When Montana Tech’s football team scored two touchdowns Saturday in the Orediggers’ 24-6 win at Rocky Mountain College, it wasn’t an accident.

The Oredigger defense is designed to put up points.

“Our primary objective is to score,” said Tech head coach Chuck Morrell, who is also the team’s defensive coordinator. “There is nothing worse that can happen to an opposing offense than to go out on the field and give up points. I think our guys are grabbing on to that mentality.”

Ketwaun Frank and Nate Thompson retuned interceptions for touchdowns in Saturday’s win in Billings. In Tech’s Sept. 8 win over Carroll, Mike Touzinksy scooped up a fumbled snap and returned 50-plus yards to set up a touchdown.

Morrell said the big plays in 2012 are coming because the players are comfortable in the system of the second-year head coach.

“Our guys are so much more fundamentally sound that they’re able to put themselves in position to make the big play, and they’re not shying away from that opportunity,” Morrell said. “We want to score points defensively, we want to create turnovers and we want to get off the field on third down. Those are our very-well defined three goals.”

Morrell said his team practices and preaches picking up fumbles and heading to the end zone. During practices, the Orediggers try to score on any fumble and dropped screen pass.

“Any time the ball is on the ground we’re picking it up and running it,” Morrell said. “I really get my guys in the thought of not just creating the turnover, but create the turnover and make something happen with it. Our guys have really bought in it.”

Some coaches don’t want to risk the defense giving away a turnover it just created. Morrell is more than willing to take such a risk for the chance of scoring points.

“Any time that ball is in any type of open space,” the coach said, “we’re going to pick it up and roll with it.”