(RMC release)
BILLINGS – The Rocky Mountain College football team announced its schedule for the 2018 season Monday afternoon. The Battlin’ Bears will play 11 games in the fall, including six at Herb Klindt Field.
The schedule once again features a 10-game slate of Frontier Conference contests. This is the first time Rocky will play six games at home since 2015 and the third time since 2010.
“Every year the Frontier Conference football schedule is tough week in and week out. Adding Dickinson State, a regional program that has been in the NAIA playoffs the last three years, makes it even tougher. We are definitely excited about the challenges each week, but even more excited about playing six home games for the first time in my tenure at Rocky Mountain College,” Rocky head coach Jason Petrino said of the schedule.
The season will kickoff under the lights at the Rocky Bowl against Carroll College on Thursday, August 23. It will mark the second straight season the team has played the season opener on a Thursday. It will be the first time they have faced Carroll in the opener since the 1999 season.
Week two is scheduled for September 1 and has the Battlin’ Bears in Havre, Montana for the first of two meetings against the Lights of Montana State–Northern. Rocky will head to Havre having won three straight at Blue Pony Stadium.
The Battlin’ Bears will step out of conference play in week three when longtime North Star Athletic Association rival, Dickinson State, comes to Billings on September 8. Dickinson State leads the all-time series with Rocky 22-13, but the Battlin’ Bears have won 13 of the past 16 and seven straight in Billings.
Rocky then plays consecutive games on the road during weeks four and five. They head to Dillon, Montana to face Montana Western on September 15. Rocky defeated the Bulldogs 48-42 in overtime in their last visit to Vigilante Stadium in the 2017 season finale.
September 22 has the Battlin’ Bears in Caldwell, Idaho to play The College of Idaho. Rocky will be making its third appearance at Simplot Stadium all-time, having gone 1-1 thus far. They lead the all-time series with the Yotes 3-1, including a 31-7 win last season in Billings.
After taking week seven off with a bye, Rocky returns to the Rocky Bowl on October 6 against defending Frontier Conference champion, Southern Oregon. The Raiders lead the all-time series 8-1 with the games being decided by one point in each of the last two seasons.
MSU-Northern comes to Billings on October 8 for Rocky’s Homecoming. The Battlin’ Bears are 33-20-2 all-time against the Lights and they have won six straight and 10 of 11. Rocky has not lost at home to Northern since 2011.
The Battlin’ Bears will make the trip to Helena, Montana to face Carroll on October 20. Rocky’s 40-14 win in Helena last season was the team’s first win at Carroll since 1998 and the first-ever win in Nelson Stadium. The all-time series belongs to the Saints, 85-22-2.
The Bulldogs of Montana Western come to Herb Klindt Field on October 27. This year is the first time since 2015 these two teams will meet twice in the same season. Western holds a 55-41-1 lead in the all-time series and the Bulldogs have won three straight in Billings.
Rocky’s final road game of the season is against Eastern Oregon on November 3 in La Grande, Oregon. The longest trip of the year has the Battlin’ Bears looking to improve on a 7-14 all-time record against the Mountaineers. Rocky is 4-7 all-time in La Grande and with the last win coming in the 2015 season.
The season’s lone meeting with Montana Tech will take place on November 10 at the Rocky Bowl. Rocky is 41-66-1 all-time against the Orediggers after the teams split two games last season. Tech has won four straight in Billings, including a 34-28 win last September.
Rocky’s home schedule will also feature special events during several of the games. The Dickinson State game is during Hall of Fame Weekend. Military Appreciation Day is scheduled for the Southern Oregon game on October 6 while Homecoming is October 13 against MSU-Northern. The annual Paint the Bowl Pink game is on October 27 against Montana Western before Senior Day on November 10 against Montana Tech.
The Battlin’ Bears are coming off a 6-5 season in 2017 that was the team’s first winning season since 2013. They finished tied for second in the Frontier Conference with a 6-4 mark in conference play.
2018 ROCKY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Aug. 23 CARROLL
Sept. 1 at MSU-Northern
Sept. 8 DICKINSON STATE
Sept. 15 at Montana Western
Sept. 22 at College of Idaho
Sept. 29 Bye Week
Oct. 6 SOUTHERN OREGON
Oct. 13 MSU-NORTHERN
Oct. 20 at Carroll
Oct. 27 MONTANA WESTERN
Nov. 3 at Eastern Oregon
Nov. 10 MONTANA TECH
