Winona, Minn. ---  The number three was wild Saturday afternoon for the ninth-ranked the Minnesota State football team.  The Mavericks used three touchdown passes from junior quarterback #Jon Wolf# – all three to senior wideout Adam Thielen – along with three field goals from junior kicker #Sam Brockshus# en route to a 30-20 victory over Winona State in front of 4,418 fans in Verizon Wireless Stadium.

To further extend on the “#3” trend, Thielen’s touchdown receptions came on grabs of three, 13 and 23 yards.

The win pushed MSU’s record to 8-0 on the season, with all eight victories coming in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.  This year’s squad now joins the 2009 squad as the only two teams in program history to open with an 8-0 win.

“What a fantastic team win,” said acting head coach Aaron Keen.  “Our defense played fantastic today and I can’t say enough about how we executed all game long.  Offensively we did a great job putting points on the board when we had to.”

The Warriors jumped on the board first as Jake Vercher booted a 25-yard field goal on the opening possession for the Warriors in the early moments of the first quarter.

After both teams traded punts over the course of four possessions, the Mavericks gained their first lead of the day when Wolf found Thielen for a three-yard touchdown strike, capping a seven-play, 83-yard drive that used 3:26.  Brockshus tacked on the PAT as MSU opened a 7-3 lead.  The touchdown was set-up by a 42-yard rush by redshirt freshman Connor Thomas.

On the ensuing possession, the Mavericks forced the Warriors into another punt – this time a punt which was blocked by sophomore defensive back #Nathan Hancock# – allowing the Mavericks to take over on the Winona State 25-yardline.

The Warriors kept the Mavericks out of the endzone but not off the scoreboard as Brockshus connected on a 47-yard field goal, is career long. 

The Warriors answered with a field goal of its own on the following possession as Vercher booted his second of the game, this time from 39-yards out.

Wolf connected Thielen once again late in the second quarter, this time for a 13-yard strike.  Brockshus again added the PAT and MSU led 17-6 late with 1:43 left in the first half.

The Warriors return specialist Chichi Ojika returned the following kickoff 86-yards giving WSU great field position late in the first half.  Senior defensive back #Robert Gunderson# thwarted the scoring attempt however as he intercepted John Teigland in the endzone before the Mavericks ran out the clock to close the first half.

Brockshus continued to display his leg strength in the third quarter as he booted a 46-yard field goal with 6:36 remaining, pushing the Maverick lead to 20-6.

After a Winona State touchdown, Wolf and Thielen connected for their third scoring strike of the day with 12:55 remaining in the fourth quarter to make it 27-13 in favor of the Mavericks.  The Warriors added another touchdown to pull within seven at 27-20 but Brockshus booted his third field goal of the game – this time a 39-yarder – to seal the win.

The Warriors deep into MSU territory in the game’s final seconds but Hancock’s interception stopped any chance that Winona State had to score.

The Maverick defense was again stellar in the win.  Despite the fact that Winona State outgained the Mavericks, 375-369, the Minnesota State rushing defense limited the Warriors to just 57 yards on the ground.  Winona State had entered the game averaging 180 yards per game on the ground and are led by Rajon Simmons who last week became the NSIC’s all-time leading rusher.  Today, Simmons was stymied to 20 carries for 66 yards.

Offensively, Thielen finished the game with ten catches for 128 yards and three touchdowns, marking his fourth career 100-yard game, third of the season and his second in as many weeks.  Wolf completed 16-of-23 passes for 224 yards while Thomas led the squad in rushing with 12 carries for 85 yards.

Defensively, senior linebacker Marcus Hall-Oliver, sophomore defensive back #Sam Thompson# and sophomore defensive tackle Jeffrey Raymond each had five tackles. Of Raymond’s five tackles, two were for a loss as the Mavericks stopped WSU behind the line of scrimmage five times today, totaling 16 yards.

Brockshus finished the game with 12 points, marking his third straight 10-plus point game, the fourth of his season and the ninth of his career.  He now has 219 career points, moving him into a tie for third on the school’s all-time list with Greg Janacek (1994-97).  He is now five points shy of tying Josh Nelson (1991-94) for second all-time.

The Mavericks close the road portion of its schedule next Saturday when they travel to Wayne State.  Kick-off is set for 1 p.m.