MANKATO, Minn. –No. 25/20 Bemidji State University Football program fell to No. 13/8 Minnesota State University Mankato, 31-29, in the first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matchup of the season. The Beavers are now 1-1 on the season and 0-1 in the NSIC.
The Beavers and Mavericks struggled to find the endzone in the first quarter of Saturday night’s game. Bemidji State’s offense out rushed the Mavericks by 64 yards in the first quarter, 73-9. Both teams’ special-teams units saw plenty of time on the field with 10 total punts over the course of the game. A highlight of the first quarter included a nine-yard sack on MSU’s quarterback by Colton Hinrichs around the five-minute mark.
BSU started out the scoring midway through the second frame when kicker Joey Prondzinski landed a 32-yard field goal through the uprights, putting the Beavers up 3-0. MSU answered back around four minutes later with a rushing touchdown and good PAT kick. Continuing this back-and-forth scoring action, Sam McGath landed a pass into the arms of Brice Peters who took it 69 yards to the endzone, putting the Beavers back on top 9-7. Around three minutes later, the Mavericks earned seven more points to switch the lead once again. Closing out the half, McGath found Peters for a two-yard touchdown grab, giving the Beavers a 15-14 lead heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, the only changes to the scoreboard came from a 33-yard MSU touchdown and extra point, making it 21-15 in favor of the Mavericks. The Beavers picked up the pace in the final quarter of the game when McGath and Peters combined for their third passing/receiving touchdown of the night, giving BSU the 22-21 lead. Less than one minute later, MSU grabbed a touchdown and extra point to regain the lead. One final touchdown for the Beavers with 1:55 remaining, a short rush from McGath to the endzone, lead the Beavers to holding a 29-28 lead. The Beavers were unable to keep the Mavericks outside of field goal territory on the final drive of the game, allowing MSU to steal the lead back in the final seconds off a 31-yard field goal from Matthew Jaeger.
The Beaver’s “Gang Green” defense was led by linebacker Colton Hinrichs who marked 12 total tackles, three solo and nine assisted with one solo sack for nine yards. Behind Hinrichs was sophomore Caden Bolte who marked seven tackles of his own, three solo and four assisted.
Offensively, Sam McGath threw three touchdown passes and rushed for one, giving himself a total of four on the evening. He went 15-23-0 for a 65.2% passing efficiency and 149 yards through the air and 128 on the ground. On the receiving side, Brice Peters found seven targets for 108 yards and three touchdowns while Kaleb Miller followed him with four receptions and 20 yards.
The Beavers now prepare to host Southwest Minnesota State University on Saturday, Sep. 14 at 2 p.m. at Chet Anderson Stadium for Senior Day and the annual Shrine Bowl game. You will hear the game here on www.beaverradionetwork.com and over the air on the Beaver Radio Network, 92.1 The River in Bemidji, 94.5 FM Baudette, 107.9 FM Grand Rapids and 95.3 Thief River Falls. Tickets are available online and the game is set to be streamed on NSICNetwork.com.