Aberdeen, SD (NSUWolves.com) – The Northern State University football team trounced Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday in the annual Gypsy Days game, defeating the Golden Bears by 21. The Wolves controlled the game early, leading the contest in 29-of-37 statistical categories. NSU tallied season highs in rushing yards and total offense in the win.
THE QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: NSU 31, CSP 10
Records: NSU 2-1 (2-1 NSIC), CSP 1-3 (1-2 NSIC)
Attendance: 7011
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Northern led for the entirety of the contest, scoring 14 points in the first, seven in the second, and ten in the third
- Brock Bagozzi and Hank Kraft connected on the Wolves first drive of the contest for a 30-yard receiving touchdown at 11:05 in the first
- CSP responded with a 44-yard field goal mid-way through the quarter, however the Wolves were not finished in the opening frame
- Bagozzi added his second rushing touchdown of the season at the 4-minute mark, a 9-yard run to the goal line
- It was Kraft again as NSU closed out the half, with a 4-yard rushing touchdown and the Wolves led 21-3
- Jeremy Caruso and Zach Kraft scored the ten third quarter points for Northern State
- Caruso sent a 47-yarder through the uprights at 11:17 and Kraft pulled in a Bagozzi ball for 46-yards and his third touchdown of the season
- The Golden Bears added a touchdown with 5:02 remaining in the contest on an 11-yard pass from Lincoln Graf to Charlie Snoreck
- The NSU offense recorded 25 first downs, 246 yards rushing, 270 yards passing, and 516 yards of total offense in the win
- They converted 4-of-8 on third down and 2-of-3 on fourth down, and completed 25-of-31 passing attempts with one interception
- Northern averaged 8.2 yards per rush and 8.7 yards per reception, while Concordia averaged 6.2 yards per rush and 5.7 yards per reception
- The Wolves defense held CSP to 143 yards rushing and 183 yards passing; making eight stops on third down and recording three sacks in the win
- Bagozzi threw for 197 yards with a pair of touchdowns, completing 17-of-20 attempts, while Daniel Britt added 73 yards passing
- Hank Kraft had a day for the Wolves, rushing for 104 yards and a touchdown and receiving for 51 yards and a touchdown
- Zach Kraft led the receiving core with 70 yards and a touchdown
- Jake Adams led the defense for the third straight game with nine tackles, breaking the career tackles record (NCAA DII era) with his eighth of the day
- Elijah Jopp added seven tackles, while Max Van Landingham and Gabe Gutierrez combined for the teams three sacks for a total loss of 16 yards
- Lorenzo Jones Jr. was one of three Wolves to record four tackles and led the team with three pass breakups
- Caruso scored seven points in the win and tallied 352 yards on kickoffs, averaging 58.7 yards per kick
- DJ Smith and Cooper Eisenbeisz notched 28 and 21 yards respectively on a punt and kick return
NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Brock Bagozzi: 197 yards passing, 17-of-20, 2 TD, 9 yards rushing
- Hank Kraft: 104 yards rushing, 1 TD, 51 yards receiving, 1 TD
- Zach Kraft: 70 yards rushing, 1 TD
- Jake Adams: 9 tackles
- Max Van Landingham: 4 tackles, 2.0 sacks
- Jeremy Caruso: 1 field goal, 47-yards, 4-for-4 PAT
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Adams captured the Northern State career record for tackles in the NCAA Division II era, finishing the contest with 256 in his career thus far
- The previous NCAA Division II era career tackle record holder was Logan Dosch with 254 from 2009-13.
UP NEXT
Northern hits the road for two weekends starting at the University of Mary next Saturday. Kick-off is set for 2 p.m. versus the Marauders in Bismarck; you can listen to the broadcast with the ‘voice of the Wolves’ David Tukesbrey on Fox Sports Aberdeen 1420AM & 98.5FM with pregame coverage starting at 1:15p & kickoff at 2p. You can also download the ‘HubCityRadio app’ or the “605 Radio app’ and listen to the Wolves all season long.