BEMIDJI, Minn. - The Bemidji State University
defense forced three first half turnovers and held the Beaver
offense to just 20 yards during the first half en route to
Green's 42-21 victory over White in BSU annual spring game
on a chilly, damp Saturday at Chet Anderson Stadium.
The offense would assemble a pair of scoring drives late
in the second half, but it was too little, too late and White
would run out of plays before completing its comeback.
After a record-setting 2006 season in which BSU's "Gang
Green" defense was tops in the nation against run and
led the NSIC in total defense, it picked up right where it
left off stifling its opponent from the opening snap.
The defense took an early 2-0 lead after forcing a quick
three-and-out. Five plays later, after allowing the offense
its only first down of the opening half, Drew Hayes
(Fr., DB, Bagley, Minn.) picked off an errant Derek
Edholm (Fr., QB, Anoka, Minn.) pass to give Green
an 8-1 lead and Seth Iverson (Sr., DE, Hatton,
N.D.) would put the White in a 14-1 hole when he picked up
a loose ball after just the 11th play of the scrimmage.
The defense continued its dominance through the remaining
24 plays of the half holding its counterpart to just four
yards while piling up four sacks and capping the half with
a fumble recovery by Josh Karch (Jr., S,
Moorhead, Minn.) that would send Green to the break owning
a 30-1 lead.
As the second half got underway, the rain began to subside,
the clouds started breaking up and the White offense began
to click.
Edholm open the 14th drive of the afternoon up hitting Warren
Ballard (So., WR, Anchorage, Alaska) in the flat
for a 14-yard gain. He would find Adam Berg
(Fr., WR, Cambridge, Minn.) for 11 more and another two points
(42-3) before the third quarter came to an end. Berg and Ballard
would each be on the receiving end of an additional first
down pass before Brandon Miles (Fr., RB,
Kenai, Hawaii) would scamper five yards to break the seal
on the end zone and cap the 10-play, 56-yard scoring drive
with a touch down.
Down 42-12 with just seven plays left, White quickly got
right back to it. Starting from its own 30-yard line, Edholm
marched the offense down the field again this time connecting
with Jeremy Pachal (Sr., WR, Hayward, Wis.)
for a 36-yard touchdown pass to reel Green to within 42-21
after the Michael McDonald (Sr., K/P, Muskegon,
Mich.) successful point after attempt.
Edholm completed nine of 23 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown
on the day. He threw one interception and managed three yards
rushing. Starting quarterback Cory Wardrope
(So., Anchorage, Alaska) completed one of two pass attempts
for one yard in limited playing role.
Pachal led the receiving corps catching three balls for 57
yards and a touchdown. Berg racked up 26 yards on a pair of
catches while five other players had at least one catch on
the afternoon.
On the ground, Miles posted 25 yards on seven carries and
Eurice Watson (Jr., RB, Dayton, Ohio) saw
his number called six times recording six rushing yards on
five carries and catching a pass out of the backfield for
a gain of a yard.
BSU uses a unique scoring system for its Green-White scrimmage.
The game is divided two 30-play halves, with play allowed
to continue beyond if the offense is driving. The offense
is awarded one point for a first down, six points for a touchdown,
one point for an extra point and two points for a penalty
against the defense. The defense can score two points for
preventing the offense from gaining a first down, six points
for a turnover and two points for a penalty against the offense.
Bemidji State (9-3 / 8-0 NSIC) captured the first outright
conference championship in its history in 2006, posting the
third-best league record in NSIC history at 8-0 and earning
the first post-season berth in school history. The Beavers
open the 2007 season Sept. 1 versus the University of Minnesota
Duluth. The kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Malosky Stadium
in Duluth, Minn.
OFFENSIVE STATISTICS (unofficial)
PASSING (Att-Comp-Int-Yds-TD): Cory Wardrope
(2-1-0-1-0); Derek Edholm (23-9-1-125-1).
RUSHING (Att-Yds-TD): Brandon Miles (7-25-1); Gavin
Schmidt (3-9-0); Eurice Watson (5-6-0); Anthony Schreiber
(1-5-0); James Moore (2-5-0); Derek Edholm (13-3-0); Cory
Wardrope (2<-3>-0).
RECEIVING (Rec-Yds-TD): Jeremy Pachal (3-57-1);
Adam Berg (2-26-0); Warren Ballard (2-19-0); Andrew Schultz
(2-13-0): Eurice Watson (1-1-0).
-bsu-
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