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Victor Dias
Jordan Meyer
17
Montana Tech MTT 3-4 , 3-4
35
Winner Eastern Oregon EOU 5-2 , 5-2
Montana Tech MTT
3-4 , 3-4
17
Final
35
Eastern Oregon EOU
5-2 , 5-2
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
MTT Montana Tech 3 0 0 14 17
EOU Eastern Oregon 0 14 14 7 35

Game Recap: Football | | Spencer Jones, EOU Sports Information Assistant

No. 19 Mountaineers Win Fourth Straight, Defeat Orediggers 35-17

LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon football team celebrated Homecoming in a big way with a 35-17 win over Montana Tech in Frontier Conference play Saturday afternoon.

The No. 19 Mountaineers (5-2) carried the momentum of their big upset of Southern Oregon last week, winning their fourth straight contest in convincing fashion.

The (RV) Orediggers (3-4) started the season winning three of their first four games, but have dropped three straight since. Their most notable win was against the Mountaineers back on September 8th.

In the first meeting between these two squads, the Orediggers bested the Mounties 24-17. EOU took a 14-0 lead into the half in that game, but struggled offensively for the remainder of the game and didn't take care of the football. However, the defense performed well, holding MT to 278 yards and forced five turnovers.

Today's game was much different than the first meeting between these two programs. The Mountaineer defense continued their dominance that they displayed against Southern Oregon, holding Montana Tech to 17 points on 320 yards. They sacked the quarterback seven times, and forced two turnovers. Seven of the Diggers' points came from an interception returned for a touchdown.

The offense started slow, but picked it up the momentum in the second quarter. Running back Victor Dias found the end zone three times, twice from the air and once on the ground. The other EOU score came in the first quarter, with quarterback Kai Quinn hitting his favorite target in wide receiver Brenden Kelly in the back of the end zone. Kelly made an athletic play to keep his feet in bounds, and finished the day with 27 yards on three catches. Quinn threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns.

Dias' first touchdown was the longest offensive play from scrimmage in the game, taking a screen pass 74 yards for a score. It came at the end of the first half, giving the Mountaineers some much needed momentum going into halftime. Dias also has another receiving touchdown from seven yards out, and added a five-yard rushing score. These two scores came within two minutes of each other, due to a successful onside kick by senior Nathan Harden. Dias ended the day with 82 yards on 14 carries, and two catches for 82 yards with three combined touchdowns.

Running back Kaler Moore also was effective in the game, and he caught a six-yard score from Quinn early in the fourth quarter. Additionally, Moore gained 60 yards on 12 attempts. Wide receiver TJ Hancock also had a good day, accruing a team-high five catches for 67 yards.

The defense had a very balanced performance, and had multiple people contribute in a big way. Three players tied for the team lead in tackles with seven, including Justin Hughes, Haziel Ledezma, and Isaiah Cranford. Cranford and Chase Van Wyck led the defense with 1.5 sacks, and Hughes recorded an interception.

The defense only allowed ten points all game. The other seven points by MT were attributed to an 83-yard pick-six by Montana Tech's linebacker Carter Meyers. The pass was tipped in the air at the line of scrimmage, and Meyers took advantage of the opportunity and scored one of two MT touchdowns. The other touchdown came from a 44-yard yard pass by Oredigger quarterback Jet Campbell to wide receiver Dion Williams. Williams tallied 10 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown to lead all players.

The Mountaineers will put their winning streak on the line in a matchup with the College of Idaho (3-5), who are coming off a big upset of Southern Oregon. The Yotes have won three straight games since losing five in a row to open 2018. The Mounties got the best of C of I on August 25, winning 24-21 at Community Stadium. The rematch is set for next Saturday, October 27 at 1 p.m. MT in Caldwell.

For more information on Eastern Oregon football, follow @EOUAthletics or visit eousports.com.
 
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Contact: Iain Dexter; 541-962-3946; idexter@eou.edu
 
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