Football
Football
NSIC Football: SCSU 48, UMC 7
Huskies Win Fifth Straight, 48-7 Over Minnesota, Crookston
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Fred Williams |
Crookston, Minn. – St. Cloud State sophomore wide receiver Fred Williams (Milwaukee, WI) and sophomore running back Jake Machacek (Eagan) each scored two touchdowns to lead the Huskies to a 48-7 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference win over the University of Minnesota, Crookston Saturday afternoon at Ed Widseth Field on the UMC campus.
Williams caught a 47-yard pass for a touchdown and returned the opening kick-off of the second half 85 yards for a touchdown to lead the Huskies. He finished the game with six catches for 140 yards and 229 all-purpose yards. Machacek scored on runs of two yards and ten yards and finished the game with 11 rushes for 94 yards.
Senior running back Michael Graham (Oakdale) rushed 11 times for 124 yards and one touchdown, an 85-yard run in the third quarter. It marked his second 100-yard game of the season and fourth of his career at St. Cloud State. Other offensive highlights included first year running back Brandon Geiss (Shorewood, IL) who rushed for 67 yards and one touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball junior linebacker David Kamin (Menomonee Falls, WI) notched a game high 11 tackles. Senior cornerback Tyler Krueger (Milwaukee, WI) added ten tackles. The Husky defense accounted for two quarterback sacks from senior Tom Conboy (Rosemount) and sophomore Chuck Merritt (Aurora, IL). Sophomore safety Tyler Niedfeldt (Plymouth, WI) collected an interception for SCSU.
St. Cloud State finished the game with 492 yards of total offense and held the Golden Eagles to 208 yards including only 43 first half yards. St.Cloud State junior quarterback Mitch Watkins (Jerseyville, IL) completed eight of 16 passes for 181 yards and one touchdown.
Minnesota, Crookston was led by quarterback Tim Ennis who carried the ball 23 times for 108 yards and one touchdown. He also completed three passes for 43 yards.
The Huskies have won five straight games, the longest win streak since starting the 2005 season with a 5-0 record. In addition, the Huskies have scored 40 or more points in three straight games.
St. Cloud State opened the scoring in the game when Watkins found the end zone on a one-yard quarterback sneak. The Huskies opened the drive on their own 28 and Williams caught two passes for 54-yards, including a 33-yard catch that gave the Huskies a first and goal on the two yard line. After forcing the Golden Eagles to turn the ball over on downs, the Huskies put together its second scoring drive of the quarter that culminated in a Watkins to Williams 46-yard touchdown pass. Earlier in the drive Williams caught a pass for a 12-yard gain.
It was all Jake Machacek on the Huskies next scoring drive as he carried the ball five straight times and finished off with a three-yard run for a touchdown with 13:31 on the clock in the second quarter. The Husky lead increased to 27-0 at the 7:18 mark of the second quarter as Michael Graham and Brandon Geiss provided the offense with Geiss finishing the drive on a five-yard run. The Huskies went into the halftime with a 27-0 lead.
In the first half, after going three and out on their first possession due to slippery field conditions, the Huskies proceeded to score on every possession of the half and gained 319 yards of total offense. The Husky defense held the Golden Eagles to 43 yards of offense and did not allow a UMC first down until the five minute mark of the second quarter.
After catching six passes for 140 yards and a touchdown, Fred Williams took the opening kick-off of the second half 85-yards for his second touchdown of the game, and the Husky lead jumped to 34-0, 13 seconds into the half. After holding UMC to a three and out, the Huskies were forced to punt for the first time on the next drive as they stalled on their own six-yard line.
Micheal Graham burst through the line on third and three and sprinted 85 yards for a 41-0 St. Cloud State lead at 8:31 of the third quarter. The shutout was erased when UMC quarterback Tim Ennis found the end zone on a one-yard run to put the Golden Eagles on the board with 2:28 left in the third quarter. Ennis had a 40-yard run in the 11 play 77-yard drive that took 5:59 off the clock.
A Tyle Niedfeldt interception halted the Golden Eagles drive early in the fourth quarter and two plays later Jake Machacek ran the ball in from ten yards out and the Huskies led 48-7 with 9:56 left in the fourth quarter. The drive which took two plays included a 33-yard run by Machacek that set up the touchdown play.
St. Cloud State improved to 5-2 overall and 5-1 in the NSIC. The Huskies will host league leading University of Minnesota Duluth next Saturday in SCSU’s Homecoming game. Minnesota, Crookston dropped to 2-5 overall and 1-5 in the NSIC.
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