Box Score  
 
Butte – Tech running back Pat Hansen ended his first season just like he started it. Hansen tore apart the Western defense and led the Orediggers to a 34-15 victory.

Saturday afternoon was a taste of what to expect next year from this true freshman. From Ekalaka, Hansen finished off his 2011 campaign with big numbers. Hansen had 341 all-purpose yards, 260 rushing and three touchdowns on the day.

Western scored first in the contest. The Bulldogs took advantage of a turnover from quarterback Nick Baker. On Tech's first possession, Baker mishandled the snap and Western's Jackson Lang recovered the ball. Western wasn't able to move far, but got on the board with a 46-yard field goal by Aukkarapong Sribenjakul.

After a couple of long drives that didn't yield a score, Tech finally got on the board at the end of the first half. Nick Baker completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Trent Thomas. This was Thomas's second touchdown on the year. The PAT was blocked by Western and the first half ended with Tech leading 6-3.

The second half began with the start of the Pat Hansen show. In the wildcat formation, Hansen took the first snap of the half up the middle for an 80-yard touchdown run. This brought the Tech lead to ten on Zach Reisenauer's PAT.

Still in the third quarter, Western's Zach McRae fumbled trying to avoid the sack from linebacker Ryan Jones. Tech's Jacob Workman recovered the fumble. Two plays later, Baker connected with Hansen in the flats and he took the ball 15-yards in for his second touchdown of the day.

Western had to punt on their next drive and Tech took over at their own 24 yard line. Hansen took the ball on the next play and ran away from the Bulldogs for another touchdown. This 76-yard run at the end of the third quarter put Western down by a score of 27-3.

Western's running back Charlie Dotson had a 33-yard touchdown run on their next drive. The Bulldogs missed the two-point conversion attempt, but they still had a chance in the game. Tech had to punt their next drive after Western held them to three plays. Dotson scored again on a 7-yard run, but Western missed on the two-point conversion once again. Tech's lead was cut down to 27-15.

The 'Diggers came back on the very next drive to put out any hope Western had left. Baker connected with Brandon Preslar for a 29-yard touchdown. This was Baker's second touchdown of the game.

The Orediggers defense was led by senior lineman Marcus Johnson. Johnson had 9 tackles on the day including 2 for a loss. Sophomore and Butte native Mike Waldman turned in a solid performance. The defensive end had 8 tackles on the day which included 1.5 sacks.

Even though it was Senior Day, Tech fans are feeling good about the future as freshman Pat Hansen turned in a top-notch performance at Alumni Coliseum Saturday afternoon.