Wolves defense does its job, shuts out Upper Iowa: Northern State football takeaways

Northern State University football coach Mike Schmidt wanted his defense to hold down the Upper Iowa offense Thursday night while the Wolves' offense found its footing.

Mission accomplished.

The Wolves defense dominated during a 30-0 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory in the season opener at Dacotah Bank Stadium.

Here's how the Wolves got the job done.

Upper Iowa's running game shut down

The Peacocks finished with just 24 net rushing yards on 26 carries. Northern defenders were regularly in the Upper Iowa backfield hassling quarterback Michael Orr, who was sacked three times.

Northern also intercepted two passes in the first half, including one by Ar'Shon Willis at goal line to stymie an Upper Iowa scoring threat.

Late in the game, the Wolves defense held the Peacocks on a fourth down play at the Northern 11 to preserve the shutout.

A host of transfers new to the Northern program were big contributors. Ian Marshall, who transferred from Oklahoma State, led the way with six tackles, including two sacks and four tackles for a loss.

"We knew what we had in those players and they played like they were supposed to," Schmidt said of the new players on defense.

Northern learns on the fly

Willis' interception was a big play in the game, said Northern senior linebacker Brennan Kutterer.

The other pick was by senior linebacker Nate Robinson, who added three tackles.

Kutterer complimented Marshall's play.

"He won a lot of one on ones tonight," Kutterer said.

The Peacocks have a lot of new coaches and players this season, so it was tough to know what to expect, he said. The Wolves watched film of last year's game, but Upper Iowa tried some new things on offense Thursday. Even so, Kutterer said, the Northern coaches had the players ready.

Offensive line helps Bonds settle in

Quarterback Michael Bonds made his first start for the Wolves, completing 21 of 30 passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns.

He said the offensive line did a great job of protecting him and giving him time.

"I didn't get touched all night tonight, and it was amazing," Bonds said.

He said the game was dedicated to Northern State alum and fan Roger Youngman, who died last week. Youngman played football for the Wolves for four years in the 1960s.

Bonds connected with wide receiver Caleb Schentzel, a Northwestern grad, on a beautiful 22-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to put the Wolves up 13-0.

It was a great play call, Bonds said. The offense saw it was available earlier in the game and knew the play would be called even before the drive started, he said.

A little bit of everything

On offense, the Wolves mixed the run and the pass. They rushed for 144 yards and passed for 261.

The offense can't abandon one aspect of the game just because it's not working as well as it could, Schmidt said. Motion, screen plays and runs help set up downfield passes, so there has to be a commitment to those plays even if they sometimes fail, he said.

Eleven players caught passes for Northern. Receiver Dominick Fiscelli led the way with eight catches for 94 yards.

Nine different players carried the ball for the Wolves, including Bonds and quarterback Will Madler, who made his Northern debut Thursday. Junior running back Brett Brenton finished with 50 yards on 10 carries, including an 11-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

The Wolves were up 16-0 at halftime and the lead probably could have been bigger, but Schmidt said it was clear that Northern was dominating play. The Wolves lost three offensive linemen to graduation and two more in the transfer portal during the offseason, and he was happy with the way young linemen stepped up.

"This is winning football when you play complimentary like that," Schmidt said, referring to contributions on both sides of the ball.

While the Wolves missed an extra point and a field goal, special teams also chipped in. Payton Eue connected on a 49-yard field goal on the last play of the first half, and Aberdeen Central graduate Brock Baker blocked a punt in the fourth quarter after the Wolves just missed a block earlier in the game.

There are things to clean up, certainly, Schmidt said. Execution late in the game wasn't great, and open receivers sometimes had no chance to make catches. But, he said, the Wolves handily beat a team they expected to, which is the right way to start the season.

The rest of the schedule, he knows, is likely to be considerably more difficult.

Northern (1-0) next takes to the road to face Wayne State on Sept. 10. The Peacocks (0-1) host Minnesota State, Moorhead on Sept. 10.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Northern State beats Upper Iowa 30-0 in college football opener