.
* Eastern Oregon plays its first three games away from home for the first time since 2006. The Mountaineers went 1-2 in that stretch. It was also the last time EOU played three road games in a row.
* EOU is 11-3 when leading at halftime under Tim Camp, but 4-11 when trailing.
* Under Tim Camp, the Mountaineers are 24-7 when they score at least 30 points.
* Montana Tech scored 50 points in a 50-47 win last weekend for the first time since 2004.
* After 24 years under Bob Green, the OreDiggers are playing their second game under their new head coach, Chuck Morrell.
* The Mountaineers play at night for the first time since Oct. 29, 2005, at Azusa Pacific.

WARE CLOSES IN ON LUCKY NO. 13
Eastern Oregon quarterback, Chris Ware, is two rushing touchdowns from breaking the school's rushing touchdowns in a career record. The senior has scored 20 rushing touchdowns in his career, one shy of tying Damien Johnson's seven-year-old record at EOU. Ware currently holds 12 school records. The Rainier, Ore. native has a chance to break record number 14 later this season. He is 78 rushing attempts from topping Tim Sicocan's 11-year-old school record.

SEATTLE'S BEST
Mountaineer runningback, Kevin Sampson, is looking to build on last season's record-breaking year. The senior had seven games with at least 100 yards rushing in 2010, topped by a season opening 227 yard performance against Southern Oregon. The Seattle native broke the school record for rushing yards in a single season last year with 1,309. He became the fourth Mountaineer all-time to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Sampson can become the school's career leader in rushing yards if gains 915 yards in 2011.

BEAUT IN BUTTE
Alumni Coliseum has been home of Montana Tech football since 1966. Now in its 43rd season the home field to the OreDiggers has become one of the toughest places to play in the Frontier Conference. From the long trip, to the raucous fans, to the talented football played at Tech, Alumni Coliseum is a formidable place for opposing teams. Recent renovations include 486 reserved seats and a 18x24 foot video replay board. The Mountaineers are 2-6 against Tech in Butte with the last win coming in 2009.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE START
Great teams know how to get off to a great start to their seasons. Eastern has won four of its last 10 season openers and has an all-time record of 32-46 in season opening games. The Mountaineers have lost their last two season openers. EOU's last season opening win was over Montana Tech in 2008, 38-28. Eastern Oregon's last two season openers have been four-point losses to Southern Oregon. EOU is 2-3 in conference openers since joining the Frontier. Tech lost three straight season openers until it beat Southern last weekend.

ROCKY RUMBLES AT HOME
Fellow Frontier Conference member, Rocky Mountain College, had a big start to its 2011 schedule last weekend. The Battlin' Bears knocked off No. 7 Dickinson State, 38-3, in front of a raucous crowd in Billings, Mont. RMC defeated a top-10 opponent for the first time since 1999, when it beat Dickinson State in the playoffs. Rocky's defense which returns 11 starters from last season's team, held the Blue Hawks to 265 total yards. Dickinson threw for just 57 yards and completed nine of its 31 pass attempts.

WHAT A WAY TO START
Montana Tech's season opening win over Southern Oregon had many high numbers in it. A combined 97 points, 142 plays from scrimmage, and a three and a half hour amount of time to decide a winner in front of a crowd near 3,000. The teams combined for 1,097 total yards of offense, 572 rushing yards and 522 passing yards. Montana Tech's 50 points were the most it has scored in a game since 2004. Tech runningback, Pat Hansen, ran for the winning score on a 25-yard run in double overtime on first down.

EOU PICKED IN TOP 30
The Eastern Oregon University football team was tabbed 28th in the 2011 Victory Sports Network Preseason Poll. The Mountaineers received the second highest ranking in the Frontier Conference with Carroll College predicted as the preseason national favorite. EOU's first opponent of the season, Montana Tech, was rated No. 29. Behind Carroll, Eastern, and Montana Tech in the Frontier Conference was Rocky Mountain College at No. 37, Montana State-Northern at No. 43, and Montana Western was 58th. Southern Oregon, was No. 39.

RIVAL RECOGNIZES WARE
Eastern Oregon University football student-athlete, Chris Ware, was recognized by Southern Oregon University as a Raider Rival award winner. For the second straight year, the Southern Oregon athletic department has honored opposing NAIA student-athletes with the Raider Rival Awards. The honor is handed out to an opponent of each SOU program that has demonstrated sportsmanship and respect, as well as being an outstanding student-athlete. The awards were voted on by SOU student-athletes from the respective programs.

DUO NAMED TO NATION'S ELITE
Eastern Oregon University football student-athletes, Kevin Sampson and Chris Ware, were named to the Victory Sports Network Super 72. Ware was listed as the third best returning quarterback in the nation, in front of Carroll College's Dane Broadhead who was fourth. Ware was listed in the Super 72 in last year's preview magazine as well. Sampson is listed in the magazine among the elite players for the first time after breaking several school rushing records a season ago. The senior is listed as the fourth best running back in the country.

WARE COVERS COVER
Eastern Oregon University football student-athlete, Chris Ware, made the cover of the Victory Sports Network 2011 season preview magazine. Produced by veteran National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics journalist Jason Dannelly, along with members of the Victory Sports Network team, the VSN NAIA Football Preview provides detailed information on the teams.