MINOT, North Dakota -- Six different players reached the end zone led by three scores from Brandon Hines Jr., as Minot State rolled past Southwest Minnesota State 59-0 on a Saturday afternoon homecoming game at First Western Bank Field at Herb Parker Stadium. This is Minot State's first shutout in nearly 20 years.

The Beavers improved to 1-3 on the year and 1-2 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, while the Mustangs fell to 1-3 and 0-3.

"It's great to see the support of our community, it's a big weekend for a lot of our programs," Head Coach Ian Shields said. "We're excited we get the victory here."

Jett Lundeen led Minot State's passing attack with 35 yards through the air, tossing two touchdowns and one interception. The quarterback also added 76 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

For Minot native and Bishop Ryan alum Jett Lundeen, his first homecoming win as a starter was one to remember. "It's fun, our community backed us pretty good tonight," Lundeen said. "They always do."

Hines Jr. led all Beavers rushers with 179 yards and two touchdowns in the contest, picking up 12.8 yards per carry. Hines Jr. also added 26 receiving yards and one touchdown. Jaden Fox also added 80 yards and one touchdown on the ground, averaging 7.3 yards per carry.

Gage Cavanaugh reeled in one catch for 32 yards and one score.

The Beavers finished with a massive 506 total yards of offense.

"The difference was defensively today," Shields said. "Today we stepped up defensively, it was the most complimentary football we've played in all three phases today."

Diego Betancourt paced the Minot State defensive effort, collecting three tackles and one interception. Kevin Speed added one recovered fumble and Drew Zwak had 0.5 TFL and one interception in the win. Linebacker Austin Young led the team with 10 total tackles.

For Austin Young, a newcomer to MSU in his first season with the Beavers, he expressed his love for the team and the community. "I absolutely love it - I fell in love with the coaching staff, I fell in love with the area of Minot, and the people of Minot," Young said. "I really feel like this is a close knit team."

The Beavers also won the turnover battle in Saturday's game, forcing six turnovers while coughing the ball up only one time, with Minot State turning those takeaways into 35 points. Minot State also had a historical day offensively, racking up 506 total yards, 445 on the ground and 61 through the air while averaging 6.6 yards per play and out-gaining Southwest Minnesota State. Minot State converted on 46.2 percent of third-down attempts on the day.

Defensively, Minot State did an impressive job neutralizing the Southwest Minnesota State offensive attack, holding the Mustangs to only 165 total yards. The Beavers kept the Mustangs under 150 yards on both the ground and through the air, allowing 126 passing and 39 rushing yards. The Beavers defense disrupted the Southwest Minnesota State passing game on the way to grabbing three interceptions and breaking up six Mustangs passes.

For Coach Shields, he won't let this win define their mentality for the rest of the season. When asked if this performance gave them any momentum for next week's game, Shields denied any changes in attitude. "We're going to enjoy this for 24 hours and then we're going to turn the page," Shields said. "We know it's going to be a battle up there, it's a battle every week in this conference."

The Minot State Beavers play the Bemidji State Beavers next Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Chet Anderson Stadium in Bemidji, Minnesota
 

KEY MOMENTS
Minot State put points on the board on nine different occasions on their way to scoring 59 points. The Beavers got on the board first, taking the lead for good at 7-0 with 12:46 remaining in the first quarter. powered in a 62-yard touchdown run to end a three-play, 78-yard scoring drive. The Beavers then rode that lead to victory, increasing their advantage by 52 points along the way.

Historical Notes

• First shutout since September 23, 2006 (MSU victory over South Dakota Tech, 30-0)
• All time single-game team record for rushing yards with 445 total rushing yards (previous record was 416 against Valley City on August 29, 2024)

» Minot State out-gained Southwest Minnesota State 506-165, including a 445-39 advantage on the ground.
» Minot State won the turnover battle 6-1 after intercepting three passes and recovering three fumbles.
» The Beavers scored first with 12:46 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 second period, when they put up 28 points.
» Minot State converted 6 of 13 third downs while Southwest Minnesota State was successful on 4 of 14.
» Austin Young led the Beavers with 10 tackles.
» Minot State scored four second-quarter touchdowns.
» Minot State went 2-for-4 on fourth down, converting on 50 percent of attempts.
» Minot State allowed zero points in one Southwest Minnesota State trip to the red zone.
» The Beavers didn't allow a sack in the contest.
» Minot State won the time of possession battle 37:30 to 22:30.
» Drew Kluender led the Mustangs passing attack, completing four of his 10 attempts for 61 yards with one interception.
» Jayden Cooper was Southwest Minnesota State's leading receiver with 49 yards.