Its Homecoming weekend again for the Orediggers, but this time it's actually at home. No. 16 Montana Tech hosts the Southern Oregon Raiders at 1 PM Saturday at Alumni Coliseum.
The Orediggers (3-1) have won their last three games and have the longest current win streak in the Frontier Conference after defeating Rocky 24-6 last weekend in Billings. They are on top of the West Division in the Frontier.
The Raiders (2-1) are coming off a 45-7 blowout of Dickinson State at home. There lone loss of the season came at the hands of Rocky opening weekend. Southern is half a game back of Tech.
Last year's shootout between the teams needed two overtimes to decide the game. Running back Pat Hansen broke a school single game scoring record as he ran into the end zone five times for 30 points.
The Raiders boast the best offense in the Frontier. They are first in the nation in total offense per game averaging 585.7 yards a game. Sophomore Austin Dodge averages 336 yards a game through the air and senior Cole McKenzie averages 8.3 catches and 145 yard. Senior running back Manny Barragan averages 104.3 yards on the ground. All of them lead their respective categories in the Frontier.
The Tech defense will look to contain the explosive Raiders on Saturday and heat up some offense of their own.
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Media Notes
For the Record
Þ Saturday's game is Military Appreciation Day and Hall of Fame induction for 2009 Tech All-Americans Brian Nickel and Stephan Burns
Þ It is 879 miles from Ashland, Oregon to Butte, the longest for any opponent
Þ Montana Tech leads the overall series 2-1
Þ Southern Oregon's only victory against Tech was 30-25 at Alumni Coliseum on 8/28/08
Þ Tech defeated Southern Oregon 50-47 in the season opener last year in double overtime
Þ Running back Pat Hansen had a school record five touchdowns against SOU last time, four on the ground and one receiving
Þ Hansen rushed for 195 yards and caught 6 passes for 28 yards last time
Þ Montana Tech is on a three game winning streak, the longest since Sept. 2010
Þ The next longest winning streak is four games from Oct.-Nov. 2007
Þ This is the longest streak in the Frontier Conference this year
Þ The current winning streak is the longest under second year head coach Morrell
Þ No. 16 is the highest Tech has been ranked since reaching No. 20 Nov. 2007
Þ This is the third homecoming game in a row for Tech
Þ Tech is undefeated in homecoming games this season
Þ Tech will play its fourth and final homecoming game next week in Dickinson
High Score—Both teams on the field have potent offenses. SOU is first in scoring offense (43.0 points per game) and Tech is second(28.0).
Baking Success—Junior quarterback Nick Baker is ranked third in the conference and seventh in the nation in passing yards per game (261) even after last week's defensive battle. Rocky has the second highest rated pass defense (192.6) in the Frontier while SOU is ranked second to last giving up 298.7 yards through the air a game and two touchdowns.
Killing it Kinney—Junior transfer Zach Kinney leads Tech in receptions (26) and receiving yards (346) Last week he had eight catches for 75 yards. He ranks third in the conference (6.5) in receptions per game and fifth in receiving yards per game (86.5). He is ranked ninth and 16th nationally in those categories.
Touzinsky Tough—Having a breakout year, sophomore linebacker Mike Touzinsky is coming off his first POW performance even though he has been playing strong all season. He ranks fourth in NAIA Div. I in tackles for a loss (9.0) and sixth in TFL per game (2.3). He leads the team in tackles 38 after last week's performance of 12 tackles, four for a loss and two sacks. He ranks fourth in the conference in tackles per game with 9.5.
Keying on Pat—The opposing defenses are paying attention to running back Pat Hansen cutting down on his run production. But he also can pass completing a 33 yard strike last weekend. He still ranks third in the conference in rushing with 92.5 yards a game. He is a weapon on many levels averaging 5.3 receptions a game ranking him seventh in the conference. Hansen, the team's leading scorer, has been held scoreless the last two games.
Working Men— Sophomore defensive lineman Jacob Workman and junior Mike Waldman are doing their job in the trenches and producing good numbers. After just one tackle against EOU, Workman is averaging 6.3 tackles a game and has 5.5 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks in the last three games. Waldman averages 4.5 tackles a game and has 5.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks on the year. They are both tied for fifth in the conference tackles for a loss.
Two For Thompson—Sophomore safety Nate Thompson is tied for first in the Frontier with two interceptions on the year including his pick-six last weekend in Billings. Senior Keke Frank also had a pick-six in that game.
