BILLINGS — Rocky Mountain College felt the heat from MSU-Northern on Saturday but pitched a shutout in the second half to claim a 27-12 victory in their Frontier Conference matchup at Herb Klindt Field.
Rocky quarterback Graedyn Buell found Josepth Dwyer with an 8-yard touchdown pass to give the Battlin' Bears a 24-17 lead in the third quarter. It served as the only TD of the second half for either team.
Austin Drake added a 30-yard field goal later in the third quarter for Rocky, which improved to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the Frontier with the win. Northern is now 0-2 overall and 0-1 in the conference.
But the Lights, who were looking to break a 41-game Frontier road losing streak, went up 6-0 in the first quarter on a 27-yard scoring pass Zach Brooks to Reid Woodward.
Rocky answered with a 53-yard TD run by Buell and a 25-yard scoring throw from Buell to Eric Lira to go up 14-6, but Northern scored on special teams when Spencer Lehnerz scooped up a blocked punt deep in Bears territory for a touchdown to make it 14-12.
Still, those were the only points the Lights would score. Rocky got a 37-yard field goal from Drake before halftime to go into intermission ahead 17-12.
Rocky outgained Northern in total yards 344-202. Buell threw for 128 yards and rushed for 79. Ben Rooney had 93 rushing yards for the Bears.
Mason Dionne had a game-high 94 rushing yards to lead Northern. Brooks threw for 56 yards but was intercepted twice, once by Cade Reynolds and another time by Mason Browning.
