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Bismarck, N.D. – The Northern State University football team put together a commanding 39-point victory over the University of Mary on Saturday in their third NSIC win of the season. The Wolves led the contest with 413 rushing and 552 yards of total offense. They scored seven touchdowns and held the Mary offense to just four yards rushing in the win.
THE QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: NSU 53, MARY 14
Records: NSU 3-1 (3-1 NSIC), MARY 2-3 (1-3 NSIC)
Attendance: 1876
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Northern scored in each of the four quarters, notching seven points in each of the book ends, as well as 25 in the second and 14 in the third
- Trey Birdsong returned to the Wolves line-up with a bang scoring the first six points for the Wolves on a 40-yard reception from Brock Bagozzi; Jeremy Caruso added the PAT putting the Wolves up 7-0
- It was a big second quarter for the Wolves with three touchdowns and a field goal, including a defensive score by Lorenzo Jones Jr.
- Wyatt Block opened the quarter with his first touchdown of the afternoon, a 3-yard rushing scoring, followed by a Caruso PAT
- Bagozzi added a second passing touchdown at 11:08, connecting with Carter Campbell for a 5-yard score
- The Wolves opted to go for the 2-point conversion and the Wolves holder Cade Kaiser rushed to the goal line, giving NSU a 22-0 lead
- The Marauders got within scoring range on the following drive and set-up for a 37-yard field goal attempt
- Jones Jr. blocked the field goal by Jack Henninger and ran it back 73-yards for his first defensive touchdown as a Wolf
- UMary responded on the following drive, breaking through for their first touchdown of the day
- Northern closed out the half with a 25-yard field goal by Caruso with just 25-seconds remaining
- Block opened the second half for the Wolves in school record fashion, notching his second touchdown of the day on a 96-yard rushing score on NSU's opening drive that lasted 14-seconds
- After two passing scores, Bagozzi decided it was his turn to enter the endzone, rushing 11-yards for his third touchdown of the season and a 46-7 lead for NSU
- The Marauders closed out the third frame with their final touchdown of the contest, cutting into the NSU lead
- The Wolves were not done; Mason Stubbe rushed for the first touchdown of his career at 21-yard run at 14:01 in the fourth
- The Northern offense notched 28 first downs, 413 yards rushing, 139 yards passing, and 552 yards of total offense; completing 15-of-25 passing attempts with conversion rates of 64.3% on third down and 100.0% on fourth down
- The defense held the Marauders 2-of-9 on third down and 0-of-2 on fourth down, notching 3.0 sacks, and two interceptions
- In addition, Mary was held scoreless the two times they entered the red zone, while Northern went 4-for-4 when they entered the red zone
- In the kicking game, NSU averaged 61.1 yards per kickoff and 37.0 yards per punt to lead the contest
- Bagozzi, Daniel Britt, and Maxamillion Thomson each saw time under center in the win, with Bagozzi leading the group completing 11-of-18 attempts with 121 yards and two touchdowns
- Block recorded a single game career high of 163 yards rushing with a pair of touchdowns, averaging 12.5 yards per carry
- Stubbe followed with a career-high 82 yards and a touchdown in his second career appearance
- Birdsong led the receivers with 40 yards as 12 Wolves recorded a reception in the win
- Jake Adams led the team four the fourth straight contest with seven tackles, including a 0.5 tackle for a loss, followed by Elijah Jopp and Cooper Logan with five tackles each
- Jopp and Kyle Thomas recorded their first interceptions of the year, with Thomas notching eight return yards
- Gabe Gutierrez added to his season sack total with 1.5 for a total loss of 14 yards, while Logan, Max Van Landingham, and Javonnee Szymanski combined for the other 1.5 sacks in the game
- Caruso scored nine points for the Wolves and tallied 486 kickoff yards, while Jackson Isakson added 64 kickoff yards and 111-yards punting with a 45-yard long
NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Brock Bagozzi: 11-of-18, 121 yards passing, 2 touchdowns, 41 yards rushing, 1 touchdown
- Wyatt Block: 163 yards rushing, 2 touchdowns, 96-yard long (school record)
- Mason Stubbe: 82 yards rushing, 1 touchdown
- Elijah Jopp: 5 tackles, 1 interception
- Lorenzo Jones Jr.: 3 tackles, 2 break-ups, 1 blocked field goal, 73-yard touchdown return
- Jeremy Caruso: 6-for-6 PAT, 25-yard field goal, 60.8 yards per kickoff
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Block broke the single game school record with his 96-yard rushing touchdown; the previous record of 83 yards was set by Johnny Bentley against Mayville State in 2005
- The win is Mike Schmidt's first in Bismarck as the head coach of the Wolves
- Northern is now 3-1 in the NSIC and 1-0 in the NSIC North Division
UP NEXT
Northern continued their 2-game road trip next Saturday at Bemidji State. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. on October 4.
