VALLEY CITY, ND (NewsDakota.com) When Zach Hammett scored a Jimmie touchdown with 2:16 left of the third quarter, a Viking 14-point edge was cut in half, and momentum sat squarely on the University of Jamestown sideline.
The next two plays undid the progress.
Exavian Westbrook ran the ensuing kickoff 96 yards to the house to rebuild the lead, and the Jimmies failed to field a short kickoff, recovered by Khilil Toney, leading to a Viking field goal and an eventual 38-7 win at Lokken Stadium Saturday.
Viking quarterback Avery Thorsgard managed an efficient gameplan, allowing his receivers to exploit short passes for a 19-26, 136 yard performance. He also ran 23 times for 119 yards and a score, a touchdown that gave the Vikings a 14-0 lead at the break.
Laggarius Marshall carried 11 times for 59 yards, including the first score of the game on the Viking opening possession, setting a tone for a day that saw the Vikings outgain UJ 333-212, running 70 plays to the Jimmies 45.
Jimmie quarterback Nick Martinez left the game early with an injury, and Johnny Grann finished the relief effort 8-14 for 80 yards, including a 42-yard toss from Erastus Antsino that set up Hammett’s score at the end of the third quarter.
The Vikings would score twice more on a two-yard run by Kolby Jones and a seven-yard scamper by Noah Chambers in front of a packed house at Shelley Ellig Field, with fans standing three-deep beyond the end zones to take in what could be one of the final games of the Paint Bucket rivalry. The Jimmies depart for NCAA Division II status next season.
Viking safety Gavin Gerhardt picked up his second interception of the season, a diving grab on a deflected ball with the Jimmies driving early in the fourth quarter. He finished with eight tackles to lead the Viking defense. Georgia Mageo had a pair of tackles for loss.
The Vikings enter a bye week next week.
The Jimmies will host Dakota State Saturday. Coverage will begin at 3:30 PM on The Voice of the Jimmies, Jamestown 107.1.
| UJ | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| VCSU | 7 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 38 |
FIRST QUARTER
VCSU – Laggarius Marshell 34-yard TD run 5:52 (Yzan Lorenzo XP) – 7-0 VCSU – 9 plays, 64 yards, 5:18
SECOND QUARTER
VCSU – Avery Thorsgard 14-yard TD run 0:37 (Lorenzo XP) – 14-0 VCSU – 12 plays, 75 yards, 3:20 – Key play: Thorsgard 16-yard run to UJ 14
THIRD QUARTER
UJ – Zach Hammett 5-yard TD run 2:16 (Aanon Peterson XP) – 14-7 VCSU – 7 plays, 67 yards, 4:14 – Key plays: John Grann 42-yard pass to Erastus Antsino to VCSU 21, Hammett 8-yard run to VCSU 5 on 4th & 2
VCSU – Exavian Westbrook 96-yard TD kickoff return 2:01 (Lorenzo XP) – 21-7 VCSU
VCSU – Lorenzo 25-yard FG 1:04 – 24-7 VCSU – 3 plays, 2 yards, 0:57 – Key play: Khalil Toney recovered VCSU kickoff at UJ 20
FOURTH QUARTER
VCSU – Kolby Jones 2-yard TD run 7:31 (Lorenzo XP) – 31-7 VCSU – 12 plays, 75 yards, 7:19 – Key play: Thorsgard 37-yard run to UJ 38
VCSU – Noah Chambers 7-yard TD run 1:54 (Lorenzo XP) – 38-7 VCSU – 7 plays, 14 yards, 3:09 – Key play: TaQuez Chatman recovered fumble at UJ 14
Individual Statistics
RUSHING
UJ – Hammett 17-85-1 TD, Carlos Julian 3-16, Colton Schneider 2-13, Gavin Blomdahl 1-12, Nick Martinez 4-9, Ethan Hoffman 1-0, John Grann 2-(-3)
VCSU: Thorsgard 23-121-1 TD, Marshell 11-59-1 TD, Payton Burow 2-7, Marty Gohn 3-6, Chambers 3-2-1 TD, Jones 1-2-1 TD, Owen Quail 1-2
PASSING
UJ – Grann 8-14-80-1 INT, Martinez 0-1
VCSU: Thorsgard 18-25-144
RECEIVING
UJ – Antsino 1-42, Colton Schumacher 2-25, Hammett 1-8, Lukasz Andrews 1-6, Hoffman 2-4, Julian 1-(-5)
VCSU – Jake Deutsch 6-53, Dominic Sotomayor 4-38, Westbrook 4-32, Ka’Ua Nishigaya 1-7, Austin Richter 1-7, Marshell 1-5, Austin Johnson 1-2
| UJ | VCSU | |
| First Downs | 15 | 23 |
| Rushing | 30/132 | 44/199 |
| Passing | 80 | 144 |
| Total Yds | 212 | 343 |
| Att/Comp/Int | 8/15/1 | 18/25/0 |
| Punts/avg | 3/41.3 | 2/46.5 |
| Fumbles/lost | 3/3 | 1/0 |
| Penalties/Yds | 1/10 | 5/50 |
| Time of possession | 24:37 | 35:23 |