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SCSU’s season eliminated
 Media Credit: charles martin Shane Rohman (24) shows his ability to form tackle as he demonstrates on a NDSU player during Saturday’s game. The Huskies blew away the Bison 31-7 in the season finale.
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FARGO, N.D. — More than anything this season, the football Huskies (9-2, 7-2 NCC) have been able to repay some old debts, handing out beatings to once-dominant opponents, conference and non-conference alike. With their playoff fate sealed, all that remained was a trip to the North Central Conference’s house of horrors, the Fargodome, for a matchup with the floundering Bison (2-8, 1-7 NCC) of North Dakota State. The Huskies exorcised the demons from the north though, with a resounding 31-7 victory.
The Fargodome has been especially unkind to the Huskies, who had scored a total of six points in their last three trips to the frozen plain. Early on, it looked as though history might just repeat itself as the Bison came out firing, completing a 39-yard pass on the first play of the game. They had SCSU on its heels and drove down for their only score, a 1-yard touchdown run by junior tailback Darrin O’Leary. Furthermore, Huskies’ junior quarterback and Harlon Hill Trophy candidate Keith Heckendorf, who had thrown only 10 interceptions going into the game, threw two in his first five pass attempts, nearly digging the ‘Dogs a giant hole.
“They had a decent game plan. They were dropping some (line)backers into different zones,” said senior wide receiver Ben Nelson. “They did their homework, they were dropping all over the place and gave us different looks. But Keith adjusted like he always does and he was able to pick it up.”
The Huskies battled back from their slow start as they have done all season. They got a spark from junior cornerback Eric Mickelson’s 39-yard punt return, his second long return of the first quarter, which led to a 20-yard Nick Orndorff field goal.
After a Matt Huebner fumble on the Huskies’ next possession, the Bison were set up with excellent field position at the SCSU 28 but could not capitalize as freshman Cory Vartanian missed a field goal wide right. The Huskies made them pay, assembling a gorgeous 14-play, 80-yard drive that covered 7:09 of the second quarter. Redshirt freshman running back Matt Birkel pummeled the Bison, taking the last of five consecutive carries into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown plunge, making it 10-7 at the half.
The Huskies went three and out on their first possession giving the Bison another chance for points. But Mickelson, who played his best game of the season, charged hard off of the left end and blocked Vartanian’s field goal attempt.
“Nate (Loughran) was like, ‘you can block this,’ and I said ‘I know,’” said the 5’7” Mickelson, who was just tall enough to get the block. “I laid out as far as I could and it hit the end of my fingers. I looked up and it was a pretty sight when the ball wasn’t going through the uprights.”
SCSU took the momentum shift and seized control of the game putting together another 80-yard scoring drive, capped off by Birkel’s second touchdown run. Birkel, who carried the ball 20 times in the first half and 31 times total for 141 yards, said that things could’ve been worse in the first half, considering the Huskies’ uncharacteristic performance.
“We looked at it from the point of view that we were up 10-7 (even though) we had three turnovers,” he said. “Obviously, if we come out and play a better second half, we’ll end up on top.”
No SCSU football game would be complete without a Ben Nelson touchdown. Nelson, who was one of 12 seniors who played their last game as a Husky Saturday, was held fairly silent in the first half, catching three passes for only 33 yards. But he made his presence felt in the fourth quarter, streaking by three Bison defensive backs to grab a 49-yard touchdown strike from Heckendorf. Appropriately enough, he caught Heckendorf’s last pass of the season in familiar fashion, a quick 2-yard slant for a touchdown that propelled the Huskies to a 31-7 lead and brought out the second team offense.
Nelson’s second score was set up by a spectacular interception return by senior reserve defensive back Kody Dribnak, who cleanly picked a halfback pass from O’Leary. Dribnak streaked towards the goal but ran out of gas just short of the goal line, leaving the Huskies in position to score again.
“I just had to show love for Benny,” said Dribnak, who played football with Nelson’s brother, Eric, at Anoka High School. “Deep down, I did it on purpose. You’ve gotta show love for Nelly.”
Following the game, the team was as somber as one could be after a 24-point victory. For many of the players, especially the seniors, it was a bittersweet victory. The Huskies were eliminated from the playoffs following Central Missouri State’s 23-20 overtime win at Pittsburg State.
“I gave my heart every play I played at St. Cloud State,” said senior linebacker Mickey Peterson. “It’s tough to be 9-2 and have to cross your fingers to make the playoffs, especially when there are 8-3 teams that go on. We might be the best team in history to be 9-2 and not make it... but I’m ready to go practice tomorrow.”
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