Hawks blast past
Dickinson State has not started a season 0-4 in 4 1/2 decades. That streak will live on.By: Dave Selvig, The Dickinson Press
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Dickinson State has not started a season 0-4 in 4 1/2 decades.
That streak will live on.
The Blue Hawks forced three Jamestown College turnovers and scored the final 30 points of the game to notch their first victory of the season, 30-6, at Rollie Greeno Field on Saturday.
The Blue Hawks, who entered the game 0-3, had not started a season with four straight losses since 1966. The win did not erase the early-season struggles for the preseason No. 7 team in the NAIA, but it helps.
“Well, we had as much good fortune (today) as we’ve had the first month of the season, but it was nice to see our kids not hang their heads, not quit and come out and compete,” said Biesiot, who earned win No. 252 of his legendary career, and he now is just four short of the all-time NAIA record for victories. “Any time you get a win, and a win on the road, you have to consider it a pretty good day.”
It was another frustrating setback for the Jimmies, who scored first.
After a scoreless opening quarter, Matt Mithaugen turned a short screen pass into a 15-yard touchdown reception for an early 6-0 lead. Ryan Benke missed the extra-point kick, though, which was a sign of things to come in a rough day for the special teams.
In the first half, the Jimmies missed an extra point, a field goal and had a punt blocked.
JC coach Bud Etzold didn’t mince words after the game.
“It’s embarrassing,” he said. “It’s dang humbling is what it is and it starts at the top with me. The way we played today just isn’t good enough. We have to get it fixed.”
The blocked punt swung momentum DSU’s way.
Cord Berg made the play even though the Blue Hawks didn’t appear to be going after the punt. Regardless, the blocked punt put them in business at the JC 21-yard line. Five players later — including a disputed pass interference call on the Jimmies on a 3rd-down-and-7 that gave DSU an automatic first down — Brennan Haughian barreled in from the 1 to put the Blue Hawks on top 5 minutes and 35 seconds before halftime.
The Jimmies got the ball first after the break, but it was the Blue Hawks who scored first.
On 3rd-and-long from their own 2-yard line, JC quarterback Brad Lint was hit by Jerel Hafner as he tried to scramble out of the end zone. The ball was jarred free and nestled into the arms of former Dickinson High standout Sam Herauf, who plowed into the end zone for a DSU touchdown.
Lint was under heavy pressure from the Hawks all day. Dickinson State, which entered the game with just 1 sack in their first 3 games, wracked up 7.5 Saturday shared between nine players. Matt Seibert and Hafner had 1.5 each.
The Dickinson State offense delivered the next big blow.
Up 16-6, Dave Velasquez found Tanner Leak open streaking up the DSU sideline. The throw by Velasquez was perfect and it ended in a 69-yard touchdown for the Blue Hawks to make it 23-6 late in the third quarter.
It was the only big play either offense generated. The two teams combined for only 393 yards of offense in the game — 212 for the Blue Hawks and 181 for the Jimmies.
“That was as much pressure as we’ve put on all season,” Biesiot said. “Our defense played well. We didn’t give up big plays and I thought we tackled well.”
The Jimmies’ offensive line has been banged up, but Etzold wasn’t looking for a crutch.
“We’re not in the excuse-making business, we’re in the figure-it-out business,” Etzold said. “We have to understand what happened, come to grips with it, learn from it and then flush it.
“All we can do is go back to work. And believe me, we will.”
The Jimmies (0-1, 1-2) head to Mayville on Saturday to face the Comets (3-1), while the Blue Hawks get a week off.
Selvig is a reporter for the Jamestown Sun, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.
DSU 0 10 13 7 — 30
JC 0 6 0 0 — 6
First quarter
No scoring.
Second quarter
JC—Matt Mithaugen 15 yard pass from Brad Lint (kick failed), 13:45.
DSU—Tury Escobedo 32 field goal, 9:43.
DSU—Brennan Haughian 1 run (Escobedo), 5:35.
Third quarter
DSU—Sam Herauf 2 fumble return (kick failed), 13:31.
DSU—Tanner Leak 61 pass from Dave Velasquez (Escobedo kick), 3:37.
Fourth quarter
DSU—Haughian 1 run (Escobedo kick), 9:00.
Team statistics
TEAM STATISTICS DSU JC
Rushes-yards 42-105 33-37
Passing yards 107 144
Comp.-Att.-Int. 8-17-1 17-31-3
Total yards 212 181
Penalties-yards 4-20 4-20
Fumbles-lost 1-0 3-1
Punts-Avg. 7-33.9 6-27.8
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: DSU, Brennan Haughian 25-91, Tyler Grosz 5-19, Michael Cooper 4-5, Kyle Stanton 1-2, Dave Velasquez 7-(minus-6). JC, Matt Mithaugen 8-23, Lance Johansen 6-12, Mike Lake 2-12, Steven Nelms 1-2, Max Boe 1-(minus-1), Tyler Notch 1-(minus-4), Brad Lint 13-(minus-7).
PASSING: DSU, Velasquez 8-17-1, 107 yards. JC, Lint 17-29-2 144 yards. Notch 0-2-1.
RECEIVING: DSU, Jimmy Smith 2-22, Grosz 2-15, Presley Straub 2-1, Tanner Leak 1-61, Haughian 1-8. JC, Boe 10-95, Casey Hausauer 2-11, Matt Mithaugen 2-8, Matt Wilson 1-12, Johansen 1-11, Tyler Spanton 1-7.
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Interceptions: DSU, Nolan Schwartz, Mike Fisher, Jay Grosz. JC, C.J. Costello.
Tags: dsu athletics, blue hawks, sports, updates, football
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