Box Score



LA GRANDE, Ore. – The No. 16 Eastern Oregon University football team used a 37-yard field goal from true freshman, Marc David, to beat Montana State-Northern in the final seconds, 17-14.

The Mountaineers' (2-0, 2-0 Frontier Conference) Howard McDonald finished 25 tackles, one tackle shy of equaling the school's single-game record set by Nick Hannah in 2004 at Montana Tech. The senior leads the NAIA with 46 total tackles in two games. McDonald had 20 tackles in the first half. He finished with eight solo tackles and 17 assisted tackles. McDonald had 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one pass breakup, and for the second straight week, a one-yard touchdown run.

Eastern improved its win streak to eight games over MSU-Northern, a streak dating back t Sept. 13, 2008. The Lights have won only once in their eight trips to La Grande all-time.

David, attempting his first field goal this season, split the uprights with 14 seconds remaining in regulation to give the Mountaineers the victory. The Spokane, Wash. native, connected from 34 yards out.

“I knew what I had to do,” David said. “It's something I've done so many times in practice, and I knew I could do it. It feels great, and I'm so glad I could the help the team get this win. It's a great team to be a part of.”

The Lights outgained EOU, 433-349, in total offensive yards, but it was the Mountaineers' defense holding Northern to 2-for-6 inside the red-zone. MSU-Northern racked up 226 yards on the ground, while Eastern had 133.

Northern's Derek Lear completed 18 of his 34 passes for 207 yards. The junior threw one touchdown pass and two interceptions. Eastern Oregon's Tyler Pine finished 15-of-23 for 192 passing yards, with a touchdown. Jason Simonis completed six of his 18 passes, with an interception.

After having its first possession stall at the EOU 18-yard line, Montana State-Northern opened the scoring with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Derek Lear to David Wilson. The touchdown ended a seven-play, 55-yard scoring drive. The Lights had an opportunity to take a two-score lead on their first drive of the second quarter, but Eastern's defense stymied MSUN inside five-yard line three times.

The Mountaineers tied the score with 16 seconds left in the first half, as Pine found Jace Billingsley on a 21-yard touchdown pass connection. Through the first two games of the season, EOU's defense has held opponents to a combined 14 points.

McDonald capped a 13-play, 76-yard drive and started the second half scoring with a one-yard touchdown at the 9:57 mark of the third quarter. Eight minutes later, Stephen Silva finished an 85-yard drive in just six plays with a nine-yard touchdown run.

Silva ended the game with a game-high 88 yards on the ground, while Sean Hurlbut led EOU with 68 rushing yards. MSUN's Kyle Johnston finished with five catches for 84 yards, and Billingsley had nine receptions for 77 yards. The freshman finished with a game-high 121 all-purpose yards.

Nate Rudder and Tristan Askew both made their second interceptions for Eastern this season in the win. Askew's ended MSU-Northern's final drive and set up the winning field goal. Jordan Van Voast had an interception for the Lights (0-2, 0-2), and Ryan Craig recovered a fumble.

The Mountaineers have a week off before traveling to No. 2 Carroll College (1-2, 1-1) Sept. 22. The Saints were upset at Montana Tech Saturday, 37-20. EOU and Carroll will have live video and stats on EOUSports.com. Live radio will be on KCMB 104.7 FM. A live television broadcast will be on Charter Channel 3 in La Grande. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Mountain Time.