Game 10
(RV) Montana Tech (6-3) vs. Montana State Northern (0-9)
Tillman Field
Havre, Mont.
November 12, 2022
1:00 p.m. Kickoff

WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS

Last Time
· Montana Tech defeated Montana State Norther 73-0 in Butte in their first meeting this season October 1st
· The Orediggers had 467 yards of offense while holding the Lights to just 28 yards
· Blake Thelen completed 10 of 14 pass attempts for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns
· Trevor Hoffman had 5 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown
· Kaleb Winterburn had 2 touchdowns while Ethan Renner led the team in rushing with 99 yards
· The Orediggers defense had 6 sacks and recovered 4 fumbles
· Keyshawn James-Newby led the defense with 7 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble

For the Record
· Head Coach Kyle Sampson played and coached at MSU-Northern and is 3-0 against his alma mater
· Coach Samson has outscored the Lights 137-13 while shutting them out twice
· The Orediggers are 3-1 on the road this season
· Samson was a three-time all-conference selection for the Lights and was named the Frontier Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2006
· Samson finished his career for MSU Northern with 5,303 yards passing, 1,591 yards rushing, and 45 total touchdowns
· Coach Samson was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under his father and head coach Mark Samson from 2007-14

Checking the Numbers
· The Oredigger offense leads the league in scoring (33.3 ppg) and are 3rd in yards (410.9 yds/gm)
· The Oredigger offense is 2nd in passing (237.9 yds/gm) and passing TDs with 17
· The Tech offense is 3rd in rushing (162.4 yds/gm) and 4th in rushing TDs (18)
· The Oredigger defense is 3rd in scoring (17.4 ppg) and total defense (282.2)
· The Tech defense is 2nd against the pass (145.9 yds/gm) and 4th against the run (132.7 yds/gm)
· The Oredigger defense leads the conference in takeaways with 21
· The Lights are averaging 2 ppg and giving up 45.6
· The Lights defense has 17 takeaways this year but are giving up 444.9 yrd/gm
 
Scouting the Northern Lights—Montana State Northern is finishing their first year under head coach Jerome Souers. The Lights have struggled this season and are still winless under Souers. The Lights last win was against Eastern Oregon last season. The Lights 22-20 victory over the Mountaineers on October 23, 2021 is their only conference win since 2016. The Lights have scored just 18 points this season. The Lights are averaging 71.6 yards a game on offense while the defense is giving up 444.9 yards. The defense is allowing an average 45.6 points a game.

Watching the Weather—The forecast isn't calling for snow, but Saturday will be cold on the Highline. The high for Saturday is 19 degrees and supposed to be 15 degrees at kickoff. The wind looks minimal at this time at 5 mph but with a cloudy day it will feel like 6 degrees.

Defensive Force—Keyshawn James-Newby continues to make an impact and is picking up momentum as the season has progressed for the Oredigger defense. Last week was one of his top efforts of the season. James-Newby had his second straight 2 sack game finishing with 7 tackles and 4 tackles for loss. He also knocked down his fifth pass of the season. He leads the conference in sacks (9) and tackles for a loss (14.5).

Special Effort—Senior Naoki Harmer blocked his third kick of the season and sparked the Orediggers at the end of the first half against Western. Harmer blocked a Bulldog punt and Matt Whitcomb picked up the loose ball taking it in for a touchdown. Harmer is the only Frontier Conference athlete to block multiple kicks this season. Harmer is also third in the league in broken up passes with 8. He also has 2 forced fumbles and an interception.

Hoffman Hauls in Another TD—Senior wide receiver Trevor Hoffman hauled in his fifth touchdown of the season last Saturday and set the career mark higher with his 25th career score. Hoffman leads the Frontier in receptions (47), yards (713), and is in a five-way tie for receiving touchdowns.

Efficient Touch—Quarterback Blake Thelen has started the last 7 games and leads the conference in efficiency rating with a 144.1. The redshirt sophomore is fifth in the conference in passing yards (1,333) with fewer games and is third in yards per game (190.4 yds/gm). Thelen has the best touchdown to interception ratio with 11 TDs to just 3 interceptions on the season. He had just one interception in his first six starts.

Winterburn Goes to Work—Junior running back Kaleb Winterburn carried the running game last week and made the most of it. The Helena native hit 100 yards on 21 carries and scored on a four-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter capping off a 16 play 80 yard drive. Winterburn had 42 yards on 8 carries on the scoring drive.

Torgerson Goes Big—Sophomore wide receiver Kyle Torgerson found the open spaces and made big catches last Saturday. Torgerson had season highs in receptions and yards catching 8 passes for 137 yards. The Great Falls High product is fourth in the conference this season in receptions (39) and third in receiving yards (597). Torgerson leads the conference in all-purpose yards this season taking on the return duties for the Orediggers. He has 1,150 yards averaging 127.8 yards a contest.