VALLEY CITY – Louis Quinones rushed for 249 yards and Dustin Kasowski forced a fourth down fumble in the final minute as Valley City State won the 2nd Annual VCSU Ag Bowl Thursday night.

Kasowski jarred the ball loose from Jamestown quarterback Jordan Mann with 28 seconds remaining, ending Jamestown's final drive at the VCSU 31-yard line and sealing a 20-14 Viking victory in North Dakota's first college football game of the 2019 season.

Valley City State improves to 1-0 with the season-opening win in front of a standing room only crowd. University of Jamestown drops to 0-1.

"It was an unbelievable environment tonight," said VCSU head coach Dennis McCulloch. "This is going to be a very special memory for our players, fans and alumni."

Valley City State pounded the ground most of the night behind a strong offensive line performance, racking up 271 yards on 41 carries. Senior back Louis Quinones carried most of the load, averaging 9.6 yards per carry as he erupted for 249 rushing yards and one touchdown on 26 carries. Joshua McKnight added 11 carries for 37 yards and a score.

"The offensive line and Louis Quinones had a very special performance today," said McCulloch. "We weren't perfect tonight, but we did a lot of positive things on both sides of the ball. Our defense, which started three true freshmen, played well and found a way to make stops when needed."

It was a redshirt freshman on defense – Dustin Kasowski – who came up with two giant momentum plays. With Jamestown punting in the first quarter, Kasowski broke through and blocked the punt, setting the Viking offense up with great field position. Two plays later Jalen Pfeifer hit Jake Peterson for a 10-yard touchdown, giving VCSU a 6-0 lead.

On Jamestown's ensuing drive, the Jimmies drove down to the Viking 23-yard line before VCSU's defense forced a turnover on downs. The Viking offense followed with a 10 play, 80-yard drive – including seven carries by Quinones. Joshua McKnight capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown plunge and Landon Arredondo hit the extra point for a 13-0 lead. The Vikings held that 13-0 lead at halftime.

Jamestown got on the board with a quick third-quarter score as Mann hit Marcus Giles for a 37-yard touchdown that cut VCSU's lead to 13-7. The Vikings responded immediately behind the running of Quinones, who broke off a 50-yard run to start the three-play touchdown drive and then capped it with a 10-yard score. Arredondo's extra point put the Vikings up 20-7.

The Jimmies cut the Viking lead to 20-14 after a 10-play, 80-yard drive, scoring on Mann's 2-yard pass to Garrett Mitchell early in the fourth quarter.

VCSU next drive stalled out at the 31-yard line, but Pfeifer's pooch-punt pinned the Jimmies at their own 4-yard line with 8:24 remaining. The Jimmies methodically moved down the field before VCSU's defense made a stand in the final minute. On fourth-and-two from VCSU's 31-yard line, Mann tried to rush for it himself but Kasowski jarred the ball loose and VCSU's Arron Martin recovered with 28 seconds left to seal the victory.

The Vikings now lead the all-time series with Jamestown, 63-53-5, and lead the Paint Bucket Series 42-31. Recorded meetings of the rivalry date back to 1909, and the two schools have met on the football field every season since 1946. The Paint Bucket Series and traveling trophy were established in 1961. VCSU's victory avenges a 28-26 loss in last season's Paint Bucket Game and gives the Vikings wins in 9 of the last 10 meetings.

VCSU outgained Jamestown 333 to 292 in total offense, including a 271-163 edge in rushing yards.

Pfeifer finished the game 9-for-14 passing, throwing for 61 yards and a touchdown. Caid Combs, Jake Peterson, Jorun Hamre and Quinones all had two receptions each. VCSU attempted just four passes in the second half, relying on the running game to chew up clock and hold the second-half lead.

Mann carried the ball 14 times for 73 yards, and also went 11-for-22 passing for the Jimmies. He finished with 129 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Allen Jevning added 12 carries for 56 yards on the ground.

Senior Arron Martin totaled 18 tackles to lead the Viking defense, while true freshman Jahidi Wast added 11 tackles. Brandon Elton totaled nine tackles, and he and Martin combined for VCSU's only sack of the night, late in the fourth quarter. Andrew Hanretty broke up two passes and tallied eight tackles, while Kasowski finished with seven tackles – including one tackle for loss – a forced fumble and a blocked punt.

Up next: Valley City State (1-0) travels to No. 11 Northwestern College (Iowa) on Saturday, Sept. 7. Game time is 1 p.m. in Orange City, Iowa.