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Dickinson State tops Concordia-Moorhead 29-24; Enters DAC Play Undefeated
Derion Williams did it again. The senior playmaker and 2009 College Fanz NAIA All-American snagged a tipped pass that was directed towards Derek Pauley and took it 30 yards for the game winning touchdown, giving DSU a 29-24 victory over Concordia College (MN) today at the Badlands Activities Center. The play originated with less than one minute left in the game as the Hawks found themselves down 23-24 after leading for the first 58 minutes and 59 seconds of the contest. Quarterback Cody Holland cued and launched a pass to Pauley who deflected the ball in order to keep it out of the hands of a defending Cobber. Williams snag and accompanying sprint exhibition away from a duo of pursuing Concordia defenders sealed the victory and allowed Dickinson State to remain undefeated going into the DAC conference season. The NAIA #18 Blue Hawks have not started 2-0 since consecutive defeats of MSU-Northern (34-0) and Dakota State (38-7) in the beginning of the 2004 season in which they went 10-2 and won the DAC. Dickinson State returns to action Saturday, September 18th at the BAC against Dakota State University. Game time is 1:30 pm. See below for a score by quarters and a scoring summary.
GO TO THIS ADDRESS FOR COMPLETE GAME DAY STATS: http://www.cord.edu/dept/sports/fall/fb/10FB01.HTM
SCORE BY QUARTERS 1 2 3 4 SCORE ----------------- -- -- -- -- ----- Dickinson State..... 7 7 6 9 - 29 Concordia-Moorhead.. 0 7 0 17 - 24
SCORNG SUMMARY - DSU vs. CONCORDIA COLLEGE(MN) 1st 03:24 DSU - Derek Pauley 19 yd pass from Cody Holland (Tury Escobedo kick) ***7 plays, 60 yards, Time of Possession (TOP) 2:53, DSU 7 - CC 0*** 2nd 06:44 CC - Mike Starke 19 yd pass from Michael Dunham (Porfirio Diaz kick) ***9 plays, 56 yards, TOP 5:34, DSU 7 - CC 7*** 00:30 DSU - Derek Pauley 17 yd pass from Cody Holland (Tury Escobedo kick) ***6 plays, 60 yards, TOP 0:34, DSU 14 - CC 7*** 3rd 08:05 DSU - Tury Escobedo 35 yd field goal ***8 plays, 53 yards, TOP 4:16, DSU 17 - CC 7*** 03:29 DSU - Tury Escobedo 37 yd field goal ***7 plays, 15 yards, TOP 3:19, DSU 20 - CC 7*** 4th 12:24 CC - Porfirio Diaz 32 yd field goal ***14 plays, 55 yards, TOP 6:05, DSU 20 - CC 10*** 09:41 CC - Bronson Shepherd 15 yd pass from Michael Dunham (Porfirio Diaz kick) ***3 plays, 25 yards, TOP 1:01, DSU 20 - CC 17*** 06:39 DSU - Tury Escobedo 20 yd field goal ***6 plays, 67 yards, TOP 3:02, DSU 23 - CC 17*** 01:01 CC - Nic Johnson 1 yd run (Porfirio Diaz kick) ***11 plays, 80 yards, TOP 3:15, DSU 23 - CC 24*** 00:29 DSU - Derion Williams 58 yd pass from Cody Holland ***5 plays, 58 yards, TOP 0:32, DSU 29 - CC 24*** DAC Preseason #1 Hawks to Battle Concordia Cobbers for Third Time in Four Years
The NAIA #18 Dickinson State Blue Hawks and Concordia College (MN) Cobbers are set to play tomorrow afternoon for the third time in four years. This will be their first meeting at the BAC. The 2009 DAC Champions and preseason conference #1 Blue Hawks enter the matchup with momentum after last week’s 25-21 defeat of Frontier Conference and NAIA foe, Rocky Mountain College. Concordia, who scrimmaged North Dakota State College of Science last Saturday, enters the matchup excited to bust off rust from their last game ten months ago. Concordia finished the 2009 season in a four way tie for fourth place with a MIAC Conference record of 3-5-0. While the Cobbers placed eleven athletes on the MIAC All-Conference and Honorable Mention squads, they ended up losing nine to graduation. Overall, Concordia lost nineteen starters from last season and return only two of their All-MIAC selections from last year. On a grand level, Concordia will need to make some big jumps on offense, defense, and special teams this season to ensure their success. To start, the Cobbers are faced with the obstacle of replacing the majority of their offensive production from last season. Concordia seniors accounted for 80% of running yards and 79% of rushing touchdowns last season. A prime example of their losses would be Andrew Larson, who