After a triumphant first Saturday of the college football season, the MSU-Northern Football Lights suffered defeat one week later to Rocky Mountain College, (45-0). This non-conference matchup featuring two Frontier Teams saw the Battlin’ Bears tack on 342 yards of total offense on 76 plays.
The game was sloppy for both teams to start. MSU-Northern gained momentum on the first drive of the game defensively, when linebacker Dylan Wampler forcing a sack fumble that he recovered around the opposing 35-yard line. For Rocky, it led to a lengthy timeout as starting quarterback Trent Nobach was injured on the play. He had to be stretched off the field and taken in an ambulance.
The Lights could not capitalize on the gift as quarterback Oakley Kopp fumbled the snap on the second play from scrimmage and turned it right back over to the Battlin’ Bears. RMC went down the field for nearly five minutes and scored a rushing touchdown by Zaire Wilcox, one of two scores on the day for the running back.
On the next Lights’ possession, Wampler recorded MSU-Northern’s longest rush of the day with a 10-yard run on a fake punt attempt. The drive stalled four plays later and Northern turned it over on downs.
After the Nobach injury, the Bears didn’t miss a beat with Washington State transfer quarterback Luke Holcomb, who found Nakeo Thomas for a 14-yard touchdown and then his high school teammate, Joseph Dwyer, on a 15-yard touchdown connection before the end of the half to give the team a (21-0) lead.
The third quarter wasn’t much better for MSU-N, who went three-and-out on their first series and proceeded to give up a 45-yard punt return touchdown by Kaysan Barrnett to make it (28-0). This would be followed by a field goal and then another Wilcox rushing touchdown, this one from five yards out.
In the fourth quarter, Rocky Mountain College hung onto the ball for 10:54 and punched in another touchdown to cap the victory. Holcomb finished 15-26 for 142 yards and two touchdowns, while Wilcox rushed for 96 yards on 21 carries and two scores.
MSU-Northern will regroup and go on the road for the first time this season when they go to Kennewick, WA for a scrimmage against Pacific Northwest Christian College. That game will kick off at 4pm MDT.
