MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University couldn't finish off a homecoming win Saturday.

The Beavers (0-3 overall, 0-3 NSIC) took a 13-7 lead midway through the third quarter, but gave up 21 unanswered points down the stretch to fall 28-13 to Concordia-St. Paul in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football at Herb Parker Stadium.

"I don't think there was a big difference between the two halves. They were relatively similar. We took a 13-7 lead with three minutes to go and were in good position. But, then two 15-yard penalties and a 30-yard or so touchdown pass all came in a three minute sequence," said MSU head coach Tyler Hughes. "We don't know how to win. They've got to figure out when we're in a good position and have the lead that you have to know how to play in that situation. We got too excited and made three critical errors and that flipped the momentum of the game."

The momentum shift came on CSP's ensuing drive after the Beavers took a 13-7 lead on JoseLuis Moreno's (Fr., K, San Lorenzo, Calif.) 27-yard field goal. The Golden Bears (1-2, 1-2) marched 75 yards on 10 plays to take back the lead 14-13 on the final play of the third quarter as Ben Schramski found Jason Oney for a 30-yard TD.

MSU had the Bears stopped twice on the drive but a roughing the kicker penalty with CSP in punt formation and an unsportsmanlike conduct after an incomplete pass on third down kept the drive moving.

"Recognizing when you're in a good situation – or even a bad one – it's a recognition factor that right now we don't have," Hughes said. "We've been emphasizing that area for weeks – the entire offseason really. We have too many independent contractors and we can't work like that. We've got to be an entire crew all in sync. The players are frustrated, coaches are frustrated. We have to get right back to work tomorrow. Nobody feels bad for us and nobody should."

The first half of the third quarter was a bright spot for MSU as the Beavers had one of its best drives on the season to open the half going 68 yards in 14 plays. The six minute, 55 second drive was capped by a 1-yard run by Charles Hall (Jr., RB, Hinesville, Ga.), his first TD in a Beavers' uniform coming on his birthday.

The Beavers then got a big play from its defense as Thomas Bryson (Sr., DL, Layton, Utah) and Keaton Epps (Jr., DL, Wake Forest, N.C.) sacked Schramski causing a fumble and Mitchell Mattias (Sr., DL, Merritt Island, Fla.) recovered at the CSP 10. MSU settled for a field goal, the first of Moreno's career, to take the 13-7 lead.

"We will have to get rid of the mental mistakes and that really comes down to focus," said MSU linebacker Aaron James (Sr., LB, Oklahoma City, Okla.), who paced the Beavers with nine tackles. "I thought we had an average day on defense. We did some good things, but our goal is to give up only 20 points and we gave up 28. That's too much."

The Beavers defense was solid in the first half, holding CSP to just 134 yards of offense, but it was a big play that had MSU in the hole at halftime. After Aaron La Deaux (Jr., K/P, Port Orchard, Wash.) kicked a 21-yard field goal early in the second quarter to give MSU a 3-0 lead, it quickly became a 7-3 Golden Bear advantage as Alquawn Vickers returned the ensuing kick 99 yards for the score.

Defensively, MSU did much of what it needed to do to win the game, holding the Golden Bears to just 261 total yards and turning CSP over three times. But Minot State finished with just 209 yards of total offense.
Schramski went 9 of 23 in the game for 141 yards and one TD. Darius Chapes finished with 67 yards on the ground and Vickers was the team's leader in receiving with 55 yards on four catches.

Minot State true freshman Isaiah Weed (Bonney Lake, Wash.) made his season debut at quarterback and finished with 126 yards on 16-of-31 passing. He was intercepted twice late in the game. Larry Overstreet (Jr., RB, Lehigh Acres, Fla.) finished 75 yards rushing on 20 carries. Cameron Wilson (RFr., WR, Katy, Texas) led the Beavers in receiving with a career-high seven catches for 63 yards.

"I think Isaiah did fine," said Hughes. "I don't think there were any critical errors or anything like that. Late in the game when you throw the ball down the field you're going to have interceptions when you're playing a two-minute drill. It happens. I wouldn't chalk that up as a critical error. He did things well, he managed the game well.

"We felt like during the week he gave us the best chance to win. I thought it was the best thing to do for our team."

Along with James, Trevin Swensen (Jr., LB, Shelley, Idaho_ finished with seven tackles. Marcel Brinson (Sr., DB, Gilroy, Calif.) hauled in a deflected pass for his first interception of the season and added five stops.

Minot State plays its final North-South game in league play next Saturday, traveling to Augustana University.

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.