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Trojans rallied past Comets in Dacotah Bank DAC Bowl
November 8, 2009
FARGO, N.D. - The Dakota State University football team faced Mayville State in a rematch of last Saturday's game in the inaugural Dacotah Bank DAC Bowl held a the FargoDome Sunday. The Trojans rallied from a 27-24 deficit by via a-game winning touchdown drive with 30 seconds left in the game. DSU's Paul Bagala connected Drew Allen for a 25-yard touchdown pass in a fourth-and-10 situation for the win.
The Trojans recorded their second consecutive win to end their 2009 campaign with a 2-7 record and 2-6 in DAC. Mayville State suffered their eighth straight loss and ended at 1-9 and 0-8 in the DAC.
DSU scored first in the game. Bagala used a rushing option play for 75-yard touchdown to make it 6-0 Trojans. Stacey Berg's PAT was good to put the Trojans up 7-0.
The Comets scored 18 points in the second quarter.
Berg added a 31-yard field goal in the second quarter.
The Trojans missed another chance to score in the final seconds of the first half. The Comets prevented the Trojans to score again when Dakota State wide receiver Derek Spangler was stopped at the 1-yard line to end the half. The Comets held on for a 18-10 halftime lead.
Dakota State rallied back to tie the game when Bagala connected a 68-yard touchdown pass to Berg to put Trojans deficit to 18-16. Berg's 2-point rushing conversion was good and the Trojans tied the Comets game at 18-all (18-18).
The Comets scored a safety after a fumble from the Trojan's punt team and overtook the lead from the Trojans at 20-18.
Bagala threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Berg in the fourth quarter to put the Trojans up 24-20 with 11:20 left. The two-point conversion was no good.
Mayville State would score again with less than two minutes remaining, and led the Trojans by a score of 27-24.
The Trojans scored on the game-winning drive with less than 1:30 left in the game. Bagala connected Allen in a fourth-and-10 situation for a touchdown. The Trojans' defense prevented a Comets' comeback.
Bagala finished the game with a 15-for-33 passing performance for 253 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He added nine rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown. Berg had six receptions for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Weston Dauz added three catches for 42 yards.
Allen carried the ball 11 times for 47 yards. He added two receptions for 39 yards and a touchdown.
For Mayville State, Tanner Carpenter went 14-for-25 yards passing. Chris Williams had six catches for 48 yards.
Jon Drees rushed the ball 35 times for 139 yards and three touchdowns.
Eric Liles had 20 tackles for the Trojans. Craig Hertz added 10 tackles. Brandon Stahl and Joe Whealy each recorded nine tackles. Stahl had three tackles for loss-yards of 34 yards and one sack for 24 yards loss. He also recorded a blocked punt.
The Comets had 23 first downs compare to the Trojans' 14. Mayville State rushed the ball 57 times for 192 yards to compared to the Trojans' 22 times for 108 yards.
The Trojans had 55 plays for 361 yards to the Comets' 82 plays for 320 yards.
Dakota State won the first game of the inaugural Dacotah Bank DAC Bowl. Other results are: #6 seed Valley City State 15, #5 seed SD School of Mines 10; #2 seed Minot State 38, #3 seed Jamestown 21 and #4 seed Black Hills State 23, #1 seed Dickinson State 13.
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
