The Montana State University-Northern football team battled back in the second half, but a fast start by No. 18 Montana Western proved too much as the Bulldogs defeated the Lights 49-35 Saturday afternoon at Northern.
Montana Western jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the opening quarter before adding four touchdowns and a rouge in the second quarter to take a 44-7 advantage into halftime. The Lights responded after the break, outscoring the Bulldogs 28-5 in the second half, but could not complete the comeback.
Montana Western opened the scoring with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Kaden LaPlaunt to Eli Nourse before a safety and a 44-yard touchdown pass to Seth Shook pushed the Bulldogs' lead to 16-0.
The Bulldogs continued their offensive success in the second quarter, with Nourse finding the end zone four more times. Northern got on the board late in the half when D'Shawn Hill scored on a two-yard touchdown run, cutting the deficit to 37-7. Montana Western added two more points before halftime to take a 44-7 lead.
Northern came out with renewed energy in the second half. Malakhi Statler connected with Isaiah Woodley on a 40-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter, and Woodley added two more touchdown receptions in the fourth quarter — an 88-yard strike and a 53-yard touchdown — to help fuel the Lights' comeback.
Sadik Sadik also broke loose for a 39-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter as Northern continued to battle until the final whistle.
Statler finished the afternoon 21-of-38 passing for 362 yards and three touchdowns. Woodley led the Northern receiving corps with eight catches for 232 yards and three touchdowns, including an 88-yard reception. Juliun Benson added eight receptions for 103 yards.
On the ground, Sadik led Northern with 44 yards and a touchdown on four carries, while Hill added a two-yard touchdown run.
Defensively, Braydon Cline and Jackson Kink each recorded 12 tackles to lead the Lights. Cline finished with 11 solo tackles, while Kink added eight solo tackles and four assists. Wylee Snapp recorded 1.5 sacks, while Julius Leapai added half a sack.
Northern finished with 416 yards of total offense, including 362 passing yards, while Montana Western totaled 618 yards. The Lights converted 21 of 38 passes and did not commit a turnover in the contest.
The Lights will look to bounce back next week when they travel to Dickinson State for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 12.
