Rapid City, S.D. – The SBU football team showed plenty of fight Saturday afternoon, battling back from a 24-point halftime deficit before falling to South Dakota Mines 38-17 at O'Harra Stadium. The loss moves the Bearcats to 1-1 on the season.
The Bearcats entered the matchup facing a South Dakota Mines team coming off one of the biggest wins in program history as they defeated NCAA Division I FCS opponent Drake 38-35, marking their first victory over a Division I opponent in program history.
South Dakota Mines carried that momentum into the first half against SBU, building a 24-0 advantage. The Hardrockers opened the scoring with a 17-yard touchdown pass before adding a field goal early in the second quarter. A 69-yard blocked field goal return for a touchdown swung the momentum further in favor of the home team before South Dakota Mines added another touchdown with 1:11 remaining in the half.
SBU's defense shut out the Hardrockers throughout the third quarter, giving the offense an opportunity to work its way back into the game. Quarterback Jaron Saunders helped spark the comeback midway through the period, finding Jaden Mays for a 43-yard touchdown to put the Bearcats on the board. Less than four minutes later, Saunders struck again, this time connecting with Tyrone Scyrus for a 20-yard touchdown that quickly cut the deficit to 24-14.
The Bearcats continued to apply pressure into the fourth quarter. After another defensive stop, SBU put together an 11-play, 51-yard drive that ended with Kaleb James drilling a 45-yard field goal. The kick made it a one-score game at 24-17 with 11:03 remaining, completing a run of 17 unanswered points by the Bearcats after trailing 24-0 at halftime.
SBU's comeback ultimately fell short as the Hardrockers answered with two touchdowns over the final six minutes to pull away. Despite the final score, the Bearcats outgained South Dakota Mines 356-329 and finished even with the Hardrockers with 20 first downs apiece. SBU's defense held a South Dakota Mines passing attack that threw for 306 yards against Drake to just 142 yards Saturday.
Saunders finished the afternoon with 226 passing yards and two touchdowns, with both scores coming during the second-half rally. Marcus Rhoden led the receiving corps with 93 yards on four catches, while Mays added four receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown. Jobe Smith led the rushing attack with 85 yards on 22 carries.
Defensively, Ricky Woodhouse and Chucky Sutton led the Bearcats with nine tackles each. The SBU defense helped fuel the comeback by keeping the Hardrockers off the scoreboard for more than 20 minutes of game action spanning the second and fourth quarters.
The Bearcats return home next Saturday as they look to bounce back against Roosevelt University at Plaster Stadium. It will be First Responders Military day on Saturday, September 12th with a scheduled kickoff of 1:00 p.m.
