DICKINSON — After what was an overwhelmingly successful first round of the NAIA playoffs last Saturday, the Dickinson State University Blue Hawks roll into Round 2 — for the second-consecutive year — after a come-from-behind, 27-20 home-win over #19 Kansas Wesleyan on Nov. 23. DSU used a big fourth-quarter comeback and 17 unanswered points to take down the Coyotes in the first playoff game in Dickinson since 2004, and the postseason-groundbreaker at the Biesiot Activities Center.
The Blue Hawks now fly west to Dillon, Mont. to take on perennially top-ranked Montana Western on Saturday, Nov. 30 at noon MST. Incidentally, DSU also faced a Frontier Conference opponent in the 2023 postseason, defeating then-#17 Montana Tech, in Butte, during Round 1 a year ago.
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The Blue Hawks come into Saturday's game ranked 14th and stand at 10-1 on the 2024 season, while the Bulldogs wound up at 9-1 in the Frontier Conference. With DSU heading to the FC in 2025, the showdown should give the visitors a good idea of where they stand with that move on the horizon.
Montana Western leads the series, 5-1, and are on a five-game winning streak over the 'Hawks, which stretches over the last 12 years.
The Bulldogs are currently ranked #4 and on a 6-game winning streak, while the Blue Hawks are riding an 8-game streak. The Bulldogs are averaging 43.3 PPG, 185 rushing yards per game and 297.9 YPG passing, while DSU brings in a total YPG average of 393.3 with 178.5 of those coming on the ground and 214.8 through the air, with 34.8 PPG to show for their efforts in the end-zone.
Last week, senior quarterback Will Madler ran in a pair of scores to snatch the victory from the visitors in the fourth quarter from 1- and 12-yards out, with the 12-yarder coming at the 29-second mark in the final frame.
Meanwhile, senior running back Braden Zuroff scored a gritty, 3-yard touchdown in the first quarter and sophomore kicker Chase Miller was able to notch a pair of field goals through the stiff breeze from 29- and 23 yards away, while sophomore RB Caleb Rist came on to rush for 76 important yards and combine with Zuroff for numerous first-downs to keep the chains moving and keep the Coyotes off the field in the last 15 minutes of gametime.
To watch the game live, please visit the YouTube page at www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeFytcW4XZQ and live-stats can be followed at www.dsubluehawks.com/sports/fball/2024-25/boxscores/20240829_xhhr.xml while radio enthusiasts can join North Dakota Broadcast Hall of Famer Rod Kleinjan on the airwaves at 1230 am and/or www.kdix.com for the play-by-play.
For more information about DSU football, please keep reading The Dickinson Press and/or visit their website at https://www.dsubluehawks.com/sports/fball/index .
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