MANKATO, Minn. – Fifth-ranked Minnesota State scored the game's first 42 points and dominated on both sides of the ball Saturday afternoon at Blakeslee Stadium, cruising to a 49-7 Homecoming victory over Concordia-St. Paul before 6,103 fans.
The Mavericks improved to 6-0 overall and 5-0 in NSIC play while helping head coach
Todd Hoffner reach a significant milestone. Hoffner recorded his 200th career victory in his 24th season as a head coach and his 158th win at Minnesota State. The 200 career wins mark the most among active NCAA Division II coaches (entered tied with 199 with Ouachita Baptist head coach Todd Knight).
Minnesota State piled up 512 yards of total offense, including 313 rushing yards, while limiting Concordia-St. Paul to 231 total yards and an astonishing minus-23 yards on the ground.
Junior running back
Sam Backer led the offensive attack with 95 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Sophomore quarterback
Maximus Sims completed 10-of-15 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns, while junior quarterback
Mitchell Thompson added a rushing touchdown and completed 5-of-7 passes for 47 yards.
The Maverick defense was equally impressive, recording three sacks, eight tackles for loss and forcing the first interception of the season for the Golden Bears. Senior
Jack Hawkinson finished with five tackles, 2.5 sacks and three tackles for loss, while senior
Jacob Daulton posted a team-best six tackles. Senior
Antoine Johnson Jr. intercepted Concordia-St. Paul quarterback Lincoln Graf, giving Minnesota State its nation-leading 12th interception of the season.
Minnesota State wasted little time taking control. After forcing a Golden Bear punt on the opening drive, the Mavericks capitalized on favorable field position as Backer broke free for a 21-yard touchdown run with 10:01 left in the opening quarter.
Following Johnson's interception, Thompson capped another short drive with a five-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 14-0 after one quarter.
The Mavericks pushed the advantage to 21-0 midway through the second quarter when Backer scored from one yard out. Earlier in the period, senior
Emanuel Spiyee preserved the shutout with a blocked 43-yard field-goal attempt, marking Minnesota State's first blocked kick of the season.
Minnesota State added another score just before halftime when Sims connected with junior
Carter Henderson for a touchdown, sending the Mavericks into the locker room with a commanding 28-0 lead.
At halftime, the Mavericks announced the 2026 Minnesota State Athletic Hall of Fame Class, who became the 49
th class inducted last night. The new Hall of Fame members in the student-athlete category include
Ruth Hofmeister (athletics),
Korey Kronforst(soccer),
Emmanuel Matadi (men's track & field),
Adam Thielen (football) and
Brady Wilson (wrestling).
Jim Makovsky and
Tim Marshall will be inducted into the Builders Category, while
Don Westphal will be inducted as the Jim Schaffer Service Award winner. The 1986 Minnesota State baseball team will also be inducted.
The Mavericks continued their dominance in the second half, adding two more touchdowns in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 42-0 before Concordia-St. Paul finally broke through on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Graf to Joel Lacy midway through the fourth quarter.
Freshman
Brooklyn Evans closed the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown run, the first touchdown of his collegiate career, establishing the final 49-7 margin.
Graf finished 26-of-42 passing for 258 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but the Maverick rushing defense completely neutralized the Golden Bears' ground game. Concordia-St. Paul entered the contest averaging nearly 149 rushing yards per game but failed to generate consistent production on the ground.
The victory marked Minnesota State's 15th consecutive win over Concordia-St. Paul and improved the Mavericks to 18-2 all-time against the Golden Bears.
Minnesota State returns to action next Saturday when it travels to Winona State for a 2 p.m. kickoff during the Warriors' Homecoming celebration.
