Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State University football team entered the win column on Saturday from the friendly confines of Dacotah Bank Stadium. Five thousand faithful cheered on the Wolves to a 19-point victory over Wayne State College. The Wolves offense was propelled by some big moment plays, while the defense held the Wildcats scoreless through three quarters.
THE QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: NSU 26, WSC 7
Records: NSU 1-1 (1-1 NSIC), WSC 1-2, (1-1 NSIC)
Attendance: 5233
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Northern scored three points in the first, three in the second, six in the third, and 14 in the fourth en route to their first victory of the season
- Jeremy Caruso scored eight points in the win, including a pair of field goals in the opening half from 38 and 36 yards
- Brock Bagozzi broke through with the first touchdown of the contest in the third on a 2-yard run at 6:04 following a 61 yards drive; the Wolves attempted a 2-point conversion with Cade Kaiser connecting with Bagozzi, however came up a yard short
- The Wolves second touchdown came off the hand of Bagozzi, connecting with Hank Kraft for Kraft’s first score of 2025; a 26-yard diving reception into the endzone at 14:09 in the fourth
- Wayne State answered at the 11:11 mark with a 28-yard receiving score by Keaten Bonderson
- Northern wasn’t finished as the clock ticked down in the fourth with Bagozzi’s second passing score of the evening, this time to Jacoby Boykins
- The 45-yard was the first of Boykins Northern State career and capped off the double figure win for the Wolves
- NSU led the contest with 22 first downs, 139 yards rushing, 328 yards passing, and 467 yards of total offense
- They averaged 3.9 yards per rush and 15.6 yards per completion with a 55.9 pass completion percentage
- The defense held WSC to 119 yards rushing and 130 yards passing, forcing three interceptions and recording five tackles for a loss
- The Wolves converted 8-of-15 on third down and 2-of-2 on fourth down, while the Wildcats converted 5-of-13 on third down and 1-of-2 on fourth down
- Daniel Britt threw for 144 yards with a 40-yard long, while Bagozzi tallied 184 yards passing and two touchdowns
- Wyatt Block led the ground attack with 85 yards, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, following by Kraft with 49
- In the air, DJ Smith notched the first 100-yard game of his career, recording 107 yards receiving with a 46-yard long; he averaged 26.8 yards per catch
- Boykins was close behind with 83 total yards, including the 45-yard receiving score
- Jake Adams added a new value to his 2025 stat line, grabbing his first interception since the 2023 season; he added a team leading 15.0 tackles including a tackle for a loss with Max Van Landingham
- Cooper Logan was second on the defense with eight tackles, while Gabe Gutierrez notched five, including the team’s lone sack
- Kegan Mountain and Andrew Ewald each tallied an interception and combined for 25 return yards in the win
- Caruso went 2-for-4 in field goal attempts, added two extra points, and averaged 61.2 yards per kickoff, while Jackson Isakson averaged 41.0 yards per punt
NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Brock Bagozzi: 184 yards passing, 2 touchdowns, 5 yards rushing, 1 touchdown
- Hank Kraft: 49 yards rushing, 51 yards receiving, 1 touchdown
- DJ Smith: 107 yards receiving, 26.8 yards per reception, 46-yard long
- Jake Adams: 15 tackles, 0.5 tackle for a loss, 1 interception
- Jeremy Caruso: 2 field goals, 8 points
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Adams is zeroing in on the Northern State career tackles record for the Division II era, just eight behind Logan Dosch
- Northern State is now 15-7 from Dacotah Bank Stadium under the direction of head coach Mike Schmidt
- They improve to 21-11 all-time against Wayne State, recording their third straight victory over the Wildcats
UP NEXT
Northern returns to Dacotah Bank Stadium next Saturday for the annual Gypsy Days game. NSU will out Concordia-St. Paul for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff. David Tukesbrey will be on play-by-play & Matt McClure on color commentary on Fox Sports Aberdeen 1420AM & 98.5FM + video on the NSIC Network & HubCityRadio.com.