Frontier Notebook: Raiders getting it done on both sides

And with a Griff Amies field goal, the dream of a de facto Frontier Conference championship game was gone.

Amies kicked a field goal as time expired in last Saturday's Frontier Conference game between Rocky Mountain College and Montana Tech in Butte, The field goal lifted the Battlin' Bears to a 30-27 road win over the Orediggers, and with it, likely ended any chance Tech had left of winning a Frontier title this season. The kick also clinched at the very least, a share of the Frontier championship for undefeated Southern Oregon.

Through four weeks of Frontier play, it looked like the Nov. 11 game between Tech and SOU was going to decide the Frontier championship this season. But then, Western stunned the Orediggers in Dillon, putting Tech behind the eight-ball. Still, had the Orediggers won out, they still would have had a chance to play for the title when SOU came calling on the last game of the season.

Now though, that hope is likely over. Even if Tech goes on the road and beats College of Idaho this Saturday, which is no easy bargain, the Diggers would need MSU-Northern to upset SOU this Saturday in Havre. And while the Lights will try their best, that upset appears unlikely given the way each team has been trending.

Certainly, the game in Butte between the Raiders and Orediggers has lost a lot of its luster now. Tech won't be nearly as highly ranked when SOU gets to Alumni Coliseum, and the Frontier title will likely have been decided. No, instead, Tech, will be fighting for its playoff lives - if the Orediggers get past C of I. If they don't win that game, the playoffs will be gone before the Raiders even arrive in Butte. But if the Orediggers beat the Yotes, then, the game against the Raiders will still be significant in that, if Tech wins, the Orediggers will likely still be in the playoffs at 8-2.

And lastly, in all this, don't lose sight of the fact that it's all because of Rocky. Give the Battlin' Bears credit. They almost beat Tech back in September, and then did last week, on Tech's home field. Rocky has put together an outstanding season, and if not for a season-opening slip-up at Dickinson State, the Bears would be fighting for their playoff lives with two weeks to go.

Flying High

Southern Oregon is now the Frontier champion for the third time in the last five seasons. And this time around, the Raiders have done so with two things that might be different than in the past.

First, SOU has marched through the new season with a new head coach, and a heavy heart. The program lost beloved head coach Craig Howard late last year, and Howard's successor was much like him, a local coach who moved up from the high school ranks to take over SOU's program. Before being hired at SOU, Hall had coached at Ashland High since 2005. Hall, who played at SOU, did have plenty of college experience though. He was a grad assistant at SOU, while also coaching at NCAA Division I University of Washington, University of Idaho and University of New Mexico.

Hall has done a masterful job in his first season at SOU, and of course, the Raider offense has been potent, as usual. But SOU is also winning with defense this season. The Raiders are first in the Frontier in scoring defense, allowing 21 ppg. They also sit third in total defense, third against the run and third against the pass. They lead the league with 41 sacks and are first in turnover margin, having taken the ball away 23 times this season, while committing just nine. The SOU defense is a veteran unit with seven starters that are either seniors or juniors, and the group has been a perfect compliment to the Raiders' powerful offense.

Banged Up

While SOU's defense will present plenty of challenges for the MSU-Northern Lights Saturday, the Lights will have their hands full with the Raider offense, too. And that presents big problems considering the Lights' defense is certainly the walking wounded.

Jake Eldridge's unit has lost seven starters from its opening-day defensive lineup, and now, Northern is so thin, the Lights even have players playing out of position.

"We have linebackers who are having to play defensive line, and linebackers who are playing defensive back right now," Eldridge said following the Lights' loss to Carroll last Saturday. "It's a good thing linebacker was our deepest position."

Indeed, Northern has been very good at linebacker this fall. Veterans Garet Fowler and Alec Wagner have been huge for the MSU-N defense, while senior transfer Steven Fernandez had made a big impact. Former Chinook standout Jake Norby was also having a strong first season with the Lights until he was injured two weeks ago. The Lights have now also lost both their starting safeties in Dylan Kelly and Dequincy Bergen, who had a combined four interceptions between them.

And now the Lights' very young defense has to go up against Tanner Trosin and an SOU offense that is averaging 37 points and 472 yards per outing. Trosin is fourth in the NAIA in total offense and fifth in passing.

Mountie in the NFL

The Detroit Lions seem to be a good place to go if you're a Frontier Conference football player looking to have a shot at the NFL. The Lions was where former Chester standout and Carroll College tight end Casey Fitzsimmons made a name for himself, and now, another former Frontier guy is trying to do the same.

Last week, former Eastern Oregon star Jace Billingsley was active to the Lions' 53-man roster, and was in uniform for Sunday night's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Billingsley, who played both RB and WR at EOU and was a 2016 NAIA All-American, led the Lions in receiving during the preseason. Billingsley did not have any stats in Sunday night's game.

Frontier Honors

Southern Oregon QB Tanner Trosin has been named the Frontier Conference and NAIA Offensive Player of the Week. No. 7 Southern Oregon stayed unbeaten with a 44-19 home win over (RV) Montana Western. Trosin was 33 of 47 passing for 502 yards and three touchdowns. It was the fifth 500-yard game in SOU history.

RMC defensive back Keenan Fagan was named Frontier Defensive Player of the Week. In Rocky Mountain's 30-27 conference road win over then No. 11 Montana Tech, Fagan recorded seven solo tackles, one pass breakup and two interceptions. The Rocky defense held the Orediggers under their average offensive output by half.

RMC kicker Griff Amies was named Frontier Special Teams Player of the Week. In Rocky Mountain's 30-27 conference road win over then No. 11 Montana Tech, he was 3 of 3 in PATs and was 3 for 4 in field goals. He kicked the game-winning 45-yard field goal as time ran out, sealing the Bears' upset win.