Ricks 45, Snow 14
POCATELLO — Maybe they had trouble playing in a dome. Maybe playing on Astroturf was tougher than expected.
There had to be something, because neither the Ricks College Vikings nor the Snow College Badgers played like a team with seven regular season wins in Friday's Real Dairy Bowl, a game the Vikings won 45-14.
The game was much uglier than the score implies. Ricks and Snow faced each other for the second time this season at Idaho State's Holt Area in a four-hour Dairy Bowl game that featured more clock stoppages than a NASA space shuttle launch.
Snow and Ricks were penalized a combined 33 times for nearly 300 yards, turned the ball over six times, and, between the two, the teams couldn't complete half their pass attempts. In the first half, both offenses managed to put points on the board almost inspite of themselves. The Badgers first scoring drive was stalled twice for penalties, and kept alive only after Ricks was flagged for a facemask penalty on fourth down. After a sack and an incomplete pass, Casey Rehrer managed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Boone.
"We struggled — we came out flat," said Snow College coach Jeff Kilts. "We've been off for a month and it shows."
After blowing an extra point and missing a field goal, Ricks quarterback Marc Dunn connected with Ben Holloway in the end zone for a 32-yard score, but only after drawing two false-start penalties.
In the second half, things got a bit better for the Vikings and much worse for the Badgers. After turning the ball over on its first two posessions, the Snow defense held as Ricks threatened from the 5-yard line. But the Badgers were called for roughing the kicker on a fourth-down field goal attempt, giving Ricks a second chance. Two plays later, Brantley Oakley thundered into the end zone to give Ricks a 20-7 lead.
The roughing call was the first of 11 penalties, including five on consecutive plays, that slowed the game to a glacial pace in the third quarter. The constant penalties seemed to deflate the already struggling Badgers, Ricks' offense began to pick up steam.
"If you come out and take control of a game, you don't get those penalties or they don't hurt you as much," Kilts said.
Following the penalties, the Vikings completed three plays for over 40 yards in the second half, and the previously struggling Ricks running game accounted for three of the Vikings four second-half touchdowns.
Dunn finished the game with over 350 yards passing.
For the Badgers, it was a game they gave away. For Ricks, it was a little sweet revenge for a 29-18 regular season loss at Snow, and a nice win in what was likely the Vikings final post season appearance.
"Ricks is a really great team and I take my hat off to them," Kilts said.
E-mail: sclifford@desnews.com