ST. PAUL, Minn. - For the second consecutive week, Concordia-St. Paul football (2-6, 2-5 NSIC) fell in the closing seconds, this time allowing the game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds left in a 35-34 loss to Northern State (5-4, 5-3 NSIC) on a clear, crisp fall afternoon at Sea Foam Stadium.

Last week, CSP was nipped by MSU Moorhead on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds left in a 34-31 loss. This week, the Wolves scored the game-winner with a 2-yard rushing touchdown to extend their winning streak to five games.

Next week, CSP looks to snap #25 Augustana's four-game winning streak, returning to the road for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Kikeby-Over Stadium in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Senior running back Jaylin Richardson rushed for 143 yards on 32 carries, scoring three rushing touchdowns while adding a pair of catches for 21 yards. The nation's seventh-leading rusher entering play with 117.6 yards per game, Richardson once again topped that total on his way to his fifth 100-yard rushing performance of 2024, the 11th of his career. He has four-straight games with at least two rushing touchdowns, leads the NSIC in scoring (72 points) and leads the league with 966 rushing yards by a 348-yard margin with three games remaining.

As a team, Concordia rushed for 155 yards on 39 attempts, averaging 4.0 per rush.

But Northern State countered with 278 rushing yards and four touchdowns, averaging 6.8 per carry on 41 attempts in the game.

The Golden Bears held all the cards in the first half, too, with a pair of 17-point leads. They mounted their first lead with big plays early, as junior Jaylon Washington housed a 94-yard touchdown on the game's opening kickoff, CSP's first kick return for a touchdown since Elias Arlington had a 91-yarder in 2017 at Bemidji State. Washington's 94-yarder is CSP's fifth-longest kickoff return in school history.

With a 7-0 lead just seconds into play, Concordia kept its foot on the gas, with sophomore defensive back Byron Sweeny intercepting a 3rd-and-5 pass at the NSU 44-yard line, returning it to the 35 to set the offense up with excellent field position, already leading 7-0 and yet to set foot onto the field.

Armed with a successful start to the game from the special teams and defense, the Golden Bears took control with its third phase as Richardson and the dominant offensive line marched 35 yards on 11 plays, consuming 5:40 of clock. Richardson carried on CSP's first five offensive plays before catching a pass. CSP gave it to him on the ground again on the next play as he had 28 yards on seven touches to move inside the 10-yard line. He would account for 31 of the first 35 yards, touching the ball on nine of the 11 plays including the 1-yard plunge for a 14-0 lead nearly six minutes into action.

The Golden Bear defense would come through again on the ensuing drive, forcing a punt near midfield. In the first quarter, Concordia held Northern State to 19 yards of total offense, 0-3 passing with an interception, and only one first down. CSP had an 11:41 to 3:19 edge in time of possession, converted 3-of-4 on third and 1-of-1 on fourth downs, amassed 119 yards of total offense and eight first downs.

Early in the second quarter, senior kicker Jeff Isotalo-McGuire delivered a short 22-yard field goal for a 17-0 lead.

The teams traded touchdown drives on the next two possessions, with Richardson scoring his second of three on the day, this one from five yards out to cap a 10-play, 65-yard drive spanning 5:48 to put CSP ahead 24-7 with just over three minutes left in the half.

The Wolves countered with a 14-play, 75-yard scoring drive, using nearly all of the allotted time, leaving just one second and scoring on 3rd-and-3 from the CSP 10, picking up the third third-down conversion of the drive for the score.

The touchdown before half was big, as it cut the lead to 10, 24-14, with Northern State set to receive in the third quarter and its offense gaining momentum with back-to-back touchdown drives in the second quarter.

In the third, NSU opened with another long scoring drive, marching 80 yards on 10 plays for a touchdown to make it a 3-point game, 24-21. Concordia responded by driving into Northern State territory once again, but couldn't convert on 2nd-and-2, 3rd-and-1, and 4th-and-2 from around the NSU 40-yard line, turning it over on downs. Northern State continued its offensive success with another 10-play touchdown drive, taking over five minutes off the clock again in claiming its first lead, 28-24 with 16 seconds to play in the third quarter.

After the four-straight TD drives by NSU, the Wolves produced a third quarter effort that matched CSP's first quarter, outscoring Concordia 14-0 on a 143-21 margin in total offense, 7-1 in first downs, 135-21 in rushing yards and 4-4 on third downs.

Locked in a tight game entering the fourth quarter, the Golden Bears responded, and did so quickly, using four plays to score including a 29-yard connection from sophomore quarterback Jackson Compton to sophomore wide receiver Carter Ryan, followed by Compton connecting for 17 yards with senior wide receiver Peter Udoibok. The two big passes set-up a seven yard Richardson touchdown run to put CSP back on top 31-28.

The defense also responded, snapping NSU's string of four-straight touchdown drives with a 4-and-out, with senior linebacker Brayden Hilgemann snuffing out a fake punt, making a tackle two yards shy of the sticks to give CSP the ball back in NSU territory at the 47 yard line. It was the biggest of his career-high 14 tackles on the day, also adding one tackle for loss.

Although CSP would go 3-and-out offensively, a Parker Dahlman punt pinned the Wolves inside the 20 with just under 11 minutes to play. CSP's defense answered the call again, forcing a Wolves punt.

The Golden Bear offense would stall again, forcing a second-straight Dahlman punt, his only two of the day, with this one muffed by the Wolves and recovered by long snapper James Wade to give Concordia the ball back at the NSU 47 yard line with just under five and a half minutes left and leading 31-28.

An 11-yard run by Richardson turned into 15 more yards following an NSU personal foul, but a holding penalty led to an eventual field goal for Concordia, with Isotalo-McGuire connecting from 34-yards out for a 34-28 lead with three and a half minutes left.

The Wolves responded with quarterback Daniel Britt coming to life at the end of the first half and end of the game. On a day when he passed for only eight yards on all drives, he was exceptional in crunch time, completing 8-of-9 for 66 yards to push the Wolves to the CSP 6-yard line with 45 seconds to play. From there, NSU went back to the ground game, scoring two plays later.

On the final drives of the second quarter and fourth quarter, Britt combined to complete 14-20 for 123 yards and a touchdown. On all other drives, Britt was 1-8 for eight yards and an interception. But despite CSP clamping down on Britt's passing for most of the day, he found his way out of the pocket and gained success with his legs, rushing seven times for 75 yards and two touchdowns.

Northern State also had a pair of 100-yard rushers, with Wyatt Block rushing 22 times for 102 yards and two scores including the game-winner from two yards out, while Hank Kraft carried 12 times for 101 yards.

Compton had another strong performance under center for Concordia, completing 12-19 for 142 yards while adding three rushes for 16 yards. He completed his passes to seven different receivers with Drew Enke leading the team with 3-47 and a long of 30. He led an offense that did not commit any turnovers on the day, as well.

The Golden Bears not only won the turnover battle 2-0, they turned the two turnovers into 10 points and had a special teams touchdown, all recipes for a victory. But the Wolves compiled 410 yards of total offense to CSP's 297, and converted 9-14 on third down to CSP's 4-11.

Northern State's defense was led by Jake Adams with a 16-tackle performance. He was second in the country entering play with 12.5 tackles per game and 100 on the season.