By MT TECH Sports Information
BUTTE, Mont. – The annual Copper Game lived up to the excitement that lead to opening top 25 matchup between No. 15 Carroll College and No. 16 Montana Tech. The game came down to the final minutes as the Fight Saints held off the Orediggers 21-19 in front of a crowd of 5,549 fans on Bob Green Field.
Blake Counts received the snap and rumbled for 39 yards and score with 4:51 left to play. The touchdown made it a two-point game 21-19. The two-point conversion failed by inches at the goal line on another rush from Counts and the Saints were able to run out the clock on the next possession.
Counts finished the game with 95 yards on 15 attempts. The fourth quarter touchdown was his only score in the game.
The Orediggers put up 10 points in the second quarter after going down 14 from two rushing touchdowns capping long drive by the Saints in the first 16 minutes of the game. The Saints out rushed the Orediggers 157 to 115.
Duncan Kraft rushed 20 times for 92 yards and a score to lead the Saints. All three of the Saints touchdowns were on the ground.
The Orediggers passed for 255 yards while the Saints put up just 160 through the air. Blake Thelencompleted 15 of 25 and hit Wyatt Alexander for a 62-yard strike in the second quarter narrowing the Saints lead before halftime. Alexander finished the game with six catches for 136 yards.
Jordan Jackson caught five passes for 78 yards.
Ryan Lowry went 2 for 3 on field goal attempts hitting a 26-yarder with 12 seconds left in the first half. Lowry missed a 31-yard attempt in the third quarter.
Jack Prka went 18 for 31 and was sacked three times.
Angel Sanchez III and Jack Marcille each had a sack and Tel Arthur and Gabe Zanetti split the other.
Sanchez also knocked down two passes with a slew of other defenders as the Orediggers finished with nine pass breakups.
Cole Wyant led the Orediggers with 13 total tackles with eight solo stops.
Jaden MacNeil had 10 tackles. Kade Wilcoxfinished with nine tackles and Matt Whitcomb had six.
Tucker Jones, Hunter Peck, and Nick Anderson had six tackles each. Peck finished the game with a pair of sacks and Anderson added one more.
The Orediggers travel to Ellensburg, Washington next for a September 9th game against NCAA Division II Central Washington. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MST.
