Box Score

BOX SCORE



BUTTE, Mont. – The Eastern Oregon University football team opened the 2011 season with a 31-15 win at Montana Tech Saturday.



The Mountaineers (1-0, 1-0 Frontier Conference) were led by Kevin Sampson's game-high 158 rushing yards. The senior finished with 208 all-purpose yards. Sampson ran for a pair of scores. Chris Ware completed 19 of his 29 passes for 170 yards. The Rainier, Ore. native threw a touchdown and two interceptions.



Eastern gained 180 yards on the ground, compared to Tech's 86. Brian Schwarzkopf was 20 for 38 for the Orediggers. He finished with 181 yards through the air and threw no touchdowns and one interception. Montana Tech's Trent Thomas had a game-high 77 receiving yards.



Sampson opened the scoring with a 23-yard touchdown with 1:21 left in the first quarter. The Orediggers' Pat Hansen was the next to score on a short four-yard run at the 12:31 mark of the second quarter.



With 5:40 remaining until halftime, Eastern's Watson Togialua jumped on a loose ball in the Montana Tech endzone for a Mountaineer touchdown. Sampson would get his second rushing touchdown of the game three minutes later on a 35-yard run.



A 14-yard connection from Ware to Jake Burroughs would be the lone score of the third quarter, coming at the 8:00 minute mark of the quarter. Luis Ortiz then hit his first collegiate field goal with 12:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. The freshman connected on the 30-yard attempt. Schwarzkopf ran in a three-yard score with 1:26 left in the game to complete the scoring.



The Mountaineers had a 23 to 16 first down advantage over Tech, along with a 361 to 268 total yard advantage. Eastern dominated the time of possession with a 78:31 to 41:28 advantage. EOU committed five penalties for 37 yards, while the Orediggers had six for 67 yards.



Jake Helbling finished with a game-high 11 tackles to lead Montana Tech. Marc-Avery Airhart led Eastern with five total tackles and an interception. Logan Ledgerwood and Nathan Kobold each had interceptions for Tech.



The win was the third in nine tries at Alumni Coliseum over Montana Tech for Eastern. The Orediggers still hold a 12 to six advantage over EOU in all-time meetings. However, the Mountaineers have won the last two meetings.



Eastern travels to No. 1 Carroll College Sept. 10, for its next contest. The Mountaineers and Carroll kickoff at 1 p.m. Mountain Time. Live video and stats will be available on EOUSports.com. Live radio will be on KCMB 104.7 FM.