BUTTE -- The defense posted a shutout, Jarrett Wilson threw four first-half touchdown passes, and the sixth-ranked Montana Tech football team rolled to a 62-0 win over visiting MSU-Northern Saturday inside Alumni Coliseum.
Wilson completed 14 of 20 passes for 205 yards, all in the first half. His first two touchdown completions went to Levi Torgerson, who finished with five catches for 90 yards and the two scores.
After being forced to punt on the opening possession of the game, Tech's defense nearly forced a safety, and the Lights (0-6, 0-1) had to punt from their own 1-yard line. MSUN's punt only made it to their own 21-yard line, setting the Orediggers up with good field position.
It took the Orediggers (6-1, 2-0 Frontier Conference East Division) just five plays to find pay dirt, a Wilson-to-Torgerson seven-yard connection that gave Tech the early lead.
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After another Lights punt, Tech needed just five plays again to double the lead. This time, Wilson found Torgerson for a 34-yard score. The Orediggers added another touchdown in the first quarter, this one Wilson's seven-yarder to tight end Isaiah Claunch, and Tech took a 21-0 lead into the first-quarter break.
Wilson tossed his fourth touchdown pass of the game in the second, finding Manu Melo for a 25-yard strike, and the Orediggers added touchdown runs from Anders Thompson and Ikaika Ho to lead 42-0 at halftime.
The Oredigger defense was strong all day. Montana Tech allowed minus-10 total yards and no first downs in the first half. MSUN finished the game with 62 total yards and minus-5 rushing.
Montana Tech added another touchdown in the third quarter on Gunnar Peterson's one-yard plunge.
In the fourth, Tech tacked on 13 more points. Six came from 33- and 27-yard field goals by Casey Kautzman, and the all-freshmen connection of Jacob Flowers to Dan Larson accounted for the Orediggers' final touchdown. It was Flowers' first-career touchdown pass and Larson's first collegiate reception.
Backup quarterback Merek Mihelish led the Orediggers on the ground with 118 yards on eight carries.
Trevor Miller paced the defense. All three of his tackles went for negative yards with two sacks and half a tackle-for-loss. Max Hannum made a team-high six tackles for Montana Tech.
The Orediggers will enjoy a bye week next Saturday before hitting the road October 24 for a Frontier East tilt at Mayville State.
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