RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Michigan Tech football team once again used a full team effort to bask in victory with a 45-9 decision on the road over South Dakota Mine at O'Harra Stadium on a windy Thursday evening.
"I thought we did a lot of things well," said Tech head coach Dan Mettlach. "Getting up 14-0 you'd like to stay on the gas at that point and I thought it could've been 28-0 going into halftime but overall I like how the guys played. We know we've got some young guys, but we also know the expectations and we'll get things fixed."
Despite the long trek to the Mount Rushmore State, the Huskies were primed and ready from the jump, with the defense forcing a fumble on the first drive with defensive tackle Pierce Miller forcing a fumble on the Hardrockers second play of the day. The Black & Gold followed that up with a blocked punt by Desmond Mullen, tracked down by Kolby Hindenach for Michigan Tech's first touchdown, setting the tone for the night defensively.
The Huskies' offense got on the board minutes later, utilizing the run game and a pass interference call to set Drew Collins in position for a two-yard quarterback keeper, making it 14-0 with 5:12 to play in the opening quarter.
Defensively, the Black & Gold held the opposition to just 35 yards in 16 plays, going one-for-four on third-down conversions in the first quarter as Jaiden Bolden earned his first career interception with 47 seconds to play.
The defense ramped it up to close the first half, forcing no third-down conversions on four tries and holding the Hardrockers to just 5:31 minutes on offense, gaining 62 yards in 16 plays.
Meanwhile, the Huskies earned another touchdown with quarterback Alex Bueno bouncing off two tackles to find the endzone on a seven-yard rush in a drive that took five plays to go 42 yards, including a 24-yard pass from Bueno to Ethan Champney. South Dakota Mines closed the first half of action with a 41-yard field goal, sending the teams to the halftime break seeing the Black & Gold ahead 21-3.
Out of the Break, Michigan Tech got a 51-yard run from Jake Rueff after Nic Nora returned the punt 26 yards, setting up first and goal before Bueno found Champney for a diving grab in the endzone from six yards out.
Sophomore kicker Avery Kucharski perfected an onside kick, allowing the offense to take the field again at the Huskies' 49-yard line. Where Michigan Tech needed eight plays to find the endzone, with Collins once again scoring on a quarterback keeper from four yards. Collins would also earn a nine-yard touchdown through the air later in the quarter from Bueno, making it a 39-3 affair with one quarter to play.
The Huskies' defense continued to make big-time plays in the second half, highlighted by a sack by Connor Hindenach for an eight-yard loss, a fumble recovery by John Hagelstein forced by Dante Basanese and the first career interception by Jimmy Targosz.
Off the interception, the Huskies looked to their depth and brought in freshman quarterback Elliot Larner and freshman running back Cameron Cornett, who earned his first minutes for the Black & Gold in the third quarter. Larner completed two passes on three tries and scored his first career touchdown with a 15-yard rush to the house to make it 45-3 with 5:05 to play. Cornett finished with 45 net rushing yards on eight carries. The Hardrockers capped the game with a touchdown late to make the final decision 45-9, with the Huskies moving up to 2-0 and South Dakota Mines dropping to 0-2.
Bueno finished the day with 151 yards passing and two touchdowns (17-for-26) with 33 yards on the ground in six attempts and a rushing touchdown. Collins had a breakthrough game with two rushing touchdowns covering six yards in two attempts and a nine-yard receiving touchdown. Nora led the receiving group with 68 yards on six receptions.
Jeffrey Price and Terrence Martin led the defense with four total tackles, respectively.
Up Next
The Huskies will shift to a normal schedule next week, taking to the road for a trip to Hillsdale on Saturday at 1 p.m.
