DILLON – The 19th-ranked Montana Western Bulldogs faced a familiar foe at home on Saturday, hosting the Carroll College Saints.
The two played in what was Western’s season opener on Sept. 1, and the Bulldogs pulled out a gutsy 16-10 win to start what has been an unexpected season. Saturday’s matchup wasn’t nearly as close, as Western pulled away for a 30-10 win.
The Bulldogs got on the board first with a pick-6 from cornerback Kyrin Allen. Jon Jund scrambled in for a touchdown later in the first that would give the Bulldogs a 13-0 lead.
Carroll’s defense came alive in the second, however, producing its own pick-6 courtesy of McBride Galt, which cut the lead down to a one-score game. The Saints picked off Jund again in the same quarter, but the Bulldog defense, which has been nothing short of spectacular this season, came up big and held the lead to 13-7 heading into halftime.
Western has dominated fourth quarters this season and again lived up to that on Saturday.
Jund connected with wideout Walker McKitrick for a 31-yard touchdown, and Jason Ferris came up with a momentum-busting interception for the Bulldogs. Jund again would cross the goal line on a quarterback sneak to give the Bulldogs the final 30-10 lead.
The win puts the Bulldogs at 5-1 overall and gives them sole possession of the Frontier Conference lead. They’ll prepare for their next game, which takes them on the road to MSU-Northern next Saturday. The Saints fall to 3-4 overall. Their next game is against Rocky Mountain College at Helena next Saturday.
