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Dakota State University

Scoreboard

21
Dakota State DAKOTA S 3-2 , 2
26
Winner Waldorf WALDORF 4-1 , 2
Dakota State DAKOTA S
3-2 , 2
21
Final
26
Waldorf WALDORF
4-1 , 2
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
DAKOTA S Dakota State 0 0 7 14 21
WALDORF Waldorf 3 14 3 6 26

Game Recap: Football |

DSU's second-half surge falls short at Waldorf (Iowa) in NSAA football

October 2, 2021

FOREST CITY, Iowa – Dakota State (S.D.) stormed back by scoring 21 unanswered points after trailing 20-0 in the North Star Athletic Association contest with Waldorf (Iowa) Saturday afternoon at Bolstorff Field.  The Warriors rallied back to regain the lead and held off the Trojans by the score of 26-21.

Dakota State fell to 3-2 overall record, while Waldorf lifted their overall record to 4-1.  Both teams are 2-1 record in the North Star contests.  WU earned their sixth straight victory over DSU in the series meeting, earning a 7-6 all-time series record.

FIRST QUARTER

  • The Warriors kicked off the game with 8 plays for 55 yards in three minutes, forty-two seconds.  Waldorf could not score as Slater Gifford missed a 39-yard field goal with 11:13 on the clock.
  • On Waldorf's second drive of the game, Dakota State's Noah Guse intercepted Jordan Cooper's pass on DSU's 36-yard line with less than nine minutes to go in the first quarter.
  • WU's Nico Morasco intercepted DSU's Zach Brooks pass on WU's 47-yard line with 5:38 to go in the first.
  • The Warriors answered with the first scoring drive of the game with eight plays for 37 yards in 2:45, settling for a 40-yard field goal by Gifford.  Waldorf led 3-0 with 2:48 on the clock.
  • Caleb Nielsen recorded a 55-yard punt to WU's 14-yard line with 36 seconds left.

SECOND QUARTER

  • Waldorf started their drive from the near of the first quarter and marched down the field for the first touchdown of the game, highlighted by Cooper's 22-yard rush.  The Warriors used 13 plays for 86 yards in 5:07 as Cooper rushed for a 2-yard touchdown.
  • Gifford added the PAT extra-point kick as the Warriors extended their lead to 10-0 with 10:23 left in the second quarter.
  • WU extended their lead to 17-0 with another touchdown with 16 seconds to go before halftime.  The Warriors registered 10 plays for 76 yards in 2:32 as Cooper connected to Jatoviay Hill for a 9-yard touchdown pass.  Gifford added a successful PAT extra-point kick.
  • Dakota State was unable to score in the second quarter.

THIRD QUARTER

  • WU's MaCoy Yeakel intercepted Trojan Ja'Sem Atonio pass with 13:34 left in the third quarter on DSU's 46-yard line and returned it for six yards to DSU's 40-yard line.
  • Waldorf answered with 7 plays for 31 yards in 3:22 in the ensuing possession as their lead grew to 20-0 after Gifford's 26-yard field goal with 10:05 on the clock.
  • Dakota State snapped their scoring drought on the next possession, highlighted by a pair of 20-plus yards pass plays.  Atonio threw a 20-yard pass to Cooper McDermott from DSU's 25-yard line to 45-yard line.
  • Atonio added a 25-yard pass to Austin Lake from DSU's 47-yard line to WU's 28-yard line.
  • Brenner Furlong caught a 17-yard pass from Atonio as the Trojans trimmed WU's lead to 20-6 with seven minutes left in the third quarter.
  • Nielsen added a successful PAT extra-point as DSU trailed 20-7.  The Trojans used six plays for 77 yards in 2:58 in the scoring drive.
  • Waldorf was forced to punt on the ensuing drive as Dakota State regained possession on their own 30-yard line with less than five minutes to go.
  • The Trojans used the remaining 4:51 to end the third quarter with a 5-yard pass from Atonio to Cole Sylliaasen from WU's 32-yard line to WU's 27-yard line.

