Oct. 23, 1999

The table is set.

Winona State and Northern State will meet again in a game that could determine this season's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference champion. The Warriors and Wolves both moved to 6-0 in the conference with dominating wins Saturday. While WSU trampled Concordia-St. Paul as expected, the Wolves gave the fans at Swisher Field a bit more suspense before dispatching the Golden Eagles 45-17.

On a crisp, perfect day for football, the Wolves let UMC hang around for two-and-a-half quarters before putting the hammer down. The Golden Eagles benefited from big plays and timely NSU turnovers and penalties to keep it close for that long. In the first half, the Golden Eagles caught the Wolves sleeping on a fake punt that resulted with a 43-yard touchdown run by up-man Jonathan David. That score kept UMC in it going into the half at 17-7. David came up big in the third quarter as well, taking a pass over the middle and scampering 58 yards to paydirt. After a fumbled return on the ensuing kickoff turned into three more points for UMC to knot the score at 17-17, upset thoughts had to be racing in the minds of the Golden Eagles.

But those dreams quickly met the cold-cocking fist of reality known as NSU's defense. After NSU went three-and-out on its next possession, the Wolves showed why they are ranked fifth in the nation defensively, putting a stranglehold on UMC's offense that rendered the Golden Eagles lifeless. UMC would muster just 28 yards of offense the rest of the game, while NSU's opportunistic defense forced four turnovers that turned into NSU's next four scores and bloated the final score.

NSU's rushing offense leaned, pushed and eventually wore out the Golden Eagles in the second half, a result that is becoming the offensive line's trademark this season. As a team, the Wolves rushed for 360 yards on the day. Junior running back Tyrone Morgan (Wichita Falls, Texas) returned to his untouchable form after having a sub-par performance (by his standards) in a return-from-injury game last week. Running with reckless abandon from the start, Morgan racked up 235 yards and three touchdowns on 37 carries. Morgan delivered more hits than he absorbed, many times punishing a defensive back or even a linebacker in the open field with his deceptively strong 185-pound frame.

Junior wideout Adam Syphers (Klamath Falls, Ore.) provided equally-important big plays through the air to make the defense respect NSU's passing game. Syphers ended the day with three catches for 67 yards and a touchdown, running down seemingly uncatchable balls with breakout speed and remarkable body control. Syphers also caught a two-point conversion.

But as well as the offense played, the spark was no doubt provided by NSU's defense. All told, 42 of NSU's 45 points came off of turnovers. So it was a fitting end when senior middle linebacker Naki Angilau's (Kearns, Utah) 35-yard interception return capped the scoring in the fourth quarter. Angilau, who is NSU's leading tackler and the reigning  NSIC Defensive Player of  the Week, finished the day with 12 tackles, including eight solos and five for loss (20). Along with his interception return, Angilau also had a sack, forced a fumble and broke up a pass.

For the first time since NSU joined Northern Sun conference play in 1978, the Wolves are 6-0 in conference play. Last season, NSU's non-conference upset of Winona State in the Metrodome gave the team its seventh straight season win. But the reward was just a warm feeling inside, as the Warriors had already staked claim to the conference crown by overpowering NSU earlier in the season. If the Wolves are to win seven straight again this season and knock off the two-time defending NSIC champion Warriors, the reward is an inside track on a conference championship. The table is set. The Wolves are hungry.