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UMD stuns No. 1 in two overtimes
Isaac Odim's TD sent Minnesota Duluth past top-ranked Grand Valley State and into the national Division II football semifinals.
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ALLENDALE, MICH. - One week after earning its first NCAA Division II playoff victory, the Minnesota Duluth football team on Saturday earned an even bigger victory.
Isaac Odim scored on a 2-yard run in the second overtime to lift the Bulldogs to a 19-13 victory over top-ranked Grand Valley State in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals.
Odim's touchdown -- his second of the game -- came after both teams failed to score in the first overtime period. The Lakers blocked the extra-point kick, but the Bulldogs intercepted a pass on the Lakers' next possession.
"We had [a lot] of things happen where the momentum could have taken a swing, and we didn't let it swing," Bulldogs coach Bob Nielson told the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press. "We found a way to win."
It was the first loss for the Lakers (11-1), who had reached the Division II championship game four times in the previous six seasons.
The Lakers, who had been averaging 40.8 points per game, tied the score with 1:06 remaining in the fourth quarter -- on Jonn Mathews' 7-yard touchdown reception and Todd Carter's extra-point kick -- to force the overtime.
"We weren't short of opportunities to win the game, but we didn't take advantage of those opportunities," Grand Valley State coach Chuck Martin told the Grand Rapids Press. "Like any tough loss in a double-overtime game, you can point to 70 plays that could have made a difference. Bottom line, they made more plays and deserved to win the game."
In the first overtime, the Lakers went first and missed a field goal. The Bulldogs' possession ended with an interception.
Odim finished with 164 of the Bulldogs' 270 yards of offense. He rushed for 124 yards on 21 carries and caught three passes for 40 yards. On the season, Odim has rushed for 1,443 yards and 22 TDs.
"Everyone came into this game a little more hungry than every other game because we do know that it's Grand Valley," Odim said.
Bulldogs quarterback Ted Schlafke, who had just five picks in the first 12 games, was 14-for-26 for 160 yards and three interceptions.
Blake Smolen rushed for 128 yards for the Lakers, and quarterback Brad Iciek completed just 13 of 46 passes for 160 yards and was intercepted three times.
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