Southeastern (3-2) remained unbeaten at home with the win – its second consecutive last-second victory in its newly renovated stadium. UND (4-1) cut into what was as much as a 17-point Southeastern lead, but the Lions were able to hold on as Hellevang's effort fell just off the mark.
Southeastern junior quarterback Brian Babin fell short of his third straight 300-yard game, but led a Lion attack that posted its highest-scoring output of the season. The St. Amant native completed 18 of 28 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns, giving him eight touchdown passes and no interceptions on the season.
Babin connected on scoring throws to freshman Simmie Yarborough, sophomore wide receiver Andre Cryer and junior running back Jasper Ducksworth. Babin also caught a touchdown on a halfback pass by senior running back Jay Lucas.
Junior defensive back Tommy Connors and sophomore linebacker Ryan Godare had 11 tackles apiece to lead the Southeastern defensive effort. Connors and senior defensive back Trey Douglas had key interceptions for the Lions.
UND quarterback Danny Freund completed 29 of 46 passes for 313 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Brady Trenbeath led the Fighting Sioux with 13 catches for 201 yards and a touchdown. Josh Murray rushed for 77 tough yards on 22 carries with a pair of touchdown runs.
Southeastern led 24-14 at halftime, but North Dakota took the opening drive of the third period six plays for 59 yards with Freund hitting a wide-open Trenbeath for a 23-yard score to cut the Lion lead to three with 12:25 left in the quarter.
On the ensuing drive however, Babin hit Cryer on a perfectly-placed 37-yard scoring pass to push Southeastern back up by 10 with 10:24 left in the third quarter.
A holding penalty and three incomplete passes pushed North Dakota back to its own 11 and forced a punt. Ducksworth used nifty moves to break off a 36-yard scamper to the UND nine-yard line on the first play of the drive. On the next play, Babin found Ducksworth with a screen pass for his first touchdown of his Lion career and a 38-21 lead with 8:46 remaining in the third quarter.
The two teams traded punts before UND mounted its most impressive drive of the contest. A 43-yard Freund to Trenbeath hookup set up a three-yard Murray touchdown run and cut the Southeastern lead to 38-27. However, Hellevang missed the point after attempt wide left, leaving Southeastern up by 11 heading into the final period.
North Dakota's second drive of the fourth quarter covered 60 yards on nine plays and cut the Southeastern lead to five. Freund capped the drive with a six-yard bullet to Alex Nicholas. Pressure from the Southeastern pass rush forced an errant throw by Freund on the two-point attempt and the Lions led by five with 7:10 to play.
Southeastern managed to move the ball into UND territory and work valuable time off the clock, but the Lions were stopped on fourth down, as Rory Manke and Andrew Miller stopped Lucas short on a screen pass attempt, allowing the Fighting Sioux to take over with 2:47 to play.
Freund moved UND down to the Southeastern 22, but Connors came up with the Lions' biggest defensive play of the contest, pressuring Freund into an intentional grounding penalty and forcing a third-and -25 from the Southeastern 40-yard line. Freund hung up a pass that Douglas intercepted at the one-yard line with 1:37 remaining.
Southeastern ran a minute off the clock and senior punter Cody Samples took an intentional safety to cut the lead to 38-35 with 34 seconds left.
After the ensuing free kick, Freund scrambled for 18 yards and then hit a 13-yard pass to Ryan Konrath to set up Hellevang's final attempt.
Both offenses started the game slowly, but Southeastern finally came to life on its second drive of the game, as Babin hit Yarborough three times on the march with the last covering six yards and giving Southeastern a 7-0 lead.
The Lions took the lead on the first play of the second quarter. A 44-yard pass from Babin to Chris Wilson set up the score. Lucas took a handoff from Babin, ran to his right and threw across the field for an easy 12-yard score. It was Lucas' third touchdown pass of his career and Babin's first career reception.
North Dakota answered two minutes later, as Murray burst through the middle for a 34-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 14-7. Southeastern came back with an answer of its own, as freshman Brady Miles scored on an 18-yard reverse, with Babin throwing the key block that allowed Miles to put the Lions up 21-7 with 11:19 left in the first half. The score was set up by a 55-yard bomb from Babin to senior Krishna Muhammad.
Southeastern forced UND to go three-and-out on its next possession. The Lions drove 33 yards on nine plays with Jeff Turner pushing the lead to 24-7 with 6:32 remaining in the half. North Dakota would cut into that lead right before half, as Freund found Nicholas with a 11-yard scoring pass.
Southeastern will open Southland Conference play next Saturday, facing Stephen F. Austin at 6 p.m. in Nacogdoches, Texas.
