EOU mounts a comeback

EOU mounts a comeback

George Ferguson

Shootouts have become the norm when Frontier Conference teams travel to LaGrande, Ore.

But it's been a while since the Montana State University-Northern football team has been in one with the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers.

However, on Saturday afternoon in LaGrande, that's exactly what the Lights fell victim to as EOU mounted a fourth-quarter comeback to edge the Lights 50-46.

The Mounties scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns on back-to-back three-minute drives, then ran the clock out to escape with their first win of the 2010 campaign, and hand the Lights a second straight heartbreaking defeat.

"The thing we really take away from this game is that we have to learn to put four quarters together on both sides of the ball," MSU-N head coach Mark Samson said. "When we do that, we'll be a pretty good football team.

One week after committing seven turnovers on offense, the Lights came roaring out of the gates against EOU. The Lights got four touchdowns and a field goal to add to a safety by Travis Hjort in the first half and led 33-28 at intermission.

The fireworks began early as MSU-N quarterback Derek Lear hit senior Matt Stuart for a 50-yard touchdown pass on MSU-N's first possession. Lear also found Brandon O'Brien for a 21-yard TD with six minutes left in the first quarter, and he found Stuart again from 25 yards out for his third TD pass of the first half. James Chandless also scored the first of two rushing touchdowns in the second quarter and Kyle Kercher hit a field goal from 37 yards out as the Lights' offense seemed to be clicking on all cylinders in the first half.

But as well as Northern's offense played, the MSU-N defense had trouble with EOU's spread-option attack. NAIA All-American quarterback Chris Ware was making plenty of plays with his feet and his arm as he threw two first-half touchdowns which kept EOU in the game.

"It's frustrating because our offense looked completely different this game," Samson said. "We played really well, and anytime you put up 46 points, you have a good chance to win a football game. But our defense just seemed out of it the whole game," he added. "We just didn't play like we should have on defense and it's tough because with the way our offense got going this week, you really wish you would have played the way we were capable of on defense. So it was a tough game."

Still, the Lights were in a good spot as the third quarter came to end. In the final four minutes of the third, MSU-N got another TD from Chandless, and just before the gun sounded on the period, Tyson Lucier blocked an EOU punt and former Havre High standout Jordan Van Voast recovered it in the endzone for a score which put the Lights ahead 46-35 with 15 minutes to play.

But the winless Mounties put together a fourth-quarter charge and came roaring back.

Ware led the Mounties on a quick 3-minute drive which resulted in an Abraham Naway one-yard TD and a Jake Burroughs two-point conversion which pulled them to within three points at 46-43. After the Lights were forced to punt, Ware took command again and led the Mounties on a game-winning 3-minute drive which was capped by an 8-yard TD pass to Dillon Bedford.

Shootouts have become the norm when Frontier Conference teams travel to LaGrande, Ore.

But it's been a while since the Montana State University-Northern football team has been in one with the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers.

However, on Saturday afternoon in LaGrande, that's exactly what the Lights fell victim to as EOU mounted a fourth-quarter comeback to edge the Lights 50-46.

The Mounties scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns on back-to-back three-minute drives, then ran the clock out to escape with their first win of the 2010 campaign, and hand the Lights a second straight heartbreaking defeat.

"The thing we really take away from this game is that we have to learn to put four quarters together on both sides of the ball," MSU-N head coach Mark Samson said. "When we do that, we'll be a pretty good football team.

One week after committing seven turnovers on offense, the Lights came roaring out of the gates against EOU. The Lights got four touchdowns and a field goal to add to a safety by Travis Hjort in the first half and led 33-28 at intermission.

The fireworks began early as MSU-N quarterback Derek Lear hit senior Matt Stuart for a 50-yard touchdown pass on MSU-N's first possession. Lear also found Brandon O'Brien for a 21-yard TD with six minutes left in the first quarter, and he found Stuart again from 25 yards out for his third TD pass of the first half. James Chandless also scored the first of two rushing touchdowns in the second quarter and Kyle Kercher hit a field goal from 37 yards out as the Lights' offense seemed to be clicking on all cylinders in the first half.

But as well as Northern's offense played, the MSU-N defense had trouble with EOU's spread-option attack. NAIA All-American quarterback Chris Ware was making plenty of plays with his feet and his arm as he threw two first-half touchdowns which kept EOU in the game.

"It's frustrating because our offense looked completely different this game," Samson said. "We played really well, and anytime you put up 46 points, you have a good chance to win a football game. But our defense just seemed out of it the whole game," he added. "We just didn't play like we should have on defense and it's tough because with the way our offense got going this week, you really wish you would have played the way we were capable of on defense. So it was a tough game."

Still, the Lights were in a good spot as the third quarter came to end. In the final four minutes of the third, MSU-N got another TD from Chandless, and just before the gun sounded on the period, Tyson Lucier blocked an EOU punt and former Havre High standout Jordan Van Voast recovered it in the endzone for a score which put the Lights ahead 46-35 with 15 minutes to play.

But the winless Mounties put together a fourth-quarter charge and came roaring back.

Ware led the Mounties on a quick 3-minute drive which resulted in an Abraham Naway one-yard TD and a Jake Burroughs two-point conversion which pulled them to within three points at 46-43. After the Lights were forced to punt, Ware took command again and led the Mounties on a game-winning 3-minute drive which was capped by an 8-yard TD pass to Dillon Bedford.