September 11, 1999

Another year, another early-season loss to Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Such has been the case for Northern State's football program for what became the third consecutive year Saturday night, when the Pointers edged Northern 28-26 to spoil NSU's home opener under the lights at Swisher Field in Aberdeen.

Despite racking up 427 yard of total offense and out-gaining UWSP both on the ground and through the air, Northern's fate came down to and was sealed by a failed two-point conversion in the waning minutes of the game that would have tied the score and capped a 15-point second-half deficit for the Wolves to overcome. But after Stevens Point strung out the conversion pass in the flats to junior back Tyrone Morgan (Wichita Falls, Texas), the Wolves were forced to rest the fate of the game on an onside kick attempt.

The attempt, which would have given NSU the ball at about their own 45-yard line, looked to have worked at first, as senior kicker/punter Pete Peterson (Aberdeen) drilled a perfect free ball into a sea of maroon and white shirts. NSU recovered the kick, but it was ruled an NSU player had touched the ball before it deflected off a Pointer player and before it went 10 yards off the tee. The five-yard re-kick penalty resulted in another onside attempt that the Point recovered, and from there UWSP ran out the clock.

Much of the game was a battle between UWSP's potent passing attack and NSU's horse in the backfield, Morgan. The All-American candidate carried the ball 38 times for 154 yards and scored one touchdown. He also proved lethal as a kickoff returner, with two returns for 81 yards in the first half. The Pointers chose to squib-kick in the second half rather than face NSU's deep return men of Morgan and senior national USA Football Special Teams Player of the Week for Sept. 4 Troy Hoff (Scotland).

The Wolves battled back from 21-6 and 28-13 deficits in the second half. The play proving to be the dagger for NSU happened just after the Wolves pulled to within 21-13 on a 55-yard pass from senior quarterback Nate Breske (Webster) to wide-open junior wideout Adam Syphers (Klamath Falls, Ore.). The momentum from that score was deflated on the ensuing kickoff, when UWSP's Chad Valentyne streaked 93-yards to silence the crowd going into the final stanza.

But NSU was far from through making noise. The Wolves owned the fourth quarter, with the defense making key stops and the offense driving patiently downfield on two scoring drives to come within striking distance. The passing game was more than a compliment to Morgan's rushing feats, as NSU put up 257 yards and two touchdowns through the air. What was too-little, too-late this week in terms of NSU putting together offensive drives and defensive stops may be just in time for the conference season, as the Wolves travel to face conference newcomer Concordia-St. Paul Sept. 18. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.