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Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State University football team dropped to 0-4 overall after a 28-10 loss to No. 7 Sioux Falls. The Cougars improved to 4-0 overall and in conference play, defeating the Wolves in Gypsy Days.
                                                           
Kyle Lavand led the Wolves with 122 yards passing and one touchdown to tight end Cody Kraft, early in the fourth quarter. The five yard pass was the Wolves second score of the game, after a 35 yard field goal off the foot of Adrian Krupka in Northern's second possession of the game. Nicholas Truen led the NSU rushing game with 108 yards on 21 carries. His longest carried tallied in at 40 yards, while he average 5.1 per carry for the day.
 
The Sioux Falls offense was a difficult test as quarterback Luke Papilion threw for 157 yards and two touchdowns as well as rushed for 98 yards and one touchdown. Max Mickey tallied the first Cougar TD of the game, a rushing score late in the first quarter.  
 
The Northern receivers were led by Tyrell Anderson and Zachery Barber with 46 and 36 yards respectively. Devin Olson continued his solid senior season leading the Wolves with 13 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for a total loss of seven yards.
 
The two team's entered the second half with the Wolves down 21-3. Northern held steady in the third as the Cougars went scoreless, however Sioux Falls notched their fourth and final touchdown in the opening seconds of the fourth, putting the Wolves down 28-3. NSU answered back minutes later with a seven point score of their own, which cut the Cougar lead to 18 in the game. Time became the Wolves enemy as they were unable to add points to the board and ultimately fell in the game.
 
Trever Heining added seven tackles for the Wolves, while a total of eight defensive players tallied five of their own. Matt Thorson intercepted Papilion's pass on the goal line to hold the Cougars in the third. Taylor Zemlicka and Dalton Wangerin each notched a sack for a combined 21 yards.  
 
The loss marks the Wolves final game of cross divisional play, as Northern will match-up with NSIC North opponent Minot State on the road next Saturday. The Wolves and Beavers are set to kick off at 6 p.m. on October 3^rd from Minot.