Box Score Mankato, Minn. –  Minnesota State used a balanced rushing and passing attack en route to a 24-14 victory over Winona State in front of a school-record 7,011 fans at a sun-drenched Blakeslee Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Minnesota State raced to a 10-0 halftime advantage and then held onto the victory as it limited Winona State to just 216 yards of total offense just a week after the Warriors racked up 677 yards on Upper Iowa.

The Mavericks opened the scoring with 5:38 remaining in the first quarter when junior kicker #Daniel Padilla# connected on a 19-yard field goal staking MSU to a 3-0 lead.  The Mavericks extended their lead in the second quarter when senior quarterback Jon Daniels found junior wideout #Adam Thielen# for a four-yard score.  Padilla added the extra point as MSU held onto the 10-0 advantage for the remaining of the half.

Minnesota State extended its lead to 17-0 early in the third quarter as junior wideout #Dennis Carter# hauled in a five-yard touchdown pass from Daniels.

Winona State would answer with a pair of touchdowns over a span of two minutes and 12 seconds – the second coming on a 25-yard blocked punt return for a touchdown to trim the Maverick advantage to 17-14 with 2:33 remaining in the third quarter.

Daniels then put the game out of reach with a one-yard touchdown run with 3:10 remaining to seal the win for Minnesota State.

The Mavericks were led by Daniels offensively as he completed 17-of-27 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns.  Redshirt freshman #Andy Pfeiffer# rushed 23 times for 101 yards in the win, extending his 100-yard rushing streak to four games. 

Carter led all receivers with five catches for 72 yards while Theilen added six grabs for 70 yards. 

Defensively, junior linebacker #Marcus Hall-Oliver# collected nine stops ­– six of which were solo – and an interception while redshirt freshman Nathan Hancock added six tackles and a pass break-up. 

Minnesota State (4-1, 4-0) travels to St. Cloud State next weekend for a 1 p.m., contest against the Huskies.

To view the game stats, click HERE

To listen to the highlights of the game, click HERE