DILLON — Coming off a season that saw Montana Western lock up consecutive Frontier Conference football titles and secure its first playoff win in 30 years — and just its second postseason victory ever — the Bulldogs are champing at the bit to write another, even more memorable chapter.
But success late in the fall is going to come down to what they're doing now as they head into the final weeks of fall camp ahead of their 2025 campaign. The Bulldogs, now a member of the expanded Frontier's West Division, open the season on the road with a non-conference game against Montana Tech on Aug. 28.
"We've got goals that are up in the sky right now, they're goals you can't fixate and focus on," said head coach Ryan Nourse. "You don't have any control over those things. You can only control what you do right now."
Nourse said he's happy with how his team is performing in all three phases right now.
"In terms of offense, defense, special teams, what we have in game readiness, this is as ready as we've been at this point in my time as the head coach," Nourse said.
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Western went 9-1 in the regular season last year — its lone defeat a two-point loss on the road to Southern Oregon — and went on to roll past Dickinson State in the second round of the playoffs in the Bulldogs' first NAIA Football Championship Series win since 1994.
The Bulldogs then faltered against Morningside University (Iowa) at home in the quarterfinals, leaving them with plenty to chew on the past nine months.
"We didn't do what we needed to do in the second half (against) a great team in Morningside," said senior linebacker Jace Fitzgerald. "So that kind of fueled us this offseason to work even harder, and we know that we're gonna have a huge target on our back."
Fitzgerald is a key returner on defense along with fellow senior linebacker Keegan Muffich. The duo led Western in tackles last season with Muffich pacing the Bulldogs with 98.
On offense, the Bulldogs return their leading running back in Jake Humphrey (948 yards, 12 touchdowns last season) and receiver Eli Nourse (1,205 yards, 12 touchdowns). Senior quarterback Michael Palandri is also back for his final season and third as the Bulldogs' starting signal caller. He threw for 3,670 yards last year and tossed 34 touchdown passes against just four interceptions.
"Leave it all on the field like it's my last game ever," Palandri said of his mindset. "You never know what can happen. With this offense, I've been playing with them the past three years — Eli, (Jon Kirkley), Jake Humphrey and all of them. Just leave it all on the field and be as confident as I can be and play ball."
The special teams unit will be looking to replace kicker John Mears who last season became Western's all-time leading scorer.
