BEMIDJI, Minnesota -- Minot State fell 21-9 to Bemidji State on the road Saturday afternoon.

The Beavers of Bemidji improved to 5-2 on the year and 4-2 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, while the Beavers of the Minot variety fell to 4-4 overall and 3-4 in conference matchups.

Despite the defense doing a good job handling the Bemidji offense well, times were difficult on the offensive side of the ball according to head coach Ian Shields as Minot State went up against the top NSIC defense.

"Give credit where credit is due – Bemidji played well and executed their plan. That's a well-coached mature team that won a playoff game a year ago…their defense is excellent, the top scoring defense in the league, and we struggled to move the ball all day," Shields commented.

Evan Lovett paced the Beavers rushing attack by accumulating 57 yards and 1 touchdown over the course of the game, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Carson Chrisman also added 42 yards on the ground.

Caleb Schmidt led the Minot State defensive effort, recording one recovered fumble. Josh Will added three tackles, 1.5 TFL, and 1.5 sacks. Carson Cayko registered the other 0.5 sack in the loss.

The Beavers (Minot) forced one turnover in Saturday's contest, with Minot State turning that takeaway into six points.

Minot State's defense held up against Bemidji State's offense, allowing 250 total yards.

Coach Shields was pleased with the defense, who gave Minot a chance to win. But overall, it was another situation where MSU could not overcome the deficit.

"Our defense played well and gave us a chance to hang around and get back in it, the effort and physicality was certainly evident," Shields said.

"It's frustrating because we've been close against a couple good teams of late, we just need to keep improving and get over the hump."

Key moments were also critical in the game, including 4^th downs and the turnover battle that were not in Minot State's favor.

"There were some uncharacteristic mistakes and missed opportunities and we couldn't convert and stay on the field as a result. We turned the ball over twice as well, and we just aren't tooled yet to overcome that…Bemidji did a nice job converting on 4^th downs and the QB's legs were effective for them," Shields remarked.

Even now that Minot State has hit a .500 record for the first time this season, it sets up for an exciting finish for what is to come.

"There's a lot to be excited about and play for here down the stretch," Shields said as the Beavers face three games left on the schedule. It has been a long time since Minot State was in a position like this late in any season.

How It Happened
After Bemidji State took a 14-0 lead, Minot State got on the scoreboard with 3:10 remaining in the second quarter to narrow the margin to 14-3. Another Minot score then cut the deficit to 14-9. Minot State didn't score again in the game and Bemidji State tacked on seven more points to finish off the scoring.

Game Notes
» Bemidji State outgained Minot State 250-149 in the contest.
» Minot State tallied 6 points in the third quarter, accounting for 66.7% of their total score.
» Minot State converted 4 of 12 third downs while Bemidji State was successful on 2 of 12.
» Ricco Sastoque punted six times for the Beavers with an average of 46.3 yards per punt while pinning the Beavers inside their own 20 one time.
» Sam McGath led the Bemidji passing attack, completing 12 of his 16 attempts for 66 yards.
» McGath also led the Bemidji State rushing attack with 80 yards and two touchdowns.

This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.