Big plays help Weber State secure 25-24 comeback victory over North Dakota


2 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

OGDEN — It seems as though Weber State has a flair for the dramatic.

Trailing 10-24 in the fourth quarter, Weber State scored 15 straight points to secure the victory over 4-2 North Dakota on Saturday night.

The comeback was sparked on the defensive side of the ball by sophomore linebacker Emmett Tela, who forced a fumble on the opposing quarterback midway through the fourth quarter. Tela recovered the ball at the North Dakota 10-yard line to set up a 5-yard touchdown pass from Jadrian Clark to Cody Eyolfson.

"I hit the gap and I saw the QB," Tela said when asked about the critical forced fumble. "I was going to go for the big hit or I was going to get the ball, so I hit the ball out and scrambled around to get the ball and at the end I just dove on it."

Later in the quarter, Tela came up big again, intercepting a pass and returning it 13 yards to help seal the win for the Cats.

"I was just trying to mess with the QB's mind," Tela said. "Then at the end, I was just getting to where I was supposed to be."

The Wildcats were still riding high from an overtime victory over Montana one week ago as they came into Saturday's game.

The good spirits were quickly tempered as Weber State failed to stop the running power of North Dakota, giving up 141 rushing yards in the first half and falling behind 17-3 going into halftime.

The rushing attack by North Dakota was led by freshman running back John Santiago, who gashed the Wildcat defense for 157 rushing yards and one touchdown on the night.

"We knew what they were going to do," head coach Jay Hill said. "We were blitzing right at their point of attack and we just didn't make the plays in the first half that we made in the second half. I can't be more proud of how the kids handled the second half in making the plays we needed to win."

Weber State was able to get game-winning contributions from a multitude of different players, including quarterback Jadrian Clark, who threw for a season-high 273 yards and three touchdowns on the night.

"I think that winning close games is what is going to change this program," Clark said. "We needed to get down and show that we can come back. I think that is huge for the morale of the team."

The win moves Weber State to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in Big Sky Conference play. The Wildcats are now 2-1 at Stewart Stadium on the season.

Weber State heads back out on the road to face Northern Arizona on Oct. 24. WSU has a record of 2-2 on the road this season. Weber State has an all-time record of 26-23 against Northern Arizona. Weber State lost the last meeting of the two teams by a score of 29-22. Mark Douglas is a graduate of Weber State University and lives in Ogden, Utah. Contact him at markdouglasmail@gmail.com or on Twitter @ThePistolColumn.

Photos

Most recent Sports stories

Related topics

SportsWeber State Wildcats

ARE YOU GAME?

From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast