On Saturday, October 10, the SFU football team dropped a close one against Dixie State, losing 38–35. The game was the first in GNAC play, and the loss put the Clan 0–4 overall on the year.
“They made more plays than we did,” said Head Coach Kelly Bates after the game. “They made less mistakes than we did. That’s why they got the win.”
The game started off fairly well for SFU. A huge gain by Dixie State receiver Brad Duran set up a field goal for the visitors, but SFU came back and answered. SFU tight end Andrew Pauls caught an 11 yard touchdown to give the Clan the lead.
The weather quickly became a game-changer, as the rain started to come down heavily. SFU recovered the ball off a poor handoff, then fumbled it a few plays later while driving down the field. On literally the next play after that, SFU defender Messer-Barrow picked off the pass intended for the Dixie State Receiver. SFU missed a field goal late in the quarter but still lead in the game.
The second quarter started with a Dixie State drive that lead to a touchdown. Running back DeJon Coleman barreled in from the one to take a 10–7 lead for the visitors. After a huge return by Justin Buren, the Clan handed it off of Ante Litre. The running back was the Clan’s main offensive weapon, running with the ball on numerous occasions for big gains. However, with the ball on the two yard line and a number of downs to get the touchdown, they were forced to settle for the field goal. This later turned out to be huge. The score at the break was 10–10, and SFU seemed to be in control.
“We’ve got young guys back there [. . .] who are gaining great experience.”
However, the second half was a different story. The Dixie State offense was able to hit for big plays on multiple occasions. A 26-yard run by the Dixie State running back led to a 28-yard touchdown pass to Nate Stephens and a 17–10 lead. However, four minutes later, Ryan Stanford found Pauls again for his second score of the game. Just like that, the score was tied once again.
A touchdown for Dixie state made it 24–17, and into the fourth quarter it could have gone either way. After a field goal made it 24–20, Justin Buren scored a 21-yard touchdown to take a three point lead heading into the last half of the fourth. Just two plays later, though, Dixie’s DeJon Coleman ran right up the middle 75 yards for the touchdown. They soon added another, and despite Christian Berger scoring late to make it interesting, it wasn’t to be. The final score was 38–35 Dixie State.
Like the last home game against Azusa Pacific, perhaps the main problem for the Clan on the night was the mental lapses, especially on the defensive side of the ball. It was one step forward, two steps back for parts of the game, particularly in the second half. “We’ve got young guys back there, 17- and 18-year-olds, who are gaining great experience,” said Bates following the game. “I think they know their job, and I think they were in the right spot to do their job, they just didn’t finish.”
Despite the loss, the close scoreline gives hope to Bates that the best is yet to come. “What I liked in this game is that things that had hampered us in the past such as bad penalties, not protecting the ball, not playing disciplined ball on offence. We can build on that moving forward.”
SFU’s next home game will be on October 24, when they play Western Oregon University.
