MINOT, N.D. – Outside of one play and one drive, Minot State University football couldn't ask for a better start against University of Sioux Falls.

The No. 15 ranked Cougars, however, showed why they are a highly ranked team late in the second quarter and early in the third.

USF scored on a quick drive just before the half and outscored Minot State 14-0 in the third quarter to pull away for a 41-14 win in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football Saturday at Herb Parker Stadium.

"I thought we competed. We didn't capitalize on some opportunities and had some sloppy possessions at times, but I thought we competed," said Minot State head coach Tyler Hughes. "I just felt like we did some things that were a little uncharacteristic of where we are at in the program at this point. We'll be better. I told the kids, keep competing."

The Beavers (1-2 overall, 1-2 NSIC) pushed the Cougars for much of the first half. After USF's Luke Papilion raced for a 72-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage, MSU matched them for nearly the rest of the half.

MSU tied the game early in the second quarter, as Jaccob Lopez plunged in from 1-yard out on a run that was initially stopped for no gain before Lopez bounced it outside. The drive capped a huge 15-play drive covering 68 yards and taking 6:22 off the clock.

"This whole summer and during fall camp coach Hughes has been preaching 'fast start, fast finish.' That first play, we didn't have a fast start and they got that over us," MSU junior defensive back Donnell Vercher said. "We didn't leave what we had learned all summer and fall. Once that happened, it was natural for us to pick it up and forget about it. We still had 59 minutes left in the game."

The Cougars (3-0, 3-0) used a pair of Max Mickey 1-yard touchdown runs to build a 20-7 halftime lead. The second, with just 27 seconds remaining, capped a backbreaking six-play, 72 yard drive that took just 1:16.

"I'll have to look at the film to get a better handle on everything, but for the most part we did some good things on defense," Hughes said. "I think for the most part it was a tackling issue across the board. That's on all 11 guys, they're all responsible for that."

USF scored twice in the third quarter and added a TD early in the fourth to push the lead to 41-7.

Minot State responded with a solid drive in the fourth quarter as Cordell Pimienta caught his first career touchdown pass from quarterback Isaiah Weed 17 yards out.

"I think he's a maturing player," Hughes said of Weed's play. "He has a better handle on what we want to get done offensively. He's more patient. He's a competitive kid and wants to do well. I like where he's at that way in terms of his preparation. Again, he's got to shore some things up and get a little more crisp overall, but at the same time he's doing a darn good job."

USF outgained MSU 328-50 rushing, while MSU had a 272-125 passing advantage. In all the Cougars held a 453-322 overall advantage. Papilion gained 101 yards on seven carries with 72 coming on the first play of the game. He passed for 125 yards and a score, finishing with three TDs total.

Weed went 27-for-44 passing with 272 yards and a score. He threw his first interception of the year. Weed found eight different receivers with freshman Lavante Bushnell catching a career-high six passes for 56 yards. Ryan Fila added five catches for 57 yards and Akkil Walker caught five for 31. Pimienta led the Beavers with 63 yards receiving and had the one TD.

Jarvis Mustipher finished with 41 yards rushing for MSU, while Lopez added 24 yards on the ground and his second career touchdown. Punter Aaron La Deaux continued to have a huge foot, averaging 66.7 yards per punt.

Vercher led the defense with 15 tackles and one pass breakup. Another freshman, Titus Dixon, had a career-high seven tackles, while Elijah Mosley finished with a fumble recovery to pace the defense.

"It's frustrating," Vercher said. "We have to start playing with our hearts and not our minds. A lot of times when you play with your mind, you think too much. Once we get that confidence and know we can line up with anyone for 60 minutes, I think our play against these types of teams will improve. We might dwell on this for today, maybe a little tomorrow, but once Monday comes, our focus is on Upper Iowa. The season is far from over."

The Beavers will make the long trip to Fayette, Iowa, to take on UIU Saturday starting at 3 p.m.



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.