BUTTE — Third-ranked Montana Tech wasted little time flexing its muscles Saturday against Southern Oregon, building a quick 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter en route to a 58-10 win at Alumni Coliseum.
The Orediggers marched right down the field on their opening possession, covering 78 yards in 11 plays. Jamal Cariglia punctuated the drive with a physical 8-yard touchdown run that was only the beginning of Tech's onslaught.
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Southern Oregon mishandled the ensuing kickoff, and Dylan Almquist recovered the loose ball to give Tech a short field. Three plays later, Cariglia was in the end zone again.
The Raiders booted a field goal to end the first, but Diggers quarterback Jarrett Wilson followed with a red-hot second quarter. He connected with Nick Michelotti for a 2-yard touchdown, Levi Torgerson for a 54-yard pitch-and-catch TD, Colby Martinez for a 38-yard scoring strike and Torgerson again for a 1-yard shovel-pass TD.
Tech led 41-10 at halftime, leaving the second half academic. Cariglia added a touchdown in the third quarter, and Gunnar Peterson followed with another.
Wilson was nearly perfect in the game. He completed 18 of 20 passes for 295 yards and the four TDs. Torgerson was his favorite target, hauling in 11 receptions for 146 yards. Michelotti had three catches for 52 yards.
Cariglia finished with 11 carries for 67 yards and the three TDs. Merek Mihelish led Tech with 73 rushing yards, as the team rolled up 299 yards on the ground, averaging 6.6 yards per carry.
The Orediggers totaled 604 yards of offense compared to just 223 for Southern Oregon.
Tech improved to 4-0 with the win and has now won 20 consecutive regular-season games, dating back to the 2024 season. The Diggers' current No. 3 ranking is the highest in program history, but they're likely to move up in next week's NAIA poll. No. 1 Grand View (Iowa) lost to No. 9 Benedictine (Kan.) 21-17 on Saturday.
Tech wraps up non-conference play next week at No. 4 College of Idaho. Kickoff is scheduled for noon on Saturday, Sept. 26.
