FBvCentWash-Nash-241123
20
Winner Bemidji St. BSU 10-3 , 7-3
19
Western Colo. WCU 11-2 , 8-1
Winner
Bemidji St. BSU
10-3 , 7-3
20
Final
19
Western Colo. WCU
11-2 , 8-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
BSU Bemidji St. 7 0 7 6 20
WCU Western Colo. 3 9 7 0 19

Game Recap: Football | | Gregg Petcoff

Heartbreak at Mountaineer Bowl

GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado late in the fourth quarter was driving for a potentially clinching score, but a Mountaineer fumble was scooped up and returned 75 yards for a go-ahead touchdown that held up over the final four minutes as visiting Bemidji State stole a 20-19 win Saturday at the Mountaineer Bowl in the second round of the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Bemidji State def. Western, 20-19
Records: Western 11-2, Bemidji State 10-3
Location: Mojo Field at Mountaineer Bowl at The Rady Family Sports Complex, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • The 24th-ranked Beavers, trailing 19-14, had just been stopped on a fourth-down try at midfield, turning the ball over to No. 10 Western with under six minutes to go in the game.
  • The Mountaineers drove to the BSU 25 yard line – after a 29-yard touchdown run by backup quarterback Josiah Roy had been called back on an illegal block in the back – and were looking for any score, touchdown or field goal, to likely ice the game.
  • On first and 10 from the 25, Roy ran a keeper up the middle but Bemidji's Stephen Hoffman got a hat on the ball to force a fumble. Beavers teammate Gabe Ward scooped up the loose ball and ran the distance, 75 yards, for the go-ahead score with 4:30 remaining.
  • Western got another crack after a kickoff return by Josiah Ayon brought the ball all the way out to the Mountaineer 41.
  • A Drew Nash 27-yard rush up the middle on second down pushed the ball into BSU territory, but the Beavers defense held firm at their 33, stopping the Mountaineers on four downs to take over.
  • Western's defense did its part to get the ball back, even deflecting the fourth-down punt that went out of bounds at the Mountaineer 45. One first down earned the offense possession in Beavers territory but Nash was sacked on the final play of the game to seal the win for Bemidji State.
  • The game's first score came on an Adam Tasei 12-yard field goal after the Mountaineers had gained possession deep in Beavers territory following a bad snap on a fourth-down punt.
  • Bemidji answered with a touchdown drive to take the lead in the final minute of the opening quarter, only to surrender that advantage on a Mountaineer touchdown drive following an interception by Jevon Young.
  • Nash finished off the drive with a 1-yard dive into the end zone to lift Western back in front, 10-7.
  • On its next possession the Mountaineers were stopped on fourth down at the Beavers' one yard line, but a Western score was still in the cards as Blake Nieslanik tackled quarterback Connor Carver in the end zone for a safety to push the lead to 12-7.
  • The Mountaineers increased the gap midway through the third quarter on a 52-yard gallop down the right sideline by Nash, only to have BSU respond with an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to narrow Western's lead and set the Beavers up for their go-ahead defensive touchdown late in the fourth.
MOJO TURF NOTES
  • Western finished with the edge on offense, getting 221 rushing yards and 123 passing yards for a game total of 344 yards, compared to BSU's 314.
  • The passing game for the Beavers, though only totaling 148 yards, was a difference maker as the scored twice through the air and averaged just over 12 yards per completion while Western averaged a bit under 8 yards per completion.
  • Nash finished as the game's leading rusher, going for 144 yards on the ground and scoring twice.
  • Bemidji harassed Nash for much of the game, coming up with five sacks of the Mountaineer QB.
  • Linebacker Cameron Cooper led the Mountaineer defense, registering 10 total tackles including 7 solo stops and a forced fumble. For the Beavers, Colton Hinrichs and Hoffman each came away with 10 total tackles, while three of Eli Coenen's four tackles were stops behind the line of scrimmage.
  • Adding a second pick-off for Western's defense was safety Drea Thompson, and Cooper, Ricky Freymond, Trevor Monteleone, Nieslanik, Dylan Cardenas and Mikey Smith combined for 6.0 tackles for loss during the game.
  • The Mountaineers were penalized eight times for 65 yards, while BSU was flagged 3 times for 10 yards.
UP NEXT
  • The loss closed out the season on Western, which won 11 games for the first time in program history and won its first NCAA DII playoff game last week in the opening round.
  • Bemidji State advanced to the quarterfinal round with the win, and will take on Minnesota State Mankato who upset the region's top seed, Colorado State Pueblo, 26-23, on Saturday.
Print Friendly Version