Sept. 10, 2005

Final Stats

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Running back Matt Birkel rushed for 204 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries and quarterback Daniel Kaczor threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score as nationally ranked St. Cloud State University defeated Western Washington University, 38-20, in a non-conference football game Saturday night at Civic Stadium.

Western fell to 1-2 with its second consecutive loss to a nationally ranked opponent.

St. Cloud State, ranked No.15 in the American Football Coaches Association/NCAA Division II Top 25, improved to 3-0, and has outscored its opponents 126-27.

Kaczor, who completed 15-of-21 passes for 209 yards, had all of his scoring passes in the second half, connecting on a 65-yard score with Ed DeShazer on SCSU's opening possession of the third quarter, and a pair of 10-yard passes to Ryan Koch.

Western did not score until the third quarter, when quarterback James Monrean (Jr., Bellingham/Sehome) found tight end Nick Yoney (Sr., Arlington) in the end zone on a 27-yard pass that capped an eight-play, 84-yard drive. Monrean, who completed 26-of-41 passes for 329 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, also threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Casey Dell (So., Moxee/East Valley) with 10 seconds left in the game.

Running back Jake Carlyle (Sr., Olympia/Capital) added the other Viking touchdown on a 9-yard run midway through the fourth period. St. Cloud State had a 474-374 edge in total offense, holding Western to just 45 yards rushing on 29 attempts and sacking Monrean a school-record nine times, with tackle Jordan Kroll having two of the sacks.

In three career games against Western, Birkel, a 5-foot-9, 230-pound senior, has now rushed for 605 yards and five touchdowns. It was his 21st career 100-yard rushing game and sixth career 200-yard contest.

St. Cloud State needed just 74 seconds to reach the scoreboard. Tate Wheeler returned the opening kickoff 69 yards to the Western 25, and three plays later, Birkel ran into the end zone from five yards out. The Huskies extended the lead to 10-0 on their next possession, going 80 yards in 14 plays to set up a 32-yard field goal by Shawn Braunagel with 4:48 left in the first quarter.

St. Cloud State held a 17-0 lead at halftime, as Kaczor scored on a 1-yard sneak with 5:47 left in the first half. The Huskies had a 211-109 edge in total offense in the first half, and Western did not get the ball inside the St. Cloud State 40 until the final 90 seconds of the second quarter, shortly after an interception by Viking strong safety Steve Davis (R-Fr., Kennewick/Kamiakin).

Western wide receiver Andy Olson (Sr., Chehalis/W.F. West) injured his left knee with 5:07 left in first half. He did not return, ending his school and Great Northwest Athletic Conference record streak of 11 consecutive games with a touchdown reception. Olson has 29 career scoring catches, just one short of the school record. He is expected to miss three-to-four weeks with an MCL injury.

Next Saturday (11 a.m. PDT), Western is at Grand Forks, N.D. to meet No.4-ranked University of North Dakota in the Potato Bowl at the Alerus Center, North Dakota improved to 3-0 with a 51-6 victory over Winona State. It is the third of three consecutive games against nationally ranked opponents for the Vikings.

SCORING SUMMARY
St. Cloud State         10       7       14       7   ---   38Western Washington       0       0        7      13   ---   20
SCSU - Birkel 5 run (Braunagel kick)SCSU - FG Braunagel 32SCSU - Kaczor 1 run (Braunagel kick)SCSU - DeShazer 65 pass from Kaczor (Braunagel kick)WWU - Yoney 27 pass from Monrean (Younggren kick)SCSU - Koch 10 pass from Kaczor (Braunagel kick)SCSU - Koch 10 pass from Kaczor (Braunagel kick)WWU - Carlyle 9 run (kick failed)WWU - Dell 12 pass from Monrean (Younggren kick)Attendance:  2,359