Oredigger prayer answered in Havre
HAVRE — Montana Tech scored on a Herman Tapley 36-yard pass as time expired to beat the MSU-Northern Lights 32-31 in a wild Frontier Conference game at Blue Pony Stadium.
The play capped win in which Tech trailed 28-10 after three quarters.
Kinney outfought defenders for the ball on the Hail Mary play, which started with 1 second left on the clock.
“It was a scrum in the end zone,” Tech coach Chuck Morrell said.
Tapley threw the ball into the end zone on the play before, and officials stopped the clock just in time for one more play.
“I’m so proud of them,” Morrell said of his players. “It was the first time this season that I think we played a team game — offense, defense and special teams — and really supported each other.
“They hung in there, they didn’t give up, and they fought hard on ever single play.”
Pat Hansen scored on a TD run, and Matt Berg booted a field goal as time expired at the end of the second quarter, and that was Tech’s only points of the first half.
Tech trailed 28-13 after three quarters.
Tapley hit James Roberts for a pair of touchdowns, surrounding an Lights field goal. The second Roberts TD, which came on fourth down, cut the lead to 31-26. Tech missed the 2-point conversion.
After a failed on-sides kick, the Orediggers used their time outs to get the ball back one more time.
The Orediggers improved to 3-5 with the shocking victory.
Tech, which bussed to Havre on Saturday morning, will be back on the road next week to play Montana Western.
