VERMILLION, S.D. ? With a last chance at overtime victory, North Dakota's Brandon Hellevang (K, Fargo, N.D.) split the uprights from 33 yards out and lifted the Fighting Sioux to a 34-31 victory over South Dakota in front of a crowd of 7,885 at the DakotaDome.
The win was the second Football Championship Subdivision for the Sioux and their first road win since Idaho State (Sept. 18). They finished the season 6-4 overall and 1-2 in the Great West Conference. USD dropped to 6-5, 1-2 GWC.
The OT kick wasn't the first time the ball rested on the shoulders of Hellevang. With seven seconds left in regulation and the game tied at 31-31, he setup for a 47-yard field goal, but the kick was blocked by USD's Ryan Routh.
Back in the hands of the Coyotes and the clock sitting at :02, quarterback Noah Sheppard let loose a Hail Mary pass as time expired. The ball sailed into a cluster of players, bounced in the air and was nearly caught by USD before it fell to the ground, and sent the ballgame into overtime.
With North Dakota electing to play defense first, it was USD's ball to start the OT period. The Coyotes took the first overtime possession and brought it down to the 17-yard line. Justin Veazie setup for the 37-yard attempt, but the kick went wide left and opened the door for the Sioux.
Head coach Chris Mussman relied on the run game of sophomore Josh Murray (Pepin, Wis.) to move the ball for the Sioux. After three carries and a gain of 10 yards by Murray, UND found themselves at fourth-and-one with the ball on the USD16.
With the outcome of the game yet again relying on the foot of the junior kicker, Hellevang came through for the team and the fans, as he punched in the 33-yard kick to give UND the 34-31 season finale victory over the Coyotes.
Hellevang finished with 10 points and is now the fifth-highest scorer in UND history with 149 points.
Senior quarterback Danny Freund (Kenosha, Wis.) finished with 305 yards on 30-of-37 passes and two touchdowns.
True freshman wide receiver Ismael Bamba (Montreal, Quebec) led the Sioux in receiving with 91 yards on 10 receptions. He led with 173 all-purpose yards, getting 82 yards on kick returns.
Murray enjoyed another 100-yard game, his fourth of the season. He nabbed 143 yards on 22 carries, including a career-high 62-yard touchdown run. Murray added another TD, a seven-yard carry, and three yards receiving.
The Sioux defensive was led by senior Rory Manke (Detroit Lakes, Minn.) who posted eight total tackles with three solos. Redshirt freshman Dominique Hawkins (Rockford, Minn.) logged a team-high six solo tackles and both senior Drake Otto (Kenosha, Wis.) and junior Clayton Leith (Hawthorne, Wis.) were credited with fumble recoveries.
Sophomore Ryan Kasowski (Grand Forks, N.D.) had the team's lone sack of the game, a 12-yard tackle for loss.
The Coyotes took an early 10-0 lead after scoring on their first two drives of the game.
Unable to take a third-and-eight play nine yards into the end zone, USD played it safe with a 23-yard field goal by Veazie.
Six minutes later, South Dakota used 12 plays to push 83 yards for a touchdown. The move was highlighted by a 30-yard quarterback keeper and capped by a three-yard score by Isaac Newton.
With the end zone on their mind, the Sioux made quick work of the field using just 44 seconds and two plays to move the ball 72 yards and cut the lead down to three. After an 18-yard kickoff return by Bamba, Freund went to him again for a gain of 10 yards. With the ball on the USD38, Murray busted through the line and took the ball 62 yards for the score. It was the longest run of his career and his 11th touchdown of the season.
Using some quick fieldwork of its own, South Dakota used just over a minute to regain its 10-point lead over the Sioux. Sheppard found an open Ben Oberle for a 47-yard gain. Two plays later, Dustin Little brought down a toss from Sheppard and took it in for the 23-yard TD reception.
Trailing 17-7 with under 10 minutes left in the half, the Fighting Sioux used 2:53 off of the clock to move 72 yards on seven plays. A mix of runs and passes brought the ball to the USD16, the deepest into Coyote territory for the Sioux to play a down.
On the next snap, Freund found senior Blair Grover (Mequon, Wis.) in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown pass. With the extra point from Hellevang, it was USD 17, UND 14 with 7:48 on the clock.
South Dakota opened up the ensuing drive with a 47-yard kickoff return and a 12-yard reception, but with the ball on the Sioux 33 yard line, Otto stripped the ball from the Coyotes' possession and put it back in the hands of the North Dakota.
The Sioux used the new opportunity to drive the ball back at the Coyotes and tie the game at 17-17 with under a minute remaining in the half.
Again with a mix of plays by the offense, North Dakota moved inside the USD 20-yard line. To cap a 10-play, 43-yard drive, Hellevang put a 27-kick through the uprights. It was his first field goal since the Idaho State game on Sept. 18.
Unable to do much in the majority of the third stanza, both teams were forced to punt out of their first two possessions. In the middle of drive-three for the Coyotes, the ball was once again stripped from their possession and pounced on by the Sioux. Leith recovered the ball for UND.
The Sioux again seized the opportunity. With 1:53 on the clock, senior Alex Nicholas (Franklin, Minn.) took a pass from Freund across the goal line for his first touchdown since the Western Washington game on Oct. 18. The 26-yard reception gave the Sioux their first lead of the game, a 24-17 advantage.
After forcing the Coyotes to four and out on their next possession, the Fighting Sioux padded their lead with a 10-play, 80-yard drive. Grover helped the Sioux to a 32-yard gain as he forced his way through the USD defensive. Eight plays and 35 yards later, Murray ran the ball in from seven yards out. With the PAT from Hellevang, UND took a 31-17 lead.
On its next possession, South Dakota moved the ball into the UND red zone on five plays, including a 22-yard reception by Jeremy Blount. With 5:55 on the clock, Sheppard hit Little for the second time of the game, this time an 18-yard TD pass.
The Coyotes tried to move closer to the Sioux with the extra point, but the kick was low and no good.
Two plays into UND's next drive, USD paid back the fumble favor as Wayne Curry recovered a Freund fumble for the Coyotes on the UND20.
One minute and 30 seconds later, the Coyotes were within two points of North Dakota. They made up for the missed extra point as Sheppard held the ball for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 31-31.
North Dakota worked their way back downfield with a number of passes by Freund. Facing a third-and-13 after a holding call negated a potential first down, Freund hit Nicholas for a 28-yard gain down to the 31-yard line. With just seven seconds left on the clock, the special teams unit was sent on the field.
Hellevang set up for the 47-yard punch, but it was no good as USD's Curry leapt up for the block.
The Fighting Sioux now lead the all-time series against USD, 57-28-5 and have not lost to the Coyotes since the 42-30 defeat in 2005 at Vermillion.
- Go Sioux -
Game notes: Freund is now No. 3 all-time in pass completions with a career total of 497. With a career 5,251 yards passing, he is now No. 3 all-time ... Manke is now listed at No. 8 on UND's all-time solo tackle list. He surpassed his brother, Ryan Manke (2001-04), Adam Stratton (2000-03), and Doug Johnson (1981-84).
