DILLON — With an offensive line that creates opportunities and a cohort of elusive receivers surrounding him, Montana Western quarterback Michael Palandri recognizes that he is just one cog in a well-oiled machine.
"My O-linemen, they give me a bunch of time and all these weapons that I have at receiver, just throw the ball and they'll come down with it," said the redshirt junior.
Palandri may be downplaying his own abilities, but his eye-catching production during Montana Western's runaway 42-25 upset over a then-third-ranked College of Idaho program last Saturday certainly didn't go unnoticed.
Following a performance that saw him torch the Yotes' secondary to the tune of 416 passing yards and four passing touchdowns, the reigning Frontier Conference offensive player of the year earned another notable distinction, being tabbed as the NAIA's offensive player of the week.
"You always like to have those honors at the national level," said Western head coach Ryan Nourse. "They don't poke their nose out here very often, so you gotta have a pretty special day to get recognition up in these parts from the NAIA."
Palandri added two rushing scores and brought his touchdown total to 12 through Western's first two games of the season. But those numbers and the ensuing national honor were secondary to avenging their pair of losses to C of I last season, the latter ending Western's playoff run in the second round.
"It's just a learning experience from last year," said Palandri. "It took us two games to figure it out, so we finally did it this game and got the job done. We took a lot of film study last year and were on the same page. And we attacked."
That drubbing of the Yotes saw the Bulldogsratchet up the NAIA coaches' poll from No. 9 to No. 4 as Western gears up for a two-game road stretch after playing its first two games at its new on-campus stadium. The Bulldogs will play a non-conference game at Lewis and Clark College (Ore.) this Saturday and will then take on No. 20 Southern Oregon.
"It's actually pretty exciting," Nourse said of his team getting to hit the road for the first time. "This has been fun as well, but it's gonna be a fun trip to go play somewhere new. We're up for the challenge and excited about the journey."
And for Palandri, being along for this ride probably wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the encouragement of his former high school teammate and current Bulldog senior defensive back Braden Swank who insisted that Palandri visit Western back in 2021.
"He was on the fence and I was like, just come," said Swank. "He came and it was the best decision we've made."
"I kind of just came here out of nowhere," said Palandri. "I took one visit in May and then came and played in August.
That quick decision has paid off for both Palandri and the Bulldogs as Western looks to keep rolling early.
"I love this place," said Palandri. "This whole team has brought me in, and continue the tradition of bringing in new freshmen. I love the community."
