Brevin Monroe | KELO-Land

DES MOINES, I.A. (KELO) — In the shocker of the night across all of college football the South Dakota Mines Hardrockers of Division II stunned the Drake Bulldogs of the FCS with a 38-35 win.

The Hardrockers were the better team for the middle two quarters of the game as they held scored 31 points across those 30 minutes to hold a 31-13 lead entering the fourth quarter.

But, in games like this you can never sit back and Drake pounced on some weaknesses to score 22 unanswered points in roughly five minutes of game time to take a 35-31 lead.

From there, SD Mines worked their way down the field, got into the red zone and with 1:56 left, Dawson Dunbar gave the Hardrockers the lead for good on a three yard touchdown, and one defensive stop later, an interception by Gabe Frerichs sends SD Mines back West River with the biggest win in school history under their belts.

Gage Baker was solid under center tonight going 19-for-31 for 306 yards and 3 touchdowns. The running back duo of Dunbar and Ty Harris combined for 233 yards and two touchdowns with both backs over that 100-yard plateau.

Charlie Johnson was a force for the Hardrockers defense in this game, leading the way with 12 tackles while also forcing a fumble and breaking up a pass.

Up next, South Dakota Mines takes on Southwest Baptist in their home opener next Saturday at 1:00pm.

New coach Matt Walker’s debut spoiled at home

Scott Reister | KCCI TV 8

The Matt Walker era began with an upset loss at home to Division II South Dakota Mines, 38-35. In the loss, Drake QB Riley Warzynski completed 38-56 passes for a school-record 535 yards, 3 TDs and one interception. Willis Nofsinger had 10 catches for 168 yards and a touchdown. Teammate Hank Foley had 7 catches for 146 yards and a TD.

South Dakota Mines built a 31-13 lead in the third quarter, but Drake came back. The Bulldogs, under new head coach Walker, scored 21 unanswered points to retake the lead at 35-31 with 7:52 left in the game.

The Hardrockers cashed in a 3-yard rushing TD with under 2 minutes left to move in front for good and win 38-35.

Drake, a non-scholarship school, faces a tough test next week at Division I Montana. The game is at 2:00 pm on ESPN+.