GRAND FORKS, N.D. - With a chance to win its first Great West Conference championship, the University of North Dakota fell short to UC Davis as the Aggies won the title with a 28-20 victory in front of an Aggie Stadium crowd of 9,239.
UC Davis quarterback Greg Denham connected on three touchdown passes and Chris Carter recorded 96 yards on nine receptions as the Aggies (6-4, 3-1 GWC) won their first outright championship.
The UND (5-5, 2-2 GWC) quarterback duo of Jake Landry (Jr., Grand Forks, N.D.) and Brent Goska (So., Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) combined for 139 yards passing and had one touchdown pass apiece. Goska led the rushing team with 77 yards on 10 carries, including a 36-yard run.
Wide receiver Ryan Konrath (Sr., White Bear Lake, Minn.) led the receiving team with 49 yards on five catches, including a 21-yard TD grab late in the fourth quarter.
The Fighting Sioux defense was led by junior Curtis Dublanko. The linebacker from Thorsby, Alberta finished with a career-high 10 tackles (nine unassisted). Defensive lineman Link Gottbeheat (Sr., Tomah, Wis.) finished with a game-high two sacks and his first career forced fumble.
After a weekend off, North Dakota will close the 2009 football on the road in Conway, Ark. Kickoff between the Fighting Sioux and the Bears is slated for 1 p.m. on Nov. 28.
After both teams came up empty in their opening drives, UC Davis made good of its next possession. The Aggies capped the 10-play, 64-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Greg Denham to Chris Carter. Sean Kelley sealed the five and a half minute possession with the extra point to give UC Davis the 7-0 lead with 4:32 remaining in the first quarter.
Denham struck again in the second quarter, this time on a 34-yard TD pass to Conor Kirkpatrick. The 75-yard drive took just 2:20 off of the clock and included five Aggie first downs.
The Fighting Sioux made their first statement of the game on the ensuing possession as they drove the ball 80 yards on just 10 plays. Sophomore Brent Goska (QB, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) racked up 59 of those yards on the ground, including a 36-yard run on the second play of the possession. After moving the ball to the one-yard line for a first-and-goal situation, Goska connected with TE Marcus Tibesar (Sr., St. Paul, Minn.) inside the endzone.
UND completed the drive with the PAT from senior Brandon Hellevang (K, Fargo, N.D.) to bring the score to 14-7 in favor of the Aggies with 9:06 remaining in the half.
With neither team able to control the ball inside the redzone, both sides headed into the locker-room with the score set at UCD 14, UND 7.
After nearly an entire quarter without a score, the Fighting Sioux chipped the Aggie lead down to 14-10 as Hellevang split the uprights from 52-yards out. Minutes later, Hellevang hit again, this time on a 37-yard field goal, to bring the Sioux within just one point.
Hellevang's second field goal came just five plays after sophomore Kenny Watkins (DB, Plano, Texas) picked off Denham at the UC Davis 30-yard line.
On the ensuing possession, the Aggies regained the eight-point lead as Josh Reece hopped over the goal line from one yard out with 10:53 remaining in the game. With the help of an interception of its own inside the next UND possession, UC Davis worked its way into a 28-13 lead just under two minutes later.
The Sioux capped the game scoring as Landry threw a 21-yard touchdown strike to Konrath with 3:37 left in the game.
- Go Sioux -
