In a game that went down to the fourth quarter, the Portland State Vikings narrowly edged North Dakota off of late special team miscues 14-10 to pick up its first conference win of the season. This was the Green and White’s third straight loss.

With the victory, the Vikings improved to 1-3 in the Big Sky (4-4 overall) while UND fell to 1-4 in conference play (2-6 overall). North Dakota ended the weekend tied for seventh in the Big Sky with Idaho State.

“We had to make one play offensively in the second half and just did not do it, which was frustrating,” UND coach Chris Mussman said. “I thought the defense played outstanding. They were put in tough spots and kept coming through with big plays. This was a tough way to lose a ball game.”

Saturday afternoon kicked off with a bang for the Green and White as rookie play-caller Joe Mollberg connected with senior receiver Greg Hardin 5:50 minutes into the game for an 80-yard touchdown pass. North Dakota’s next score would come early in the second quarter as UND took a 10-0 advantage off of a 22-yard field goal by Zeb Miller, however that is where the offensive production would end on Saturday for the Green and White.

The Vikings picked up two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter off the legs of running back DJ Adams while the PSU defense held UND’s offense stagnant throughout the second half. North Dakota racked up 201 offensive yards in the first half but could only muster 37 after halftime.

Both of Portland State’s scoring drives were set up by North Dakota special team hiccups as the first score came after a blocked punt attempt by UND punter Mitch Meindel and the second off a mishandled snap by Meindel.

Joe Mollberg finished the game completing 15 of 32 passes for 197 yards, including his 80-yard bomb to Greg Hardin. Hardin finished the contest with seven receptions for 128 receiving yards and a touchdown reception.

Senior running back Jake Miller took 17 attempts for 44 rushing yards to lead the Green and White on the ground offensive for the afternoon. UND finished the match with just 41 yards on the ground as a team while the Vikings collected 281 rushing yards. North Dakota’s offense was limited by Portland State’s defense all afternoon as it finished with just 238 total yards while PSU produced 392 yards of its own.

The Green and White will look to snap their losing streak next weekend as they return west to Flagstaff, Ariz., to take on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.

Kick-off next Saturday is set for 6:00 p.m. at the Walkup Skydome.

David Butz is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].