At the halfway point of the GNAC season, the Clan traveled down to take on the Hardrockers from South Dakota School of Mine and Technology (SDSMT), who are currently in second place for the GNAC title. A tough Hardrocker defense would pitch a 19–0 shutout against a Clan offense that put up four passing touchdowns in the previousmatchup against the visiting Dixie State.
SFU opened up the game on offense, but were quickly forced to punt the ball to SDSMT who would put up three points on an 86 yard drive that featured six first downs and lasted eight minutes. Cornerback Robin Weathersby and Safety Jordan Pugh both tackled receiver Daniel Ziegler to end the drive on third and goal, forcing the Hardrockers to settle for a field goal.
On the next Hardrocker drive, Weathersby would make another big play by recovering a fumble at 50-yard line, but a quick three and out forced the Clan to give the ball right back to start the second quarter. The Hardrockers bounced back by putting together a quick 80-yard drive that was capped off by a 35-yard touchdown run from quarterback Trent McKinney.
Shorty after, the Clan defences found themselves once again with their heels against their own end zone. Jordan Pugh stepped up to make a big play by forcing a fumble at the goal line. Linebacker Jordan Herdman would recover the football and give the Clan offense a chance to score before half time.
Quarterback Ryan Stanford put together a couple of first downs, including a 29-yard pass to SFU’s leader receiver for the season, Justin Buren, but inconsistent play forced the Clan to one again call upon kicker Nikolai Karpun to punt to ball away.
“We did enough defensively to put us in a position to win but unfortunately our offense was unable to make any big plays,” said coach Bates told SFU Athletics after the game.
With only a 1:09 left to play in the first half, the Hardrockers were able to assemble yet another long drive that ended with a 19 yard touchdown pass from McKinney to wide receiver Kevin Mills.
After giving up 16 points in the first half, the SFU defense buckled down and held the Hardrockers to a single field goal in the second half to give the offense a chance to win the game for the team.
Running back Ante Milanovic-Litre has stepped up in recent weeks to become the feature back for the Clan, after replacing the injured Josh Hayden. Ante was held to only 31 rushing yards in the first half, however, adjustments in second half play calling pushed him to finish the game with a career-high 125 yards on 21 carries.
In an SFU Athletics summary, Coach Bates acknowledged Ante’s performance by stating that, “Offensively today our running game was able to establish itself [. . .]” however, he also pointed out that, “[. . .] we really struggled at the QB position and were unable to establish consistency.”
Quarterback Ryan Stanford finished the game completing 13 of 28 passes for 121 yards and an interception, while Justin Buren led the Clan in receiving with five receptions and 84 yards. Brothers Jordan and Justin Herdman led the Clan in total tackles with 19 and 11, respectively. Jake Oram and Ben Minaker also finished up with 10 tackles each.
The Clan’s next game will be against Humbolt State on the road in Arcata, California. The game starts at 1 pm.
