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Montana Western, Montana Tech set for annual rivalry game

Posted at 2:04 PM, Oct 05, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-05 20:14:23-04

BUTTE and DILLON –  You couldn’t ask for a much better stage for Saturday’s game between 22nd-ranked Montana Western and 20th-ranked Montana Tech. Both teams are 3-1 in Frontier Conference play, ranked, and have playoff implications resting on the line.

But the biggest reason this game is so special for both teams is the longstanding history.

“I think every time Tech and Western play, it’s a rival game. Whether no one’s won a game, or both teams have perfect records, I think you throw all that stuff out the window. I think its going to be a really, really fun environment and a great football game,” said Montana Tech head coach Chuck Morrell.

Fun, but also filled with grit, intensity, and, for the Diggers, revenge.

“We’re definitely going to come in with a chip on our shoulders because of last year. We lost to them, and we go down to their place again, and there would be nothing better than to go down and beat them on their home field,” said Tech running back Jed Fike.

Montana Western head coach Ryan Nourse said his team is aware that it has worked hard for everything it has achieved this year and will continue that heading into Saturday’s game, but he also said this kind of game is really what football season is all about.

“These are fun games. This is what college football is all about. This is why these guys grind and do the things that they do,” Nourse said. “It’ll be a good experience on Saturday for a lot of our guys who just haven’t experienced anything like this.”

The Bulldogs will step on the field Saturday with an important advantage: home field.

“We love having the support from the community and Bulldogs all around the state and around the country. We just like protecting our home, protecting (Vigilante Field), just playing well for our fans and giving them a good show,” said Western linebacker Connor McKillop.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday.