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17
Eastern Oregon EOU 1-2 , 1-2
24
Winner Montana Tech MTT 2-0 , 2-0
Eastern Oregon EOU
1-2 , 1-2
17
Final
24
Montana Tech MTT
2-0 , 2-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
EOU Eastern Oregon 14 0 3 0 17
MTT Montana Tech 0 0 21 3 24

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

Mountaineers Slip in Second Half, Fall 24-17 to Orediggers

BUTTE, Mont. - The Eastern Oregon University football team fell to Montana Tech 24-17 Saturday night in a Frontier conference matchup.

The Mountaineers looked to bounce back in Montana after a loss to Southern Oregon last week. EOU started strong, going into the halftime locker room up by 14 points, but a tough break for the EOU offense gave them difficulties the rest of the game.

An injury to starting quarterback Kai Quinn completely flipped the script of the night. The Mountaineers led Tech 17-7 when Quinn left the game, but the Orediggers jumped on the opportunity to score 17 unanswered points after the injury.

The Mountaineers defense was able to force three turnovers in the first quarter, two leading directly to touchdowns. Two fumble recoveries on the Oredigger 10 and six-yard line resulted in two rushing touchdowns, one by running back Victor Dias and another by Quinn. Quinn delivered a powerful stiff arm on his way to the end zone, putting EOU up 14-0.

The defense impressed the entire first half. There was not much yardage gained by either offense, but the takeaways for the Mounties were the key difference in the first two quarters. On top of the two fumbles recovered deep in MT territory, defensive back Zackary Jacobs added two interceptions of his own. Overall, four turnovers were created by EOU's aggressive defense, as they held the Orediggers to under 100 yards of total offense through 30 minutes.

The second half was a different story. After a turnover on the opening possession, the Orediggers drove all the way down the field, finding the end zone for their first points of the game. The touchdown cut EOU's lead to 14-7 early on in the third quarter.

However, Eastern Oregon responded quickly to MT's touchdown. Kicker Nathan Harden connected with a 44-yard field goal on their next possession, increasing the lead to 17-7. Quinn found running back John Lesser for a 36-yard completion leading up to the score.

The injury to Quinn on the next drive was devastating for the Mounties. EOU's offense couldn't find a groove after Quinn left the game. The Blue and Gold turned the ball over three times in the second half, and had trouble moving the chains without their starting quarterback. The Mounties were outscored 24-3 in the second half, and would go on to lose 24-17.

Overall, EOU outgained Montana Tech 312 to 278 for the game. The Mounties forced five turnovers on defense, with two interceptions by Jacobs and one by safety Justin Hughes in the fourth quarter. The Blue and Gold defense also tallied three sacks and seven tackles for loss on the night.

Offensively, Quinn threw for 163 yards and rushed for another 33 with a touchdown. Dias paced the running game with 19 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown. Lesser had four catches for 69 yards while senior wide receiver Brenden Kelly caught three passes for 51 yards.

The Mountaineers have a bye week coming up next, but will retake the field Saturday, September 22nd at 1 p.m. against Montana Western at Community Stadium.

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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