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SCSU hangs on for win at UND
 Media Credit: charles martin Ben Nelson, the leading receiver for the current 6-1 SCSU football team, catches a touchdown pass from Keith Heckendorf on the first scoring drive as SCSU ran over the “Fighting Sioux” of UND.
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GRAND FORKS, N.D. — The Huskies went into Grand Forks and got their sixth victory of the season by doing exactly what they shouldn’t have done: they let North Dakota’s defense take over the game.
The “Fighting Sioux’s” suffocating attack ground the Huskies’ high-flying offense to a halt in the second half, but not before SCSU scored 20 points in the first 32 minutes. North Dakota battled, but was unable to comeback as the Huskies won 20-17 in the defending Division II national champion’s homecoming game.
The win turned out to be another gut check for the Husky defense, who allowed UND wide receiver Jesse Smith to run wild for 13 catches and 203 yards, but came up with the big play when necessary. North Dakota was without their starting quarterback, Kelby Klosterman, and their starting running back, freshman Riza Mahmoud, so the Huskies were expecting significantly more passes than UND usually throws.
“We knew it was our game if we stopped them,” said junior defensive tackle Nick Peterson, who had a sack and a fumble recovery. “It came down on our shoulders and we made some plays to keep the offense out of the end zone.”
The UND offense was on its way to the end zone with 1:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, when SCSU safety Nate Loughran intercepted a John Bowenkamp pass at midfield, redeeming himself from giving up two long touchdown passes to Smith of 62 and 43 yards. The interception essentially ended any chance of a North Dakota comeback.
The winning score came via the ever-churning legs of SCSU freshman running back Matt Birkel, who had another breakout game from the backfield. Birkel broke a 65-yard touchdown run on the fourth play of the second half, capping a Herculean 24 rush, 180-yard day. It was the last score the Huskies would get, as the UND defense shut them out for the last 28 minutes of the game.
“We were able to move the ball on them early and had some success, but you have to give them credit,” said SCSU quarterback Keith Heckendorf, who completed 16 of 30 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns. “They came back in the second half and shut us down a little bit and made it real tough on us. They’re one of the best defenses we’ve seen.”
One of the biggest obstacles SCSU faced in the game was the crowd noise. Accustomed to playing outdoors in front of 2000 people, the Huskies had to bring in a noise machine during practice to simulate the arena football-like feel of the Alerus Center and it seemed to pay dividends.
“Third downs were hard,” said senior wide receiver Ben Nelson, who had four catches for 51 yards and a touchdown. “We had to watch the ball sometimes and we had a couple of false starts, but other than that we did well.”
The Huskies got what they could, while they could. After forcing a North Dakota punt on their first possession, a spectacular Brian Loe kick pinned SCSU down at their own one. With 99 yards to go, the Huskies traded passes and runs all the way downfield, including a 59-yard pass to freshman wideout Ed DeShazer, who caught the ball in traffic, broke away from the safeties and fumbled, only to pick it up on the bounce and run for another 35 yards. Four plays later, Heckendorf found his most reliable weapon in the end zone, as Nelson made a nice overhead catch for his 14th touchdown reception of the season. He has scored in every game this season and last, save for 2001’s 45-0 drubbing at the hands of Nebraska-Omaha.
After a Jeremy Pilarski sack and Peterson fumble recovery, the Huskies struck gold again early in the second quarter when Heckendorf found tight end Matt Huebner wide-open across the middle for a 21-yard touchdown.
North Dakota answered almost immediately when Bowencamp found Smith behind the safeties for a 62-yard TD pass only three plays later. UND added a field goal late in the third quarter, and was attempting another early in the fourth from the Husky 32, when lady luck reared her head. The center’s snap was above Bowencamp’s grasp and rolled to the 47, where he was smothered. It wasn’t the first time SCSU has benefited from a muffed snap, suggesting some sort of a voodoo hex by the defense.
“We changed up our pressure this week, their O-line was a little sketchy,” Peterson said. “It’s nothing we do, because a good snap, good kick (equals points), but we have to get pressure if it’s a high snap.”
The win moves the Huskies to 6-1, 4-1 in NCC play. This victory is important on many levels, as the Huskies are now in sole possession of second place in the NCC. Even more importantly, the Huskies proved they can win in a hostile building, because the Alerus Center is extremely uninviting to opposing teams.
“It’s just a big victory for our team. I feel good for our team, because of what we’ve been through and the direction we’re going,” Hedberg said. “I think our players have the confidence that we can come into an environment like this and win- that’s huge. This is one of the toughest places to play in Division II.”
Hedberg down played the personal significance of a win in Grand Forks, considering he and defensive coordinator Scott Underwood both coached there prior to joining SCSU. Some of the players, however, have their own motivation for winning against North Dakota.
“To come back to a place where you coached and get a ‘W,’ it’s something special,” Heckendorf said. “None of us who were recruited by these guys, they ended up not wanting us, so there’s a little extra incentive to come back and win also. Any time you go someplace you’ve been, you’ve had contact with, it’s special to get the ‘W.’”
It’s been awhile since the Huskies were 6-1, so it’s easy to say that every win is bigger than the last. But the possibility exists that this is the most critical Husky victory in several years, as they haven’t seriously competed for an NCC title since 1989. They are finding out more about themselves every week.
“I’ve never had this feeling before on a football team,” Peterson said. “Going back to high school, I’ve never played on a team that had this much heart and this much emotion when they played. It’s a good feeling. (This one) is on the top. I can’t really think of any other games that have been this big.”
But for a team that has been on the short end of the stick seven times for every victory (the Huskies are now 21-3 all-time against UND) a win is sweet, regardless of the situation.
“These guys beat us every year,” Nelson said. “Times are changing a little bit.”
From the sidelines
- This is only the third time the Huskies have defeated North Dakota, and all three SCSU wins have been in Grand Forks. It’s Hedberg’s first victory against his former team.
- Birkel’s 65-yard touchdown was the longest of the season for the Huskies and the longest against UND this season. It was also the longest play in the illustrious (1.5 seasons) history of the Alerus Center.
- Heckendorf’s two touchdown passes were his 21st and 22nd of the season. He set a new season standard last year (26) and is on pace to shatter that mark. His 56 career TD passes are easily a school record.
- The Huskies are +7 in turnovers (22 for, 15 against) on the season.
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