Junior Bergen

Class:
Freshman
Height:
5-11
Weight:
175
Position:
RB
Hometown:
Billings, Mont.
High School:
Senior HS

2024 (Sr.)
• FCS Athletic Director’s Association Return Specialist of the Year
• Associated Press All-American
• Stats Perform All-American
• All-Big Sky kick returner, punt returner, and wide receiver
• Steve Carlson Team MVP Award winner
• Preseason All-Big Sky receiver, punt returner, and all-purpose player
• Named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1,000 preseason watchlist
• First-team Preseason All-America punt returner (Stats Perform)
• First-team Preseason All-America all-purpose player (FCS Football Central/Sports Illustrated)
Bergen capped his legendary career at Montana as one of the all-time greats in maroon and silver, tied for the most punt return touchdowns in NCAA FCS history with eight to his name… He also now holds the UM school record for average yards per punt return at 16.71 (1,136 on 68 returns) to pass former NFL All-Pro Marc Mariani's average of 15.01. That average of 16.71 per punt return lands him third in Big Sky history behind EWU's Cooper Kupp (17.0) and Weber State's Randle Anderson (18.48)…His average was bolstered by a pair of return TDs against Tennessee State, finishing his senior season at 24 yards per attempt (10-240), a new school record and the second-best average in Big Sky history behind Ellis Onic of UNC who averaged 24.5 (10-245) yards per return in 2015. They were also the fourth and fifth return TDs of his career in the playoffs alone… As an all-purpose threat, Bergen earned All-Big Sky honors at receiver, kick returner, and punt returner in his career. He finished his time at Montana with 4,468 all-purpose yards, placing him sixth all-time in Grizzly history. All those touchdowns place him in UM's top 25 all-time in points scored as well with 164, and he finishes top 13 in total touchdowns with 26. He's also top 25 all-time at UM in receiving yards with 1,760… He earned FCS All-America honors from both the Associated Press and Stats Perform and was named the FCS Athletic Director’s Association Return Specialist of the Year.

2023 (Jr.):
• Second team All-American all-purpose player (Associated Press)
• Second team All-American punt returner (Stats Perform)
• First-team All-Big Sky receiver & punt returner
• Set school record and tied Big Sky record with 5^th punt return TD of his career (including 2 in the playoffs)
• Preseason All-Big Sky punt returner
• Preseason All-America Special Teams (Athlon Sports)
Led Montana in catches with 58 – a top-20 all-time season total for a Grizzly and the fourth-most in the Big Sky… One of three Grizzly wideouts to total 600+ yards receiving with 791 on the year and 5 TD catches… Had three career-high days receiving and two games with 100+ yards (100 vs ISU, 118 at Idaho, and 91 vs MSU)… Averaged 13.41 yards per catch and 52.73 yards receiving per game with a long catch of 76 yards at Idaho… Threw the game-winning two-point conversion in the FCS semifinal against NDSU… Set a new school record and tied a Big Sky record with the fifth punt return TD of his career against NDSU in the FCS semifinal… Totaled a Big Sky best 429 punt return yards and set a UM record with 3 punt return TDs in a season… Also second in the Big Sky in average kick return yards with 434 yards on 15 attempts for an average of 28.9 per return… Posted 1,680 all-purpose yards in 2023, a top-10 single season total in program history… Led the FCS in punt return TDs with three… Was second in the FCS in combined kick returns with 863 yards… Pulled off the rare feat of returning a punt and a kickoff to help Montana beat Furman in the FCS quarterfinal.

2022 (So.):
• Second team All-American punt returner (Stats Perform and Phil Steele Magazine)
• Sophomore All-American (HERO Sports)
• Third-team All-Big Sky all-purpose player
Emerged as one of the nation’s most electric players at receiver and in the return game… Played in 11 games and made five starts while battling through injury… Caught 17 passes for 214 yards and four TDs with a long catch of 47 yards… Averaged 12.59 yards per catch and 19.45 yards per game… Rushed for 42 net yards on 14 carries to average 3 yards per tote… Totaled 327 yards on 22 punt returns with two TDs… Averaged 14.86 yards per punt return with a 72-yard long return against Portland State, a team-high for the season… Also totaled 90 kickoff return yards on four attempts, averaging 22.5 yards per return with a 33-yard long return… His 327 punt return yards were the most in the conference in 2022… Also threw a 27-yard touchdown pass at Indiana State… His two touchdown catches against Northwestern State were tied for the most in a game on the team that season.

2021 (Fr.):
• Team Offensive MVP
Had a breakout campaign in his true freshman season at UM… Played in 12 games and made three starts... Ranked No. 14 in the Big Sky in rushing yards with an average of 41.1 per game... Also ranked No. 14 in the Big Sky in all-purpose yards with 71.9 per game… Switched from receiver to running back as an injury cover in fall camp and finished the season as Montana’s second leading rusher with 498 yards and 4 TDs… Transitioned back to receiver midway through the regular season and pulled in 21 catches for 230 yards and a TD… Caught a career long 74 yard TD pass against Montana State on the second play of the game… Earned a role as Montana’s punt returner for the final three games of the year and netted 140 yards on just 8 returns... His average of 17.5 yards per punt return finished the year as the second-best in the Big Sky Conference and his total return yards of 140 were the third-most.

High School: Rated as a two-star prospect by 247 Sports… An all-state selection in football and basketball for the Broncs… A dual-threat QB, he threw for 1,186 yards and 13 TDs and rushed for 905 yards and 17 TDs in 10 games as senior… He also caught four passes for 57 yards and a TD his senior year… As a receiver in his sophomore and junior seasons he hauled in 150 catches for 1,733 yards and 19 touchdowns… Also held offers from Montana State, Air Force, and Northern Arizona

Career Single Game Highs
Rushing attempts: 25 (vs. Southern Utah, 2021)
Rushing yards: 87 yards (vs. Southern Utah, 2021)
Longest rush: 28 yards (at Northern Colorado, 2021)
Rushing Touchdowns: 2 (at Idaho, 2021)
Reception yards: 150 yards (at Eastern Washington, 2024)
Longest reception: 76 yards (at Idaho, 2023)
Receiving touchdowns: 2 (vs. Northwestern State, 2022)
Passing touchdowns: 1 (at Indiana State, 2022)