Game 1
Copper Game presented by Rocky Mountain Credit Union
#16 Montana Tech vs #15 Carroll College
6 PM Kickoff on August 31, 2023
Bob Green Field at Alumni Coliseum
 
WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS

FULL GAME NOTES

· Coach Kyle Samson is 1-1 in season openers
· Coach Samson is 1-1 against Carroll College defeating the Saints 26-10  in the Copper Game last year
· The Saints are the only Frontier School the Orediggers face twice in 2023
· The first meeting between Tech and Carroll is a nonconference game
 
Scouting the Fighting Saints—The Saints enter the 2023 season led by head coach Troy Purcell in his fifth year at the helm. In his four seasons the Saints have gone 23-12 overall and have been Frontier Conference Co-Champions twice in 2020 and 2022. Last season the Saints started conference play at 3-2, but finished the back half of the season 5-0 to not only tie the College of Idaho for the conference lead, but also secure the lone invitation to the NAIA Playoffs.
 
Watching the Weather—The forecast for this Thursday night game is looking fantastic. Sunshine all day Thursday, with a high temperature expected to be around 70 degrees. The forcast also calls for winds out of the southwest gusting up to 18 mph. The last home game in Alumni Coliseum had 25-30 mph winds gusting well past that with cold and snow.
 
Offensive Returners—All eyes are focused on the Montana Tech offense that returns eight starters from a year ago. In 2022 the Oredigger "O" averaged 35 points and nearly 400 yards of offense a game leading the Frontier Conference. Junior quarterback Blake Thelen leads the charge for the Diggs. Last season he completed 53% of his passes for 1,375 yards and 12 touchdowns. Thelen earned a spot on the all-conference second team playing in just seven games. Look for senior running back Blake Counts to have a great year to cap his career. Counts rushed for 803 yards and six touchdowns last season. Running behind a powerful offensive front, Counts has racked up 2,333 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns over three seasons in the backfield. Counts earned his third all-conference nod last year and appearing on the first team.
 
How about that Digger D?— The defensive side of the ball returns five starters from a stellar unit a year ago. In 2022 the Digger D gave up 273 yards of total offense a game, which was good for second in the conference and 20^th in the nation. The Orediggers were one of the best in the country against the pass a year ago only allowing 138 yards a game. That was best in the Frontier Conference and good for 6^th in the country. The Defense will be anchored by returners Cole Wyant at linebacker, Angel Sanchez III in the secondary, and Gabe Zanetti in the defensive front.
 
"Games are won and lost by special teams!"—The Orediggers return a very talented group for special teams. Led by Frontier first team all-conference punter Andrew Almos and first team all-conference kicker Ryan Lowry, the Oredigger kicking game should be in a great place to start the season.