Mankato, Minn. --- Fifth-ranked Minnesota State football team forced four second-half turnovers and outscored Southwest Minnesota State 21-7 in the second half en route to a 42-32 victory over the Mustangs Saturday afternoon in front of 2,879 fans in Blakeslee Stadium.

The win pushed MSU’s season record to 9-0 overall (8-0 in the NSIC) and extended its home winning streak to 10 games.

The victory also secured at least a portion of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division championship. 

“Defensive Coordinator Joe Klanderman put our guys in better position to make plays at halftime,” said head coach Todd Hoffner.  “We got a lot more pressure and made him (Ratekin) hurry his throws and that was the difference in the second half.”

The Mustangs opened the game with a 10-play, 79-yard scoring drive capped by an 8-yard pass from Ryan Ratekin to Wade McDonough.

The Mustang scoring drive marked the first time in five weeks that the Mavericks have not scored the games first points. 

Minnesota State answered on the following drive with a 10-play drive of its own as senior running back Ernest Walker capped the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run, marking his 18^th career touchdown.  Freshman Sam Brockshustacked on the extra point and MSU opened a 7-6 lead.

After the Mustangs were forced into a three-and-out on their ensuing possession, SMSU linebacker Levi Bullerman intercepted a pass by Maverick quarterback Steve Pachan and returned it 15-yards for a touchdown.  The two-point conversion was no good and SMSU opened a 12-7 lead at the 0:41 mark of the first quarter.

Walker scored his second touchdown of the game at the 11:28 mark of the second quarter when he pounded in a four-yard run.  Brockshus added the PAT and MSU regained the lead at 14-12.

The touchdown was set up when junior defensive back Troy Jones picked off an errant Ratekin pass and returned it 40 yards to give MSU a firstan-10 in on the Mustang 15.

The see-saw battled continued as the Mustangs used a five-yard pass from Ratekin to tight end Shane LaDage – his first catch of the year – to regain the lead.  The extra point was good and SMSU regained the lead at 19-14. The touchdown catch capped a 12-play, 89-yard drive.

The Mavericks continued the scoring trend as senior running back Julian Phipps   hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Pachan with 4:24 remaining in the first half.  The play capped a four-play, 63-yard drive.  Brockshus added the extra point and MSU opened a two-point lead at 21-19.

Southwest Minnesota continued the scoring surge as Wilson tossed his third touchdown pass of the first half as he found Blake Wilson for a 13-yard touchdown.  The two-point conversion was intercepted by Maverick sophomore defensive back Jesse Hamilton and the Mustangs took a 25-21 lead into the half.  The Mustang lead marked the first time that MSU has not lead at halftime this season.

After Minnesota State forced SMSU to a three-and out deep its own territory on its second possession of the third-quarter, redshirt-freshman running back Jake Abergscored on MSU’s first play of its ensuing possession as he used a nifty cut-back move en route to a 28-yard run.  Brockshus added the extra point and MSU regained the lead at 28-25.

Junior defensive back Bryce Kinniry hauled in an interception on the Mustang’s very next play to give MSU the ball back on its own 49 yard-line.

The Mavericks punched in another score seven plays later as Aberg punched in a 16-yard scoring run to cap a 7-play, 51-yard drive that used 2:41.

Minnesota State then sealed the game in the fourth quarter as Walker punched in his third touchdown of the game with a one-yard run.

Aberg led MSU in rushing with 17 carries for 81 yards and two touchdowns.  Walker added 10 carries for 54 yards and four scores.  Pachan completed 13-of-22 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown while redshirt freshman Adam Thielenlead MSU in receiving for three catches for 68 yards.

Defensively junior linebacker Dan Fehlberg lead MSU with nine tackles while Jones had two interceptions.

As a team, MSU ran 67 plays for 384 yards while SMSU ran 67 plays for 381 yards.

The Mavericks travel to Upper Iowa next weekend for a 1 p.m., contest against the Peacocks.

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