No. 21 St. Cloud State Erupts For 31 Unanswered; NDSU Falls In Season Finale

Saturday, November 16

Fargo, N.D.

7 p.m.

North Dakota State

2-8 , 1-7

St. Cloud State

9-2 , 6-2

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
St. Cloud State	0	10	7	14	31
North Dakota State	7	0	0	0	7

No. 21 St. Cloud State Erupts For 31 Unanswered; NDSU Falls In Season Finale

11/16/2002 6:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

FARGO, N.D.--No. 21-ranked St. Cloud State University rebounded from a first-quarter North Dakota State touchdown to post 31 straight points and a North Central Conference football win Saturday, Nov. 16, before 6,768 fans at the Fargodome.

North Dakota State, loser of four in a row, finished the regular season 2-8 overall and 1-7 in the North Central Conference. St. Cloud State won its third straight ballgame to up its record to 9-2 overall and 6-2 in the league.

Bison junior running back Darrin O'Leary scored on a 5-yard run to complete a seven-play, 78-yard drive to open the ballgame, but that was all NDSU would muster.

St. Cloud State struck 1:42 into the second quarter with a 20-yard Nick Orndorff field goal, and the Huskies got a pair of Matt Birkel touchdown runs and two fourth-quarter Ben Nelson TD receptions for the final 31-7 margin.

Three of SCSU's scoring drives went for 80 or more yards, but the Huskies only outgained the Bison 381-371 in total offense.

NDSU senior quarterback Graig Gorder capped his career with a 19-for-44 effort and 217 passing yards. O'Leary finished with 73 yards on 12 carries for the Herd.

Nelson, the all-time SCSU leader in TD receptions, led all receivers Saturday with 83 yards as quarterback Keith Heckendorf completed 18 of 25 passes for 214 yards. Birkel rushed for 141 yards on 31 rushes.

Boasting the best rushing defense in the NCC, St. Cloud State still yielded 154 ground yards to the Bison, who gained 10 of their 20 first downs on the turf.

NDSU inside linebacker Jayd Kittelson made a game-high 16 total tackles and SCSU free safety Chad Kruckman made 10 total stops.

Gorder's 44 passing attempts vaulted him into first place all time at NDSU in that record category. He finished his career with 587 attempts -- one more than Kevin Feeney (1995-98).

Gorder's 287 career completions leave him second on the NDSU all-time list. He moved into fourth all time with 3,559 passing yards, and his 169-for-335 effort this year set season-high school marks for completions and attempts.