MANKATO, Minn. --- The #1 Minnesota State football team opened its 2018 season with a dominant performance Thursday evening as it defeated the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs 49-13.
With the win, MSU improves to 1-0 on the season, while SMSU drops to 0-1.
The Mavericks set the pace through the entire 60 minutes as they recorded 518 yards of total offense including 268 yards on the ground and 250 yards through the air. In comparison, SMSU was limited 335 yards of offense, including 45 yards on the ground.
Junior quarterback
Ryan Schlichte finished his day completing 11 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore quarterback
JD Ekowa threw one touchdown pass and rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Junior tailback
Nate Gunn led the MSU ground game as he rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns, while averaging six yard a carry. Junior
Vance Barnes added 56 rushing yards and touchdown as well.
A total of nine Mavericks caught at least one pass, including junior
Justin Arnold who notched four catches for 75 yards. Junior
Shane Zylstra, senior
Trevor Nissen and sophomore
Parker Gloudemans each caught a touchdown pass as well.
On defense, three MSU players recorded at least eight tackles, including sophomore
Cole Schroedermeier, who led the way with 10 tackles. Senior
Michael Palme and sophomore
Cade Johnson each tallied eight tackles as well. Junior
Cheyenne Bradford recovered a fumble on a muffed punt return by the Mustangs, while junior
Alex Goettl, sophomore
Chance Bowen, freshman
Bedale Naba and sophomore
Jake Schaper each recorded a sack.
Blake Gimbel finished his night competing 34-of-49 passes for 279 yards and touchdown form SMSU. Connor Wilkie caught six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, the Mustangs were led by Alex Ney who tallied nine tackles.
The tone of the game was set right after both team's opening possessions. SMSU opened the game with a 17-play drive that went 65 yards in 7:06, that ended with a missed field goal from 27 yards out. MSU then responded on its first drive of the game with a six-play, 80-yard drive that was capped off by a six-yard touchdown run from Gunn.
MSU added two more touchdowns in the second quarter, which included a 43-yard touchdown run from Barnes and a 12-yard touchdown pass from Schlichte to Nissen. The Mustangs managed to get on the scoreboard after a 30-yard touchdown pass from Gimbel to Wilkie with 53 second left in the first half, as the Mavericks carried a 21-7 lead into halftime.
MSU added two more scores in the third quarter to go up 35-7. Gunn finished off MSU's opening drive of the third quarter with a one yard touchdown run, before Zylstra caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Schlichte.
SMSU managed to reach the endzone early in the fourth quarter to cut the MSU lead to 35-13, but the Mavericks would reach pay dirt two more times, which included a 51-yard touchdown run from Ekowa and a 12-yard touchdown pass from Ekowa to Gloudemans, to bring the final score to 49-13.
Minnesota State continues its season on Saturday, Sept. 8, as it travels to Sioux Falls, S.D., to take on Augustana. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
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