LA GRANDE, Ore. - 18th-ranked Mountaineers Football improved to 2-0 on Saturday afternoon with a tough 35-28 home win over the visiting Montana Western Bulldogs. A fourth down stop the EOU's defense against the Bulldogs thwarted a potential chance at forcing overtime.

How it Happened
• The Mountaineers offense had a solid outing on its home turf totaling 408 yards against the Bulldogs (1-1, 1-1 Frontier). Key stops by the Mountaineers' defense including a defensive touchdown were key in the win.
• Offensively, the Mountaineers also had a solid outing through the air with 283 yards passing and four different players scored on passes from Kai Quinn. A pick six from Zak Donato also added to the Mountaineers scoring barrage as they started off home play on a high note.
• Eastern got on the board on its opening drive after winning the coin toss. The opening drive was also one of the longest using up 8:27 of clock time. A seven yard touchdown pass from Quinn to Cade Reed capped the drive and gave the Mounties a 7-0 lead after the successful PAT.
• Montana Western answered on the ensuing drive with a quick eight play, 75 yard drive that tied the contest at 7-all. A two-yard run into the endzone ended the drive to lock the score into a tie. The score remained tied at  7-7 going into the second quarter.
• The Bulldogs grabbed their first and only lead of the game early in the second quarter on a drive that started late in the first. It was another rushing touchdown, this time from two yards out, that gave UMW the lead.
• EOU stalled on the next drive and the Bulldogs got the ball back with momentum. UMW drove from its own 11-yard line and got to the EOU 1-yard line with the chance to score. Quarterback Jon Jund then fumbled and EOU recovered to keep the score at 14-7.
• EOU got the ball back with 2:21 on the clock and used 1:50 to get on the board. Four straight completions by Quinn to start the drive were key, with two passes being over 30+ yards. He capped the 99 yard drive with a three-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Brown to tie the score at 14-all.
• After the following kickoff went for a touchback, the Bulldogs looked to respond but their efforts stalled in just one play. Zak Donato picked off UMW quarterback Jon Jund and returned the interception 29 yards for a touchdown to make it a 21-14 game, which EOU took into halftime.
• UMW got the ball to start the second half but was forced to punt on the opening drive. EOU capitalized after pinning the Bulldogs deep in their own territory. Needing to clear just 55 yards, EOU did it in seven plays. Quinn once again ended the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Saige Wilkerson.
• Eastern held a 28-14 lead for the majority of the third quarter as defensive play picked up for both teams the next two drives. Both squads forced punts but it was not until late in the third when the Bulldogs scored to get back within one score.
• After a solid punt return on an EOU punt, UMW needed just 48 yards to clear to score. The ground game for UMW did the majority of the work and a 14-yard run ended the drive. With the PAT, UMW found itself within one touchdown at 28-21.
• The score remained at 28-21 after the third quarter and it was early in the fourth quarter that EOU scored its final touchdown to ultimately secure the win. Early in the fourth, EOU got to the UMW two-yard line but a fumble by Quinn kept the contest close for the time being.
• The Bulldogs were unable to capitalize on the fumble and punted again on the ensuing drive thanks to stout defense by the Mountaineers. With 9:19 the Mountaineers got the ball back and needed just 2:40 to score and got ahead by 14.
• Eastern got the ball on its own 41 and needed just eight plays to get on the board. Once again it was Quinn who capped the drive with another touchdown pass. This time he found Jonah Lijewski-Blackham on a 10 pass to the back corner of the endzone to make it a 35-21 game.
• UMW's final score came on the ensuing drive as the Bulldogs went 75 yards in 14 plays for the touchdown. A fourth down and third down conversion kept the drive alive before a 22 yard touchdown pass got UMW on the board for the final score of 35-28.
• The Bulldogs then forced a three-and-out on the next drive to give themselves one last shot at a chance to tie. UMW got to the EOU 45 before getting into a fourth and one situation with under 10 seconds to play. Solo Taylor ended the game as he sacked UMW's quarterback to force the turnover and secure the Mountaineers win.

Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Kai Quinn was 23-34 passing with four touchdowns and 283 yards. He also rushed for 44 yards to finish with 327 yards of total offense.
• Saige Wilkerson had a solid day with nine catches for 82 yards and a touchdown reception. 
• Tyler Brown and Jonah Lijewski-Blackham both had three catches and a touchdown.
• Solo Taylor had 14 tackles to lead all players. He also had 1.0 tackle for loss and 1.0 sack.
• Zak Donato finished with eight tackles and had one interception for a touchdown.
• Zachary Cahill was a perfect 5-5 for PAT attempts in the win.

For the Bulldogs
• Jon Jund was 26-40 for 295 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
• Reese Nelville rushed for three touchdowns on 20 carries and had 79 yards.
• Jamison Hermanson had nine catches for a game-high 138 yards.
• Dylan Pope led the UMW defense in tackles with eight. 

By the Numbers
18 - EOU is now 18-9 under Tim Camp when scoring 30 or more points.
0 - The Mountaineers' offensive line did not have a single holding penalty in the win.
8 - Eastern is now 8-3 at home against Montana Western under Tim Camp.
4 - The Mountaineers have now won each of their last four games at home against UMW.

Up Next
• The Mountaineers have their first of two bye weeks next weekend. EOU will be back in action on Sept. 18 when the team travels to Montana to take on Carroll College.

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