BEMIDJI, Minn. (Chet Anderson Stadium) - A cold water bath never felt so good as when the Bemidji State football team plunged into the frigid water of Lake Bemidji Saturday. The the swim continued a long-standing tradition of jumping into the lake adjacent to Chet Anderson Stadium immediately following homecoming victories. Today the team not only celebrated a homecoming win, it also reveled at the end of its longest losing skid in six years--three games--and its first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference win of 2008.

The Beavers were clicking on both sides of the ball. The Derek Edholm (So., QB, Anoka, Minn.) led offensive unit was steady and efficient. Edholm completed 19 of his 25 pas attempts for 264 yards while the Beavers gained 98 yards on the ground, which included and outstanding day by Eurise Watson (Jr., RB, Dayton, Ohio). The junior, who totaled just 10 yards on three carries a year ago before losing the season to a knee injury, today he showed he was back netting 61 yards on 14 carries. His three rushing touchdowns marked the first time a Beaver running back has found the endzone three times in a single game since Tyler Olson recorded four Sept. 23, 2006.

Defensively, the Beavers not only recorded a pair of interceptions and two fumble recoveries, they also held Northern State to just 55 yards on the ground. Freshman Dusty Sluzewicz (Fr., S, Homer Glen, Ill.) paced the unit with a career-high nine tackles (three solo) while Rob Wills (So. DE, Roseville, Minn.) also established a career-best posting seven tackles (four solo), which includes 1.5 sacks and 3.0 tackles for loss.

The Beavers took a 10-0 lead to gab the momentum early. BSU capped a 14-play, 65 yard drive with a 22-yard, Paul Potemra (So., K/P, Poolesville, Md.) field goal. The Beavers forced the first turnover of the day on the Wolves' first play of the following drive. Terrell Phelps (Sr., CB, Lincolnton, N.C) hit the NSU quarterback and forced a fumble. BSU's Jake Schmidt (Fr., DB, Frederic, Wis.) picked up the loose ball and ran it back to the BSU 40-yard line. Edholm connected with senior wide receiver George Kadlec (Chicago, Ill.) from 37 yards out for a touchdown. Potemra returned to for the PAT attempt just 17 seconds after his field goal.

BSU would get the ball back again on the Wolves next drive. Jake Anderson (Jr., LB, Karlstad, Minn.) snatched his team-leading third interception of the season at the NSU 42-yard line and ran it down to the three-yard line. One play later, Watson landed in the endzone for the first of his three TD plunges on the day to put BSU up 17-0 just 25 seconds into the second quarter.

Momentum seemed to turn in Northern State's direction as the second quarter continued. The Wolves put together a six-play, 53-yard drive capped with a three-yard touchdown pass from Eric Ellingson to Jerry Brooks. After a PAT made it 17-7, NSU caught the Beavers off guard successfully executing an on-side kick to get the ball back on their own 41-yard line. But the BSU defense would come up big again as Wills got to Ellingson in the backfield to force a fumble that would be recovered by BSU's Josh Karch (Sr., LB, Moorhead, Minn.).

The Beavers stretch their lead to 24-7 with 2:13 left in the first half. After a botched long snap on a punt snuffed out a NSU drive and turned the ball over to BSU on the Wolves 41, the Beavers would need just four plays and just over a minute to score. Watson capped the drive with a 17-yard run across the goal line.

NSU used the final seconds of the half to reel the Beavers to within 10 points, 24-14, and steal momentum going into the break. The Wolves got the ball on the BSU 44 after recovering an Edholm fumble. Later, on a fourth and four with two seconds to go, Ellingson put a ball up for grabs in the far corner of the endzone. The ball was touch by multiple hands from each team but Marty Ponzo came down with it for a TD as time expired.

After a halftime stuffed full of Homecoming activities, the third quarter was a stalemate as the teams entered the final 15 minutes of play with the score stuck at 24-14 in favor of the Beavers.

Watson scored his third touchdown of the day with 10:35 to go in the game. His touchdown capped a sustained nine-play, 72-yard drive and put BSU up 31-14.

NSU's Ellingson rushed for a touchdown to draw the score to 31-20 with 5:20 to go, but after an on-side kick attempt failed, time would run out on a Wolves' comeback.

The BSU victory over Northern State extends a Beavers' winning streak over the Wolves to four games and holds NSU winless at Chet Anderson Stadium since 1993--a stretch spanning six games.

Bemidji State (2-3; 1-3 NSIC) continues conference play next week in St. Cloud, Minn. as it begins a two-game road swing versus one of the NSIC's newest members, St. Cloud State University (3-2; 3-1 NSIC). The Oct. 4 meeting between the teams marks the first time the teams have gone head-to-head since the 1981 season. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Husky Stadium.

Notes: Bemidji State's all-time winningest head coach Jeff Tesch notched his 80th career win.

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