Mary stymies Eagles’ comeback
BISMARCK, N.D. – A lot of firsts occurred during the season-opening game between Chadron State and the University of Mary Thursday evening, but a comeback wasn’t one of them.
The Eagles, who were playing without a host of starters, put together a furious rally in the fourth quarter only to see it fall just short as the University of Mary eked out a 31-24 victory.
Chadron State was playing with a makeshift offensive line after losing starting left tackle Garrett Gilkey early Thursday afternoon when he had an emergency appendectomy. That procedure forced starting center Sean McGowan to slide to tackle, while redshirt freshman Sam Parker got the nod at center.
Then, following a first half where he threw for over 100 yards, quarterback Jonn McLain was knocked out of the game with a concussion.
“In the first half we couldn’t score in the red zone and we gave Mary a lot of opportunities and put our defense in a tough position,” O’Boyle said. “It’s hard to win that way and we didn’t get it done tonight.”
Despite the absences, Chadron State still played well. Brandon Gorsuch threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns, Dominic Morris added 140 yards on 24 carries and Alex Ferdinand kicked three field goals that helped keep the Eagles in the game.
Things were looking rosy for the Eagles when Allan Schmaltz caught a 5-yard slant pass for a touchdown from Gorsuch with just under nine minutes to play that put the game at 17-15. Alex Rodriguez added a nifty reception out of the backfield on the 2-point conversion and CSC tied the game.
Mary, though, responded with a touchdown of its own when Tyler Steffan, who had 130 yards receiving and two touchdowns, caught a 47-yard bomb for a TD on its next drive, but the Marauders missed their extra point, making it 23-17.
The Eagles came right back on their next possession and Jeff Alcorn broke free up the middle for a 34-yard TD and Ferdinand’s extra point gave Chadron State its first lead of the game.
However, the Marauders went 78 yards in seven plays and Josh Murray, who transferred to Mary in early August from North Dakota, scored the go-ahead TD from three yards out with just over two minutes to play.
The Eagles didn’t quit, though, and went 60 yards to the Mary 19 before turning the ball over on downs with 27 seconds to play.
Nathan Ross was Gorsuch’s favorite receiver. He made eight receptions in the second half – four resulted in first downs – and finished with 12 catches for 120 yards. The 12 receptions is the fourth-most in school history.
Chadron State hosts Angelo State Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon.