MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris football team's rally fell short as the Cougars fell 24-23 to Crown College in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play Saturday night in Morris, Minn.
Crown started the game with the ball, and the Cougars stopped the offense with tackles from
Arian Saenz,
Brennan Johnk,
Joe Norby,
Derrick Dohmen, and
Damaris Fields, along with a pass breakup by
Jackson Viemeister.
The Cougars were pinned deep for their first drive.
Hayden Charboneau rushed for 19 yards on the first play, but that would be the only first down UMM recorded on the opening drive. The Polars responded by putting up three points after Viemeister made a touchdown-saving tackle. Crown led 3-0 after the first quarter.
A Cougar interception set up Crown in UMM territory, and the Polars took advantage with a touchdown to push the lead to 10. Minnesota Morris started a drive with five minutes left in the half after
Salvador Orozco blocked a punt, setting the Cougars up at the Crown 34-yard line. On third down, Charboneau completed a pass to
Manny Guy, who scored on a 31-yard touchdown. The Polars responded with a touchdown on the following drive, making the score 17-7 going into halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Fields returned a punt 16 yards to the Crown 34-yard line.
Sean-Keley Chinanga rushed for 25 yards, getting the Cougars inside the 10-yard line. A sack and tackle for loss moved them back.
Logan Ahlers stepped up for a field-goal attempt and sent it through the uprights for the only score of the third quarter.
The Polars started the fourth quarter with an early touchdown to regain a two-score lead. Minnesota Morris started a drive in the Polars' half after another Fields return.
Bryson Drake, at quarterback, connected with
Jacob Wilmes for a 28-yard pickup to move the chains on third down. A penalty on third and long kept the drive alive. On the next play, Drake found Guy for a 12-yard score.
Trailing by seven, Minnesota Morris got the ball back with just over two minutes left in the game at its own 16-yard line. Drake threw a pass over the middle to
Trent Roden, who gained 22 yards on the play. Drake connected with
Dylan Shafer and Guy to move the Cougars down the field. A fumble and sack moved UMM back 20 yards. The Cougars were facing fourth and 25 at the Crown 45-yard line with 42 seconds remaining. Drake launched a ball deep and found Shafer for a 42-yard touchdown, but the point-after attempt was blocked, keeping Crown up by one.
Minnesota Morris lined up for the onside kick, and
Trajan Isaac recovered the ball, keeping the game alive. Drake found Roden for an 18-yard pickup and Guy for 10 more yards, setting up a 44-yard field goal. Ahlers lined up for the attempt, but it fell just short, giving Crown the 24-23 win.
Drake entered the game at quarterback and totaled 189 yards with two touchdowns. Charboneau tallied 102 yards and a touchdown. Chinanga led the rushing game with 42 yards. Shafer had a team-high 82 receiving yards and a touchdown, with Guy following with 71 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, Saenz tallied 12 tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack. Dohmen followed with nine tackles. Also recording sacks were
Dylan Young,
Joe Norby, and Ahlers. The Cougars forced one turnover with a forced fumble by Dohmen.
The Cougars travel to Northwestern for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Oct. 10.
