BEMIDJI, Minn. (Chet Anderson Stadium) - In his first game back form injury, sophomore quarterback Cory Wardrope (Anchorage, Alaska) completed 16-of-25 pass attempts for 202 yards and a career-high four touchdowns Saturday leading the Bemidji State University football team to a 47-21 victory over Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foe Concordia University-St. Paul. It was the final home game of the 2007 season and marked the last appearance of the teams senior class at Chet Anderson Stadium.

Wardrope was the driving force behind an offense that in addition to experiencing a tremendous amount of success through the air also gained 198 yards on the ground with Brandon Miles (Kenai, Alaska) leading the BSU running attack scampering for 96 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.

In all the offensive unit racked up a 2007-best 430 yards of total offense while the defense held the Golden Bear running attack to just 37 yards marking the fifth time this season the Beavers have held opposing offenses to 60-or-fewer yards on the ground.

The Beavers stole momentum early scoring 16 points in the span of 7:08 during the first quarter. At the 10:48 mark, Anthony Schreiber (Sr., WR/PR, Berkeley, Ill.) returned a punt 57 yards for his second punt return touchdown of the season and the third of his career. After BSU would get the ball back via a punt 1:26 later and its own drive would stall out, freshman punter Paul Potemra (Poolesville, Md.) would angle a 38-yard punt out of bounce giving the visitors the ball on their own six-yard line. Two plays later, the Golden Bears got caught holding in the end zone as the Gang Green defensive line was in hot pursuit of CSP quarterback Kole Goodchild. The penalty credited the BSU defense with a safety to put the Beavers up 9-0 with 6:43 left in the first quarter.

George Kadlec (Jr., WR, Chicago, Ill.) fielded the free kick on the 46-yardline and returned it four yards to the 50 setting the BSU offense up with a short field. CSP held the Beavers in check for the next three plays forcing the Beavers’ punting unit back onto the field. But when Potemra fielded the snap this time, he rolled out to he left and tossed a short pass into the hands of senior linebacker Zach Christ (Buffalo, Minn.) who rumbled 30 yards for the first down. Three plays and 20 yards later Miles plunged into then end zone form three yards out to give the Beavers a 16-0 lead.

BSU would stretch its lead to 23-0 on its first possession of the second quarter moving the ball 62 yards on 10 plays in 5:11 capped with a 27-yard touchdown strike form Wardrope to Schreiber who found the end zone for the second time of the day and move past John Gronski (1986-89) and Ryan Welle (1999-2002) and into fifth place on BSU’s all-time touchdowns list with 29 (19 rec., 6 rush, 4 ret.).

Goodchild would lead the Golden Bears on a pair of sustained drives as the second quarter wound down to reel the Beavers to within nine points, 23-14, but Potemra would nail a 26-yard field goal as time expired to send BSU into the halftime break up 26-14.

The Beavers continued to pour it on as the second half got underway. BSU took the opening kick off and marched 72 yards down the field in ten plays as Wardrope capped the possession with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Schultz (Fr., WR, Grand Forks, N.D.), 33-14.

After another CSP possession would result in seven points for the Golden Bears, and the ensuing BSU drive stalled out on the 50-yard line, head coach Jeff Tesch would again elect to punt the ball away. Potemra’s 40-yard punt was muffed by the CSP return man and reigning NSIC Defensive Player of the Week, Jake Anderson (Jr., LB, Karlstad, Minn.) removed the ball on the CSP 14-yard line. A three-yard run by Miles and a 11-yard TD pass to senior tight end John Larson (Little Fork, Minn.) gave the Beavers a 19-point cushion, 40-21 with 3:26 to play in the third quarter.

Wardrope completed his four-touchdown afternoon just 1:20 into the final stanza when he hit Kadlec with a pass from three yards out to finish a six-plays, 71-yard drive.

Defensively, the Beavers were led by senior safety Jeremiah Johnson (Glidden, Iowa) who moved into sole possession of second place on the Beavers’ all-time tackle list recording his 363 stop Saturday. He totaled a game-high 13 tackles with one coming for a loss while he broke up a pass. Fellow senior Matt Heber (Mundelein, Ill.) posted a season-high nine tackles (six solo). He sacked the CSP quarterback twice, recorded 3.5 tackles for loss and broke up three passes.

Goodchild finished the day 23-for-42 through the air for 284 yards and a touchdown. He also added a rushing touchdown as Kama Johnson paced the CSP running attack with 36 yards on 14 carries.

In the 82-year history of the BSU football program, 29 times the Beavers have posted winning campaigns. With a 47-21 victory over CSP Saturday, the Beavers secured their tenth consecutive season under head coach Jeff Tesch of .500-or-better football.

The 6-4 Beavers, 5-3 in league play, wrap up the 2007 season Nov. 9th at 7:30 p.m. when they battle NSIC newcomer Upper Iowa University at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn.