David Lambers hasn't caught a single pass or scored a touchdown this season, but he is at the center of Rocky Mountain College's explosive offense.

"It's nice I get to actually touch the ball," the 6-foot, 280-pound senior center said with a grin. "Most of the O-line doesn't get to do that."

The 22-year-old Lambers, an all-Frontier Conference performer last year, has done his job well again this fall as Rocky will take one of the nation's most prolific passing offenses into this afternoon's season finale against Montana Western on Herb Klindt Field.

Game time is at noon between the Battlin Bears, 1-8 in league and 2-8 overall, and the Bulldogs, 3-6 and 3-6.

Rocky jumped ahead 20-0 in the first half when the two teams met in Dillon on Oct. 3. Western rallied for a 21-20 victory.

"Obviously, winning would be really nice," Lambers said of today's rematch. "All season we've been playing hard. What I really want is for all of us to just finish strong as a team on both sides of the ball and special teams."

Lambers, who is from Bozeman, has been a part of Rocky's program for five years. He is one of 15 seniors the Bears will salute before today's game.

This is his second season as the Bears' starting center, after starting for a half season at tackle as a sophomore.

Being the center in Rocky's no-huddle, spread attack isn't exactly a snap. The Bears line up in a shotgun formation, with Lambers having to hike the ball back to quarterback Kasey Peters, situated five or six yards away.

"In the beginning, when they just threw me in at center, it was kind of touch and go," Lambers recalled with a smile. "Sometimes I would snap it over his head, but as you get going you get used to it and get the feel for it."

Peters is leading the NAIA in passing yards (3,780) and total offense (4,032). Receivers Levi Sutton, Brian Guisti and Nate Barnett rank 1-2-3 nationally with a combined 247 catches for 2,953 yards and 21 touchdowns. Tailback Michael Thomas has rushed for 629 yards and 11 TDs.

And Rocky's active offensive line, with players ranging in size from 270 pounds to 285, deserves a lot of credit for providing sturdy pass protection and solid run blocking, Lambers said.

Rocky head coach Brian Armstrong, a former offensive lineman, agreed.

"The last three years, I think, we've consistently gotten better upfront," he said. "David has been a big part of that."

Lambers is joined by tackles James Kershaw and Dima Vasilevskiy and guards Bryce Carich and Steve Dean. Chris Rhew is a key reserve, while 315-pound starting guard JJ Wilkins recently went down with a knee injury.

Developing camaraderie and being committed to working well together has helped solidify the line, Lambers said.

"We know we have each other's back and Kasey does a great job of letting us know when we do well," he said. "It just makes you want to give your all for him."

The Bears have allowed an average of just 1.6 sacks per game, which is second lowest in the conference.

"The things you can't coach are the things that make David Lambers good at his job," said Armstrong. "He's unbelievably physically and mentally tough. He's a hard worker, and has taken on more of a leadership role."

Lambers, who originally signed with Rocky as a defensive lineman, will graduate next month with a degree in athletic training.

"It's exciting and yet it's unreal to me," Lambers said of school and football coming to an end. "This is my fifth year here. It still just seems unreal that it's going to be done and you've got to head out into the real world and take on life."

But first comes Western, and in preparation for the final game, Armstrong has been emphasizing effort and execution.

"There have been times we've played very well offensively, times when we've played very well defensively and times when we've been very good in the kicking game," he said. "Unfortunately we haven't done all of those things consistently at the same time.

"This is our final chance this season to do it together as a team," Armstrong said. "I think our guys are excited about the opportunity to do that."

NOTES: Today's game will be broadcast on KQBL (105.1 FM). … As a sign of team unity, many of the Rocky players will be wearing Mohawk haircuts in today's game. … While Rocky hasn't kept school records in football, it is believed that Peters' totals for completions (347) and pass attempts (538) are single-season records for the Bears. …Rocky has had only two QBs - Bob Bees (4,315 yards in 1996) and David Short (4,201 in 1999) - pass for 4,000-plus yards in a season. … Short had 4,577 yards of total offense in 1999. … Sutton has 98 catches for 1,119 yards and two TDs for Rocky. It was thought that Sutton's 98 catches were a school record, but upon further review, the RMC record is actually 104 receptions by Dennis Short in 1999 for 1,367 yards and 12 TDs.