WINONA, Minn. — For the second straight Saturday, the University of Jamestown football team failed to find the end zone, falling 28-0 to Winona State University at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium.
WSU (1-2, 1-1 NSIC) built a 21-0 advantage before the Jimmies (0-3, 0-2 NSIC) pushed into Warrior territory in the third quarter, converting a fourth down at the WSU 29 to keep a drive alive. UJ's defense gave the offense another chance later in the quarter, stopping Winona State on fourth down at the UJ 19 after a red-zone series ended on downs. The defense also kept WSU out of the end zone over the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, finishing another late red-zone sequence without allowing a touchdown.
Jamestown had trouble turning possessions into scoring chances, finishing with just eight first downs while the Warriors had 21 and held the ball for 33:22. UJ ran for 125 yards but was limited to 49 passing yards, went 1-for-13 on third down, and converted only one of six fourth-down tries. WSU totaled 364 yards, (167 rushing, 197 passing), and scored on three of its five red-zone trips.
Mason Whitley led UJ's ground game with 63 yards on 14 carries, while
Jack Young had two sacks as part of a defensive effort that included four tackles for loss.
WSU put the Jimmies in an early 7-0 hole with a four-play, 73-yard opening drive, capped by Jackson Flottmeyer's 40-yard touchdown pass to Nolan Ginskey at 12:56 and Evan Swanstrom's extra point. UJ began the ensuing drive from their own 24 and advanced to the WSU 35 behind an 8-yard
Jacob Mattick completion to
Ethan Hoffman and Whitley's 22-yard run, but the drive ended on a fourth-down incompletion. The UJ defense forced a punt on the Warriors' next series, and the offense crossed midfield again with help from a pass interference penalty before turning the ball over on downs at the WSU 40. WSU began its final possession of the quarter at 3:02 and reached the UJ 27 on Jahmani Muhammad's 5-yard run as the first quarter ended with UJ trailing 7-0.
The Warriors converted a pair of third-and-5 situations, but after
Alexander Rivera and
Zach Mueller combined to stop Jahmani Muhammad for a loss at the 2, Jackson Flottmeyer found Muhammad for a 2-yard touchdown on fourth down at 10:58, with the point after made it 14-0.
UJ went three-and-out on its first possession of the second quarter, and WSU came back with a seven-play, 56-yard drive highlighted by Muhammad runs of 29 and 12 yards before his 3-yard touchdown run and the extra point made it 21-0 with 5:51 remaining in the half. A 37-yard kickoff return by Whitley gave the Jimmies the ball at their 37, and Mattick's 12-yard third-down completion to
Gage Solano moved the drive across midfield, but the series ended with a punt. Jamestown's defense forced a three-and-out, and later got a pass breakup from Rivera and a sack from Young on the Warriors' final possession of the half.
In the third quarter, UJ moved from its 33 to the WSU 21, using
Matt McBride's 24-yard run and Whitley's five-yard fourth down conversion at the WSU 29 before
Zach Johnson's 38-yard field goal attempt missed with 10:05 left.
The Warriors took over on downs at the 5:10 mark, eventually reaching the UJ 19, but the Jimmie defense stopped consecutive short-yardage runs, with
Malachi Werremeyer making a third-down tackle and
Gus Werremeyer stopping the fourth-down try. The quarter ended with WSU still maintaining a 21-0 lead.
Winona State finished its final scoring drive early in the fourth when Flottmeyer hit Nolan Ginskey for a 14-yard touchdown pass, and Evan Swanstrom's extra point made it 28-0 with 12:51 remaining. UJ started its next possession at its own 40 after
Cole Sjogren's 15-yard return, and
Andres Bonilla broke a 27-yard run following a holding penalty, but the drive stalled out at the WSU 43.
The Jimmies' defense forced a punt on the next series, helped by a tackle for loss from
Luke Van Den Berg and
Gus Werremeyer, before WSU later missed a 44-yard field goal with 7:00 left. A 53-yard punt by
Kobe Irmen pinned Winona State at its own 13 yard line late in the game, and although the Warriors drove all the way to the UJ 19, the Jimmies kept WSU out of the end zone before the game ended 28-0.
Young recorded four tackles and finished with two sacks. Whitley rushed 14 times for 63 yards. Solano caught four passes for 31 yards.
Tristan Huse led UJ with seven tackles.
Flottmeyer completed 15 of 23 passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns. Ginskey caught four passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns, while Muhammad rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries and also added a touchdown reception. Brent Jeske recorded a team-high eight tackles.
UJ travels to Wayne, Nebraska, to face Wayne State College on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 6 p.m.
