Jacob Duilio rushed for 194 yards and three touchdowns as Valley City State rallied in the fourth quarter Saturday for a 32-24 victory over Dakota State University.
After the Vikings stormed back from a 24-17 fourth-quarter deficit with two touchdown runs by Duilio, senior linebacker Ethen Preston sealed the victory with an interception – picking off Dakota State at the VCSU 22-yard line with 53 seconds to play.
Valley City State improves to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the North Star Athletic Association with the home victory. Dakota State drops to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
Box Score
The Trojans led 21-10 at halftime and held a 24-17 lead entering the fourth quarter. But after Dakota State drove to the VCSU 9-yard line, Jawuan Pugh forced Dakota State quarterback Jacob Giles to fumble and Ben Bruenjes recovered for VCSU at the 5-yard line.
The Viking offense responded by taking the ball the length of the field for a go-ahead score. Duilio punched in a 3-yard touchdown run with 6:08 remaining, capping off a 10-play, 95-yard drive that saw Duilio rack up 68 yards on five carries. The snap on the extra point attempt came in high, so holder Colby Lum made a quick decision to run with the ball and found the pylon for a go-ahead two-point conversion – putting the Vikings up 25-24.
"That was a fire drill," VCSU coach Dennis McCulloch said of the two-point conversion. "Colby did a great job of taking (the high snap) and knowing he couldn't get it down, and then running it in."
VCSU's defense stepped up with a three-and-out stop on Dakota State's next drive. The Vikings took over at the 50-yard line after a short punt, and Duilio and the offensive line went to work again. Duilio carried the ball all eight plays of the drive, capping the 50-yard touchdown drive with a 10-yard run. The extra point by Lucas Norblom put the Vikings ahead 32-24 with 1:58 to go.
"The offensive line blocked great," said Duilio, who had 118 of his yards on the final two drives. "It was a great win for us. We really needed this."
Dakota State threatened on its final drive – taking advantage of two 15-yard VCSU penalties – and moved the ball to the Vikings' 38-yard line. But Preston stepped in front of Giles' pass over the middle with 53 seconds left, picking it off and sealing the come-from-behind victory.
"He maybe forced the throw… and I was just right there and able to catch it and do down with it," said Preston, who led the Viking defense with 13 tackles.
After protecting the ball in the first half and building a 21-10 lead, Dakota State was hurt by three second-half turnovers. An interception by Beau Winchester set up VCSU's first score of the second half, which made it 21-17. Giles' fumble inside the 10-yard line led to the go-ahead score, and Preston's interception ended Dakota State's last chance.
McCulloch was proud of the heart his team showed after facing adversity.
"We had lost two games in a row, had some tough times and we were down 21-10 at half," he said. "Our guys could have gave up, and I am just very very proud of our team and how hard they worked today."
After a scoreless first quarter, Dakota State struck first with a two-yard touchdown run by Robert Johnson on the first play of the second quarter. The Vikings answered back to tie the game at 7-7 after quarterback Kurtis Walls hit Zackary Schmidt for a 21-yard touchdown with 11 minutes left in the first half.
Dakota State struck back quickly as Giles hit Bobby Tisch for a 44-yard touchdown and a 14-7 lead with 9:45 left. The Vikings got to within 14-10 on a Norblom field goal, but Dakota State extended the lead to 21-10 when Giles found Zach Wilkinson for a 25-yard touchdown with 3:51 left in the half.
It would stay that way until Duilio found the end zone from 25-yards out in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 21-17. Dakota State responded with a 40-yard field goal from Nic Behrens, making with 24-17 entering the fourth quarter.
Dakota State had 465 yards of total offense, gaining 236 on the ground and 229 through the air. Valley City State had 433 yards of offense, with 243 on the ground and 190 through the air. Dakota State committed three turnovers. VCSU had two turnovers.
Up next: Valley City State (4-3, 2-2 NSAA) travels to Presentation College for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday, Oct. 17. Dakota State (3-4, 1-2 NSAA) hosts Dickinson State at 1 p.m., also on Oct. 17.
