GRAND FORKS, N.D. - In its final home game of the season, the University of North Dakota football team honored both the area troops and its 18 seniors as it defeated Southern Oregon 30-24 at the Alerus Center. The victory also marked the 600th win in Fighting Sioux football history.
The win moved the Sioux to 5-4 on the season while SOU was handed its third-consecutive loss to close out the 2009 season with a 2-7 record.
UND trailed much of the opening half, but a pair of quick touchdowns late in the second quarter helped bring the game to a 17-17 tie heading into the break. The Sioux took the lead four minutes into the third quarter and then nearly held the Raiders silent through the remaining 16 minutes close the home season with a victory.
Senior Brandon Hellevang (K, Fargo, N.D.) led UND in scoring with 12 points off of three field goals and a trio of extra point kicks.
Junior quarterback Jake Landry (Grand Forks, N.D.) finished the night with 199 yards on 19-of-32 completions and two touchdown passes. His longest play of the game was a 51-yard pass to redshirt freshman Mitch Sutton (RB, Plover, Wis.) in the final quarter.
Sutton ended with 125 all-purpose yards. He gained 56 yards on 17 rush attempts and 69 yards on three receptions.
Sophomore Ismael Bamba (WR, Montreal, Quebec) led the offense with 134 all-purpose yards. He tallied 88 yards on eight receptions, including a six-yard touchdown reception, and added 43 yards on kick return.
On defense, several players came up with some big plays. After Bamba scored UND first touchdown in the second quarter, linebacker Clayton Leith (Sr., Hawthorne, Wis.) stripped the ball from Southern Oregon's kick returner Steve Jorgensen on the 18-yard line. Fellow linebacker Ross Cochran (Jr., Kenosha, Wis.) picked up where Leith left off and ran the ball 15 yards to the SOU3.
On the ensuing drive, Landry found an open Catlin Solum (RB, So., Fargo, N.D.) to take the game into a halftime tie.
Leith finished with three solo tackles and Cochran was credited with a pair of unassisted tackles, one of which was a quarterback sack.
Just inside the third quarter, sophomore Dominique Hawkins (CB, Rockford, Minn.) picked up UND's sixth blocked kick of the season as he got a hand in front of a punt by Tyler Crowley. The ball was recovered by senior Ryan Konrath (WR, White Bear Lake, Minn.) and four plays later, the Sioux took a 20-17 lead.
Linebacker Curtis Dublanko (Jr., Thorsby, Alberta) led the defense with six tackles (four unassisted) and was one of four players to pick up a quarterback sack. Juniors Joel Schwenzfeier (Hallock, Minn.), Ty Boyle (International Falls, Minn.), and Kris Ankenbauer (Murphy, Texas) and sophomore Mitch Kudrna (Dickinson, N.D.) finished with five tackles apiece. Boyle added a forced fumble and Kudrna a pass break-up.
On Saturday, Nov. 14, North Dakota will vie for a Great West Conference championship when it travels to Davis, Calif., to take on UC Davis. Kickoff for the title is set for 3 p.m.
GAME NOTES: Kenny Watkins (Plano, Texas) picked up his first interception of the season ... All-time, the Fighting Sioux are now 600-357-30 ... Head coach Chris Mussman's career record moved to 11-8, his conference record remained at 3-3, and his non-conference record improved to 8-5 ... Brandon Hellevang (Fargo, N.D.) is just four extra points from tying the UND career record of 174 held by Jeff Glas (2002-05).
- Go Sioux -