FOURTH QUARTER

  • Facing a 4th-and-18 situation on 27-yard line to start the fourth quarter, McDermott threw a 21-yard pass to Cody Brown that resulted a first-and-goal situation on WU's 6-yard line.
  • Two plays later, Atonio rushed for a 3-yard touchdown with 13:31 left in the game.  Nielsen hit the PAT extra-point kick as the Trojans cut the Warriors' lead to 20-14.
  • Waldorf was forced to punt on the ensuing possession, setting up another scoring drive for Dakota State.
  • The Trojans started the drive on WU's 48-yard line.  Jack Anderson rushed two straight times, capping a 28-yard rush to WU's 14-yard line for a first-down and forced the Warriors to burn a timeout with 10:55 left.
  • Atonio rushed for a 1-yard touchdown as DSU knotted the game at 20-20 with 9:35 remaining.  The Trojans took their first lead of the game after Nielsen's successful PAT extra-point kick for a 21-20 lead.
  • Waldorf answered with eight plays for 76 yards in 3:37 on the next possession with a touchdown.  Cooper threw a 25-yard pass to Zach Morel as the Warriors regained their lead to 26-21 with 5:50 to go.
  • The Warriors failed the 2-point PAT attempt after Hill's rush.
  • Dakota State moved the ball to WU's 40-yard line and could not convert their fourth-down opportunity as they turned the ball on downs with 2:31 remaining.
  • With third-and-12 situation on WU's 38-yard-line, Hill rushed for 22 yards to convert a first-down to DSU's 40-yard line and secured the victory.
  • Dakota State outscored Waldorf 21-9 in the final thirty minutes of the game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

  • DSU's Atonio finished the game by going 17-of-24 for 177 yards with a touchdown.  He also had two rushing touchdowns. 
  • Furlong rushed 12 times for 47 yards for the Trojans.  He also had two receptions for 27 yards and a touchdown.  Anderson ran seven times for 33 yards.
  • McDermott had five receptions for 55 yards for Dakota State.  Lake had four catches for 44 yards.  Dajshon Keel and Michael Hybertson each had two receptions for 27 yards. 
  • Gustavo Bonilla led the Trojans' defense with a season-high 15 tackles.  Guse added nine tackles, tackle-for-loss, and an interception.  Mahdi Benalshaikh tallied nine tackles. 
  • Conner Tordsen collected eight tackles and sacked the quarterback twice.  He had three tackles-for-loss of 27 yards.  Edward Fritzler had seven tackles, while Marcus Vanden Bosch added six tackles. 
  • Cooper was 22-of-31 for 234 yards with two touchdowns for Waldorf.  He ran 21 times for 52 yards and a touchdown.  Hill added 18 rushes for 65 yards.  He had four catches for 28 yards and a touchdown.
  • Dominick Watt caught eight receptions for 110 yards for the Warriors.  La'Quante Harris added five catches for 53 yards.  Morel had three receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown. 
  • Yeakel had 11 tackles and an interception for the Warriors.  Thomas Edwards, Jacob Ray, and Austin Erdmann each added nine tackles.  Isaiah Brown and Deqwunn McCobb each had seven tackles.  Morasco had an interception. 

TEAM COMPARISONS

  • Waldorf outgained Dakota State 373-305 in total offensive yards.  The Warriors threw 250 yards compared to the Trojans 210 passing yards.  WU rushed for 123 yards, while DSU had 95 rushing yards.
  • The Warriors recorded 23 first downs, while the Trojans had 19 first downs. 
  • WU converted 7-of-15 on third down situations (47 percent).  DSU was 4-of-12 on third downs (33 percent).
  • Waldorf had the ball control for 31 minutes, 54 seconds.  Dakota State had the ball for 28 minutes, 6 seconds.

UP NEXT

The Trojans stay on the road next Saturday for another North Star Athletic Association contest.  Dakota State travels to Biesiot Activities Center to take on the league's six-time defending champion Dickinson State (N.D.).  Kick-off is set for 2 p.m. (Central Time)/1 p.m. (Mountain Time).

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director

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