Aberdeen, SD (NSUWolves.com) – The Northern State University football team put a capital W in the win column on Saturday, defeating Winona State University from Dacotah Bank Stadium. The Wolves tallied the first of the season and battled back with 13 points in the fourth to secure to win. It was a game of numerous season highs for the Wolves including points scored, rushing yards, passing yards, tackles for a loss, and sacks.
THE QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: NSU 30, WSU 24
Records: NSU 1-4 (1-3 NSIC), WSU 1-3 (1-2 NSIC)
Attendance: 4877
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Northern tallied three points in the first, 14 in the second, and 13 in the third; they held a 17-7 lead at half time
- The Wolves struck at 9:48 in the first on a 36-yard field goal by Jeremy Caruso
- Winona State answered back, closing out the quarter with a 7-3 lead
- That lead did not last long as NSU and Hank Kraft went up 10-7 on a 10-yard run by the Timber Lake native at 14:25 in the second
- Daniel Britt connected with Ty Wiley on a 32-yard passing touchdown and the Wolves were up 17-7, holding that lead throughout the second
- The Warriors scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in the second at just under the seven minute mark and as the clock struck zeros
- Trailing 21-17 heading into the final 15-minutes of regulation, Northern regained the lead with an 18-yard receiving score by Tanner Branson from Colton Hackel
- Wyatt Block took things into his own hands in the fourth, rushing for 70 yards in the quarter including a 2-yard touchdown at 3:54
- Winona State closed out the contest with a 48-yard field goal, however it wasn’t enough to overcome the 30-21 deficit
- Northern led the contest with 18 first downs, 190 yards rushing, and 325 yards of total offense; they scored four of the five times they entered the red-zone and possessed the ball for over 32-minutes
- The Wolves defense recorded six tackles for a loss, three of which were sacks for a loss of eight yards, three pass break-ups, one forced fumble, and one interception
- Britt threw for 94 yards, completing 9-of-14 attempts with a touchdown, while Hackel notched 41 yards passing, going 2-for-2 with a touchdown
- Block led the rushers with a season high 88 yards, averaging 6.3 yards per rush with a 29-yard long
- Wiley and true freshman Cade Kaiser led the receivers with 57 and 55 yards respectively, averaging 9.5 and 18.3 yards per catch
- For the third straight game, Jake Adams recorded double digit tackles, leading the team with 15 including 1.5 for a loss
- Elijah Jopp and Charlie Larson followed with nine and eight respectively
- Matthew Baker, Max Van Landingham, and Gabe Gutierrez combined for the team’s three sacks in the win, while Luke Gunderson grabbed the interception, followed by Lynden Williams’ forced fumble in the second
- 13 total Wolves recorded multiple tackles in the game with five recording five or more
- Caruso went 1-for-1 in field goal attempts and 3-for-4 in PATs; he also led the contest averaging 61.8 yards per kickoff with 371 total yards
- Wiley notched a season best 41-yard kick return, notching 94 total return yards in the win
- The Wolves improved to 20-26 all-time against the Warriors with the win
NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
Daniel Britt: 94 yards passing, 62.3 pass completion%, 49 yards rushing
Wyatt Block: 88 yards rushing (70 in the 4th), 1 touchdown
Ty Wiley: 57 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 94 KO return yards, 41-yard KO return
Jake Adams: 15 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss
UP NEXT
Northern State remains at home next Saturday, hosting Bemidji State University. Kick-off is set for 2:30 p.m. for Gypsy Days. David Tukesbrey will have play-by-play with pregame starting at 1:45p on Fox Sports Aberdeen 1420AM & 98.5FM.
LISTEN to the calls of the game, with the voice of the Wolves, David Tukesbrey BELOW.