ABERDEEN, S.D.. - A 30-yard Brian Jark pass reception and the scrambling work of NSU quarterback Eric Ellingson gave the Wolves (1-2, 1-0 NSIC) their first win of the season, a 15-9 NSIC win over Concordia-St. Paul (1-2, 0-1 NSIC). The Wolves made their move in the final three minutes of the game to take back the lead. NSU heads to Marshall, Minn. for continued NSIC action next Saturday, with the game time slated for 1:00 pm.
The Wolves' defense held Concordia-St. Paul scoreless throught the first quarter. Northern tallied the first points of the game with 4:46 remaining in the first. Sophomore Brian Jark (Aberdeen, SD) evaded the Golden Bear pressure to mark a 28-yard touchdown reception from Eric Ellingson, Jark's first TD reception of the season.
CSP got on the scoreboard late in the second quarter. A 43-yard pass from Goodchild to Tonkin put the ball on the Northern 1-yard line. A Vavra rush on the next play gave the Bears six points, but a missed extra point attempt kept the lead with the Wolves. NSU led 7-6 at the half.
Possessions alternated throughout the third quarter without a change in score. Nate McGruder and Kellen Fetter each picked off a Golden Bears pass to give the ball back to the Wolves' offense, but the Wolves failed to capitalize, running just 12 plays in the two combined possessions. Concordia took the ball over at the 14:53 mark of the fourth quarter and drove 58 yards before putting a field goal through the uprights and taking a 9-7 lead in the game.
Adam Halseth put the Wolves in excellent field position after returning the free kick 50 yards and putting his team inside CSP territory. Northern was unable to get a first down, however, and went three-and-out, giving the ball back to the leading visitors. The NSU defense once again stepped in and held the Bears within CSP ground and forced a punt with just over three minutes left in the game. The NSU offense, which was stagnant for much of the second half, awoke just in time to pull off the win.
The Wolves went to a throwing game to get the ball down the field. Jark was the receiver of note, totaling 62 receiving yards in three catches. The longest catch came in the middle of the possession, a 30-yard reception that got the Wolves all the way down to the CSP 13-yard line. Jark avoided Bears defenders on a running play and kept the Wolves within field goal distance, but Ellingson was determined to put the pigskin into the endzone, running first for a first down, and then making the score with a 2-yard touchdown run. The Wolves completed a two point conversion and took the final lead, 15-9.
The teams were nearly equal in yardage, with 349 total yards for the Wolves and 358 for Concordia. The Wolves were successfull on both the ground and in the air, but Concordia resorted to throwing the ball for nearly all of their yards. Each team threw two interceptions, but penalties were the real kicker for the Bears. CSP committed 14 penalties for a total of 131 lost yards.
Tavis Ve'e led the rushing force with 67 yards in nine carries. Ellingson had 30 yards on the ground, while Tyson DesCamps added 27. Jark had 128 receiving yards in the game, posting one touchdown in nine receptions. Jared Mack was the next leading receiver with 32 yards. Jackson Hegerfeld was a staple of the NSU defense, totaling nine tackles in the game. Bryar Johnson had another strong showing on the week with six tackles, including 2.5 for a loss of 18 yards. He was present in all three sacks of CSP quarterback Goodchild.
