MAYVILLE, ND – September 28, 2013: Taylor Kunkel had five catches for 106 yards and one touchdown, but it wasn't enough as the Comets came up short against the University of Jamestown 21-19 in football action on Saturday afternoon. The Comets entered this game coming off wins against Haskell College and Cole College the past two weeks.

The Comets forced the Jimmies to punt on the opening possession of the game and followed with a 14-play, 67 yard drive spanning over seven minutes. The drive ended deep in Jimmies territory on a failed fourth down conversion at the 13 yard line.

Jamestown countered with an 11-play, 87 yard drive that featured D'Marco Smith capping it off with a 3-yard touchdown run.

Mayville State fired right back on the following drive with Keith Osgood hitting Taylor Kunkel on a 14-yard touchdown pass. Dylan Torgerson came in to hit the extra point and tie the game 7-7 with 11:57 remaining in the second quarter.

A special teams' miscue gave the Jimmies their next touchdown after a high snap got away from the punter, Torgerson and was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown by the Jimmies' defender JT Pesch. The Jimmies now led 14-7.

The Jimmies defense scored another touchdown when Kyle Bonam recoverd a fumble in the backfield and returned it 30 yards for a score. Jamestown extended the lead to 21-7 on back-to-back drives.

The Comets didn't panic and got back into the game when Jerril Jenkins scored a rushing touchdown with 1:13 to go in the half. A failed extra point left the score at 21-13 for the Jimmies going into the break.

The Comets drew closer in the third quarter when Dominique Bradley got into the end zone off a handoff from one yard out to close the gap to 21-19. The Comets failed on the two-point try and remained down by two.

The two teams battled hard, fighting for first downs and field position as the defenses ramped up the intensity. The score stayed the same through the third and fourth quarter. Mayville State couldn't find their way back into scoring position and came up short in their first NSAA game, losing 21-19. The two teams were very evenly matched throughout and it was anyone's game until the final drive. 

The Comet defense was stout today giving up one offensive touchdown. The defense held the Jimmies passing game in check giving up 53 yards through the air. Defensive Coordinator Nate Gill's group forced four turnovers (two fumble recoveries, two interceptions) in the game as well. Jacob Grosz and William Ervin recovered fumbles for the Comets, while Dylan Midstokke and Josh Jefferies each picked off a pass.

Brandon Jones, Grosz, and Travis Ahlgren racked up most of the tackles today each recording double digits in the category. Jones led the team with 12, Grosz had 11, and Ahlgren finished with 10.

Mayville State University (2-3, 0-1) is on the road next week to take on Macalester College in St. Paul Minnesota. The Game is set for a 7:00 p.m. start on Saturday, October 5^th, 2013.