JAMESTOWN, N.D. — Bemidji State University Football (3-5) defeated the University of Jamestown (0-8) 33-0 on Saturday in Jamestown. Bemidji State scored 33 unanswered points across six scoring drives.
This is the second time this season the Beavers came away with a shutout, the first being a 38-0 win over Southwest Minnesota State University. The last time Bemidji State shut out two teams in the same season was 2018 against University of Mary and University of Minnesota Crookston.
The Beavers' offense threw for 194 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 174 yards. Jamestown held the ball for 37:34 and ran 76 plays, but Bemidji State limited Jamestown to 249 yards, no red-zone points, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries while adding three sacks.
An early defensive stop led to the first quarter's only points, with Bemidji State taking over at the Jamestown 41 after a turnover on downs and finishing the short field with
Connor Carver's 26-yard touchdown pass to
Tyree Lockett at 9:15 before
Kyle Nadler's kick made it 7-0. On Jamestown's next series,
Joey Funderburk broke up a pass and
Levi Daniel followed with a 13-yard sack, forcing a punt after Jamestown had crossed midfield. Jamestown later moved to the Bemidji State 20, but
L'Shawn Taylor forced a fumble and
Nah'Shawn Keith recovered it with 55 seconds left. Bemidji State then moved the ball to its 37 on a 9-yard run by
Jayden Washington and an 8-yard completion from Carver to
Kaleb Miller, ending the first quarter ahead 7-0.
A goal-line stand preserved Bemidji State's 14-0 halftime score, as the defense stopped three straight Jamestown runs from the 1-yard line and forced a turnover on downs with 2:08 left in the second quarter. Earlier, Washington moved the chains on the opening possession before
Connor Carver hit
Lucas Peterson for a 53-yard touchdown, and
Kyle Nadler's extra point made it 14-0 at 14:12. Jamestown then held the ball for nearly 12 minutes and reached the Bemidji State 1, but
Carter Drake-Metzger,
Dominic Frost,
Koehler Kilty and
DeShaun Sager were among the tacklers on the three zero-gain stops near the goal line. After taking over at its own 1, Bemidji State moved out with Carver's 10-yard run and completions of 23 yards to Lockett and 11 yards to Peterson before Carver's 35-yard punt pinned Jamestown at the 5 in the closing seconds.
In the third quarter, Bemidji State added offense, defense and a field goal, outscoring Jamestown 16-0 and finishing it ahead 30-0.
Sema'j Young's 33-yard kickoff return gave Bemidji State field position at its 38, and Carver needed three plays to finish the opening drive, hitting Lockett for 11 yards before finding him for a 51-yard touchdown at 14:13.
Caden Bolte intercepted Jamestown on the next series and returned it 12 yards to the Jamestown 28, though Bemidji State gave the ball back two plays later. After Jamestown drove to the Bemidji State 23,
L'Shawn Taylor sacked Jacob Mattick on third-and-1, and
Ray Iglesias recovered the fumble and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown at 4:49. Iglesias' scoop-and-score is the second-longest fumble return in program history at 75 yards; the longest was 79 yards, set in 2024 by
Gabe Ward against Western Colorado University during the NCAA tournament.
Kamari Debose added another interception on Jamestown's next possession, leading to
Kyle Nadler's 37-yard field goal, and Bemidji State closed the quarter with Carver and Washington moving the ball to the Jamestown 35.
The only points of the fourth quarter came when
Kyle Nadler made a 32-yard field goal at 12:51, giving the Beavers a 33-0 lead after
Connor Carver's 21-yard run moved the drive into the red zone. The defense followed by forcing a punt after Iglesias and
Elijah Hagen combined for a tackle for loss and
Luke Owen broke up a third-down pass, then later held Jamestown on downs at the Bemidji State 43 with
L'Shawn Taylor contributing a pass breakup.
Mike Watkins added a sack on Jamestown's next possession, and the Beavers limited Jamestown to 0-for-3 on third down and 0-for-1 on fourth down in the quarter. Bemidji State closed the game with an eight-play, 49-yard drive built entirely on
Mitch Olson carries, running out the final 5:09 and finishing at the Jamestown 15 to complete the 33-0 win.
Carver completed 7 of 16 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns and added 87 rushing yards on 11 carries. Carver's 183 passing yards and 87 rushing yards gave him 270 offensive yards, more than Jamestown's 249 combined total offensive yards. Lockett caught four passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns, his first two-touchdown game of the season. Iglesias recorded four tackles and returned a fumble recovery 75 yards for a touchdown. Taylor finished with three tackles, one sack and two forced fumbles. The two forced fumbles set a career high for Taylor.
Bemidji State is 3-5 overall and 3-4 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. Jamestown is 0-8 overall and 0-7 in NSIC play. Up next, Bemidji State hosts Minnesota State University Moorhead at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, in Bemidji, Minn. for their Halloween game.
For more information on the Bemidji State Football program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X (@BSUBeaversFB), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and like them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversFB).
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
