VERMILLION, S.D.--UND's final game in the North Central Conference won't soon be forgotten.
Senior wide receiver and Harlon Hill Trophy candidate Weston Dressler caught three touchdown passes to lead the Fighting Sioux to a 31-27 victory over South Dakota in the regular season finale this afternoon at the DakotaDome, a thrilling goodbye to North Central Conference football.
UND, ranked seventh nationally and third in the northwest region, survived a record-setting performance by USD running back Amos Allen and snapped the Coyotes' school-record 23-game home winning streak.
Allen racked up 306 yards on 32 carries to break USD's single-game and single-season rushing records, but it was Dressler's third touchdown of the day midway through the fourth quarter that ultimately decided the game.
Dressler's 18-yard touchdown catch from Danny Freund (Jr., Kenosha, Wis.) put the Sioux ahead 31-27 with just under eight minutes remaining, a lead UND would not relinquish despite a final push by the Coyotes.
USD marched inside Sioux territory, advancing as deep as the 11-yard line, on the ensuing possession, but a 3rd-down sack by linebacker Brett Holinka (Dickinson, N.D.) and a 4th-down sack by Holinka and Bobby Stroup (So., Fargo, N.D.) with just over a minute remaining extinguished any thought of a Coyote rally.
The win was the 89th at UND for head coach Dale Lennon, tying him with C.A. “Jack” West for second all-time and leaving him one win behind Roger Thomas as the winningest coach in school history.
If Allen was the workhorse for South Dakota, Dressler was once again the thoroughbred for the Sioux, nabbing 10 catches for 148 yards, in the process becoming the first player in program history to record two 1,000-yard receiving seasons and two seasons with 10 or more touchdown catches.
The Coyotes got on the board first when Allen ripped off a 61-yard touchdown run, setting an early tone for his record day.
But the Sioux immediately responded with a 21-yard touchdown run by sophomore Ryan Chappell (Grand Forks), knotting the game at 7-7 heading into the second quarter.
UND took its first lead on Dressler's first score of the game, an 18-yard effort that capped off a 12-play, 82-yard drive.
The Sioux were in position to add to the lead late in the half, but the Coyotes recovered an Alex Nicholas (Jr., Franklin, Wis.) fumble at their own 5-yard line, then made it a 14-10 lead on a Frank Leibfarth 41-yard field goal with six seconds left in the half.
The Sioux received the ball to start the second half, but were unable to sustain a drive, leading to a Brent Halfmann (Sr., Stephen, Minn.). On the Coyotes first play from scrimmage, Allen broke free and raced up the sideline for an 80-yard touchdown, giving USD a 17-14 lead.
But UND found another answer, once again in the form of a Freund-to-Dressler connection, this time a 31-yard effort that made it 21-17 UND with 11:52 to play in the third quarter.
The Coyotes regained the lead on a 6-yard quarterback draw by Noah Shepherd, capping off an impressive drive that saw USD march 99 yards on 11 plays.
The two teams then traded field goals to set up Dressler's third and game-winning touchdown.
Freund finished 20-for-28 for 255 yards and his game-winning strike to Dressler was his 24th touchdown pass of the season, breaking the UND regular season record of 23 set by Kelby Klosterman in 2001.
Chappell also enjoyed a strong afternoon, carrying 28 times for 130 yards and the one touchdown.
Defensively, the Sioux were led by 13 tackles each from Holinka and junior free safety Rory Manke (Detroit Lakes, Minn.).
UND finishes the regular season 9-1 overall and 7-1 in the NCC, good for second place behind undefeated Nebraska-Omaha. UND now awaits its first-round playoff opponent, which will be announced Sunday morning on the NCAA postseason selection show on ESPNU.
Notes: The Sioux enjoyed their highest-scoring regular season in team history, averaging 40.7 points per game to edge the previous record of 40.6 points set in 1972 ... Dressler has now scored 42 total touchdowns in his career, second all-time at UND only to former All-America running back Phillip Moore, who scored 53 touchdowns from 1995 to 1998 ... Moore's regular season school record of 1,778 all-purpose yards was broken by not one, but two players today. Chappell upped his season total to 1,949 yards, while Dressler upped his to 1,850 yards ... Stroup's half sack on USD's final play gave him 13.5 for his career, moving him into UND's all-time top 10 where he is tied for ninth place with Scott Schult (1997-00), Shawn Hanson (1989-92) and Randy Harles (1981-84) ... Sophomore kicker Brandon Hellevang (Fargo, N.D.) set a UND single-season record for extra points in a sesaon. Hellevang has converted 53 this season, breaking the record of 49 set by Jeff Glas (2002-05) in 2003 ... UND Hall of Fame kicker and Super Bowl XI winner Errol Mann was in attendance at today's game. Mann, who kicked for the Sioux from 1965-66 and played in 137 NFL games with Oakland, Detroit, Green Bay, Cleveland Denver, also took in UND's Friday practice in Yankton.
