BUTTE — Fans of the Montana Tech-Montana Western football rivalry didn't have to wait long this season for the latest battle between the Bulldogs and Orediggers.
Fifth-ranked Western is set to take on No. 11 Tech at Bob Green Field in the annual Copper Game in what will be the season opener for both teams and the first college football game played in the Treasure State this season. Kickoff is set for Thursday at 6 p.m.
HEAR FROM THE BULLDOGS AND OREDIGGERS HERE:
"It's gonna be rowdy," said Tech grad student tight end Derek Pearse. "Gonna have tons of fans here. Can't wait."
With the Frontier Conference expanded and now split into East and West divisions, Thursday's game will go down as a non-conference game with Tech a member of the East and the Bulldogs now in the West.
Both teams head into 2025 coming off playoff runs last season, with Western — which won a second straight Frontier crown — advancing to the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs have won the past three games in this series, prevailing in the most recent meeting 27-21 last October. But previous records and streaks don't matter now.
"Not worrying about the past, just worrying about what's in front of us," said Western senior linebacker Keegen Muffich. "Worrying about one play, each drive. If something bad happens you gotta have a quick memory and get ready for the next snap."
"I really just expect us to go be ourselves," said Western head coach Ryan Nourse. "Who we are, how we operate, what we do. The schematic we run, the style that we play, the effort that we give."
Western has a proven quarterback in redshirt senior Michael Palandri but Tech's biggest question mark this offseason was who would succeed Blake Thelen under center. The Orediggers are opting for a two-quarterback system in sophomores Jake Casagranda and Jarrett Wilson.
"They both played very well, we feel good about both of them," said Tech head coach Kyle Samson. "They both have different skills sets which is a reason we feel good about playing both of them because they're not the same type of quarterback."
Samson described the 6-3, 215-pound Casgranda as more of a traditional pocket passer and the 5-11, 200-pound left-handed Wilson as more of a dual threat quarterback.
Western will head into the season opener looking to make it four in a row against the Orediggers Tech be looking for its first win in this series since September 2022. It's a heated rivalry, but both teams are bringing a one-game-at-a-time mentality into this latest clash.
"We still think of it as a regular game," said senior Tech guard Thomas Walkup. "The past is the past and the present is the present. We just want to go into this game thinking about us and what we want to accomplish this season."
"Just taking each game, cherishing each moment," said Muffich. "Worrying about that game and who we're playing that week and going from there."
