MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University gave up 291 rushing yards to a powerful Minnesota State team as the Beavers lost its home opener 35-7 Saturday in NCAA Division II football at Herb Parker Stadium.

The No. 7 ranked Mavericks racked up 503 yards and held a big 503-252 advantage in total yardage as their running game wore down Minot State's defense, keeping the Beavers defense on the field and the offense off it.

"This is what Division II football looks like," said Minot State head coach Tyler Hughes. "Mankato is a great team. They are big and physical and played a solid football game.

"But at the same time, I think our guys learned that they can compete. We definitely need to get better. I think we really competed in the second half."

A crucial two-possession swing came late in the first half and early in the second. The Mavericks (1-0 overall, 1-0 NSIC) stretched a 14-0 lead to a 28-0 cushion in about three minutes of actual game time. Nick Pieruccini scored from 1-yard out with just 23 seconds to play before the half to make it 21-0 Minnesota State at the break and then he added a 4-yard run with 12:03 to play on the first possession in the third quarter.

"We will have to continue our conditioning. I think the pace of college football, a lot of our guys are playing their first game in Division II, early on, I think the pace surprised them," Hughes said. "We adjusted and settled down, but we need to make those adjustments earlier."

The Beavers (0-1, 0-1) offense couldn't sustain drives early in the game before getting better after the break. Minot State finished with 171 of its 252 total yards in the second half and held an 86-12 advantage in the four quarter.

"We move the ball in a few spots, but the big thing was the silly penalties, the pre-snap things," Hughes said. "But I know our guys are confident, we got beat a few times tonight, but I know after talking with them, we haven't lost our confidence."

The Beavers put together two good drive late in the third and early in the fourth. Minot drove 53 yards to the Minnesota State 15, but missed a field goal. The next possession, Minot State drove 71 yards on 12 plays that took 7:51 off the clock before senior Zac Cunha found Taylor Maloney for an 8-yard strike. It was Maloney's first career TD catch and got Minot State on the board.

"They're a good football team and we need to get better to compete at that level, but we're close and getting closer every day," Hughes said. "They're athletic so they can align with a lot of width away from the box. That caused some problems early on. We settled down a bit as the game progressed and we were ok."

The Beavers forced two early punts, but gave up long, sustained drives midway through the game that swung both time of possession and momentum Minnesota State's way.

"I think defensively we got off to a good start. We made a few early mistakes, but I think overall our defense was good. We settled in," Minot State senior Trevin Swensen said. "I hate to compare it to last year because we have so many new guys, but we had a lot of good plays out there and some sparks."

Swensen had a solid game, finishing with a game-high 15 tackles as Minot State finished with three players in double figures. Donnell Vercher added 11 and Fed Joseph finished with 10 tackles and one for a loss. Justin Gonzales picked off his first pass as a Beaver and added six tackles.

Virgil Hammond paced Minnesota State with 88 yards rushing, while Pieruccini added 86 and Ricky Lloyd finished with 55. Lloyd went 10-for-18 passing for 162 yards, while Ryan Schlichte added 50 yards passing and a TD. Marcus Gooden paced the Mavericks with 11 tackles.

Cunha went 17 for 32 for 212 yards and a touchdown in his first game back since injuring his collar bone in 2015's season opener. Akkil Walker was his favorite target, catching four passes for 83 yards. Jarvis Mustipher found it tough on the ground as he finished with 30 yards on 17 carries.

The Beavers will have 10 days to rebound from the opening loss as they travel to Wayne State College Saturday, Sept. 10 for game 2.

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.