Reed Manke tosses four touchdown passes to lead the Sioux, ranked No. 4 in the nation, past No. 13-ranked Winona State
GRAND FORKS -- A week after one of the biggest wins in the University of North Dakota football team's history, there was no letdown. There was no letup, either.
The Fighting Sioux, ranked No. 4 in the country, pummeled Winona State 49-2 this afternoon in front of 10,333 at the Alerus Center.
The win comes one week after UND defeated NCAA Division I-AA powerhouse Northern Iowa in Ceder Falls, Iowa. This week, the Sioux once again proved they are still one of the best teams in Division II by beating a Winona State team that was ranked No. 13 in Division II coming into the game.
Everything was working well for UND in the first half. The Sioux scored on their first offense possession – a drive that went 49 yards in four plays. Chris Beatty capped the drive, rushing in from 11 yards for the touchdown. It was Beatty's only carry in the game.
That scoring drive was set up by blocked field goal the UND defense. Will Kusler, among other defensive linemen, pushed through the line of scrimmage and got a hand on the 48-yard attempt by Mike Salerno.
It was plays like that – UND's defensive line causing havoc in the Winona State backfield – which gave the Warriors problems all day. The Sioux had 10 sacks in the game. Four sacks came at the hands of senior defensive lineman Jared Enger. All four of Enger's sacks, which ties a school single-game record, came in the first half.
Enger's final two sacks set up for UND's next scoring drive. Deep in their own territory, Enger sacked Winona State quarterback Drew Aber on second and third down for losses of six and 11 yards, respectively. The Warriors punted to junior Weston Dressler, who fair caught the ball on Winona's 49-yard line.
Three plays later Dressler and Sioux were in the end zone, giving the Sioux a 14-0 lead with 16 seconds remaining in the first half. Sioux quarterback Reed Manke found Dressler, who sped 44 yards for a touchdown. It was one of the many long passes for Manke, who went 20-of-27 for 294 yards. Manke also led the Sioux rushers, garnering 31 yards on four carriers.
The Sioux continued to roll in the second quarter. Manke and Dressler connected for two more touchdowns in the quarter. The first one, a 14-yard reception, came with 10:26 remaining in the second quarter, while the second came with 25 seconds remaining in the half. That touchdown reception was for three yards. Dressler ended with 109 yards on nine receptions.
Manke also connected for a touchdown with freshman wide receiver Brady Trenbeath in the second quarter. The reception, an 87-yarder, was also the longest touchdown pass in school history. On second down on UND's own 13-yard line, Manke rolled right and found Trenbeath streaking down the sideline near midfield. Trenbeath caught it and outran the defense into the end zone. Trenbeath ended with five receptions for 108 yards.
Defensively, the Sioux continued to dominate in the second half, holding Winona State offense scoreless. The Warriors best offensive opportunity came midway through the third quarter. Quarterback Aaron Boettcher connected with Scott Peters for a 56-yard reception down to the UND 14-yard line. The Warriors moved down to the four-yard line and had a first-and-goal, but couldn't moved the ball any farther.
On second-and-goal Boettcher was sacked for a loss of two yards by Steve Brennan. On the next play, Boettcher was sacked again. Nose tackle Adam Wolff came from behind and tackled Boettcher, swatting the ball from his hand for a loss of 15 yards. On fourth-and-goal from the 27-yard line, Boettcher threw and incomplete pass, turning the ball over to the Sioux.
In the fourth quarter, the defense also scored some points. Brandon Jordan intercepted a Boettcher pass and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown.
Danny Freund capped the scoring with a seven-yard run with 2:50 remaining in the game.
Defensively, the Sioux were led by Dononvan Alexander, who ended with a team-high eight tackles. Brennan and Bobby Stroup had two sacks each.
Game notes: The Manke-Trenbeath touchdown reception was UND's longest pass play for a score, however, it was not UND's longest-ever passing play. On Sept. 28, 1985, Kurt Otto connected with Tracy Martin for an 89-yard pass that was not a touchdown … The Manke-Trenbeath touchdown was also the longest pass play in six years at the Alerus Center … Enger's four sacks ties Eric Schmidt (vs. New Haven, 9/21/01), Mike Skadeland (vs. South Dakota State, 9/22/84), and Mark Turgeon (vs. Portland State, 9/5/81) for sacks in a single game … Manke's first incomplete pass came with 6:17 remaining in the second quarter. One play later Manke threw his second incomplete pass, overthrowing Troy Ott on a fake field goal attempt.
Game recap written by Matt Schill.
Contact: Jayson Hajdu
