HAVRE — Quarterback Luke Holcomb threw two touchdown passes in relief of injured starter Trent Nobach, Zaire Wilcox ran for a pair of TDs and Rocky Mountain College blew past MSU-Northern 45-0 in a non-conference game between Frontier foes Saturday.
It was the 16th consecutive victory in the series for Rocky, which improved its record to 2-0. Northern, following a home win last week against Mayville State, dropped to 1-1.
Nobach was injured in the first quarter, and Holcomb took the reins. Holcomb threw touchdown passes to Nakeo Thomas and Joseph Dwyer as the Battlin' Bears built a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.
Kaysan Barnett had a 45-yard punt return for a touchdown, and Wilcox scored his second rushing TD near the end of the third. Cade Lambert tacked on a 1-yard touchdown run to cap the scoring in the fourth.
Northern's offense achieved just two first downs and had only 46 total yards. Rocky's defense had four QB sacks, led by Alberto Faena's two. Ethan Hurst recovered a fumble.
Holcomb finished 15-of-26 passing for 142 yards and no interceptions for Rocky. Wilcox had 96 rushing yards. Oakley Kopp threw for 59 yards for Northern but lost a fumble.
Elsewhere in the Frontier ...
Montana Western 38, Eastern Oregon 14
LA GRANDE, Ore. — Michael Palandri threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns Saturday as Montana Western began its season with a 38-14 rout of Eastern Oregon.
Jon Kirkley caught four passes and two touchdowns for the Bulldogs (1-0), who led 10-0 at halftime but built the lead on Palandri TD passes to Dylan Shipley and Eli Nourse in the third.
Jake Humphrey scored on a 20-yard run in the fourth quarter to give Western a 38-7 lead.
Bryer Monson led the Bulldogs' pass rush with three quarterback sacks and also had seven solo tackles. Western finished with five total sacks.
No. 12 College of Idaho 42, Southern Oregon 16
CALDWELL, IDAHO — College of Idaho erased a second-quarter deficit and raced past Southern Oregon 42-16 on Saturday.
Andy Peters threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns for the No. 12-ranked Yotes. Receiver Brock Richardson had 163 receiving yards on eight catches and a touchdown.
Richardson's 26-yard touchdown reception from Peterson with 7:38 left in the third put the C of I ahead 21-9 and the Yotes scored three more touchdowns in the second half to blow it open.
No. 15 Carroll 21, No. 16 Montana Tech 19 (Thursday)
BUTTE — Montana Tech running back Blake Counts had just ripped off a 39-yard rushing touchdown to bring his team within two points of a Carroll College squad that seemed to have the game in hand after a critical fumble recovery earlier in the fourth quarter. The Saints needed a stand, and they got one.
Carroll's defense brought down Counts just shy of the goal line on the ensuing two-point conversion run and the Saints then picked up enough first downs to drain the clock and preserve a 21-19 victory at Bob Green Field in Tech's annual Copper Game on Thursday evening.
