MANKATO, Minn. --- The #4 Minnesota State football team began postseason play with a dominant 35-7 win over the #9 CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday afternoon at Blakeslee Stadium.
The postseason victory puts the Mavericks at a 12-0 overall record, while the ThunderWolves finish their season with an 11-2 record. MSU will now host #21 Texas A&M-Commerce in the third round on the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 12:00 p.m.
The Mavericks got things rolling early. Maverick senior quarterback
Ryan Schlichte got it started when he took to the ground and dashed 34 yards to the end zone to put the Mavericks up 7-0 at the 11:16 mark of the first quarter. The score would hold until the second frame.
Minnesota State added to its lead in the second quarter when senior
Nate Gunn went for a pair of rushing touchdowns. The first came at the 9:51 mark where he went nine yards to punch it in. Six minutes later he did it again with a four-yard rush and his second touchdown of the afternoon. A minute later the ThunderWolves made their way onto the scoring sheet when Nick Bingham punched the ball in from the one-yard line to decrease the deficit to 21-7. That's where the game would stand as it headed into halftime.
The Mavericks then wasted no time in taking back their 21-point lead. One minute into the second half junior
JD Ekowa found senior
Shane Zylstra over the middle where he made his way to the right and down the sideline for a 74-yard touchdown, the first of the day through the air for the Mavericks.
Later in the third, sophomore
Nyles Williams set up shop for the Mavericks with a spectacular 28-yard catch that put MSU in the red zone. On the next play, with 3:55 on the clock, Ekowa made his way into the end zone for the score to make it 35-7 following the PAT.
The Mavericks and ThunderWolves went silent in the fourth quarter as Minnesota State held on for the 35-7 victory.
MSU total 547 yards of total offense, 290 yards on the ground and 247 through the air. The Mavericks limited CSU-Pueblo to 105 rushing yards and 71 receiving yards.
Ekowa completed six passes for 161 yards and a touchdown, while Zylstra led the Maverick receivers with five catches for 153 yards and a touchdown.
Gunn led the Maverick rushing attack with 74 yards and two touchdowns.
On defense, junior
Cade Johnson had a team-high 10 tackles for the Mavericks while senior
Alex Goettl tallied eight and juniors
Destyn Woody and
Brayden Thomas each had six. Senior
Zach Robertson and
Cade Johnson each had an interception as well. Thomas also had 2.5 sacks
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