FARGO, N.D.--North Dakota State University's No. 2 offense threw for three touchdowns Saturday as the Green team earned a 40-30 victory over the Gold team in the annual spring football game at the Fargodome.

The first half was a seesaw scoring affair. It ended with the Green holding a 28-21 lead at intermission thanks to Steve Walker's second of two touchdown passes in the second quarter. Walker hit Casey Radtke on a 17-yard play and connected with Nick Jackson from 23 yards out.

Cory Vartanian's 27-yard field goal late in the third brought the Gold back to within 28-24, but on the next play from scrimmage Jackson hit a wide-open Mike Dragosavich over the middle on an 83-yard scoring play that put the Green up 11.

The Gold team trimmed the score to 35-30 in the middle of the fourth quarter when Cinque Chapman scored from five yards out, but Kyle Ihry picked off the ensuing two-point pass attempt from Tony Stauss.

Ihry returned the pick almost 30 yards before pitching to Matt Gorman in traffic along the left sideline, and Gorman completed the coast-to-coast return for two points that put the Green up 37-30.

Vartanian tacked on a 47-yarder for the Green with 1:04 left in the game to close the scoring.

Chapman finished with a game-high 112 yards on 16 carries for the Gold, while Kyle Steffes ran 14 times for 47 yards including a pair of two-yard touchdowns in the first half.

Stauss completed 13 of 21 passes for 155 yards and scored once on the ground as the Gold rolled up 315 yards of total offense. Travis White was Stauss' favorite target with six receptions for 114 yards. Andy DelaBarre had three catches for 32 yards.

The Green team put up 312 yards of total offense including a balanced running effort from Alex Wiese and Mark Moore. Wiese carried nine times for 55 yards and Moore ran for 45 yards on 11 carries.

GREEN 40, GOLD 30
Gold 7 14 3 6 -- 30
Green 6 22 7 5 -- 40

Green--Mays 12 blocked punt recovery (kick failed)
Gold--Steffes 2 run (Vartanian kick)
Green--Radtke 17 pass from Walker (Vartanian kick)
Gold--Steffes 2 run (Vartanian kick)
Green--Moore 2 run (Dragosavich from Jackson)
Gold--Stauss 7 run (Vartanian kick)
Green--Jackson 23 pass from Walker (Vartanian kick)
Gold--FG Vartanian 27
Green--Dragosavich 83 pass from Jackson (Vartanian kick)
Gold--Chapman 5 run (pass intercepted)
Green--Gorman 100 PAT interception return off Ihry lateral
Green--FG Vartanian 47

Rushing: Chapman 16-112, TD; Wiese 9-55; Steffes 14-47, 2 TD; Moore 11-45, TD; Jackson 5-14; Walker 2-9; Stauss 3-7; Thoreson 2-(-6)

Passing: Stauss 13-21-0, 155 yards; Walker 8-11-0, 97 yards, 2 TD; Jackson 2-3-0, 92 yards, TD; Thoreson 0-2-1, 0 yards

Receiving: White 6-114; Dragosavich 1-83, TD; Jackson 4-54, TD; DelaBarre 3-32; Lanzy 3-21; Radtke 1-17, TD; Pettis 1-14; Anderson 1-5; Steffes 1-3; Arndt 1-3; Chapman 1-(-2)