Box Score Mankato, Minn.--- The Minnesota State football team defeated Augustana College, 27-26, in a thrilling Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football game Thursday night in front of 3,731 fans in historic Blakeslee Stadium.

With the victory, Minnesota State claimed a share of the NSIC South Division Title, its third in the past four years.

The first big play of the game came on the first play of the game when junior wide receiver Dennis Carter returned the opening kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown.  Augustana then mounted a strong drive, entering the red-zone with a first down at the MSU 12, when the Viking's fumbled a pitch that was recovered by Maverick senior defensive tackle Brad Kemnitz.

Shortly after, Carter used every inch of the field to score again on a 53-yard reverse run to give MSU a 14-0 lead with 3:50 remaining in the first quarter. 

Augustana used a 20-yard run to score at the 4:05 mark of the second quarter and then a 34-yard field goal to cut the MSU lead to 14-10 at the half.

The Vikings used fifteen plays to open the second half to score on an 11-yard run at the 8:19 mark of the third quarter, giving Augustana its first lead at 17-14. The Mavericks came storming back and regained the lead when senior quarterback Jon Daniels threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Adam Thielen with 5:33 left in the third quarter.

Augustana regained the lead at 221-20 with 12:31 left in the game when Drew Behrens hit a 24-yard field goal.  Redshirt freshman running back Dajon Newell then scored from 16 yards out push the score to 26-21 with 12:31 remaining.  The two-point conversion was no good. 

The Mavericks answered and regained the lead with 3:28 remaining in the game with a six-yard touchdown pass from Daniels to redshirt freshman tailback Andy Pfeiffer. The Mavericks were unable to convert the two point conversion, but still led the game 27-26.  Minnesota State secured the victory after the Maverick defense came up big, holding Augustana at their own 15-yard line, forcing the Vikings to punt with 2:43 remaining in the contest.

The Mavericks finished the game with 292 yards of total offense, 163 yards of rushing and 129 yards in the air. The Vikings finished the game with 504 yards of total offense 279 of which came via the pass and 225 on the ground.

Pfeiffer led MSU with 20 carries for 57 yards and a score while Daniels completed 13-of-24 passes for 129  yards and two touchdowns.  Thielen caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. 

Sophomore linebacker Isaac Kolstad led MSU with 11 tackles.

Minnesota State will be back in action next Saturday, November 5, when the Mavericks visit Southwest Minnesota State in Marshall.  Kickoff is scheduled for 1 pm.

To view the game stats, click HERE

To listen to the game highlights, click HERE

Watch Carter's 53-yard touchdown run HERE