The first possession of the afternoon was a foreshadow of things to come at Dacotah Bank Stadium on Saturday.
Minot State took the opening kick and pieced together a 12-minute scoring drive to set the tone for a 49-28 win over Northern State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football action on Senior Day.
“Obviously, we’re really disappointed,” said Northern coach Mike Schmidt. “Disappointed in the way we played. Disappointed in the outcome.”
Northern quickly responded with a touchdown in less than two minutes, but that also told the story of the day. The Wolves offense was on the field for slightly more than 12 minutes for the entire game, because the Beavers kept running the ball and Northern was unable to stop them.
“Just didn’t have enough answers on the defensive side to get off the field. … We had a lack of discipline on where we were going with some our keys and our reads and our jobs on that side of the ball,” Schmidt said.
And as soon as Minot had gained a two-possession lead, Northern was literally forced to score on nearly every possession because the Wolves’ defense was unable to solve the Beavers’ triple-option offense.
“I just really feel bad for (our) offense,” Schmidt said. “They really had a good plan and a good day, and we just couldn’t get them the ball at all. Couldn’t get it off the field. They were 7-for-7 on fourth downs.”
Whenever it appeared that Northern was on the verge of gaining some traction, the Beavers came up with one big play after another to remain in control.
“It’s tough when you play a triple-option team. … Everyone’s gotta do their job,” said Northern defensive leader Max Van Landingham, “and we just didn’t do our job well enough today, unfortunately.”
The Northern defense had chances for stops throughout the contest, but like the opening drive, Minot was able to make a play every time.
“You gotta find ways to have a stop in there,” Schmidt said. “The first drive we have shots to get stops. The whole day we did and we have opportunities where we just don’t make enough plays.”
The Beavers finished with 301 yards rushing on the day and five touchdowns on the ground.
“When you give up 300 yards rushing,” Schmidt said, “you’re not going to have a good day.”
There was nothing wrong with the NSU offense outside of the fact that the unit was seldom on the field.
Daniel Britt passed for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns, one to Zach Jorgensen and another to Cooper Eisenbeisz. Wyatt Block rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown.
“They had a good game plan, they played well,” Schmidt said of his team’s offense. “We just didn’t give them a chance to try to win the game. It’s just not right.”
The Wolves also received a TD run from senior lineman Daniel Porisch in his final home game.
While Porisch said it was nice to score, he pointed out the bigger picture of the gridiron.
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,” Porisch said, “but it’s about the memories. It’s about what we can get out of this, and how we can make an impact on the world.”
The game provided an interesting ending as the Wolves cut the deficit to 14 points, recovered an onside kick and quickly moved into scoring position to try to make it a one-possession game with less than a minute remaining. However, a turnover resulted in an 83-yard fumble recovery return for a Minot touchdown to account for the final margin.
The contest was also the final home game for Van Landingham. While frustrated with the setback, he focused on all of the memories he’s made while playing for the Wolves.
“The result sucks, but I’ve just enjoyed my time here so much,” Van Landingham said. “It’s hard to be so down when I have so many great memories, and great times to look back on.”
Porisch said that there are multiple elements of football that he will take to help him throughout the rest of his life.
“Discipline, accountability, and just doing your job to the best of your ability,” Porisch said.
The Wolves, 6-4 on the season, will close out the campaign with a game at Jamestown, N.D. on Saturday. The players will try to end on a high note against the Jimmies.
“This is our last time together,” Van Landingham said. “I’m just going to do everything I can, not only cherish it, but get the guys ready to move on, especially up front, and get ready to go dominate Jamestown this coming weekend.”
To see a complete box score, click on the following link:
https://nsuwolves.com/sports/football/stats/2025/minot-state/boxscore/13995
