The Valparaiso University football team played against a top-25, full-scholarship FCS opponent on Saturday at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, N.D., dropping the game 58-7 to the No. 16/17 Fighting Hawks. Micah Mackay (Zionsville, Ind. / Lutheran) had a 67-yard touchdown reception for the Beacons.
 
How It Happened

• The Beacons moved the ball on the opening drive, which started with a 25-yard kickoff return by Ryan Ricketti (Rocky River, Ohio / Rocky River) with a penalty tacked onto the end of it. Valpo reached midfield but punted on fourth-and-short on the opening drive.
• The Fighting Hawks put together a 10-play, 85-yard drive that lasted just under six minutes, culminating with a 7-yard touchdown rush by Sawyer Seidl.
• The Beacons moved the ball again on their second drive of the game, twice converting in third-down scenarios. Rowan Keefe (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) scrambled for 11 on third-and-8 from the Valpo 27, then found Devin Yeats (Hampshire, Ill. / Hampshire) for an 11-yard grab on third-and-11 from the Valpo 37. The Beacons did eventually punt after moving the ball to midfield.
• The Valpo defense forced a punt late in the first quarter, but the offense went three-and-out early in the second.
• North Dakota scored on a 2-yard TD pass to Deng Deng to make it 14-0 with 9:40 left in the second quarter, completing an eight-play, 59-yard drive
• The Valpo defense forced its second punt of the opening half, but UND forced one of its own and the teams exchanged punts.  
• The deficit was just two scores with a minute remaining on the first-half clock, but a 20-yard TD reception by Seidl with 55 seconds to play made it 21-0, then the Fighting Hawks forced a three-and-out and used their timeouts, getting it back in time for a 38-yard field goal that made it 24-0 at halftime.
• Valpo got a stop on the first drive of the half with freshman Micah Markley (West Chester, Ohio / Lakota West) making his ninth tackle of the game on the third-down play. After a nice 13-yard grab by Chris Gundy (Smithfield, Va. / Smithfield), the Beacons got on the board when Mackay went 67 yards for a score on a pass from Rowan Keefe (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) to make it 24-7 with 11:59 left in the third.
• North Dakota got it right back on a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that made it 31-7 with 11:59 left in the half. The Fighting Hawks blocked a punt to set up a short field and took advantage with another score to extend the lead to 38-7 with 7:40 left in the third.
• North Dakota added a 23-yard rushing touchdown and a 38-yard field goal prior to the end of the third, and led 48-7 through three quarters.
• North Dakota added 10 points in the final quarter.

Inside the Game

• Mackay's touchdown catch was the first of his collegiate career and his second overall score with his first coming on a return. It marked the longest offensive play from scrimmage for the Beacons this season.
• On a day where two Micahs made positive contributions for the Beacons, Markley was the team's leading tackler with 13 stops including six solos, a career best for the true freshman. Nic Lendino (Naperville, Ill. / Neuqua Valley) chipped in six tackles for the Brown & Gold.
• Keefe passed for 111 yards on 8-of-15 through the air.
• Yeats had by far his biggest game of the season, making four catches for 22 yards after entering the game with one catch over the first three weeks.

Up Next
Valpo (1-3) will have a bye week next week before opening Pioneer Football League play at Drake at noon on Saturday, Oct. 4.