Valley City State's late fourth-quarter rally fell short Thursday night as the Viking football team dropped its home opener to Concordia College by a score of 14-12.
Trailing 14-6, the Vikings scored with 2:54 remaining on a 59-yard catch and run by receiver Justin Cruz. That touchdown from quarterback Noah Chambers to Cruz made it a 14-12 game, but VCSU's 2-point conversion attempt was tipped away in the corner of the end zone.
VCSU's defense came up with a stop to get the ball back with 29 seconds remaining. Chambers led the Vikings down to the Concordia 26-yard line, setting up a potential game-winning field goal attempt in the final seconds. Masila Siua's kick was tipped at the line of scrimmage though and fell short, securing the two-point victory for Concordia.
Valley City State drops to 0-2 on the season and has now lost its two games by a total of five points. Concordia moves to 1-0 this season.
Thursday's game featured a combined 27 penalties, including numerous unsportsmanlike or personal foul calls. VCSU was penalized 15 times for 171 yards, while Concordia was penalized 12 times for 116 yards. VCSU had two players ejected from the game after they both picked up two unsportsmanlike penalties. The Vikings were penalized 12 times in the second half.
"There were a couple times where there were penalties and I'm not sure what our guys did," said a frustrated Dennis McCulloch, head coach of the Vikings. "We'll have to watch it on film and see what it was."
McCulloch came away pleased with the play of the Viking defense and was impressed with how the offense responded in the second half with true freshman Noah Chambers under center. Chambers finished the game at quarterback after starter Avery Thorsgard was hurt late in the first half.
"I'm proud of our team for as well as they played," said McCulloch. "They handled a lot of adversity tonight. I'm excited to move forward with this group. We're not happy being 0-2 right now, but there's a lot of positives and a lot of good things going on."
The Viking defense limited Concordia to just 251 yards of total offense, including 137 rushing yards and 114 passing yards. The Vikings also dominated time of possession, 39 minutes to 21 minutes.
Riley Gerhardt had a hand in 20 total tackles – including one sack and 2.5 TFL – to lead VCSU's strong defensive effort, while Dustin Kasowski totaled 13 tackles.
The teams played to a scoreless tie at halftime before VCSU took the lead on a 2-yard touchdown run by Taylor Simmons with 5:38 remaining in the third quarter. The extra point was blocked, leaving VCSU with a 6-0 lead. Concordia took its first lead early in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Cooper Mattern connected with Dawson Schaffer for a 53-yard catch and run touchdown, and the extra point put the Cobbers ahead 7-6. Concordia extended its lead to 14-6 on a 6-yard touchdown run by Peyton Mortenson with 8:53 to play. VCSU appeared to have the Cobbers stopped earlier in the drive, but a personal foul penalty on a big third-down tackle extended the drive and eventually led to the touchdown.
Cruz's long touchdown pulled the Vikings to within 14-12, but VCSU was unable to complete the late comeback.
The Vikings finished with 451 yards of total offense, including 321 in the second half. The Vikings were hampered by three second-half interceptions. A true freshman from Juneau, Alaska, Chambers came out firing in the second half, going 18-for-28 passing for 281 yards, one touchdown and the three interceptions. Cruz finished with 10 receptions for 172 yards and a score. Taylor Simmons had 7 catches for 43 yards.
"Chambers, a true freshman, came in and gave us a chance to be successful in the second half," said McCulloch. "Hats off to our offense for responding the way they did to some adversity."
Up next: Valley City State has a bye week before hosting Dickinson State on Saturday, Sept. 17. It is VCSU's Homecoming Game. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at VCSU's Lokken Stadium.
