MAYVILLE, N.D. — Dickinson State dropped a heartbreaker on the road Saturday afternoon, falling 34-32 in triple overtime to Mayville State in the Frontier Conference East Division opener at Jerome Berg Field.
The Blue Hawks move to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in divisional play.
After falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter, Dickinson State responded with a pair of touchdown drives in the second. Quarterback Jace Friesz connected with Jackson Simonson on scoring passes of 16 and 32 yards to give DSU a 14-7 halftime advantage.
Friesz completed 18 of 33 passes for 186 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Simonson delivered a standout performance, finishing with 163 all-purpose yards and four total touchdowns — two receiving and two rushing. He carried 23 times for 71 yards and caught seven passes for 92 yards.
Mayville State tied the game at 14 early in the third quarter, and after DSU reclaimed the lead on a 4-yard touchdown run by Simonson early in the fourth, the Comets answered with a late drive to send the game to overtime tied at 21-21.
In the first overtime, Mayville State converted a 42-yard field goal before Ty Nelson matched with a 27-yard make for the Blue Hawks.
DSU opened the second overtime with Simonson's fourth touchdown of the game, a 1-yard rush, followed by a successful two-point conversion pass from Friesz to Adrien Calderon to go ahead 32-24. Mayville responded with a 25-yard touchdown pass but failed on the two-point try, keeping Dickinson State in front heading to the third overtime.
Under NAIA overtime rules, teams alternate two-point conversion attempts beginning in the third extra period. Mayville State scored first and converted to take a 34-32 lead. Dickinson State's final attempt came up short, sealing the win for the Comets.
"It was a tough loss," said Head Coach Pete Stanton. "Have to finish off a game and make plays down the stretch and didn't do it. We aren't doing the fundamental things very well and you can't win if you don't. We need to start coaching and playing better."
Defensively, the Blue Hawks were led by Riley Waters and Shel Osborne with nine total tackles each. Chase Selle added an interception, and Dominique Carte recovered a fumble, contributing to a pair of takeaways for the DSU defense.
Dickinson State finished with 310 total yards, including 124 on the ground, and held Mayville State to 4-of-14 on third down. The Blue Hawks also went 4-for-5 in red zone opportunities.
Nelson handled all special teams duties, punting six times for an average of 37.8 yards and converting all three PATs along with one field goal.
Dickinson State returns home next weekend to host Dakota State in the annual Homecoming game. The matchup will also serve as part of the university's ongoing celebration of 100 Years of Blue Hawk Football. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at the Biesiot Activities Center.
