MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University couldn't get going in the first quarter and it was enough for St. Cloud State to take a 31-0 win in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football Saturday at Herb Parker Stadium.

The Beavers (2-8 overall, 2-8 NSIC, 1-5 NSIC North) fell behind 21-0 after the first quarter but battled from there. SCSU (5-5, 5-5, 4-2) got TD catches from Anthony Carver and John Pass, both from Nate Meyer and a TD run from Jaden Huff to take the early lead.

"I think the big thing was just a more competitive effort," said MSU head coach Tyler Hughes when asked about the difference from the first quarter and the rest of the game. "The entire team, and that includes coaches always, were just far below average. The second quarter got rolling around and the defense tightened up and things got more competitive."

MSU's defense allowed just 10 points over the final three quarter, held SCSU on two turnovers-on-down and blocked a field goal, but the offense never got on track. The Beavers finished with 125 yards passing and 83 yards rushing for just 208 total. Minot State gave up 10 sacks for a total of 78 yards.

"I probably asked a little too much. We did a few things with our protection and St. Cloud responded well to it," Hughes said. "It took us a while to execute our adjustments in the first half. In the second half we did a better job with it, but their defense was bringing the pass rush hard because we were playing from behind."

After the 21-point early lead, MSU held SCSU to a 28-yard Derek Witte field goal midway through the second quarter and gave up a late long run as Huff broke free for a 66-yard run with 5:35 remaining in the game. Huff finished with 232 yards on 16 carries and two TDs to pace SCSU.

"Hopefully it's a learning experience and will translate that into us being more ready to go at the beginning of next week's game on Senior Day," Hughes added.

Ben Zahniser led the Beavers with 63 yards on eight carries, while Jarvis Mustipher added 25 yards on nine carries. Isaiah Weed finished with 125 yards on 11-for-25 passing, but was intercepted three times. Lavante Bushnell caught four passes for 48 yards.

Bryce Broome and Donnell Vercher finished with 13 tackles apiece to lead the defense. Vercher intercepted a pass, good for his third of the season to pace the team.

"Coming out in warm ups it seemed like we were dragging our feet and not focused," said Broome. "We lacked communication in the first quarter as s team. You could tell it wasn't where it was supposed to be. It's frustrating. In the next three quarters, we allowed just 10 points which is a lot better than 21 right off the bat. The focus and mentality after the first was the difference."

MSU will finish off the season with rival University of Mary Saturday at 1 p.m. at Herb Parker Stadium in the Battle of the Big Lake.

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.