LA GRANDE, Ore. – Rocky Mountain junior quarterback Chase White rushed in for the two-point conversion in double overtime to doom the (RV) Eastern Oregon University football team, and the Mountaineers lost a heartbreaker to the Battlin' Bears, 36-35, on Saturday afternoon at Community Stadium.
Under eighth-year head football coach Tim Camp, it was just the second time the Navy and Gold had to face an overtime affair.
"First of all, a great crowd out here today," said Camp. "The fans didn't let the guys let up. It shows just what kind of fans the Mounties have. This team will look at the next challenge ahead. All the great teams do it. It's a challenging schedule ahead of us but that's what you have to do if you're going to compete in a conference like the Frontier each week."
Key Performances
Junior quarterback Zach Bartlow went 25 of 40 for a season-best 264 yards, including four touchdowns for EOU, while senior wide receiver Jace Billingsley ran 88 yards on 21 carries.
Both junior wide receiver TJ Esekielu and sophomore wide receiver Joshua Richards combined for 10 catches and 137 yards for EOU.
Defensively, the Mountaineers saw three players post double figures in tackles, with senior linebacker Gary Posten leading the way with 15. In addition, senior linebacker Kristopher Welch and senior defensive back Adam Bese added 11 and 10 tackles, respectively.
The Storyline
Trailing by a pair of touchdowns, EOU got to business late in the second quarter after Billingsley rushed two yards for the touchdown with a little over three minutes remaining in the frame.
On the ensuing possession, sophomore defensive back Jorden Payne intercepted White's pass and returned it 32 yards to Rocky Mountain's own 30-yard line.
With 37 seconds left in the quarter, Bartlow completed a five-play, 45-yard drive with a beautiful 22-yard touchdown pass to Esekielu to knot the contest at 14 apiece.
Although the Battlin' Bears scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half, the Mountaineers responded with one of their own, as Bartlow's 25-yard toss found sophomore wide receiver Calvin Connors in the end zone with 4:39 left in the third quarter.
The fourth stanza saw a back-and-fourth defensive battle by the two Frontier Conference squads until Bartlow's pass to Richards lifted EOU to Rocky Mountain's 12-yard line.
For a second, it looked as if history was going to repeat itself with the Navy and Gold taking down Rocky Mountain with a last-second field goal; however, EOU came up empty on a 28-yarder, forcing the heated battle into overtime.
Trailing 28-21 in the first overtime, EOU tricked Rocky Mountain with a halfback option pass from Billingsley to Richards for the touchdown to tie the game, and then Bartlow followed with a 25-yard touchdown toss to Esekielu to put the Navy and Gold just one defensive stop away from taking down the Battlin' Bears.
But on third-and-eight, White found senior wide receiver Andre McCullouch for the first down to keep the Battlin' Bears alive. Following a six-yard touchdown pass, White rushed in for the two-point conversion, and Rocky Mountain (3-2, 2-2 Frontier) escaped La Grande with a 36-35 upset win.
"I am very disappointed for our players and fans with the loss," said Camp. "We had the opportunity to play one of the better teams in the Frontier. We knew it would be a tough game. Credit goes to Rocky Mountain College and their coaching staff."
Stat of the Game
4 – Third-down conversions by EOU compared to 11 by Rocky Mountain.
Up Next
The Navy and Gold (1-4, 1-3 Frontier) returns to the field on Oct. 10 against No. 6 Carroll College in Helena, Mont., at 1:05 p.m. MT.
"As we move forward, we've have a lot of pieces to build on and we still control our own destiny," said Camp. "I am proud of how the team continued to battle. We must take advantage of opportunities when those opportunities are available to us."
