MARSHALL, MN. – It is often said: the best defense is a good offense. However, in this case, the defense was the offense! The Minot State Beavers made the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs pay, as they got going in their first conference matchup of 2024. For the Mustangs, it was their first game of the new season.

Minot State used an explosive 202-yard performance on the ground and two rushing touchdowns to pick up a 42-9 win against Southwest Minnesota State Saturday night on the road at Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center. Given the success of the running game, it was the Beavers defensive unit that was on point and came ready to play since the ball was kicked off. They scored four touchdowns of their own, including three pick-sixes and a fumble recovery returned to the end zone.

The Beavers improved to 2-0 on the year and 1-0 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, while the Mustangs fell to 0-1 overall and in the conference. Following the result of tonight's game, it was the first time that Minot State has started 2-0 since the 2002 season when they were competing at the NAIA level. They went 8-1 that year and competed in the postseason.

Coach Ian Shields was ecstatic after how things turned out in Marshall. "It was a big win for our program to open conference play with a win on the road. Proud of the energy and effort of our men. Happy for our seniors and our veteran leadership that has made this progress possible," Shields said describing how wonderful the start has been to the season.

It was Minot State's first conference win on the road since 2019 when they beat University of Mary and Minnesota Crookston in back-to-back weeks on September 21 and 28.

Erik Palmquist totaled 89 yards to lead the Beavers' ground attack and added two touchdowns in the game, picking up 8.9 yards per carry along the way. Over the air, Aiden George hauled in three catches for 32 yards.

Nalu Cordeiro showed out for the Minot State defense, collecting five tackles and two interceptions returned for a touchdown. His performance on the gridiron set a few new records for the Beavers. For Cordeiro, his 92-yard interception return is the longest all-time in school history, and his two pick-sixes is also an all-time single game record. Deuce Carr also added two interceptions and Isaak Guzman had three tackles and one recovered fumble in the win. Ike Mikaele picked up the first score of the game, as he opened the night with a 43-yard fumble recovery returned to the house.  

The Beavers won the turnover battle in Saturday's game, forcing six turnovers while avoiding any giveaways, with Minot State turning those takeaways into 28 points. Minot State recorded a big outing on the ground, gaining 202 rushing yards while averaging 4.2 yards per carry.

"Any time you win the turnover battle that decisively, you stand a great chance of winning," Shields stated as indeed it was the case.

For the cherry on top, the Beaver defense forced 11 turnovers last season in 11 games. Through two games already in the 2024 campaign, they have six turnovers to their name. Talk about getting after the football, as that is what Minot State has always set out to do since the season started.

"I don't think I've ever seen four defensive touchdowns in a game. Coach Roth and our defensive staff did a tremendous job in preparation. Credit our guys for making and finishing the plays as they presented," coach Shields marked happily after an incredible performance.

Minot State held up well against the Southwest Minnesota State passing attack, holding the Mustangs to 119 yards through the air en route to four total interceptions and two passes broken up.

Coach Shields likes where his squad stands after two weeks. "A lot of positives to build upon for sure. I'm sure we'll watch the video and have plenty to work on and improvements to make going into next week, but excited to be where we're at after 2 games," Shields indicated.

How It Happened
Minot State scored first to take a 7-0 lead before the Mustangs answered with a field goal that made it 7-3. But the Beavers responded with 14:55 left in the second quarter to go ahead 14-3. Southwest Minnesota State then narrowed the Beavers lead and made it a 28-9 game, but Minot State tacked on another score to expand the advantage to 35-9. With one more for good measure, the Beavers ended the night with another touchdown to make the final score 42-9.

Game Notes
» Minot State had two players reach the promised land multiple times, as Cordeiro scored two touchdowns and Palmquist added another two.
» Southwest Minnesota State outgained Minot State 360-234 in the contest.
» Minot State won the turnover battle 6-0 after intercepting four passes and recovering two fumbles.
» The Beavers scored first with 9:34 left in the first quarter and never trailed the rest of the game on their way to victory.
» Minot State had their highest scoring quarter in the fourth period, when they put up 14 points.
» Minot State converted 4 of 12 third downs while Southwest Minnesota State was successful on 1 of 9.
» Minot State went 2-for-3 on fourth down, converting on 66.7 percent of attempts.
» Minot State gave up just three points in two Southwest Minnesota State trips to the red zone.
» Minot State forced one red zone turnover in the contest.
» The Beavers didn't allow a sack in the contest.
» The Beavers ended the game on a strong note, scoring 21 unanswered points to close out the contest.
» Wyatt Oak led the Mustangs passing attack, completing five of his 13 attempts for 88 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.
» Jacob Honstetter led the Southwest Minnesota State rushing attack with 94 yards.

This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.