By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post
Minnesota Duluth scored 23 unanswered points, holding Fort Hays State to two second first downs then hold off a late Tiger rally for a 30-22 win Saturday in the 50th Mineral Water Bowl at Tiger Stadium in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. The Tigers end their season 8-4, tying the school record for wins. The Bulldogs finish 9-3.
Chris Brown Postgame Interview
Nathan Shepherd / Garrett Holle Postgame Interview
UMD held the Tigers to 181 yards of offense and dominated the time of possession 44:10 to 15:50. Fort Hays State was 1-for-11 on third down and had the games only turnover.
Treveon Albert led the Tigers rushing attack with 67 yards and a touchdown. Shaquille Cooper was held to 35 yards on eight carries. Albert completed 7-of-18 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown.
A mishandled snap on their Tigers first possession led to a Duluth five-yard touchdown pass, giving them the early lead midway through the first quarter. Fort Hays State answered with 14 straight points to grab a 14-7 second quarter lead. Albert connected with tight end J.J. Lewis on a 32-yard touchdown pass to tie the game late in the first. Two possessions later, Albert ripped off a 72-yard touchdown run up the middle to five the Tigers a 14-7 lead.
Duluth scored the final 10 points of the second quarter to take a 17-14 halftime lead. They held the Tigers to no first downs and no yards in the third quarter to push the lead to 20-14.
A controversial pass interference penalty led to a Duluth field goal to push their lead to 23-14 early in the fourth quarter. They would drive 62 yards in 11 plays and score on a one-yard run from 305 pound defensive lineman Jonathan Harden to push the lead to 30-14 with 4:36 to play.
Daniel Lindsey returned the ensuing kickoff 72 yards for a touchdown. The two point conversion pulled the Tigers within eight with 4:22 to go.
FHSU would get the ball back with 2:13 to play. After a first down pass to Garrett Holle moved the ball to their own 31, three incomplete passes and a sack on fourth down ended the comeback bid.
Nathan Shepherd, who was named the Mineral Water Bowl’s Defensive MVP, had 14 tackles. Alex Schmidtberger added 14 and Brock Long 12 to set the FHSU single season record with 171.
Albert finishes the season with 1,228 yards rushing, the fifth most in a single-season in FHSU history. Cooper ends with 1,441, the third most by a Tiger in a single-season. Albert also becomes the FHSU career leader in total offense.