BISMARCK, N.D. – It was almost the exact same script from the week before. Brandon Alt threw for four touchdowns and the defense added six more sacks to power the No. 9/7 Bemidji State University Football team to the 41-10 road win at the University of Mary in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play on Saturday afternoon.
Bemidji State (4-0, 4-0 NSIC) outgained UMary (0-4, 0-4 NSIC) 400-187, throwing for 255 and rushing for 145. Alt hit four touchdown passes for a second straight week and after recently eclipsing 100 career passing touchdowns, has now thrown 96 touchdown passes in the past 30 games alone. Alt completed 14-24 for 204 yards. Sam McGath added three completions for 51 yards and a score.
The ground attack had four ball carriers rush for at least 26 yards led by 54 yards on 13 carries from Jarrett Gronski. Ali Mohamed rushed nine times for 35 yards. McGath had one carry for 32 yards and Sage Booker found the end zone on five carries for 26 yards.
Dhel Duncan-Busby had three receptions for 59 yards and two touchdowns. Jake Hill had three receptions for 44 yards. Brice Peters averaged 21 yards per reception with two catches for 42 yards. Mike Wandmaker had two catches for 25 yards, but both went for touchdowns.
Max Buduris was all over the field with 11 tackles (10 solo), along with 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Marcus Hansen with two tackles for loss and another sack. Four other Beavers added at least a sack in Palamveer Dhaliwal, Elijah Brown, Stephen Hoffman and Darnell McCrea.
UMary was able to only gain 46 yards on the ground on 25 attempts, making this the third game in which BSU has limited an opponent to under 100 rushing yards. The defense also has 20 sacks in four games, reaching at least four sacks in every game this year.
It didn't take long for BSU to strike first. Just 57 seconds into the game, the Beavers were up 7-0 after Alt found Duncan-Busby for the 37-yard touchdown.
The Marauders answered with a lengthy drive that netted a 32-yard field goal leaving BSU ahead 7-3.
After trading possessions, Bemidji State added another score late in the opening quarter. With the ball at the UMary 37 following a short punt, the offense went to work. Mohamed rushed four times on the drive for 19 yards. Duncan-Busby added a 14-yard reception and then Alt found Wandmaker for his first receiving touchdown of the day from four yards out for the 14-3 lead.
UMary scored midway through the second quarter taking advantage of a muffed punt return that placed the ball at the BSU 26. Five plays later, the Marauders completed a two-yard pass to trim the deficit to 14-10.
On the ensuing kickoff, Colton Herman returned it 35 yards out near midfield. After picking up a first down on a fourth down run by Gronski, Alt found Peters for 38 yards down to the five. On the next snap, Booker went in for the score to give Bemidji State the 20-10 lead at halftime, as the extra point was blocked.
The defense started the second half strong with a quick three-and-out. BSU capitalized with a 23-yard pass from Alt to Hill down to the eight. On third down, Alt found Duncan-Busby for the second time of the game in the end zone to push the lead to 26-10 as the extra point was blocked.
That score held up until late in the third quarter when BSU took advantage of a shot field. With the ball out near midfield, Gronski rushed twice for 18 yards, Alt found Hill for 10 yards to push the ball near the red zone. On the next snap, it was Alt to Wandmaker for the second time to push the lead to 34-10 as BSU went for two and Wandmaker caught the pass for the conversion.
Bemidji State scored the only points of the fourth quarter when McGath found Mohamed for the 15-yard TD pass to provide the final score of 41-10. It was Mohamed's only reception of the game.
The win gave Bemidji State their ninth-straight victory against UMary and are now 7-2 in Bismarck since 2006. BSU is just one win away from 400 in program history.
Bemidji State will now return home to host No. 5/5 Minnesota State for Homecoming this Saturday (Sept. 30) with kickoff set for 2 p.m. at Chet Anderson Stadium. Minnesota State improved to 4-0 as well following their 42-10 win over Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday.
For more information on the Bemidji State Football program, follow the Beavers on Twitter (@BSUBeaversFB). Like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and follow them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversFB).
Nestled in Northern Minnesota's wooded region and located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, BSU sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and women's hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
