BEMIDJI, Minnesota -- Minot State put together a 216-yard showing on the ground and three rushing touchdowns, but fell 37-19 to Bemidji State Saturday afternoon on the road at Chet Anderson Stadium.
Bemidji State improved to 2-3 on the year and 2-2 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, while the Minot State Beavers fell to 1-4 overall and 1-3 in conference matchups.
Brandon Hines Jr. led all Beavers rushers with 80 yards and one touchdown in the contest, picking up 5 yards per carry. Jett Lundeen also added 66 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Matyas Bily hauled in one catch for 39 yards.
Kevin Speed showed out for the Minot State defense, totaling eight tackles and one interception.
"Credit to Bemidji as they operated at a much higher level than we did and played a better brand of football than we put out there today," Head Coach Ian Shields said.
Minot State had a good showing on the ground, racking up 216 rushing yards while averaging 4.3 yards per carry. The Minot State offense did a good job extending drives, converting on 41.7 percent of third-down attempts, however some unlucky turnovers and failed conversions held back the Beavers to capitalize.
With just 263 yards of total offense, this is the first time Minot State has been out-rushed (Bemidji State rushed for 405 versus Minot State's 216), and only the second time Minot State has had less total offensive yards than their opponent (263 vs. Bemidji's 418).
"Certainly a discouraging day all around," Shields said. "It was a total team effort, not a lot to feel good about as we were beaten in all three phases of the game."
Defensively, Minot State did a good job restricting the Bemidji State passing attack, holding Bemidji State to only 13 yards through the air. Because of that strong defense in the air, Minot State receivers out-gained their Bemidji State counterparts 47-13.
Minot State's offense took advantage of their trips to the red zone, scoring on three of their three trips.
"We just didn't get it done, and that starts with me and our staff," said Shields.
With six games remaining in the season, the Beavers plan to bounce back when they play at home next weekend against Minnesota State University Moorhead.
"We have a resilient group with some pride and I have no doubt we will bounce back and play more to our capabilities moving forward."
The Beavers play the MSUM Dragons at First Western Bank Field at Herb Parker Stadium on Saturday, October 3, at 2 p.m.
How It Happened
After Bemidji State took a 9-0 lead, Minot State responded with 6:32 left in the second quarter to narrow the margin to 9-6. Bemidji State increased their lead to 23-6, but the Beavers responded with a touchdown to narrow the advantage to 23-13.
After Bemidji State scored to extend its lead to 30-13, Minot State got on the scoreboard again with 7:26 left in the fourth quarter to narrow the advantage and make it a 30-19 game. Minot State went scoreless the rest of the game while Bemidji State added seven points to finish off the scoring.
Game Notes
» Bemidji State out-gained Minot State 418-263 in the contest.
» Minot State had their highest scoring quarter in the third period, when they put up seven points.
» Minot State converted 5 of 12 third downs while Bemidji State was successful on 7 of 11.
» The Beavers had two players with more than eight tackles in the ballgame led by Diego Betancourt, who had 10.
» Minot State went 3-for-6 on fourth down, converting on 50 percent of attempts.
» The Beavers didn't allow a sack in the contest.
» Bart McAninch led the Beavers passing attack, completing one of his three attempts for 13 yards with one interception.
» Connor Carver led the Bemidji State rushing attack with 335 yards and four touchdowns.
