DICKINSON, N.D. — Gage Goltz returned a punt for a touchdown and Jae'Sean Pete added two rushing scores to help Rocky Mountain College to a 31-10 win over Dickinson State on Saturday.
Goltz's return came after the Battlin' Bears forced the Blue Hawks to punt on their first offensive possession. DSU actually punted twice on the possession after the first one was negated by a running-into-the-kicker penalty on Rocky.
Goltz field the second one at his own 20 and took it 80 yards to the end zone. The ensuing point-after try gave the Bears a 7-0 lead, and they never trailed in the game.
Rocky grew its lead to 24-0 in the second quarter on Pete's two touchdown runs and a short field goal from Jordan Legg. Pete finished with 85 rushing yards on 22 attempts.
The Blue Hawks scored 10 straight points spanning the end of the second quarter and beginning of the third, but Rocky's Garrett Deatherage punched in a touchdown late in the third quarter.
Dickinson State finished with more yards of offense — 356 to 330 — but quarterback Hudsen Grovom threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.
Jayson Cady and Jayden Marquez-Cook had the picks for Rocky, which improved to 3-3 overall and 2-0 in the Frontier Conference East division. The Battlin' Bears next host MSU-Northern on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Dickinson State fell to 3-5 overall and 2-1 in the Frontier East and will host Valley City State on Oct. 24.
