MOORHEAD, MN -- Devan Daniels and Evan Lovett each broke the century mark Saturday afternoon, but Minot State fell 40-37 in overtime on the road at Minnesota State-Moorhead.
The Dragons improved to 4-2 on the year and 3-2 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, while the Beavers fell to 1-5 overall and 1-4 in conference matchups.
Head coach Ian Shields weighed in with thoughts following the game:
"I'm certainly proud of the fight and resiliency that was on display today. Our guys hung in there and battled to the end, just heartbreaking to leave without a win that was right there for the taking. A lot of positives and tremendous performances today, but we were one play short of accomplishing the objective. Credit to Moorhead, they throw and catch as well as anyone around and they made one more play than we did when it mattered most."
The Beavers got the big days from Daniels, who racked up 140 yards and one touchdowns, and Evan Lovett, who tacked on 125 yards and one touchdown to lead the rushing attack.
Jonathan Noriega reeled in four catches for 69 yards and one score.
Nalu Cordeiro showed out for the Minot State defense, recording one interception. Reid Jamerson added five tackles, 2.0 TFL, and two sacks and Jace McDonald had four tackles, two pass breakups, and one recovered fumble in the loss.
The Beavers won the turnover battle in Saturday's game, forcing three turnovers while coughing the ball up one time, with Minot State turning those takeaways into six points. Minot State recorded a strong performance on the ground, totaling 341 rushing yards while averaging 6.2 yards per carry and out-rushing Minnesota State-Moorhead by 178 yards.
Minot State's defense held up fairly well against the run, limiting Minnesota State-Moorhead to 163 yards on the ground. The Beavers defense disrupted the Minnesota State-Moorhead passing attack on the way to pulling down two interceptions and breaking up three Dragons passes.
How It Happened
Minot State put points on the board on eight different occasions on their way to scoring 37 points. The Beavers got on the board first, taking an 8-0 lead with 14:17 left in the first quarter. The Beavers carried it for a 72-yard touchdown run to close a two-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Gage Cavanaugh ran in a two-point conversion attempt.
The Dragons then rallied to take over the lead once again before Minot State responded with a field goal with 10:17 left in the second quarter to go up 11-10.
After Minnesota State-Moorhead rallied to tie it at 34, Minot State got back on top with a field goal to take their last lead of the ballgame at 37-34 in the first overtime. McCary converted a chance from 28 yards out to cap a six-play, 15-yard drive. The Dragons then came roaring back, outscoring Minot State 6-0 the rest of the way to pick up the win.
Game Notes
» Devan Daniels and Evan Lovett all rushed for over 100 yards for the Beavers.
» Minnesota State-Moorhead outgained Minot State 545-439 in the contest.
» Minot State won the turnover battle 3-1 after intercepting two passes and recovering one fumble.
» Minot State had their highest scoring quarter in the fourth period, when they put up 20 points.
» Minot State converted 3 of 14 third downs while Minnesota State-Moorhead was successful on 5 of 11.
» Kevin Speed led the Beavers with eight tackles.
» Brandon McCary knocked through five field goals for the Beavers with a long of 35 yards. The 5 field goals ties an NSIC single-game record and is a new all-time Minot State record, breaking the previous single-game best of 3 by All-American JoseLuis Moreno (twice in 2017) and Diego Nunez-Smith (2024).
» Logan Matthews punted four times for the Beavers with an average of 47.5 yards per punt while pinning the Dragons inside their own 20 one time.
» Minot State went 1-for-1 on fourth down, converting on 100 percent of attempts.
» Minot State forced one red zone turnover in the contest.
» The Beavers didn't allow a sack in the contest.
» Jack Strand led the Dragons passing attack, completing 33 of his 49 attempts for 382 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions.
» Brady Perryman was Minnesota State-Moorhead's leading receiver with 129 yards and two touchdowns.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
