BILLINGS — The wait is over — Rocky Mountain College football comes home Saturday night, and the Bears are bringing ranked company.
Rocky hosts 13th-ranked Carroll College in a 6 p.m. kickoff, the Bears' first home game of the 2026 season and their first night game of the year.
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"This place is chomping at the bit," Bandelow told MTN Sports at practice this week.
Quarterback Jhett Schwahn said the atmosphere has the team energized heading into the weekend.
"First night game here. I've only heard about them, but I'm stoked to have the Rocky Bowl packed," Schwahn said.
Running back Jae'Sean Pete echoed that sentiment.
"I'm just super excited for the turnout, for the crowd. I know our guys are excited, so I think it's going to be a really fun game," Pete said.
The home opener comes on the heels of Rocky's first win of the season, a 38-32 wire-to-wire victory last Saturday at 21st-ranked Montana Western — also the first win under new head coach Randy Bandelow, who knows his team still has room to grow.
"Our execution leaves so much to be desired, so that makes me think that won't be our best game of the year," Bandelow said.
One of the standout moments from the Montana Western game came on a fourth-down play, when Schwahn connected with Pete for a one-handed touchdown catch along the sideline.
"I saw the man coverage and just had to give my boy a shot," Schwahn said with a smile.
Pete said the moment came down to a simple mindset.
"I think it was what, fourth down? Coach Bandelow always says we're one play away from greatness. So, in my mind I just … for me, I don't want to let my brother down,” he said. “I want to go out there and make a play any way I can.”
"I mean, my thought was, 'I gotta have it.' That's all that was going through my head; I've got to go get it," Pete said.
The sideline reaction said it all.
"We were all screaming, hooting and hollering, yeah,” Schwahn recalled.
Saturday's game carries an added layer for Bandelow, who spent the last seven seasons with Carroll College, including four as defensive coordinator. But that doesn’t mean he knows the Saints’ playbook.
"I've watched their evolution on offense from when I first got there until when I left, and now you turn on the film, and you barely recognize what they're doing,” Bandelow said. “Now it's fun to kind of sit back and kind of game plan against those guys.”
