No. 8-ranked Montana Western ran away with its first-ever road win, 40-20
ASHLAND – Three long first-quarter touchdown plays positioned No. 8-ranked Montana Western to run away with its first-ever road win against Southern Oregon, 40-20, in the teams’ Frontier Conference West Division opener on Saturday at Raider Stadium’s Laurel Field.
All-American quarterback Michael Palandri completed 17-of-26 pass attempts for 263 yards and a pair of TD passes to Seth Shook for the Bulldogs (4-1 overall), who entered the afternoon with an all-time record of 0-9 in Ashland. Palandri gained 77 more yards on the ground, leading UMW to 470 total yards of offense and the highest point total for an SOU since last October.
The Raiders fell to 1-4. They were in a hole early after Aidan Lammers’ 28-yard TD run, Palandri’s 70-yard TD pass to Shook, and Jakob Humphrey’s 58-yard jaunt to the end zone all within the first 13 minutes of the game.
SOU receiver Trevor Jaasko made five catches for 84 yards and two scores. The second of those was a successful 37-yard Hail Mary as the second-quarter clock expired, slicing UMW’s advantage to 24-14.
The Raiders then got the ball to start the second half, but Connor Dunlea promptly deflated them by coming up with an interception on their first play from scrimmage. The pick set up a short 23-yard march to the end zone for the Bulldogs, and after a defensive stop they went 91 yards on an 11-play drive capped by Palandri’s second TD pass to Shook, making the score 37-14.
SOU quarterback Dom Montiel went 22-of-39 for 311 yards, adding a 33-yard touchdown pass to Donald Glover in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs picked him off three times – Jace Fitzgerald and Brady Mounts accounted for the other interceptions – and their offense turned two of those takeaways into TDs. Mason Stodtmeister’s blocked punt in the fourth quarter also set them up just outside of the red zone for an eventual field goal.
Raider House led SOU’s defense with 11 tackles and a sack. Will Kanavalov Jr. had nine tackles and one for a loss.
Glover (4 catches, 72 yards) and Brandon Barthel (5 catches, 73 yards) helped SOU’s offense move along with running back Fresh Ison, who netted 67 yards on nine carries.
The Raiders are on the road next Saturday, Oct. 11, at winless Simpson (Calif.), which they defeated 59-0 on Aug. 28.
This story first appeared on the Southern Oregon University Sports Information website, souraiders.com.
