The MSU-Northern Lights dropped a tough 33-16 decision to No. 13 Dickinson State University on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Hawks jumped out early, scoring 14 points in both the first and second quarters to build a commanding lead. Northern's offense found the end zone once in the second quarter, cutting into the deficit, but Dickinson carried a 28-6 advantage into halftime.
Both teams traded field goals in the third quarter, before the Lights put together a strong fourth-quarter push, outscoring the Blue Hawks 7-2 to close out the contest.
The Lights finished with 240 total yards of offense, 164 of those coming through the air. Quarterback Kendall O'Neill went 10-of-21 for 158 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Roman Bradley carried the ball 13 times for 44 yards and a score. Devin Shelton led the receiving corps with six catches for 67 yards.
Defensively, Braydon Cline anchored the effort with 14 tackles and a pass breakup. Spencer Lehnerz added seven tackles and two breakups. The Lights' defense also notched one interception, seven breakups, and two sacks. Special teams shined behind Wylee Snapp, who punted nine times for 418 yards, averaging an impressive 46.4 yards per kick.
Dickinson State posted 406 yards of total offense, led by quarterback Marcus Sanders, who threw for 277 yards and three touchdowns on 19 completions. Samaj Clark was a big-play target, hauling in five passes for 99 yards and two scores.
With the loss, MSU-Northern falls to 0-3 on the season. The Lights will look to bounce back next Saturday when they travel to Caldwell, Idaho, to face (RV) College of Idaho at noon.
