Jamestown, N.D. – The University of Jamestown football team was blanked at home at the hands of the Sioux Falls Cougars by a score of 31-0 Saturday afternoon.
The Jimmies drop to 0-2 after a loss in their first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game while the Cougars get to 1-1.
On the first drive of the game by the Cougars, Sioux Falls made some progress up the field getting a 1
st-and-10 at the Jamestown 40-yard-line. However, the Jimmies locked it in defensively, forcing Sioux Falls into a 4
th-and-2 and then
Caden Neid and
Zach Mueller bringing down running back Bubba Tann III four yards from a first down as a turnover on downs gave the Jimmies their first possession.
In a very similar manner to the first Cougars drive, the Jimmies got a couple of first downs, including two catches by
Gavin Olson totaling 22 yards. However, an incomplete pass on 4
th-and-4 gave the ball back to Sioux Falls with the Jimmies 40 yards from the endzone.
The second drive for the Cougars resulted in success with a nine-yard touchdown pass and an extra point putting the Jimmies down 7-0.
Jamestown went three-and-out on their next drive and Sioux Falls added onto their total in the second quarter with a touchdown to get ahead 14-0 with 12:04 to play in the first half.
Facing a two-score deficit now,
Matt McBride rushed for 15 yards in the next drive, but around midfield, a fumble by quarterback
Jacob Mattick gave the ball right back over.
After a couple more unsuccessful drives for each team and time ticking down on the first half clock, the Cougars canned a field goal with 12 seconds remaining as the first half ended with a score of 17-0.
The Jimmies best drive of the game began at the 10:35 mark of the third quarter.
Mason Whitley rushed for 13 yards, and
Nate Burke had a big catch for 20 yards with UJ chugging along, and eventually getting to the Sioux Falls 18-yard-line. However, a rushing attempt went nowhere, and then on 3
rd-and-10, Mattick was intercepted in the Sioux Falls end zone, and the just like that, the Jimmies lost their chance to score.
That was not the last time the Cougars intercepted the Jimmies either. Two more interceptions and two more punts were the results of the final four Jamestown drives of the game. Sioux Falls looked impressive at Charlotte and Gordon Hansen Stadium and scored two more touchdowns as the Jimmies were shutout for the first time in six years, 31-0.
Mattick was 11-for-21 throwing for 90 yards with a fumble and an interception. Whitley rushed nine times for 51 yards with an average of 5.7 yards per carry.
Andres Bonilla was solid in his action as well, rushing seven times for 37 yards and an average of 5.3 yards per carry. Olson was the lead receiver for the Jimmies hauling in three catches for 34 yards.
Defensively,
Xander Jarosh,
Alexander Rivera, and
Antonio Bernardini led the Jimmies with seven tackles while Rivera broke up two Sioux Falls passes leading to incompletions. Jarosh broke up one pass and also had a tackle assist for a loss in yardage.
The Cougars netted 392 yards while the Jimmies were at 176. Passing yards were 205-95, and rushing was 187-81. Time of possessions was nearly even with Sioux Falls at 33:10 and the Jimmies at 26:50. Jamestown struggled on third down conversions, going just 2-for-10 while the Cougars were 7-for-14.
UJ will look to bounce back on the road next week at Winona State University of Saturday, September 12, at 1 p.m.
