CROOKSTON, Minn. – Minot State University gave up two long touchdown runs to Minnesota Crookston in the third quarter as the Golden Eagles broke away for a 45-14 win over the Beavers in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division football Saturday at Ed Widseth Field.

The Beavers (1-9 overall, 1-9 NSIC, 1-5 NSIC North) started slowly into a brisk wind for the second straight week and it proved costly. Minnesota Crookston took advantage with a field goal and a touchdown to take a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.

MSU marched – mainly with the wind at its back – and cut the lead to 10-7 as Ray Watkins (Jr., WR, West Melbourne, Fla.) hauled in a 12-yard touchdown pass from Jose Escobar (Jr., QB, Norwalk, Calif.) with 11:55 to play in the first half. The Beavers went 76 yards on nine plays for the score.

But the Beavers couldn't get closer than that.

UMC (1-9, 1-9, 1-5) took a 17-10 lead into the halftime break with a short drive with Dre Person finishing it off with his second rushing TD of the game. Person scored with just 48 seconds remaining before halftime.

The lead jumped to 31-7 on three offensive plays for the Golden Eagles to start the second half. UMC scored on the first play from scrimmage in half two as Rodney Stewart scored on an 80-yard scamper. Person scored on the second play of UMC's next drive, covering 63 yards on a run and then capped a four-TD game with a 3-yard run with 2:18 to play in the third quarter.

MSU's Jarvis Mustipher (Jr., RB, Melbourne, Fla.) scored the Beavers second touchdown on the day, on a 1-yard run, set up by a bad snap in punt formation by UMC and a subsequent blocked punt by Michael Jenkins (Jr., DB, Orlando, Fla.) giving the Beavers the ball at the UMC 1.

Minot State gave up 381 yards on the ground and 525 overall in the game, while gaining 214. The Beavers rushed for 62 years and passed for 152.

Person finished with 217 yards rushing on 22 carries to pace the Golden Eagles, while Stewart added 115 yards rushing. Nathan Cole passed for 128 yards for UMC.

Akkil Walker (Jr., WR, Miami, Fla.) finished with 41 yards rushing and caught four passes for 43 yards for a solid all-around game. Mustipher added 40 yards rushing and 37 receiving. Isaiah Weed (Fr., QB, Bonney Lake, Wash.) came off the bench to throw for 87 yards to lead MSU through the air.

Aaron James (Sr., LB, Oklahoma City, Okla.) made nine stops to lead the team. Loni Fonua (Jr., DL, Las Vegas, Nev.) added seven tackles. Marcel Brinson (Sr., DB, Gilroy, Calif.) made his team-leading third interception in the second quarter.

The Beavers will finish the 2015 season on the road at Minnesota Duluth Saturday.

About Minot State
Minot State University is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletics programs. The NSIC is a premier NCAA DII, 16-member conference featuring teams in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. The Beavers are the only public NCAA Division II institution in the state of North Dakota.