Undefeated Mavs move to 3-0
After a 35-28 victory against Wayne State University Saturday, the Maverick football team advances to 8th in the national rankings after starting the season 3-0.
The game came down to the last seconds but the Mavericks prevailed yet again. The Mavericks gained possession with 2:54 remaining in the game and marched up the field.
With four rushes, one pass and a Wayne State penalty, the Mavs were 15 yards out from the endzone. MSU forced all the Wildcats timeouts while rushing up the middle which left only 24 seconds remaining for quarterback Hayden Ekern to work his magic. With only one yard to go, the Mavs drew up a quarterback sneak which worked to perfection adding one more touchdown on the board securing the MSU win.
“The players on Wayne State were very motivated and played hard and they did enough to mount a comeback but in the end the Maverick football players showed great resiliency and resolve to get the win on the road,” head coach Todd Hoffner said. “I thought we sputtered a couple of times in the red zone and in order to be great we have to cash in on those for touchdowns.”
Despite the close score, the Mavericks controlled most of the game. They more than doubled WSU’s yards as they had 281 while the Mavs totaled 586. In the air MSU had 252 and on the ground they had 334. The box score looked very different from the outcome and that is due to errors from Mankato.
On their opening drive, Wayne State capitalized on a mishap during Minnesota State’s punt return, as the ball deflected off a Maverick player, allowing the Wildcats to recover possession at the MSU 2-yard line. The muffed punt resulted in an easy six points from quarterback Nick Bohn which was capped off by a successful extra-point attempt.
In return, the Mavs wasted no time and found the scoreboard quickly. They drove 75 yards on eight plays, including a 10-yard touchdown run by freshman Sam Backer to tie the score at 7-7. Both teams rushed one more TD in the first quarter, the Mavs Tony Anger ran a quick one-yard touchdown while WSC’s Letravious Boyd recorded a 66-yard touchdown run for the Wildcats.
MSU followed the scoring with two field goals from Matthew Jaeger and TreShawn Watson’s fourth touchdown of the season in the third quarter. Wayne State responded with a touchdown and an interception on the MSU nine-yard line allowing them for another quick score. They converted and left the score tied at 28-28. The game finished with a Maverick interception in garbage time following Ekern’s qb sneak touchdown.
Ekern wrapped up the game with 252 passing yards and one touchdown, while Watson notched his second consecutive 100-yard receiving performance, hauling in seven passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. Grant Guyett contributed with four receptions for 59 yards.
On the ground, Backer spearheaded the Maverick rushing game with 159 yards and a touchdown, while Ekern added 66 rushing yards and another score.
Defensively, Khai West led the Mavericks with nine tackles, followed by Micah Brown and Antonio Alzheimer, Max Sheridan and Max Lommel, who each recorded five tackles.
Minnesota State will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 21, when they host undefeated Minot State at Blakeslee Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.
Photo caption: The Minnesota State Mavericks advanced to the 8th national rank after starting the season 3-0. The Mavericks defeated the Wayne State Wildcats Saturday 35-28. (Courtesy Maverick Athletics)
Write to luke.jackson.2@mnsu.edu