RAPID CITY, S.D. – Black Hills State University fell 34-17 to South Dakota Mines in the 135th Black Hills Brawl Saturday night.
Nolan Susel led the rushing attack for the Yellow Jackets, totaling 80 yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts. Susel rattled off a long run of 17 yards and averaged 3.6 yards per carry.
Kielar Harpham led in receiving, catching one pass for 47 yards, but it was Mitch McKibbon who found the endzone with a 12-yard reception for his lone catch of the day. Harpham also recorded 10 yards on two carries.
Quarterback Chance Eben threw for 103 yards and one touchdown on 28 attempts.
On defense, Ryder Blair led the way with seven tackles while Brady Morris and Joseph Castillo each tallied five. Jarrell Ganaway and Devyn Vance each recorded a sack.
After the two teams stalled in their opening possessions of the game, BHSU struck first as Eben ran the ball 14 yards to take a 7-0 lead with 3:42 left in the first quarter.
In the second half, Hardrockers quarterback Jayden Johannsen responded with a rushing touchdown of his own to even the score at 7-7. Despite some key stops from the Yellow Jacket defense, a field goal and another touchdown put South Dakota Mines ahead 17-7 with just over three minutes left in the first half.
Just before the two-minute warning, SDMT found the end zone again as running back Ahmad Lewis ran it 42 yards and the Hardrockers took a 24-7 lead into the half.
After both teams traded turnovers, BHSU regained some momentum with a 14-yard touchdown reception by McKibbon to cut the score to a 10-point deficit (24-14) at the 12:20 mark of the third quarter. A 10-yard field goal from Jacob Parks in the final minutes of the third quarter brought BHSU back to within one possession at 24-17.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Hardrockers got three back with a field goal to extend their lead to 27-17. The two teams would trade possessions until South Dakota Mines found the end zone with 6:39 to play on a 17-yard rush by Lewis to extend the lead to 34-17, a score that held the rest of the way.
