MINOT, ND -- Minot State put together a six-play, 72-yard scoring drive, culminating in a seven-yard rushing touchdown from Evan Lovett with 1:44 left in the ballgame to give the Beavers a 35-28 win over on Saturday afternoon at Herb Parker Stadium.
The Beavers improved to 2-5 on the year and 2-4 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, while Jamestown fell to 1-5 and 1-5 in NSIC play.
Head coach Ian Shields praised his team's effort and execution down the stretch.
"Yeah, I think we finished today and did just enough — enough at the right time," Shields said. "We got the ball with two minutes and change left, went down the field, scored, converted the two-point play, and then our defense closed it out. That was the difference."
Carson Chrisman led all Beavers rushers with 145 yards and two touchdowns in the contest, picking up 7.6 yards per carry. Evan Lovett also added 136 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. With two touchdowns in today's contest, Evan Lovett now holds the NCAA Division 2 career rushing touchdown record. Devan Daniels also chipped in with 65 yards as well, averaging 7.2 yards per carry.
"We were playing really physical up front," Shields said. "The guys were getting a lot of push across the line and identifying things well. Everybody was doing their job to give our backs the space to make plays."
Gage Cavanaugh reeled in one catch for 35 yards.
Minot State put together a big outing on the ground, racking up 371 rushing yards while averaging 6.1 yards per carry and out-rushing by 166 yards.
"There's no doubt it's a big win," Shields said. "We're always confident in our ability to run the football, and it's great to see that momentum carry over. The guys battled all afternoon — it's hard-earned, but when you see them finish like that, it's a big win for our program."
Defensively, Minot State held up fairly well against the passing attack, holding the Jimmies to 152 yards through the air.
"This is a new, kind of reestablished rivalry, and that makes it special," Shields added. "A lot of credit to Jamestown — they played exceptionally hard, and there's mutual respect between the schools. I'm proud of how our guys finished and responded in those late-game situations."
Shields also noted the timing of the team's upcoming break.
"It's also nice heading into a bye week," he said. "It comes at a good time for us to refresh and get healthy. We've got some bumps and bruises, and this gives us a chance to regroup before getting back out there."
How It Happened
Minot State scored on the game's opening drive to take a 7-0 lead. Jamestown then tied the game at 7-7 before the Beavers responded with an 11-yard touchdown rush from Chrisman to jump back ahead 14-7.
After Jamestown evened the game at 14-14, Minot State scored again with 2:00 left in the second quarter with a 22-yard field goal to jump back in front 17-14.The Beavers continued to increase their advantage, scoring again to go up 24-14.
Minot State continued to expand its advantage after they made it a 24-21 game, scoring again with 5:11 remaining in the fourth quarter to make the score 27-21.The Jimmies answered with seven points to take the lead before the Beavers snatched it back on a seven-yard touchdown run from Lovett, which brought the score to 35-28 in favor of Minot State. Neither team scored again in the game.
Game Notes
» Minot State had two players reach the promised land multiple times, as Evan Lovett scored two touchdowns and Chrisman added another two.
» Chrisman and Evan Lovett rushed for over 100 yards for the Beavers.
» Minot State outgained Jamestown 429-357, including a 371-205 advantage on the ground.
» Minot State had their highest scoring quarter in the first, when they put up 14 points.
» Minot State converted 3 of 9 third downs while Jamestwon was successful on 8 of 15.
» Cody Grossinger led the Beavers with nine tackles.
» Logan Matthews punted once for the Beavers for 47 yards pinning the Jimmies inside their own 20.
» Minot State went 3-for-3 on fourth down, converting on 100 percent of attempts.
» The Beavers didn't allow a sack in the contest.
» Minot State won the time of possession battle 26:21 to 24:30.
» Cole Hentges led the passing attack for Jamestown, completing 15 of his 25 attempts for 152 yards.
» Hentges led the rushing attack for Jamestown with 111 yards and two touchdowns.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
