Eric Ellingson
Eric Ellingson ties school record with 6 touchdown passes

Northern Puts On Show In Home Finale

11/3/2007 6:05:10 PM

ABERDEEN, S.D. - The Wolves pulled out the stops in their final 2007 Swisher Field appearance, posting eight touchdowns with 506 yards of offense in a 55-35 win over Upper Iowa. The defense recovered four UIU fumbles while the NSU rushing game marked a season high 214 yards of offense. The Wolves will play their final game of the season next weekend at the NSIC Metrodome Classic against the University of Mary.

The Wolves' offense was nearly flawless throughout the entire game. They scored touchdowns on each of their first eight drives of the matchup for a season high 55 points. Sophomore quarterback Eric Ellingson had his hand in every scoring play as he passed six touchdowns and ran two more in on his own. His performance ties him with Jason Landmark (1989) for a school record of six touchdown passes in a game.  On the day, Ellingson completed 25-of-33 passes for 286 yards. He connected with ten different receivers.

The Wolves' defense was especially cruel to the Peacocks in the first half, as they forced and recovered four fumbles, which led to four NSU touchdowns. In large part due to the defense, Northern dominated the time of possession, controlling the ball twice as long as UIU. Joshua Carpenter forced two fumbles and recovered one. The Wolves had 53 total tackles and two sacks.

Northern had 506 yards of offense in the game, 292 from passing and a season high 214 rushing yards. For the first time this year, NSU had a player go over the century mark in rushing yardage. Tavis Ve'e carried the ball 11 times for a net of 112 yards, including a 43-yard carry. Zain Gower also bowled over the Peacock defense and racked up 66 yards in 11 carries.

Brian Jark was NSU's leading receiver with seven catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Matt McNabb also caught two touchdowns and had 42 receiving yards. Turner Johnson and Mike Cahoy were the recipients of Ellingson's other two scoring passes.

Aside from their inability to hold onto the ball, Upper Iowa also found success on offense, but their lost possessions caught up to them quick and they did not have enough time to match Northern's scoring. The Peacocks had 451 yards of offense with nearly all of their yardage coming from a passing game. Quarterback Jay Lehman threw five touchdowns and had 373 passing yards. His top receiver was Ryan Hudgins, who grabbed nine balls for 128 yards. The UIU defense was led by Dominique Jackson with ten tackles and an interception.

The Wolves will be the visiting team in the NSIC Metrodome Classic matchup against the University of Mary. The game will kick off at 12 Noon on Saturday, November 10. Please see the NSU athletic homepage for more information on events surrounding the game.
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