MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University head football coach Tyler Hughes has been preaching week in and week out how his team has been making strides.

It was never more evident than Saturday.

The Beavers fell behind 17-3 in the second quarter but never went away before falling 20-17 to Wayne State College in front of 2,458 Homecoming fans at Herb Parker Stadium.

"We played our best football that we played all year, which is good to see," said Hughes. "There were just some opportunities late in the game that we missed. We've got to find a way to make those critical plays in the game."

The Beavers (0-4 overall, 0-4 NSIC) led for the first time this season, getting a Brian Gutierrez (Sr., K, Granada Hills, Calif.) field goal in the first quarter and led for the first time at the end of a quarter. MISU also had its first offensive touchdown since game 1 at the University of Sioux Falls and had a chance for the win until late in the game when a fumble sealed the deal for the Wildcats.

Wayne State built the lead on two Ryan Ludlow touchdowns six minutes apart in the second quarter and a 37-yard field goal by Tyler Lindsay to take the 17-3 lead in to the halftime break.

But Minot State countered with a pair of touchdown passes from Zac Cunha (Jr., QB, Rocklin, Calif.) to Glyn Borel (Sr., WR, San Jose, Calif.). The first was the longest play of the season for the Beavers as Cunha found Borel over the middle for a 76-yard strike.

"We feel that our passing game is the strength of the team," Hughes said. "We've got to keep going to that. We worked on that a great deal this week and made sure that was a focal point of our attack. I was certainly happy with the results we got out of it."

That would have been enough for the Beavers to force overtime, but Lindsay kicked a 27-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter in between the two Cunha-to-Borel TDs.

The Beavers had one last chance to drive to tie or win, but a costly fumble inside their own 30 iced the game for the Wildcats and sent MISU to its fourth loss of the season.

"We had plenty of opportunity there in front of us to make something happen. We just felt like we needed to move the ball – don't try and score it all in one play," said Hughes. "We just tried to be steady and move the ball, that's why we run a two-minute drill. We had a breakdown in protection and then kind of a disaster of a fumble."

Minot State's defense was stout in the second half, holding the Wildcats to just three points and 142 total yards, with 73 of those coming on a 10-play drive to set up the second Lindsay field goal.

Ludlow finished with 26 carries for 106 yards and two scores to pace the Wildcats (2-2, 2-2). Zach Osborn went 19-for-35 passing for 217 yards, hitting Cole McDaniel eight times for 131 yards.

Cunha went 12-of-23 passing for 242 yards and two TDs in relief. He and starter Crosby Jensen (So., QB, Salt Lake City, Utah) traded off series during the game. Jensen was 8 for 15 for 83 yards and an interception. Borel and Leon La Deaux (Sr., WR, Port Orchard, Wash.) both caught five passes with Borel covering 176 yards and two scores and La Deaux with 74 yards.

"I told Crosby and Zac, we'd go two and two series'. I told them I reserve the right to stick with a hot hand or to make an earlier switch if I felt like things were struggling," Hughes said. "I just told them be ready to go. We've got to really figure out who's going to run this thing for the season and put points on the board."

Michael Jenkins (So., DB, Orlando, Fla.) had a career high 14 tackles to pace Minot State's defense, while Levi Freidt (Sr., LB, Minot, N.D.) again finished with double figure tackles with 12.

The Beavers will look for the first win under Hughes next week as they travel to Northern State in Aberdeen, S.D.