Wayne State 20 Bemidji State 17

            Senior placekicker Max Martin booted a 42-yard field goal with 35 seconds remaining to give Wayne State College a 20-17 Northern Sun Conference football win Saturday afternoon over Bemidji State in a game played at Chet Anderson Stadium in Bemidji, Minnesota. It was Martin's third game-winning kick in the last two seasons for the Wildcats, now 3-0 overall and 3-0 in the NSIC while the host Beavers slip to 1-2 and 1-2 in league play.
            The Wildcats opened the scoring midway through the first quarter, scoring on their second possession of the game, as Martin connected on a 37 yard field goal to give WSC a 3-0 advantage with 3:56 to play in the first quarter.  Early in the second quarter, Bemidji State put together a lengthy drive, starting from their own 11 and moving to the Wildcat 14.  The 11 play, 77 yard drive for the Beavers chewed up 7:04 off the clock but BSU turned the ball over on downs to WSC when the Wildcats stopped Beaver running back Brad Hemling one yard short of a first down on a 4^th and 4 at the WSC 14.
            After forced to punt on their next series, WSC forced a Bemidji State turnover when Richard Daniel knocked the ball away from Beaver quarterback Lance Rongstad with Jeff Pokorny recovering at the WSC 46 with 1:59 to play in the half.  The Wildcats converted the turnover into points as senior running back Nick Pulscher scored on a three yard run on third and goal, giving WSC a 10-0 lead with 16 seconds to play in the first half. 
            Bemidji State got on the scoreboard early in the third quarter as Rongstad found the end zone on a three yard run culminating a 7-play, 42 yard drive that pulled the Beavers within three points at 10-7 with 7:53 remaining in the third quarter.  WSC struggled offensively in the third quarter, gaining just 41 yards of offense with one turnover and three punts.
            The Beavers knotted the score early in the fourth quarter as BSU drove from their own 20 to the WSC 23 and settled for a 39 yard field from Zach Pulkinen to make the score 10-10 with 10:36 to play in the game.  Later in the quarter, WSC forced Bemidji State to punt from their own 15 yard line and Richard Daniel blocked the Beaver punt, giving the 'Cats great field position at the Beaver 11.  One play later, junior Charlie Davidson scored on an 11 yard run to put WSC back in front 17-10 with 6:58 remaining.
            But Bemidji State answered on the ensuing drive and marched 75 yards on 10 plays as Rongstad found Matt Gandrud on a five-yard scoring pass to tie the score again at 17-17 with 3:15 to go in regulation.  Wayne State got the ball at their own 29 yard line to start their next drive with 3:09 remaining and drove to the Bemidji State 25 yard line where Max Martin drilled a 42 yard field goal with 35 seconds to play, giving WSC a 20-17 lead.  Bemidji State had the ball one last time, but Richard Daniel forced a fumble on Rongstad with Wildcat linebacker Jared Curry recovering at the Beaver 24 to seal the Wildcat victory.
            Bemidji State outgained WSC in the contest 465-254 with the Beavers gaining 117 yards on the ground and 348 through the air while the Wildcats had 91 rushing and 163 passing.  Senior Nick Pulscher led the 'Cats on the ground with 59 yards on 19 carries.  Junior quarterback Nate Most was 17 of 31 passing for 163 yards with one interception.  His top target was Kevin Paulsen with eight receptions for 79 yards.
            Defensively, WSC forced Bemidji State into four turnovers in the contest with one interception and three fumbles.  Junior Austan Pomajzl had 16 tackles for WSC with two tackles for loss while Nick Monzu contributed 11.  Richard Daniel finished with seven tackles, two forced fumbles and one blocked kick for the Wildcats. Maurice Morrison had one interception for 24 return yards while Jeff Pokorny had two fumble recoveries.
            The Wildcats will return home next weekend to host St. Cloud State in a 1 p.m. Northern Sun Conference matchup at Bob Cunningham Field in Wayne.