ROLLA, Mo. --- The Hardrocker football team started the season taking on Missouri S&T for the second consecutive year. Similary to 2021, the Hardrockers came out and punched the Miners in the mouth, but this time, the Hardrockers controlled the entire game, rolling into week two with a 1-0 record.
Negatives were few and far between, as the Hardrockers had nearly everything go right outside of an early fumble that the Miners capitalized on. Following that, the Hardrockers struck with
Isaiah Eastman and
Jayden Johannsen connecting for a 69-yard touchdown pass. Following that, Eastman returned a punt for an 85-yard score. From there, the Hardrockers were in control.
In the second quarter, two
Connor Taylor field goals and a 70-yard touchdown pass from Johannsen to Bridges would continue the Hardrockers momentum. Missouri S&T also added a touchdown in the second with Max Conrad finding Isaiah Wright for 61-yards, however, the Hardrockers would go into the locker room with a 26-13 lead.
In the third it would be more of the same, with Johannsen finding Bridges for a 94-yard touchdown, the longest in history for South Dakota Mines. Later in the quarter,
Connor Taylor would connect on his third field goal of the night, going into the fourth with the Hardrockers leading 36-13.
In the fourth each team would score with Johannsen finding Eastman, and Missouri S&T again capitalizing on a fumble.
Notes – The Hardrockers got great performances all over the field, starting with a new school record for longest completion with a 94-yard touchdown pass from
Jayden Johannsen to
Jeremiah Bridges…Johannsen throwing for a career high 433 yards on 20-28 passing and four touchdowns…He added 56 rushing yards on nine carries…
Isaiah Eastman had six receptions for 136 yards and two touchdowns in addition to an 85-yard punt return touchdown…Bridges led the team with 192 receiving yards on five receptions and also visited the endzone twice…Defensively, the Hardrockers were led by
Kyante Christian and
Casey Knutsen with seven tackles…
Hunter Newsom,
Cole Seiwald, and
Otutoa Afu each recorded a sack with Christian and
Amire Jones adding .5 sacks…
Connor Taylor connected on all three of his field goal attempts…South Dakota Mines recorded 443 passing yards compared to 249 by Missouri S&T and outgained the Miners 534-323…The Hardrocker offense converted 5-11 of their third downs.
Up Next – The Hardrockers move to 1-0 on the season with their next game coming on Saturday, Sept. 10 at home against Truman State. Truman State won nine games in 2021. That game is scheduled for noon. Follow
www.gorockers.com or the @HardrockerFB twitter feed for more information including where to follow the game.
About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 11 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.
