SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – (RV) Winona State University and the University of Sioux Falls entered Saturday's NSIC South showdown in opposite directions. The Warriors were coming off a decisive season-opening victory in which the offense produced 546 total yards. On the opposite side of the ball, the Cougars were looking to shake off a disappointing 24-point loss.
Sioux Falls successfully flipped the script, avoiding a detrimental 0-2 start to its season by limiting Winona State to just 228 yards of total offense while ousting the Warriors, 34-12.
The Cougars intercepted Owen Burke three times, after the junior quarterback posted a career game in Week 1, and shut down the Warrior run game to the tune of 49 yards.
USF's All-American running back Gabriel Watson, who did not play in the Cougars' setback last week, scored the game's first touchdown midway through the first quarter before leaving due to injury. With the Warrior offense unable to get anything going in the frame, the defense stepped up in the second quarter, forcing a fumble on Watson's final carry that Noel Winch recovered for a Winona State touchdown.
Paul Ortiz, who excelled in his punting duties for the second straight week, had pinned Sioux Falls deep in their own territory to set up the defensive score, but the senior kicker failed on his point-after-attempt to make the score 7-6 in favor of the Cougars early in the second quarter.
From there, Sioux Falls orchestrated a pair of 10-plus play drives that resulted in 10 more points as the home team carried a 17-6 advantage into halftime.
The early defensive battled was won by USF as the Cougars held WSU to just 108 total yards over the first two quarters and limited Burke to 66 yards passing.
The two sides traded punts to open the third quarter before Burke and the Warrior offense finally found the end zone. A seven-play 84-yard drive was capped with Burke finding Jake Balliu on a screen pass that saw the junior wideout make six defenders miss before crossing the goal line. Trailing 17-12, WSU went for the two-point conversion, but failed, which was followed by 17-unanswered Cougar points in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
USF completed a 14-play 95-yard drive that ate nearly seven minutes on the game clock from the end of the third quarter into the fourth to pad the lead to 24-12. Winona State's ensuing drive ended with Burke's second interception and essentially sealed the Warriors' fate.
Burke was sacked twice in the loss and completed 16 of 37 attempts for 179 yards to six different receivers after spreading the ball around to 12 different players last week. With Javian Roebuck sidelined due to injury, Sam Santiago-Lloyd carried the bulk of the carries and churned out 60 yards on 14 attempts.
Michael Gomez led Winona State with eight tackles and was the lone Warrior defender to get into the backfield with one quarterback hurry. The Warriors were unable to sack Caden Walters, who threw for 215 yards and rushed for an additional 70, while the Cougars pressured Burke all afternoon.
The Warriors will look to rebound with a Thursday night game slated for 7 p.m. against Upper Iowa University at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium. Winona State will seek not only vengeance for this week's setback but an upset loss at Upper Iowa last season.
