Jimmies unable to keep pace with Defenders

The Jimmies struggled to play sound assignment football Saturday and paid the price in Sioux Center, Iowa.

Dordt University (3-1) could do no wrong hosting the University of Jamestown (0-2), racking up 668 yards of total offense in a convincing 66-13 victory over the Jimmies. The Defenders averaged 8.25 yards per play in the game and piled up 50 points before halftime.

Jamestown is scheduled to host two-time defending NAIA national champion Morningside (3-0) in its home opener next Saturday (Oct. 17) at Taylor Stadium. The Mustangs will be coming off a 68-3 victory over winless Briar Cliff (0-4) and haven't lost a contest since 2017, a streak of 32 straight games.

"We just had too many guys trying to do other people's jobs and not believing in the system," said UJ head football coach Brian Mistro. "We've got to trust our teammates. All of a sudden you're trying to do someone else's job and you don't do your job, and that's what happens when you do that stuff."

Dordt had scored 41 unanswered points with five minutes to play in the opening half, which included a 20-yard interception of UJ quarterback Cade Torgerson returned for a touchdown by senior cornerback Nathan Kabongo. Following six fruitless offensive drives, Jamestown finally broke through with a 60-yard touchdown pass from Torgerson to receiver Steven Justice, a 6-foot, 191-pound freshman from Henderson, Nevada.

"He went out and made a play and didn't get tackled," Mistro said of Justice's first score as a Jimmie. "Our younger guys, yeah they're green, but we expect a lot out of them. It was good to see a little bit of a spark there today."

Torgerson would later connect with 6-foot-4 junior transfer Sidney Luna-Long for a five-yard TD pass and catch trailing 59-6 in the fourth quarter. Torgerson completed 10 passes for 113 yards in the game.

The Defenders produced 365 yards through the air and 303 more on the ground. Dordt starting quarterback Noah Clayberg passed for 220 yards and four scores and also ran the ball seven times for 109 yards and a TD.

The Jimmies were limited to 240 yards of total offense and allowed five quarterback sacks.

"It's all correctable stuff," Mistro said. "It just goes back to good football teams don't make big mistakes, and we made too many big mistakes.

"There wasn't any quit in our guys. Our guys didn't give up, we just weren't all there today."

University of Jamestown football has finished second to last in the 10-team Great Plains Athletic Conference standings in each of its first two seasons in the league. Still working to secure a competitive foothold in the conference, Mistro knows better days are ahead.

"You become the storm, and that's part of the mindset that we have to have," Mistro said. "Yeah, these teams are good and that's great and all. But, guys, you gotta believe that you're a good team and you gotta go out and play like it.

"We gotta make sure our guys believe in themselves to go out there and do what they're taught to do."

Dordt University 66, University of Jamestown 13

JAM 0 6 0 7 -- 13

DOR 14 36 3 13 -- 66

SCORING

FIRST QUARTER

D: Levi Jungling 2 run (Brett Zachman kick), 10:28.

D: Noah Clayberg 2 run (Zachman kick), 2:41.

SECOND QUARTER

D: Jungling 5 pass from Clayberg (kick failed), 13:07.

D: Nathan Kabongo 20 interception return (Zachman kick), 12:13.

D: Hayden Large 7 pass from Clayberg (Zachman kick), 7:31.

D: Jungling 12 pass from Clayberg (Zachman kick), 5:26.

J: Steven Justice 60 pass from Cade Torgerson (kick failed), 5:01.

D: Ben Heuvelhorst 6 pass from Clayberg (kick failed), 2:51.

D: Zachman 43 field goal, 0:00.

THIRD QUARTER

D: Zachman 26 field goal, 5:50.

FOURTH QUARTER

D: Jayden Huisman 8 pass from Jacob Loomis (kick failed), 10:10.

J: Sidney Luna-Long 5 pass from Torgerson (Izaak Myles kick), 7:19.

D: Jake Carroll 42 pass from Loomis (Fulton Gunderson kick), 2:30.

STATISTICS UJ DU

First downs 12 35

Third down eff. 4/13 10/12

Fourth down eff. 0/0 0/0

Total yards 240 668

Passing yards 150 365

Rushing yards 90 303

Total plays 53 81

Redzone eff. 1/3 8/9

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Passing: J, Cade Torgerson 10-18-2 113, Matt Chauvin 2-4-0 37. D, Noah Clayberg 15-18-0 220, Jacob Loomis 9-12-0 145.

Rushing: J, Josiah Cage 5-31, Jayden McCombs 4-25, Frankie Ingraldi 7-20, Jeremy Williams 2-16, Carlos Julian 2-14, Micah Madyun 1-5, Marcus Giles 1-0, Torgerson 9-(-21). D, Clayberg 7-108, Carter Schiebout 17-69, Loomis 8-42, Jake Carroll 7-32, Zane Gunter 4-31, Charley Young 3-7, Anthony Trojahn 2-7, Raphael Carr 2-6, Levi Jungling 1-2.

Receiving: J, Steven Justice 2-69, Ryan O'Brien 1-31, Javon Bowie 2-17, Jonah Lietz 1-11, Cage 1-8, Jacob Flaherty 1-6, Sidney Luna-Long 1-5, Nick Davis 1-2, Ingraldi 1-1, Marcus Giles 1-0. D, Jungling 5-75, Jayden Husiman 5-75, Lucas Warner 1-59, Carr 5-53, Carroll 1-42, Ben Heuvelhorst 3-16, Schiebout 1-16, Eli Boldan 1-16, Hayden Large 1-7, Carson Brown 1-6

Tackles (solo): Justin Six 6 (5), Manuel Najera 6 (6), Jordan Olson 5 (3), Brooks Canfield 5 (5). D, Brayton Van Kekerix 7 (6), Abe Stoesz 4 (4).

TFL: J, Najera, Mitchell Swartz, Blake Snyder. D, Van Kekerix 2, Stoesz, Colyn Oostenink, Josh Mrazek, Jake Beukelman, Thomas Macomber, Jessup Leakey.

Sacks: D, Van Kekerix, Stoesz, Oostenink, Beukelman, Macomber

Interceptions: D, Kabongo, Meno Jones.

Records: Dordt 3-1. Jamestown 0-2.