Sports

Fake field goal ignites UMD grid onslaught

Nobody can either locate or recall it every happening before, so it can be said thataUMD’s football team was ignited to beat St. Cloud State by the first-ever successful touchdown scored on a fake field goal. So we’re saying it.

After a 34-7 victory, it seems far-fetched to pin the inspiration on one play, but UMD was pretty much outplayed through the first half, in the rain and wind at Malosky Stadium. In the second quarter, the Huskies nabbed an interception and moved in to score from the UMD 15. On the ensuing series, Drew Bauer was intercepted again, giving the Huskies the ball at the UMD 31, and they moved down to the 3 before UMD’s brilliant defense stopped them. UMD faced 97 yards with less than 5 minutes to halftime, and it appeared nobody could run the ball for the Bulldogs in the rain.

UMD moved the ball with great persistence, though, and sophomore running back Logan Lauters burst through the line, and blew through the secondary as well on a 36-yard gain, for a first down at the St. Cloud State 7. Then the Huskies stiffened, forcing a fourth-and-goal from the 7. Coach Curt Wiese, realizing a 7-3 deficit would be a lot better to take into halftime than 7-0, sent out kicker Andrew Brees and his holder, back-up quarterback Eric Kline.

On the snap, Kline leaped up from his holding position and dashed untouched into the end zone. Brees kicked, and it became obvious that taking a 7-7 tie into halftime was better than a 7-0 deficit.

“If UMD ever scored on a fake field goal before, I never heard of it,” said Wiese, who was offensive coordinator for five years before replacing Bob Nielson as head coach this season. “It certainly didn’t happen while I was here. It was a set play that our coaches have been working on.”

With less than 30 seconds to go, a billiard player would have applauded when Brees kicked off. The ball bounced to the left in the rain and wind, as Damon Treat moved over to escort it out of bounds, but  the ball took a weird bounce past him, up the sideline, then bounced back to the right. Treat chased it along the goal line, but fumbled on the 3. Austin Selvick recovered for UMD. First and goal at the 3 became first and 8 after a false start penalty, but junior running back Austin Sikorski cracked ahead to the 3, then to the 1, and Lauters slashed into the end zone to prove that a 13-7 lead is a lot better than a 7-0 halftime deficit, or even a 7-7 standoff.

The two touchdowns in the last 28 seconds of the first half didn’t erase the apprehension among the crowd of 3,616. The Bulldogs got the ball to start the second half, fumbled it away, got it back on a punt, and then Bauer directed a 72-yard drive, The 1-2 rushing punch finally hit high gear, with Sikorski gaining 36 on one rush, and Lauters covering the final 22 yards for another touchdown and a 20-7 UMD lead.

After the Bulldogs got the ball on their own 34, Sikorski broke free for a 66-yard touchdown run and a 27-7 lead after three quarters. On their first possession of the fourth quarter, Sikorski again took off, scoring on a 31-yard run to make it 34-7.

The second-half romp was, potentially, the turning point for an entire season. But the 34-point splurge must be traced back to Kline’s fake-field-goal touchdown. UMD’s sports information staff searched record books afterward, but could find no evidence of a previous fake field goal that resulted in a UMD touchdown.

Personifying the turnabout, Sikorski had only 1 yard in the first quarter, and 4 yards with 5 minutes left in the second quarrer, then broke free for 173 yards the rest of the way. Lauters had only 25 yards with 5 minutes left in the first half, but gained 53 more on that pivotal 97-yard march to Kline’s crucial touchdown, and kept making key gains as the tandem’s potent second half let UMD outrush St. Cloud State 471-88.

“Logan had a good freshman year, but he’s a lot more mature this year,” said Wiese. “He sees the holes better and he hits them with more force. It’s now to the point that it doesn’t matter whether Logan or Austin is in there, they give us a great 1-2 punch.”
   And the team’s maturity? It clicked in, thanks to a backup quarterback’s execution of the first fake field goal in UMD football history.


HOCKEY, V-BALL ROLL

Everybody in Division II volleyball knows about the UMD powerhouse that coach Jim Boos has up to a 15-1 record and the No. 2 national rank. The Bulldogs have the obvious stardom of Kate Lange, but also an impressively balanced attack that offers little chance to opponents.

Meanwhile, UMD is Division I in both men’s and women’s hockey, and both of those teams have been predicted to have tough seasons. Early exhibition games indicate that both may surprise, however.
The men stuffed Lakehead University from Thunder Bay 7-1 Monday, although it was a tight 3-1 game after two periods, before freshman Dominic Toninato scored two goals and Joe Basaraba and Austin Farley came up with four rapid-fire goals in a 3:38 span of the first five minutes of the third period. Freshmen Kyle Osterberg and Carson Soucy also scored, meaning freshmen contributed four goals and five of the 13 assists in the game, with Osterberg assisting on the first two goals and scoring UMD’s third marker when it was a 2-1 game in the second period. The Bulldogs are predicted to finish ahead of only Colorado College and Nebraska-Omaha when the new NCHC opens in two weeks, and this weekend’s series against Michigan Tech should be the perfect stepping stone into league play.

The UMD women didn’t have a serious challenge from Connecticut, but they, too, have a good blend of talented newcomers and solid veterans. Jenna McParland, who rushes and shoots with much less reluctance than her passes, scored two goals in the 7-0 first game, and shorthanded goals by Zoe Hickel and freshman defenseman Lara Stalder were highlights, while Meghan Huertas, Bailey Wright and Jordan Krause were other Bulldogs who scored goals amid a shot advantage of 59-22.

The next night, UConn played much better, moving the puck and attacking better off transitions. But the result had a familiar sting as Jamie Kenyon scored the first two goals on power plays, and freshman Ashleigh Brykaliuk scored for a 3-0 lead. Freshmen Alivia DelBasso, Katherine McGovern and Wright also scored, meaning in the two games, freshmen scored 7 of UMD’s 13 goals and 9 of the 20 assists. Returnee Kayla Black tended goal in Game 1, and sophomore Karisa Grapp played Game 2.

The UMD women are ranked to finish no better than fifth in the WCHA (remember the WCHA?) behind Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and Ohio State. Considering the number of players gone by graduation or playing on centralized National teams, the Gophers and North Dakota might not be as explosive as their credentials indicate. And if UMD’s newcomers continue to set such a torrid pace, the Bulldogs could be the surprise of the league and move back into contention. A lot will be determined this weekend, when UMD opens league play at North Dakota.