Football Does it Again, Erases 14 Point Second Half Deficit to Defeat DWU in OT
Mitchell, SD – Call them the comeback kids as the Hastings College football team came from 14 points down in the second half to force overtime and then defeat Dakota Wesleyan 24-17 on a hot Saturday afternoon.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 24 |
|
|
0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
Team Stats
Dakota Wesleyan (SD)
| Game Statistics | Hastings | Dakota Wesleyan (SD) |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 191 | 229 |
| Rushing Yards | 132 | 114 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 3 |
| Time of Poss. | 39:52 | 35:08 |
Mitchell, SD – Call them the comeback kids as the Hastings College football team came from 14 points down in the second half to force overtime and then defeat Dakota Wesleyan 24-17 on a hot Saturday afternoon.
The Bronco offense really struggled to get much going in the first half and into the third quarter, Hastings found itself down 17-3 when DWU scored a touchdown with 2:30 to go.
On Hastings' next possession they had a nice fake punt that would have resulted in a first down but an illegal blind side block negated the play. But a little bit of luck kept the drive alive anyway as a roughing the kicker was called against the Tigers and the Broncos took full advantage.
The Broncos moved the ball to the DWU 48 when Eli Nappe connected with Ethan Wilborn on the post for the touchdown but the extra point was no good as HC now trailed 17-9 late in the third.
On the ensuing drive for DWU, the Tigers moved the ball down to the 17 but the Bronco defense held strong forcing a field goal attempt but Jaxon Patrick pushed the kick wide right as the Broncos still had life.
The Bronco offense went right to work as Nappe hit Will Austin on a 17 yard crossing pattern followed by runs of 12 and 16 from Brett Simonsen putting Hastings down to the Tiger 22. On the next play, Nappe was a little late on the post pattern when Adam DeJong jumped the pass and intercepted it, ending the Bronco threat with 8:00 to go in the fourth.
Hastings was able to hold on defense getting the ball back for the offense as the Broncos went right back to work knowing it needed a touchdown and a two point conversion.
Nappe started the drive with an 11 yard scramble and then found Will Austin across the middle for 19 more yards to the Tiger 49. After a pass interference penalty moved the ball to the 34, Simonsen covered five yards out of the backfield followed by a 10 yard scramble from Nappe giving HC a first down at the DWU 12. Josh Ray moved the ball to the eight and then Nappe lofted one into the corner where Wilborn corralled the ball and got his toes down in bounds for the touchdown.
The offense of course stayed on the field and Coach Ken Fasnacht decided to go back to Wilborn but this time on the end around. Wilborn outran four DWU defenders and dove for the pylon and after a bit of deliberation, the refs said he got in for the two point conversion to tie the game 17-17 with 1:08 to go in regulation.
The Bronco defense made sure Dakota Wesleyan would not go down the field but instead of running the clock out, Kellen Robertus intercepted the Austin Lee pass at the DWU 36 with seven seconds to go in regulation. The Broncos elected to go for the touchdown with a deep pass to Wilborn but he was unable to pull the ball in and Hastings was off to overtime for the second straight week.
This time Hastings started with the ball and got a two yard run from Simonsen followed by a first down catch from Wilborn at the Tiger 15. Following another two yard run from Simonsen, Nappe broke free on an 11 yard scamper down to the DWU two yard line. Two plays later, Nappe used the quarterback sneak with a little push from Simonsen and got into the end zone for the TD and following the extra point, Hastings had its first lead since the second quarter at 3-0.
The Bronco defense only needed one play as Marcus Dustin jumped the route deflecting the ball into the air where Sam Ahl would pull down the interception to end the game as Hastings finished off its second straight overtime win 24-17.
Nappe finished the game 16-for-27 for 191 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Simonsen finished with 64 yards rushing on 16 carries while Nappe rushed for 49 yards and the game winning touchdown. Lee for DWU went 16-for-28 for 229 yards and a touchdown but he did throw three interceptions. Wilborn finished with five catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Duncan Fouts added 55 yards on three catches while Will Austin finished with 40 yards on three catches.
Jayden Roberts led the defense with 11 total tackles while Harrison Udeh added eight total tackles. Dustin finished with seven total tackles, an interception and the key pass breakup that led to the game ending interception.
Hastings improves to 2-0 (1-0) on the year and will be back in action Saturday Sept. 9 welcoming No. 4 Morningside to Lloyd Wilson Field with kickoff set for 1:00 pm in Hastings, NE.
