Box Score MANKATO, Minn. --- There was an offensive outbreak at Blakeslee Stadium Saturday afternoon, but it was #12 St. Cloud State that advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament as it defeated #1 Minnesota State 54-48.

With the loss, MSU finishes its season with an 11-1 record, while St. Cloud State improves to 12-1 and will now take on Northwest Missouri State in the next round of the NCAA Tournament.

Both teams combined for 1,153 total yards and 102 points. The 102 combined points matches a record for MSU that dates back to the 1993 season when it lost to South Dakota State 60-42.  

SCSU quarterback Phillip Klaphake threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns, to go along with 144 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Minnesota State's senior quarterback Jon Wolf threw for a career-high 335 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 103 yards, including two touchdown runs as well.
 
At half time, St. Cloud State held a 34-14, including a 20-point second quarter. MSU managed just two touchdowns in the first half.  
 
The Mavericks did not waste any time in the second half as Wolf found senior Dennis Carter for a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play after the kickoff.  The drive took 10 seconds and MSU pulled within two scores.
 
SCSU forced a fumble in MSU territory and seize the opportunity with a Klaphake 14-yard touchdown run. The Huskies would convert the 2-point conversion to lead 42-21.

MSU  had some tricks up its sleeve to bring the game back to within 14 as junior Austin Rieder got a lateral on a reverse and threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Wolf to make it 42-28.  Minutes later, MSU used another trick as it ran a fumblerooski play to get within 8 points of the lead after the missed extra point attempt as sophomore Connor Thomas ran it in from 11 yards out with 4:14 left in the third quarter.  
 
The Mavericks and Huskies would trade touchdowns twice down the stretch as MSU gained possession of the ball at its own 30-yard line with 54 seconds left in the game trailing 54-48.

A 13-yard pass to junior Keyvan Rudd and a 17-yard rush by Wolf brought the Mavericks to the SCSU 40. Another two passes to Carter and Rieder brought the Mavericks to the Huskies 16-yard line with three seconds remaining. On the final play of the game, Wolf threw into endzone but the Mavericks could not bring the ball down in bounds as SCSU held for a 54-48 win.
 
Both teams combined for 1,153 yards of total offense, with MSU posting 637 total yards of offense.

MSU's receivers Carter and Rieder posted 140 and 131 receiving yards, respectively, as they both brought in one touchdown catch as well.

Taylor Berger led the SCSU receiving corps with 149 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Dan Brown tallied 114 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Senior Ryan Saumur led the Maverick defense with 10 total tackles, while senior Chris Schaudt posted five tackles, including 2.5 sacks. Sophomore Josh Gordon recovered an SCSU fumble as well.

Jordan Stefon led the Huskie defense with nine total tackles, while Bo Putrah tallied three tackles for loss, including two sacks.

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