Article

Turnovers Cost Mavs In NCC Opener

Fourth-quarter comeback falls short, Mavericks fall to 2-2 with homecoming game up next.

by Dan Myers
Issue date: 9/19/06 Section: Mens Sports

Leading Augustana College 10-7 just before halftime, the Minnesota State football team had a chance to go up 10 points at the break. Facing a third-and-four just 19 yards from pay dirt, MSU was confident, having already moved the ball 58 yards in just three minutes on the drive.

After a Ben King incompletion left the Mavs facing fourth down, head coach Jeff Jamrog was left with an important decision: go for the first down with an offense that had already had its share of success on the evening, or kick a 36-yard field goal with senior Jon Christensen - who had just made his first career field-goal attempt earlier in the game.

Jamrog chose to keep the offense on the field, and after a procedure penalty pushed MSU five yards further back, it was going to be a tough conversion for the Mavericks - one they couldn't make.

"That was the turning point in the game," Jamrog said.

Not only did the Vikings make the key fourth-down stop, they used the momentum gained from the play to go down and score a touchdown of their own just three plays later.

Instead of a 10-point advantage, the Mavs faced a four-point deficit in the second half, and a determined Augustana squad with loads of that key momentum.

But halfway through the third quarter, the Mavericks were given new life.

After both teams traded punts, Christensen was back on the field, looking to dig the Mavericks out of a field position hole that left them deep in their own territory. His kick traveled to midfield, where Augie's Matt Lien fumbled the ball. Dan Smedberg recovered and put MSU in business.

But just as it had before halftime, the Maverick drive was sniffed out in the red zone once again, this time, by a Ben King interception.

MSU's defense forced a three-and-out, but on the following Maverick possession, another King pass ended up in the hands of a Viking defender.

"I think Ben would tell you he didn't play his best game," Jamrog said. "We had three turnovers on offense and we need to eliminate those kind of mistakes."

The final interception came in their own territory, and gave the Vikings a short field, which they capitalized on, using a trick play to score their final touchdown.

"We need to start playing pitch-and-catch better," Jamrog said. "We need to put the ball on the money, and when it is on the money, we need to catch it."

In an anomaly of sorts, the Mavericks won the statistical battle, holding Augustana quarterback Tommy Flyger - a preseason All-American and Harlon Hill Trophy candidate - to just 201 total yards, half of his total from just a week earlier against Concordia-St.Paul.

"We were very aware of him running the ball, and I think we did an excellent job [stopping him]," Jamrog said. "If you would have told me coming in that their total offense would have been just 249 yards, I would have been very happy."

The Mavs were able to make a game of it in the fourth-quarter, scoring on a King to Tory Chappell 23-yard pass. But the Mavericks were forced to punt on their next possession and ran out of time on their final chance.

"We just didn't make enough plays down the stretch to win the ball game," Jamrog said. "Its frustrating to win the statistical battles, but in the end lose the only thing that matters and that's the football game."

Minnesota State has this weekend off to heal nagging injuries and game plan for a challenging Homecoming test Sept. 30 against No. 19 Nebraska-Omaha. Kickoff from Blakeslee Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.