ranked second in the MIAC last season in scoring with 12 touchdowns and an average of 7.2 points per game. From a defensive standpoint, Concordia returns only one starter from last season’s group that ranked fifth in the MIAC in total defense. The Cobbers also lost both their kicker, Carl Hauser, who led the conference in field goals and scoring by kicking and David Williamson who ranked sixth in the MIAC in punting. It’s no doubt that Concordia will be led by 2009 MIAC 1st Team Defensive Back, Zach Debeltz and 2nd Team Quarterback, Mike Dunham. Debeltz finished second in the MIAC with six interceptions last season. He notched 69 tackles for an average of 6.9 per game to rank him fourteenth in the conference. Debeltz also had the highest punt return average in the MIAC amongst players with 10 or more returns, averaging 13.5 yards per punt. Mike Dunham, who earned the starting quarterback job for the final four games of the 2009 Cobber season, won three of his four outings. Dunham ranked seventh in the MIAC in passing average per game (151.6), pass efficiency (125.8), and total offense (170.5) last year. On the offensive side of the ball, it’s arguable that Dunham provides the greatest element of stability for Concordia, despite his only being in the top spot for four games of his career. If the Cobbers want to succeed tomorrow it is necessary for veterans to earn their turf and the younger corps of players to step up. While Concordia lacks a returning running back that rushed for more than 50 yards last season, they have a trio of seasoned wide receivers. Bronson Shepherd (27 catches and 10.1 yards/catch average in ‘09), Zach Weller, and Mike Starke need to serve as strong targets for Dunham if they are to be competitive today. On the defensive side of the ball, Concordia has to count on Nick Baumann, Guy Rudolph, and Perry Patterson in addition to Debeltz. Rudolph tallied 41 tackles last season. Dickinson State is coming off of an exciting win against Rocky Mountain College that was marked by many spectacular performances, namely those of Derion Williams (#6) who contributed on defense and special teams. Whether it was Williams’ kickoff returns of 60 and 50 yards, his return of a blocked field goal for 40 yards, or a 33 yard interception for a touchdown that helped the Hawks gain their first lead of the game, he was on fire last week and will keep the Cobbers hands full tomorrow afternoon. Defensive tackle, Luke Steiner (#35) was also stellar against Rocky, blocking an extra point and a field goal attempt. Rounding out the list of Hawks to watch on defense are Jamie Sigl (#12), whose 10 tackles led DSU in the opener and the triad of Trevor Willis (#22), Nick Nicastro (#42), and Dakota Holland (#9) who each registered 7 tackles a piece. The Blue Hawk offense will be led by Cody Holland (#11) who matches up great against Concordia’s Dunham. Holland, who completed 11 of 18 passes for a percentage of 61%, guided Dickinson’s offense that accounted for 307 total yards. Look for Holland’s number one target to be Presley Straub (#24) whose four receptions totaled seventy seven yards. Derek Pauley (#18) had nice a catch for 26 yards and provides an excellent option for Holland. On the ground, Jeremy Herr (#23) was tough for the Hawks last week with seventeen carries for seventy eight yards and a 24 yard reception for a touchdown as well. Look for Brennan Haughian (#25) who had six carries last week and Rashad Williams (#7) who ran the ball five times to sprint with the ball tomorrow. Dickinson State Christens $16 Million BAC with Win Over Rocky Mountain College
