(BISMARCK, N.D.) -- In the Battle of the Big Lake trophy game between Minot State University and the University of Mary, the Beavers were able to win a tight contest to bring home the Battle for the Big Lake trophy for the fifth consecutive year.
 
The first quarter did not start well for the Beavers. The first offensive drive of the game for UMary saw the Mauraders drive down the field before Justin Coleman of the Beavers picked off his second pass in as many games. The next play was a handoff out of the shotgun to Isaiah Hall who was taken down in the end zone for a safety. On the ensuing possession, Logan Nelson galloped 55 yards for a Mauraders touchdown. The Beavers drive, following the kickoff, was a three-and-out. The Mauraders would score quickly again and go for two. The two-point attempt was unsuccessful. The Beavers appeared to gain some momentum from the stopped two-point conversion as there were two connections from Ben Bolinske to Lavante Bushnell to lead to a touchdown. After the converted PAT, the Beavers would trail 15-7. The Beavers would come up with a 3rd down stop on the Mauraders next offensive drive to get the ball back with under a minute to go in the first quarter.
 
The first seven minutes of the second quarter were relatively quiet until Logan Nelson got free for the Mauarders once again. This time, it was a 62-yard touchdown run. Following the PAT, the Beavers were trailing 22-7. Late in the second half, the Beavers put together a four-play, 44-yard touchdown drive to cut the deficit to 22-14 going into halftime.
 
To begin the second half, the Mauraders would start with the ball and would continue to move it via the air, and the legs of Logan Nelson who capped off an eight-play, 50-yard drive with his 3rd rushing TD of the game. The next drive for Minot State was a great answer. It was a short drive with penalties mixed in, but the two plays that the Beavers ran were executed to perfection. First Lane Torgerson took a double reverse for 18 yards. Following that and a 15-yard penalty, freshman Ali Mohamed outran everyone on the way to the endzone for a 43-yard TD. With Mary leading 29-21, the Beaver defense forced UMary into a three-and-out to get the ball right back to the offense with the momentum in the Beavers favor. The drive started well with the first three plays going for 55 yards prior to it stalling out. The Beavers would settle for three points as JoseLuis Moreno drilled a 36-yard field goal. The Beavers defense that had been playing well the last few drives continued to perform well as they forced another three-and-out. The offense continued to roll as well. Minot State would capture the lead for the first time on a 6-play, 51-yard drive that was capped off on a great catch by freshman Cory Carignan on a 35-yard TD pass from Bolinske.  Going into the fourth quarter, the Beavers led 31-29.
 
The Minot State defense continued to play well, getting the ball back for the Beavers after forcing a third consecutive three-and-out. The Beavers were not able to make much of the ensuing drive as a pair of penalties hurt them. On the next trip, UMary would convert a big play as Logan Nelson was able to find Danny Kittner a 48-yard completion. The Beaver defense would tighten up and force a missed field goal. The offense would go right back to work with 8:44 to go in the contest. This time it would be Isaiah Hall. Hall carried the ball on the first two plays of the drive for 45 yards. The drive would stall, but JoseLuis Moreno would continue his excellent start to the season by drilling a 46-yard field goal, extending the Beaver lead to 34-29 with just over five minutes to play in the game. The Beaver defense continued its great second half on the next drive with its second interception of the game, this one from Isaiah Bigby. The Beavers offense would not be able to take advantage by scoring on the ensuing drive but would punt it away with 2:35 to go on the clock and Moreno would make an incredible play on the punt. On a bad snap, Moreno was able to get back pick it up and pin them inside the 15-yard line with 2:22 to go in the game. UMary would need to go 88 yards to have a shot at winning the game. The Minot State Defense would not allow that to happen as the UMary offense would lose 9 yards on the first three plays, causing a 4th and 32. The Beavers would hold on the fourth down, giving the ball back to the offense only needing to take a knee to secure the 34-29 victory.
 
Game Notes
The Beavers were outgained in rushing yards 250-185 and total yards 490-430 but threw for 245 yards compared to 240 by UMary…Ben Bolinske threw three TD's and no interceptions to go along with 35 rushing yards…Isaiah Hall and Ali Mohamed combined to run 28 times for 145 yards for an average of 5.2 yards per carry…Lavante Bushnell had his first 100-yard receiving game of the season with 109 yards on seven catches…Tamrick Ross, and Isaiah Bigby each recorded a sack...Isaiah Bigby and Justin Coleman each had an interception for the Beavers…The Beavers won the turnover battle 2-0…
 
Up Next
The Minot State University Football team is on the road in Crookston, Minn. to take on the University of Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles next Saturday. That game will kick off at 12:00 p.m.

Media: For more information, contact the Coordinator of Sports Information Josh Van Valkenburg-Gernert