Mavericks Tame Mustangs

11/6/2010 5:02:45 PM

Box Score Mankato, Minn.--- Minnesota State defeated Southwest Minnesota State 53-7 in front of 1,877 spectators on a windy Saturday afternoon at Blakeslee Stadium.

The Mavericks – who scored all 53 of their points in the final three quarters – saw a pair of rushers surpass the 100-yard mark as junior running back Taylor Brookins (116 yards, 23 carries) and true freshman quarterback Jon Wolf (101 yards, 13 carries) each etched their name into the Maverick record book.

The duo’s rushing performance marked the seventh time in school history that MSU has had a pair of runners eclipse the 100-yard mark. The last time the feat happened was Sept. 19, 2009, when Jake Aberg rushed for 205 yards against Wayne State and Ernest Walker ran for 103.

“Defensively, I thought we played a great game,” said head coach Todd Hoffner. “In our last four games we have played to a 3-1 record and we are starting to play better football right now. “

Southwest Minnesota State cracked the scoreboard first as quarterback Ryan Ratekin punched in a one-yard run. The kick by Mike Wenk gave the Mustangs a 7-0 lead at the 10:15 mark of the first quarter. Wenk lined up for a 39-yard later in the field goal, but the kick hit the upright, thus thwarting SMSU’s last legit scoring chance of the game.

The Mavericks got in the scoring column at 12:33 in the second quarter on an eight-yard run from Wolf. After a botched snap on the point after try, sophomore Adam Thielen picked up the ball and ran it in for the two-point conversion to put Minnesota State up by a score of 8-7.

Sophomore kicker Sam Brockshus then hit on a season-long 42 yard field goal at the 5:41 mark of the second quarter, giving MSU an 11-7 advantage. Brookins closed out the first-half scoring with a 10-yard touchdown run with 57 seconds remaining. Brockshus was true with the kick, and MSU opened an 18-7 lead at the break.

Wolf opened the second half with three touchdown passes. Wolf found sophomore Thielen for an 18-yard reception, sophomore Dennis Carter for a 39-yard reception and senior tightend Cameron Sprecher for a 9-yard strike as MSU opened a 39-7 advantage after three quarters.

Minnesota State added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

Wolf finished the game completing 8-of-14 passes for 136 yards and three scores while senior quarterback Steve Pachan was 2-of-4 for 42 yards and a touchdown. Carter led all receivers with three catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, the Mavericks finished with four sacks and six tackles for a loss. Senior linebacker Matt McQuiston led the way with nine stops while seniors Dan Fehlberg and Simon Cholometes each had eight. Senior defensive end Bryan Schmid finished with six tackles, including two and a half for a loss.

The Mavericks racked up 485 yards of total offense, 299 of which came on the ground. The MSU defense limited SMSU to just 286 yards, 93 of which came on the ground. The Mavericks dominated the time of possession, holding onto the ball for 35:22.

Minnesota State – which secured its third consecutive winning season with the victory – moves to 6-4 on the season, 5-4 in the NSIC. The Mavericks wrap-up regular season action against top-ranked and undefeated Minnesota Duluth, next Saturday at 1 p.m., in Blakeslee Stadium.

To view the game stats, click HERE

To hear Coach Hoffner postgame with Casey Lloyd, click HERE

Postgame Highlights:

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