The Hawks had 3,550 reasons to put on a good show during their first game at the fully completed Badlands Activities Center. After all, it just wouldn’t have been proper to give so many guests anything less than a victorious ending to the exciting night. Dickinson State grabbed their first win of the season tonight against Rocky Mountain College (MT), defeating the Battlin’ Bears by a score of 25-21. Beginning with spirited late afternoon tailgating and continuing with an early evening dedication of the “Forever a Blue Hawk” statue, an energetic pre-game atmosphere set the stage for an exciting opening night of the NAIA football season. Derion Williams started things off with a 50 yard kickoff return, but the accompanying drive ended in a failed field goal attempt. Quarter one ended at a score of zero all. Rocky Mountain bolted out of the second quarter blocks with a 53 yard connection between heavily hyped transfer Mark Desin and Nathan Barnett. With the kick, Rocky took a 7-0 lead. After a 40 yard kickoff return by Derion Williams and a 32 yard reception by Presley Straub, Dickinson State attacked with a Rashad Williams touchdown reception bulleted from Cody Holland, just less than two minutes after the Bears earlier hit. With Tury Escobedo’s strike between the posts, the Blue Hawks had pulled even at seven all. After an extended drive featuring nice ground work and with a little more than half of the second quarter remaining, Desin showed what all the talk was about, running the ball in 15 yards for six points. While the touchdown put the Battlin’ Bears tally up to thirteen, they couldn’t double up the score on the Hawks as defensive tackle, Luke Steiner blocked the extra point attempt. Steiner’s snub would halt the Bears for the quarter. As the half was approaching, Jerel Hafner sacked RMC’s quarterback to open the door for the Hawks. Trevor Willis made the kill on Desin, notching the safety for two points. Dickinson commanded the ball and clock for the rest of the quarter while Escobedo put three between the uprights at the buzzer to draw the Hawks virtually even with the Bears at a score of 12-13. Dickinson State moved into their first lead of the game with the only tally of the third quarter off of an interception and ensuing 33 yard return by Derion Williams. All-American Williams’ six points put the Blue Hawks up by 5, for a score of 18-13. Roughly five minutes into the final quarter, Rocky climbed in the cottage again, with Desin and AJ Tolbert playing catch twice for a touchdown and two point conversion to put the score at 21-18. Moving forward, it looked like The Battlin’ Bears might pull away with a field goal attempt, but DSU’s Steiner worked his magic again, stifling Rocky’s 35 yard attempted kick. Steiner’s stop enabled the Hawks to swing their fortunes. Coach Biesiot was very pleased with Steiner’s blocks and nearly as impressed with the senior’s tenacity. “Sometimes that pressure is just as important,” Biesiot said. Shortly after the blocked kick, Holland lofted a dart up for Derek Pauley, who pulled the ball down for a 24 yard connection. Jeremy Herr kept things going with a central rush for 20 yards. Herr would capitalize on the drive, as the recipient of a 26 yard grenade from Holland. With continued assistance from Escobedo, Dickinson had flown to the top of the totem pole for the last strike at a total of 25 points to Rocky’s 21. The Bears would not drift away though. Desin got to work passing, but launched a miscued pick into the arms of linebacker Zach McCoy at just under the two minute mark. The Hawks maintained and kept control to close out with a win. Coach Biesiot was happy about the outcome, but reflective that the Blue hawks had to earn their keep tonight. “They do some things that really stretch you out defensively,” Biesiot said of the Bears. Resultantly, “We had trouble getting a rhythm against them.” However it was a triad of playmakers and a host of others that made the difference. In addition to Steiner’s heroics, Biesiot seemed confident in giving the baton to Jeremy Herr for the evening. “We went with him and that combination because he was a senior.” Biesiot’s thinking proved correct. On All-American Derion Williams, Biesiot radiated his love for kick returners and panned that, “Derion Williams is the best slow kick returner we’ve ever had. He’s a kid capable of making plays.” The Blue Hawks return to action for their second non-conference game at 1:30 pm on Saturday, September 4th against Concordia College (MN) at the BAC. Tailgating starts at 9am. Click here for More Articles >> For more information call (701) 483-2735. |
