Oct. 28, 2000

Northern State's bid for back-to-back Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference titles ended Saturday with an overtime interception which gave Winona State a 28-21 win on a soggy Swisher Field.

The Wolves led for the majority of the game despite not having the services of senior Harlon Hill candidate and NCAA II leading rusher Tyrone Morgan (San Fernando, Calif.). Morgan suffered a serious ankle injury at Minnesota-Crookston last week and was forced to watch the game on crutches from the sidelines.

After taking a 14-7 lead into halftime, Winona chipped its way back into the game in the third quarter with two field goals to pull within a point at 14-13 while NSU's offense was held to three-and-out drives on every possession in the frame.

NSU's first possession in the fourth quarter turned disastrous, as Winona's Chris Radke picked off a Nate Breske (Webster) pass at the Northern 35. Winona capitalized off that turnover with a touchdown and two-point conversion to take a 21-14 lead.

But Northern wasn't through yet. On the ensuing kickoff, junior all-purpose back Cody Jamison (Murray, Utah) gave the team great field position with a 47-yard return to the Winona 37. Three plays later, Breske found senior wideout Reggie Schulte on a 33-yard touchdown strike, and the Wolves were right back into it tied at 21-21.

Neither team would score during the next 11 minutes, and the game went to overtime. Starting from Northern's 25 per NCAA II overtime rules, Winona began quickly with a 22-yard burst up the gut by Curtis Jepsen. Two plays later, quarterback Andy Nett found Brendon Braatz in the end zone to put the heat on the Wolves to score. But it wasn't meant to be, as Breske's pass on NSU's first play from scrimmage in overtime was picked off by Nick Jaeger at the Winona 7-yard line to end the game.

Highlights for Northern on the day included junior running back Shane Carter (Aberdeen), who rushed for 107 yards and one touchdown on 29 carries. Junior tight end Lincoln Mihaere (Las Vegas, Nev.) hauled in five passes for 67 yards. Defensively, senior cornerback Torry Thompson (Layton, Utah) tallied seven solo tackles, including a sack. Sophomore linebacker Eric Rambow (Litchfield, Minn.) also created problems for the Warriors, as two of his four tackles went for loss. Rambow also pounced on a fumble for NSU.