October 17, 2004

Football Rallies for Win at Chadron

Two Records Set; Woodhead Shutdown

            Kearney, NE – In one of the biggest wins of the Darrell Morris era, sophomore Jessup Pfeifer kicked a 30-yard field goal with 22 seconds left to lead Nebraska-Kearney to a come from behind 44-41 win at Chadron State Saturday afternoon.

             UNK (4-4, 3-2 RMAC) ended a two game losing streak in the process while snapping the Eagles (5-3, 4-2 RMAC) two game win streak.

            The Lopers trailed 21-3 in the first quarter and then 41-27 with only six minutes left but a stout defense, which forced four fourth quarter turnovers, and a punishing running game helped the Lopers win at Elliott Field for the second straight time.

            The rally started with 6:28 to go with CSC ahead by 14 points.

            After senior Mike Miller ran for eight yards to the UNK 49-yard line, the Lopers went to its bag of tricks as senior receiver Garth Mins threw a 50-yard pass to fellow receiver Richie Ross that put the ball on the Eagle one yard line.

            That led to Miller’s second TD of the quarter and cut the Chadron lead to seven.

            On the ensuing possession, the Eagles faced a third and six from the Loper 43-yard line. CSC was strong on third down all day, converting 9 of 13 opportunities but, this time, UNK forced a fumble and junior safety James Rosenbaum (Elkhorn) recovered it at the UNK 37-yard line.

            UNK got 22 yards on four Miller runs and a 16-yard pass from junior QB Kevin Arbuckle (Moorpark, Calif.) to Mins to move the ball to the Eagle 29-yard line.

            On fourth and six with around three minutes left, Arbuckle hit Wayne senior Dustin Schmeits for an 18-yard gain that kept the drive alive. On the next play, Miller scored from 11-yards out and the ensuing PAT tied the game.

            With 2:26 to go, Chadron had no timeouts left as it took possession of the ball on its own 20-yard line. After a one yard run, senior corner Burton Bosan (Harvey, Ill.) intercepted a tipped pass and returned it 20 yards to the Chadron 15-yard line.

            After three running plays, Pfeifer booted his third field goal of the day to provide the winning margin.

            A last gasp effort by Chadron resulted in another interception by Bosan.

            Behind a patchwork and beat up offensive line that lost another starter to injury, senior left guard Justin Weller (Littleton, Colo.), Miller had the best day of the season, running 38 times for 180 yards and those three scores in the fourth.

            The three scores by Miller give him 34 rushing TD’s in his career, breaking the school record of 33, held by Zach Mader.

            Miller, with 21 career games over 100 yards, also vaulted into fifth place on the scoring list (216 points).

            On the other side of the ball, freshman Danny Woodhead was held in check by the defense. The nation’s leading rusher at over 200 yards per game, Woodhead was held to 12 yards on 11 carries in the first half.

            He finished the game with 89 yards and two scores on 28 carries, ending his streak of five straight 200-yard rushing days.

            In his first start for UNK, Arbuckle was steady all game long, going 13 of 25 for 232 yards, one TD and no interceptions. He also had a one-yard scoring run in the second quarter to cut the Eagle lead to 11, 21-10.

             Ross, who had three catches for 145 yards, entered his name into the record books once again. A 71-yard reception in the second quarter, his longest catch of the year, makes him the all-time leading receiver in school history, passing Trevor Weston (3,266).

            He now has 3,362 yards in 29 career games (115.9 per game average).

            Also on offense, Mins had six catches for 87 yards, along with the 50-yards pass. He becomes the eighth different Loper to complete a pass in 2004.

            In addition to his fourth down catch, Schmeits turned a tipped pass into a touchdown with 20 seconds left in the first half, making the score 21-17. It was his first TD reception in his career.

             Defensively, sophomore safety Paul Jimenez (Chino, Calif.) led the team in tackles for the second straight week as he had 10 stops, including four solo tackles.

            Linebackers Ryan Bowers (eight) and Nick Oberle (five), starting due to injuries, combined for 13 tackles as well.

            Besides Pfeifer going 3 for 4 on field goal attempts, senior Deano Korecky had three kick returns for 108 yards. The Colorado native has 16 returns on the year for 389 yards (24.3 avg.).

            Senior QB Shawn Eisenreich, who was 29 of 42 for 398 yards, four TD’s and three INT’s, led Chadron. His favorite target was senior Bryce Flamming, who made nine catches for 140 yards and three scores.

            The Lopers travel to Fort Lewis next Saturday.