Box Score
Listen to KARL's Aaron Ziemer radio call of Saturday's game-winning touchdown
FAYETTE, IOWA: Josh Shudlick connected with Sean Patrick O'Leary on a 54-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left to lift Southwest Minnesota State to a thrilling 38-31 victory over Upper Iowa on Saturday in Fayette, Iowa. The win snaps a two-game losing streak for SMSU and is now 2-2 overall, 2-1 NSIC. Upper Iowa drops to 1-3 overall, 1-1 NSIC.
The game winning drive was set up following a 24-yard field goal by UIU's Jason Price with 21 seconds left in the game to tie the score at 31-31 and appearing to send the game to overtime. But on the UIU kickoff the ball was kicked short to the SMSU 34-yard line and Levi Bullerman returned the kickoff 12 yards setting up SMSU with first down at the SMSU 46-yard line with 20 seconds left.
On SMSU's next play Shudlick rolled to his right and tossed a strike to O'Leary who caught the ball at the five-yard line and ran in the final few yards for the game-winning touchdown. It was O'Leary's first career touchdown.
The game didn't start out well for SMSU as after taking an early 3-0 lead just three minutes into the game, UIU rallied with 21 straight points to take a 21-3 lead early in the second quarter. The Mustang offense responded big time and rallied off 14 straight points to trim the Peacock lead to 21-17.
Trailing 21-3 early in the second quarter, Shudlick completed five straight passes and capped the drive hitting Derek Townsend with a 5-yard touchdown pass with 13:08 left in the quarter. Following a three-and-out by the Upper Iowa offenss, SMSU marched 67 yards on nine plays and capped the drive with a Zach Wysong 3-yard touchdown to trim the UIU lead to 21-17 with 6:13 left in the half.
UIU would add another touchdown with 2:27 left in the half before SMSU answered again with a score with 59 seconds remaining in the half on a Shudlick 5-yard pass to Blake Wilson sending the game into halftime with UIU leading 28-24.
The offense for both teams slowed down in the second half before SMSU took it's first lead of the half as Wysong scored from 7 yards out with 1:04 left in the quarter to cap an impressive 9-play, 75 yard drive and give SMSU a 31-28 lead.
SMSU had a chance to put the game away late in the fourth quarter moving the ball to UIU 34-yard line with just under four minutes left but was forced to punt setting up UIU at their own 20-yard line three minutes left in the game.
UIU moved the ball to the 5-yard and had first and goal but 2-yard loss and back to back incompletions forced UIU to kick Price's 24-yard field goal.
SMSU finished the day with 455 yards of total offense with Shudlick completing 23 of 35 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns. Wilson had a team-high six catches for 61 yards while Wysong finished with five receptions for 39 yards. Wysong rushed for 114 yards and two scores on 21 attempts, reaching the 100-yard mark for the second time this season.
Tyler Reed led the Mustang defense with 10 tackles while Aaron Diggs racked up a career-high eight stops. Brad Wolf also had a career day for SMSU with a personal best eight tackles.
SMSU will return home next Saturday, Sept. 27 for the annual homecoming game versus Wayne State. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. at the Regional Event Center.
