Hauptman saves the day!

By MICHAEL LINNELL, Staff Writer mlinnell@ndweb.com

JAMESTOWN - Minot State University's Robbie Hauptman admits it was a lazy play.

The block preserved a one-point MSU win as the Beavers took their Dakota Athletic Conference football opener 19-18 on a hot, muggy afternoon at Taylor Stadium.

"I guess you could say I got a finger on it," Hauptman said. "My legs were burning because of (JC's) long drive. I couldn't get a push, so I tried to jump up. I got all of it."

The block came after the Jimmies frantically marched 60 yards in 1:41 with out a time out. The Jimmies hastily ran out kicker Bryan Loweree on fourth down. The Jimmie got the field goal unit on the field in plenty of time. The

snap and hold appeared to be good, but Loweree did not get enough height on the ball.

"I was watching the snap and the hold," JC coach Tom Dosch said. "I didn't see the kick. MSU made a good play. It is frustrating right now."

The Jimmies have lost all three of their 2005 games, in a combined total of 10 points.

"We have guys who have played hard enough and deserve a win," Dosch said.

The Jimmies looked like they were going to pick up their first win as they dominated the third quarter, scoring all of the quarter's 12 points and went

on an 18-0 run as they took a lead, 18-13, with 13:37 to play in the fourth quarter.

MSU though, rallied. The Beavers used a short field after JC had to punt deep in its own territory with 10 minutes to play. MSU's Jamar Culver capped off seven-play , 41-yard drive with a 5-yard fade pass to Silas Sneed. Sneed made a great catch over a Jimmies defender in the back of the end zone.

"It was a heck of a contest," MSU coach Mike Sivertson said. "We kept battling."

The touchdown drive was also bolstered by a renewed rushing effort by the Beavers. Junior running back Manny Gutierrez had 17 yards rushing on the drive, including a 15-yard burst on the first play of the drive.

"We needed some power running because Jamestown was so physical," Sivertson said. "The yards after contact were the biggest thing. Manny gave us that power."

The Beavers were again hampered by turnovers as MSU gave JC great field

position with both interceptions and a fumble. The Jimmies' first touchdown came after an MSU fumble on its own 26, while the last JC score was just six yards thanks to a Chet White interception and return to the MSU 6.

"We have to find a way to get rid of those," Sivertson said. "We are dodging bullets out there. I guess we got a couple back today to make it a little more even."

MSU's second TD came after a Shaun Sideris interception and return to the JC 6. Sideris was the right player in the right position when a ball deflected off MSU defensive back Ricky Martinez right to Sideris.

"I was trying to get out to the flat as fast as I could," he said of the coverage on the interception. "They threw it right to Ricky and I got a lucky bounce. I am not an offensive guy, so I couldn't get into the end zone."

Culver did three plays later as he sneaked in for a 2-yard score. It was the Beavers' first rushing touchdown of the season and it gave MSU a 13-0 lead halfway through the second quarter.

The Jimmies got the better of the total offense garnering 245 yards to MSU's 229. JC's tailback Eric Dirk led all players with 68 yards on 18 carries,

but JC was limited to 49 yards rushing thanks to a miss handled snap on a field goal attempt (21-yard loss) and fumbled pitch attempt (11-yard loss).

"We got some things to work on the ground," Dosch said. "We let up in the second quarter, though. I thought we hung our heads a little."

JC's Tanner Kelting went 20-for-34 for 196 yards, while his counterpart Culver was 15-for-27 for 140 yards. Culver was intercepted three times, but

threw for two scores. Gutierrez led MSU with 65 yards on 12 carries.

MSU (1-0 DAC, 1-1 overall) travels to Montana Tech in Butte on Saturday, Game time is 1:30 p.m., MDT. JC (0-1 DAC, 0-3 overall) is on the road at Valley City State University Saturday.