Football games have defining moments.

In the 11th annual Real Dairy Bowl Dec. 5 at the Holt Arena here, pitting Ricks College against Tyler Community College of Texas, that moment came on the second play of the fourth quarter.Tyler had just scored a 33-yard field goal to pull within six points of Ricks, 26-20. Garnering the ensuing kickoff on his own 3-yard line, Ricks' running back and kick-off return specialist Nathan Rydalch headed upfield, threading his way through the onrushing Apache defense, and, with an extra burst of speed, rushed past the last defender to score on a 97-yard run. Now ahead by two touchdowns, Ricks went on to beat Tyler 35-20 to end the season at 11-1 and a third-place national ranking by the National Junior College Athletic Association.

"When you see that lane open up ahead of you, it's time to stick it in overdrive," Rydalch of Sugar City, Idaho, said after the game. He was named the game's Most Valuable Player, sharing the honor with Tyler's Dominic Rhodes.

Rydalch, who broke Ricks' career records for scoring and number of touchdowns, had sparked a Viking surge with two touchdowns in the second half.

Ricks College, after leading 16-0 on freshman quarterback Cole Cooper's 20-yard run, a safety, and a blocked punt recovered in the end zone, saw Tyler battle back to lead 17-16 at intermission.

In the third quarter, with a Ricks' 45-yard field goal by freshman kicker Ben Davis, the Vikings took the lead for keeps at 19-17. Then, with 3:35 remaining in the quarter, Rydalch scored from two yards out after the Vikings had gained possession on the Tyler 12-yard line following a bobbled punt. Tyler, however, countered with the field goal that set the stage for Rydalch's kickoff return. A two-point conversion after the touchdown failed.

The final score of the game came with 5:23 left when Davis nailed a 43-yard field goal.

Ricks College played without its starting quarterback, sophomore Greg Robertson of Smithfield, Utah. Robertson broke his throwing hand on the last play of the regular season. He had completed 188 passes on 316 attempts for 37 touchdowns. He was replaced by Cooper of Lehi, Utah, (please see related article on this page) who completed 12 of 24 passes for 175 yards.

Personal accolades aside, "The whole season has been great," Rydalch said after the game. Ricks went 10-0, and won the Western States Football league championship before losing its only game of the season to a junior varsity team at the Air Force Academy.

The bowl win, according to Rydalch, "put some Neosporin on the hurt. It doesn't fix

the hurt of losing that last gameT, but it helps." Rydalch rushed 11 times for a total of 62 yards in the game and caught three passes for another 21 yards.

Ricks College is coached by Ron Haun, the winningest coach in junior college football with a 16-year record of 140-34-2.