Sept. 25, 1999

Northern State controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball to overpower previously-unbeaten Bemidji State 45-17 Saturday. The win gave NSU (2-2, 2-0 NSIC) its best start to a conference season since 1993. It also boosted NSU back to a place of prominence in the NSIC, while setting BSU (3-1, 1-1) a pace back.

Behind an offensive line that dominated, junior running back Tyrone Morgan (Wichita Falls, Texas) dazzled the Homecoming weekend crowd of 4,500 fans with five touchdowns and 341 all-purpose yards. Morgan took the opening kickoff and scooted 86 yards to paydirt. But that was only the beginning. Morgan would rush 35 times for 222 yards and four rushing touchdowns on the day and broke a kickoff return later in the game for another near-touchdown.

At halftime, NSU senior fullback and team captain Troy Hoff (Scotland) received a check in his name for $10,000 to be donated to Northern State by Burger King. Hoff received the prestigious honor for his excellence both on the field and off, where he holds a 3.8 GPA in biology. Unfortunately for the Wolves, Hoff injured his knee last week at Concordia-St. Paul and won't return this season. Filling in more than admirably for Hoff Saturday was junior back Tefua Bloomfield (Kearns, Utah), who gained 57 yards on nine carries. Sophomore Shane Carter (Aberdeen), who has also seen a lot of time in the backfield this season, sat out the Bemidji State game with an injury. In Carter's stead came junior makeshift back Alema Atuaia (Laie, Hawaii), who is normally a linebacker but proved he no doubt carries a load in the backfield. Atuaia pounded out a punishing 37 yards on five carries and proved a perfect counterpart to the lethal Morgan and shifty Bloomfield.

After dominating their first three opponents of the season, the Beavers ran into a wall known as the Wolves defense Saturday. In a game with minimal defensive miscues, NSU proved how stingy its defense can be, holding BSU to 89 yards on the ground and 144 through the air. While holding BSU's Eddie Acosta -- ranked 12th in the nation in rushing -- to 68 yards on the day, the defense also proved opportunistic, hauling in three interceptions and recovering two forced fumbles. Senior cornerback Dan Hadley (Box Elder) had one of the interceptions to go along with four pass breakups on the day. Defensive end and fellow senior Mike LeBrun (Egan) led the Wolves with nine tackles, including two sacks and one forced fumble. On the receiving end of that fumble was another senior end, Marcus Tynanes (Ewa Beach, Hawaii). Tynanes also picked a pass and seemed to have a jubilation/celebration dance after the fact wiped out by a pack of excited Wolves who took out Tynanes just as he had gotten back to his feet from being tackled by BSU on the return.
 
Even NSU's kicking game was overpowering Saturday, as senior four-year starter Pete Peterson (Aberdeen) pounded a couple point-after kicks through the uprights and squarely off the scoreboard. Against Concordia, Peterson pummeled a few PAT kicks straight out of Griffin Stadium. So far this season, he is perfect in PAT's (16-16) and field goals (4-4), including a long of 43 yards.