VALLEY CITY (VCSU) - It was good to be home.

Playing in front of their home crowd for the first time this season, the Valley City State University football team pulled out a one-point victory over Waldorf University on Saturday, 17-16.

Jalen Pfeifer hit Caid Combs for a 22-yard touchdown early in the third quarter – giving the Vikings a 17-13 lead. The Viking defense made that lead stand up, allowing only a field goal the rest of the way as VCSU stayed unbeaten on the season.

"For all the things our guys have gone through to get to this moment, to get a chance to play, and all the things that are going on outside the world and the challenges we have and the guys we don't have, this is a great reward for our kids to come play a game like this and find a way to win," said VCSU head coach Dennis McCulloch.

Valley City State is now 2-0 overall this season and 2-0 in the North Star Athletic Association. Waldorf University drops to 1-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

VCSU's defense stepped up in a big way Saturday, limiting Waldorf to 16 points and 317 yards just one week after the Warriors put up 50 points and 418 yards in a win at Mayville State. Waldorf threatened to take the lead early in the fourth quarter – driving down to VCSU's 8-yard line. The Viking defense answered the call with their second red-zone stop of the day, holding the Warriors to a field goal and preserving the lead at 17-16. VCSU also had a red-zone stop at the end of the first half, coming up with a goal-line stand after Waldorf drove to the 2-yard line.

"Our defense played awfully well," said McCulloch. "It was a field position game and we gave up some yards, but man when it came down to making a play we stepped up. They were in the red zone twice and we made them kick field goals. That was huge for us today and our defense found a way to make a stop."

Valley City State's offense managed 267 yards overall but found a way to make them count. Trailing 10-3 in the second quarter, the Vikings put together a five-play, 67-yard touchdown drive to tie the game at 10-10. The drive was helped by 30 penalty yards from Waldorf to move into Warrior territory. Facing a third-and-7 from the 16-yard line Pfeifer hit Jorun Hamre for a touchdown with 2:24 remaining in the half.

Waldorf responded with a 68-yard drive of the own but could not punch it in the end zone before halftime and had to settle for a 13-10 halftime lead after a 19-yard field goal from Slater Gifford.

VCSU received the second-half kickoff and put together the game-winning touchdown drive to take the lead for good. Running back Taylor Simmons had receptions for 10 yards and 13 yards before busting a 25-yard run to put the Vikings at the Waldorf 20-yard line. Three plays later Pfeifer hit Combs in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown and a 17-13 lead.

The Viking defense held the lead the rest of the way – including forcing back-to-back three-and-outs on Waldorf's final two drives. VCSU's offense took over with 3:14 remaining on their own 8-yard line but was able to run the clock out thanks to a 15-yard run by Simmons and a 14-yard pass to Combs.

Simmons made a major impact in his second game as a Viking with 112 yards of offense. He picked up 76 rushing yards on 22 carries and also caught three passes for 36 yards.

"He's still learning as he's new to the system, but today he answered the call," McCulloch said of Simmons. "He showed elusiveness and physicalness, and at the end of the game when we needed it he got us some unbelievable yards to go win this game."

Pfeifer tossed for two touchdowns, completing 14 of 27 passes for 182 yards. Combs caught three passes for 54 yards and a touchdown, and Michael Cornelious had three catches for 52 yards.

Defensively, linebacker Sal Avila totaled 16 tackles and two tackles for loss to lead the Vikings. Jerrod Williamson racked up 12 tackles, and Marshaun Jones had 1.5 sacks and 11 total tackles. Dustin Kasowski finished with nine tackles, and Jahidi West had eight. True freshman Riley Gerhardt – a native of Valley City playing his first collegiate game in his hometown – finished with six tackles and a sack.

Waldorf quarterback Taylen Alexander was 18-for-31 for 159 yards and one touchdown. Running back Jatoviay Hill was the main offensive threat for Waldorf, gaining 77 yards on the ground and 62 through the air. Samuel Huntley caught the touchdown from Alexander for Waldorf's only touchdown of the day.

Both kickers had strong days. Waldorf's Slater Gifford was 3-for-3 on field goals, including a 47-yarder. VCSU kicker Nico Magana made both his extra point attempts and nailed a 36-yard field goal.

Up next: Valley City State travels to Dickinson State for a big early-season matchup with the five-time defending conference champs. Game time is set for 3 p.m. Central Time on Saturday, Sept. 26. The Blue Hawks and Vikings were picked to finish 1-2 in the NSAA Preseason Poll.