(Mayville, N.D.)- The University of Minnesota, Crookston football team traveled to Mayville, N.D. on Thursday, September 3 for an evening non-conference matchup with the Comets of Mayville State University. The Golden Eagles opened the game with 24 unanswered points before the Comets finally put points up with 2:37 left in the second quarter. Mayville scored the only points in the third quarter to get within 24-14 but U of M, Crookston went on a 23-7 run to put the game away 47-21.

The Golden Eagles opened the scoring in the first quarter when quarterback Tim Ennis (QB, 6-2, 205, JR, Lancaster, Calif.) hit Antonio Williams (WR, 6-2, 215, JR, West Palm Beach, Fla.) for a five-yard touchdown reception at the 5:17 mark. Early in the second quarter, U of M, Crookston capped a 10 play, 67-yard drive with a 37-yard field goal by Chris Secrest (K, 5-11, 170, FR, Hollywood, Fla.) to extend the lead to 10-0. Ennis and Williams connected again at the 10:42 mark of the second quarter on a 30-yard touchdown strike to finish a seven play, 63-yard drive. Runningback Keith McBride (RB, 5-11, 195, FR, Lodi, Wis.) busted onto the scoring scene with a game high 24-yard rush to add to his 162 first half rushing total. Through the first half, McBride average 8.1 yards/carry. The Comets finally found a little offense at the 2:37 mark of the second quarter when quarterback Jake McLain rushed for a six-yard score on a 10 play, 68-yard drive. The Golden Eagles entered the half with a comfortable 24-7 lead.

Mayville State came out in the second half and took the opening kickoff on another 10 play, 68-yard drive to cut their deficit to 24-14 on the only scoring drive of the quarter. McLain was again the offensive power as he rushed for the four-yard score and kicked the point after. The fourth quarter was all U of M, Crookston as the Golden Eagles went on a 23-7 scoring run. Marcus Galan (RB, 5-6, 165, FR, Pico Rivera, Calif.) opened the scoring with an eight-yard run at the 12:32 mark. Galan's score ended a nine-play, 77-yard drive that took 3:18 off the clock. The Golden Eagle defense got into the scoring picture at 7:37 when they forced McLain into an intentional grounding penalty in the endzone which resulted in a team safety for U of M, Crookston. At the 5:27 mark, Ennis went to the air again, finding Cornelius King (WR, 5-5, 145, SO, Sebastian, Fla.) on a 14-yard touchdown strike to put the Golden Eagles up 40-14. The Comets found the endzone one more time when McLain hit Tanner Carpenter for a 13-yard touchdown but the Golden Eagles responded with 36 seconds left in regulation when Jerome Rodney (RB, 5-7, 200, JR, Mountain Lake, Minn.) scampered for a 12-yard score to give the Golden Eagles the 47-21 victory.

McBride led the Golden Eagles with 207 yards rushing on 28 carries. He averaged 7.4 yards/carry and scored one touchdown. Ennis finished the game 13-22 for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Williams was the main target for Ennis as he finished with seven receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively the Golden Eagles were led by Austin Barton (LB, 6-0, 205, FR, Orlando, Fla.) who tallied seven total tackles (3 solo, 4 assisted) and two tackles for a loss of five yards. Broderick Williams (DB, 5-9, 200, SO, Minneapolis, Minn.) and Rafael Ortega (LB, 6-0, 230, FR, Los Angeles, Calif.) each forced a fumble while Kolby Gruhot (DL, 6-3, 250, SO, Argyle, Minn.), Shelton Derisma (DL, 6-1, 265, SR, Miami, Fla.) and Braland Geter (DL, 5-11, 290, FR, Newnan, Ga.) each tallied sacks. As a team, the Golden Eagles racked up 501 yards of total offense on 68 plays. On the ground, U of M, Crookston earned 330 yards on 45 carries. In the air, the team totaled 171 yards on 23 attempts. The red-zone offense was perfect on the evening for the Golden Eagles as the team scored five times on five trips inside the red-zone.
The Comets were led by quarterback Jake McLain who completed 21 passes for 212 yards and one touchdown. McLain rushed 18 times for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Tanner Carpenter led the receiving core with eight receptions for 75 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Artez Faniel led all defenders with 11 total tackles (6 solo, 5 assisted.

The Golden Eagles are 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the NSIC, while the Comets drop to 0-1 on the season. The Golden Eagles travel to Sioux Falls, S.D. on Saturday, September 12 to take on the Vikings of Augustana College in NSIC action. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at: www.goldeneaglesports.com.  

The University of Minnesota, Crookston is a NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).

Photo: Keith McBride