FARGO, N.D. – Minot State University senior Johnny Lester (WR, Miami, Fla.) thought redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Torgerson (Colstrip, Mont.) looked a little nervous before his first collegiate start Sunday.

“I think he was kind of nervous before the game with his first start and all,” Lester said. “I just told him to take it easy, calm down and do what he has been doing in practice all year.”

He didn't need to be nervous at all with Lester on the receiving end.

Torgerson completed 10 of 11 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns – both to Lester – as the Beavers routed No. 16 South Dakota Mines 30-7 at the 2010 Dacotah Bank DAC Bowl at the Fargodome.

“We protected him and he took care of the ball,” said MSU head coach Paul Rudolph about Torgerson. “I told him he better go thank the offensive line, they allowed him to not have to beat anybody.”

“I wasn't too nervous – this was fun,” added Torgerson. “I got the nod right before the game and tried to have some fun.

The first Torgerson-to-Lester connection went for 40 yards and pushed a 9-7 lead to a 16-7 margin with 13:33 in the second quarter. The touchdown came just over a minute after the Beavers Brandon Weidler (Sr., LB, Velva, N.D.) and Chris Compton (So., DB, Grand Forks, N.D.) forced a safety by tackling Trevor Moheit in the end zone for the 9-7 lead.

“It thought the safety made a big difference for our defense,” Rudolph said. “We have given them, what, one defensive touchdown in 120 minutes and getting that safety made it a two possession game right away. Plus, it elevated the defense's momentum and got them a little jacked up.”

The second Torgerson pass to Lester all but sealed the win as it put the Beavers up 30-7 early in the fourth quarter.

“The coaches said just throw the hitch and go to him and he will find a way,” Torgerson said.

While the young kid made a splash, it was the veteran Lester who solidified himself as one of the top receivers in MSU history, scoring three touchdowns in his final game, two by pass and one on a 27-yard sweep to even the score at 7. Lester finished with three catches for 73 yards, four rushes for 45 yards and 89 yards of total returns.

“I wanted to make the most of my opportunities,” he said. “I talked with my uncle (Chris Lester) before every game and he said to make sure this is a great one and try to get to the end zone every time I touch the ball.

“He's special,” Rudolph added. “Man, he's a good one. He made a couple more big plays and really helps us in the run game. We try to draw up as many (plays) as we could without being stupid about it.”

The Beavers defense gave up some yards – 274 total yards – but did not break outside of an Everett Brill 1-yard TD in the first quarter. In fact, MSU gave up minus-3 yards rushing mainly due to eight sacks for minus-48 yards and 14 tackles for a loss for minus-71 yards. Leading the way was Chad Marshall (R-Fr., LB, Hazen, N.D.) with 12 assisted tackles and a half sack and Brendan and Tommy Weidler (Sr., LB, Velva, N.D.) combined for 14 tackles, four tackles for a loss and 2 sacks.

The defense also scored as Brian Sorensen (So., LB, Hazen, N.D.) scooped up a Tyler Barth fumble and went untouched for a 70-yard fumble return for a TD.

The Beavers (6-4, 6-2 overall) controlled the ground game as they outgained SDM 200-(minus-3) but didn't have a player over 100 yards rushing. Leading the way was Tyson Schatz (Jr., RB, Minot, N.D.) who had 69 yards on 18 carries, then Lester, followed by sophomore Nico Youngren (RB, Gig Harbor, Wash.) with 35 yards, Torgerson with 32, Blake Eggl (So., RB, Minot, N.D.) 18 and Nate Christianson (R-Fr., WR, Havre, Mont.) 12.

“That's a great stat,” Rudolph said of gaining 200 yards on the ground without a 100-yard rusher.

MSU got a win in its final game as a member of the Dakota Athletic Conference as the Beavers are in transition to NCAA Division II. That wasn't lost on the Beavers' head coach.

“It's real gratifying,” Rudoloph said. “We got to put things behind you and I was real proud of how the team did that. We told them we had a chance to send the seniors out the way we wanted to and we have 32 freshmen and sophomores and they had a chance to step in and see which direction this things in going.”