Beavers defeat # 20 Valley City State

Copy of Article from the Minot Daily News (LINK)

Minot State makes two big defensive stands late in the game to upend Valley City State

By MICHAEL LINNELL, Sports Editor mlinnell@minotdailynews.com

VALLEY CITY — Just when it looked like Minot State University was going have a dominant performance negated by late miscues, Shaun Sideris lended his big right hand.

Literally.

Sideris tipped a pass intended for Valley City State University's Justin Folk at the MSU 5-yard line as time expired in the contest and the Beavers escaped with a 19-14 Dakota Athletic Conference football win Saturday at Lokken Field.

“I was fairly sure they would cross and tried to bait them a little bit,” Sideris said of the game's final play. “He (VCSU quarterback Jason Beilke) threw it a little high. I just jumped up and tipped it. Cory (Anderson) bashed the guy to finish off the play.”

The play was finished and MSU finally had a close win. The Beavers had lost three games this season late in the contests, including a 3-0 loss to rival Dickinson State University in conference play two weeks ago.

“It's a great feeling,” MSU head coach Mike Sivertson said. “It is a learning and maturation process that we have gone through. Now, when we get into those situations in the future, the guys will know what it takes to win one of these. I am very pleased for the players and the coaches.”

MSU put themselves into a tight situation late in the game because of three giant miscues on special teams. After going up 19-7 on a Jon Meier to Josh Kringen 46-yard pass on the second to last play of the third quarter, MSU allowed the Vikings life with a fumbled snap in punt formation and two punt blocks. The former led to a 25-yard touchdown fumble return for VCSU's Brian Wieland cutting the MSU lead to 19-14 and the last of the two gave the Vikings the ball at the MSU 17 with 10 seconds remaining in the game.

“If it wasn't for the special teams, we wouldn't have been in position to do anything,” VCSU head coach Dennis McCulloch said. “But you can't count on those kind of things all of the time. We are average on offense. We have a young quarterback, but it wasn't all his fault. We have to establish something in the running game.”

MSU held the Vikings offense, No. 1 statistically overall in the DAC coming into Saturday's contest, to just 73 yards of total offense. VCSU's Ryan Drinkwater sputtered to only 23 yards on 15 carries and Beilke was 11 for 25 passing for only 61 yards.

“It feels great,” MSU linebacker Tyler Persson said. “This a big win for us. We made some plays and the offense made some big plays and it was enough to get over the top.”

The offense indeed made big plays, including two big touchdown passes from Meier. Meier hit Kevin Hanson on an out and up route on the third play from scrimmage in the second half for a 68-yard strike. Hanson had to come back on an underthrown ball and out jumped VCSU's Baron Smart for the ball before heading in for the score. On the TD pass to Kringen, Meier, who threw for 198 yards and the two scores, laid the ball up and let Kringen simply run underneath.

“It was good to get the ball deep a couple of times,” the redshirt freshman said. “I am getting experience each time out. The game is so much different than practices and things are starting to slow down for me and I am able to see those guys.”

“We loaded up on the run and forced (Meier) to throw the ball,” McCulloch said. “That is what happens when you have man coverage.”

While the offense used the big play to score, it set up both by a pounding, physical running game. MSU's Neil Graham has one of his best days as a Beaver as he gained 124 yards on 41 carries. According to Sivertson, Graham was more physical.

“It was the Neil Graham of old,” Sivertson said. “Valley does some things up front that you have to recognize. Neil did a good job of that, exploding through the hole and getting some physical YAC (yards after contact) yards.”

MSU (3-1 DAC, 3-4 overall) is very much in the hunt for a conference title as they moved into a tie for second place with Dickinson State, one game behind Black Hills State University. VCSU falls to 1-3 in the DAC and 4-3 overall with the loss.

MSU is back at Herb Parker Stadium Saturday with a 1:30 p.m. date with Dakota State University