Box Score

ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Northern State Wolves overcame three blocked field goal attempts and a 2-for-7 showing in red zone chances with two big defensive interceptions, a blocked punt and a fourth quarter flea flicker that all but sealed the game as they downed the visiting Bemidji State University Beavers 14-0 Saturday afternoon in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football action.
 
NSU moved to 3-6 overall and 2-6 in NSIC play while handing the Beavers their second straight loss.  BSU had been ranked in three of this year's eight regular season AFCA Top 25 polls, including a No. 20 ranking on Oct. 17.  The Beavers were receiving votes in last week's poll after falling to U-Mary last Saturday and slipped to 6-3 overall and 5-3 in league play with today's set-back.
 
NSU, which lost starting quarterback Nick Wanner on its first offensive play of the game, rode the legs and arm of redshirt freshman Jared Jacobson to the win.  Jacobson was just 7 of 25 through the air, but gained 91 yards on the ground with several broken play scrambles out of the pocket.  The Wolves racked up 184 total yards on the ground against a Bemidji State defense that led the conference and was ranked fifth in the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 83.5 yards per game coming into Saturday's game.
 
The Wolves, meanwhile, held BSU to just 128 yards on the ground, well below their 11^th-ranked rushing offense that was averaging 246 yards per game.  The Beavers and quarterback Lance Rongstad were forced to go to the air 26 times – including once on a fake punt attempt – for just 71 yards.  NSU safeties Logan Dosch and Jayson Geditz aided in the defensive effort with an interception apiece including a late fourth quarter pickoff from Geditz that foiled any thoughts of a Beaver come-back attempt.
 
After a defensively minded first quarter, the Wolves struck twice in the second quarter on a pair of Evan Nolte field goals into the wind.  Nolte made his first attempt from 34 yards despite a stiff southerly wind that made it a 3-0 game.
 
Two punts and a Hanipale Seuga forced fumble later, the Wolves got the ball back on their own 23 yard line with 3:41 left to play in the half.  Jacobson scrambled for two first downs and took the Wolves all the way down to the Bemidji State 27 yard line with one second remaining on the clock.  Jacobson's next pass to Kristin James fell incomplete as time expired, but the Beavers were whistled for a late hit on James, giving the NSU the ball on the Bemidji State 14 for a single un-timed down.
 
The Wolves sent Nolte back out for a second field goal attempt, this one from 31 yards out, and the line drive kick gave NSU the 6-0 lead heading into the break.
 
NSU got the ball back to start the second half and in essence ran out the clock in the third quarter.  Bemidji State ran a total of seven plays in the quarter, turning the ball over on two of those and drawing two flags that helped cut their three drives of the quarter even shorter.
 
The Wolves, however, were unable to capitalize on their 14 minutes and 18 seconds of ball control, punting once, missing one field goal and having a second field goal attempt blocked.  NSU also punted the ball away to start the fourth quarter and had another field goal attempt blocked before coming up with a big defensive stand midway through the quarter.
 
Bemidji took over at their own ten yard line after their third blocked field goal of the game and picked up a pair of first downs before running out of room on fourth and two from their own 42.  Jesse Sundby, who had unsuccessfully faked a punt on the Beavers' previous possession, was blocked on his punt attempt with the Wolves recovering the ball on the Bemidji State 33 with just over six minutes left to play.
 
The Wolves then pulled the flea flicker play out of the playbook, as James took the handoff, flipped it back to Jacobson, who found a wide open Chris Morton in the back of the end zone for the game's first and only touchdown.  Jacobson then found Jordan Piatz on the ensuing two-point conversion to put a two-touchdown distance between the Beavers and the scoreboard.
 
Bemidji State took over the ball with six minutes and one timeout left and moved the ball into NSU territory before Geditz hauled in an errant Rongstad pass and returned it to the Bemidji side of the field.  BSU burned its final timeout on the ensuing Northern State possession and got the ball back after the Wolves failed to convert on a fourth down effort.  The Beavers, however, misfired on three pass attempts and negated a six-yard run with a five-yard false start penalty, allowing the Wolves to take back the ball and run out the clock for the victory.
 
Defensively, the Wolves did not allow a single play for more than 13 yards.  Bogdanovich recorded ten tackles and a fumble recovery to lead the defensive effort, while Geditz had seven tackles, one interception and two total pass break-ups.
 
Bemidji State was led by seven tackles from Alex mock and six apiece from Cory Crosby and Brody Scheff.
 
The shut-out marks the first for the Wolves since a 38-0 blanking of Minnesota, Crookston last season.  NSU has now had one shut-out victory in each of the last four seasons.