NACOGDOCHES, Texas - In one of the highest scoring games in over 20 years, the University of North Dakota were on the wrong side of a 65-31 final as Stephen F. Austin defeated the Fighting Sioux tonight at Homer Bryce Stadium.
The Fighting Sioux and Lumberjacks traded swings early on, but UND quickly fell behind Stephen F. Austin and it's high-powered offense. The Lumberjacks ended with 643 yards in offense, compared to UND's 299. The Fighting Sioux drop to 1-2, while SFA improves to 3-1.
SFA got things rolling early, moving the ball 61 yards for a
touchdown. A short 14 seconds later, UND had the game tied up at
7-7. Wide receiver Ismael Bamba (So., Montreal, Quebec) ran the kickoff back 95 yards for a touchdown. The play tied Tracy Martin (1984-86) for the third longest return
for a touchdown in UND history. Martin recorded his on Sept. 22, 1984
during the 46-7 victory over South Dakota State.
Bamba led the Sioux with 347 all-purpose yards.
He had a career-high 124 yards on six receptions and recorded 223 yards
on kick returns, including a 95-yard touchdown run in the opening
quarter.
However, SFA answered with a pair of touchdowns on its next two drives and took control for the rest of the evening.
The Sioux defense showed some bright spots. After UND was forced to three and out on the next drive, the Sioux quickly had the ball back as Ross Cochran (Jr., LB, Kenosha, Wis.) forced a Lumberjack fumble on the SFA46 that was recovered by Kenny Watkins (So., DB, Plano, Texas). Cochran and Joel Schwenzfeier (Jr., SS, Hallock, Minn.) each had nine tackles to lead the Sioux.
The Sioux used the possession to move Brandon Hellevang
(Sr., K, Fargo, N.D.) into position for a 31-yard field goal to cut the
SFA lead down to 21-10 with 2:41 left to go in the quarter.
The defense helped the Sioux pull within 28-17 midway through the second quarter. Dominique Hawkins
(So., CB, Plymouth, Minn.) found himself in the right place at the
right time. After a 14 play, 84-yard UND drive ended with a fumble on
the SFA1, the Lumberjacks set up to pass their way out of the end zone,
but Hawkins picked the ball of at the nearside 12-yard line and ran it
in for his first touchdown of the season.
Hellevang's
point after not only brought the Sioux within 11 points of Stephen F.
Austin, but it also tied him with Cameron Peterka (1998-2001) for
second all-time on UND's career PAT list. Peterka finished his career
152/162 in point-after attempts. Hellevang hit all four PATS and racked up 305 kickoff yards and 227 punting yards.
The
touchdown trade continued until halftime. Using four minutes and 40 seconds to
move the ball 70 yards, SFA capped off the 11 play drive with 14-yard
pass from Jeremy Moses to Graylyn Crawford. With the extra point, the
Lumberjacks moved into a 35-17 lead with just over three minutes
remaining in the third quarter.
In
keeping with the theme of the evening, the Fighting Sioux countered
with their own touchdown with 2:33 left to go in the half. The
seven-play, 78-yard drive was capped off by a 24-yard touchdown pass
from Landry to Bamba. Three plays prior, Landry found Bamba on a
41-yard pass. Hellevang's point-after gave him sole possession of the
No. 2 spot on the all-time list.
Heading into the locker room, the Lumberjacks led 35-24, but the SFA offense continued to roll in the second half until the final score.
UND's only score of the second half came on a connection between Jake Landry (Jr., Grand Forks, N.D.) and Ryan Konrath
(Sr., WR, White Bear Lake, Minn.) on a five-yard touchdown pass. It was
Konrath's first TD since the Wisconsin-La Crosse game on Sept. 13, 2008. Landry finished 18-for-31 for 197 yards and a pair of TD passes.
SFA was led by quarterback Moses who was 33-for-47 for 270 yards and four TD passes. Vincent Pervis was the rushing leader with 154 yards on 17 carries. Duane Brooks logged 82 reception yards on nine catches with one touchdown.
On Saturday, Oct. 3, the Fighting Sioux will celebrate Homecoming with the home opener against South Dakota. The game is set to kickoff at 4 p.m. at the Alerus Center.
- Go Sioux -
GAME NOTES: Saturday's game marked the first meeting between the Fighting Sioux and the Lumberjacks ... Stephen F. Austin is the 134th different opponent North Dakota has faced since 1894 ... UND has faced six different teams for the first time with Chris Mussman as head coach and are 2-4 in those games ... With the loss, Mussman is now 7-6 at UND and is 6-4 against non-conference opponents ... UND now has an all-time record of 596-355-30 ... In game-three, the Fighting Sioux are 18-3 overall and 5-2 on the road over the past 20 years. The last time they played game-three on the road on Sept. 10, 2005 when they defeated Winona, 51-6. The last time the Sioux lost game-three was on Sept. 24, 1994 when St. Cloud State took a close 18-17 victory.
