BEMIDJI, Minn. — Minot State University (MSU) fell 21-9 to Bemidji State University (BSU) on the road Saturday afternoon.
The Beavers of Bemidji improved to 5-2 on the year and 4-2 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play, while the Beavers of the Minot variety fell to 4-4 overall and 3-4 in conference matchups.
Despite the defense doing a good job handling the Bemidji offense well, times were difficult on the offensive side of the ball according to head coach Ian Shields as Minot State went up against the top NSIC defense.
“Give credit where credit is due – Bemidji played well and executed their plan. That’s a well-coached mature team that won a playoff game a year ago,” said MSU head coach Ian Shields. “Their defense is excellent, the top scoring defense in the league, and we struggled to move the ball all day.”
Evan Lovett paced the Beavers rushing attack by accumulating 57 yards and 1 touchdown over the course of the game, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Carson Chrisman also added 42 yards on the ground.
Caleb Schmidt led the MSU defensive effort, recording one recovered fumble. Former Bishop Ryan athlete, Josh Will, added three tackles, one and a half tackles for loss, and the same in sacks. Carson Cayko registered the other half sack in the loss.
The Beavers (Minot) forced one turnover in Saturday’s contest, with MSU turning that takeaway into six points.
MSU’s defense held up against Bemidji State’s offense, allowing 250 total yards.
Key moments were also critical in the game, including fourth downs and the turnover battle that were not in MSU’s favor.
“There were some uncharacteristic mistakes and missed opportunities and we couldn’t convert and stay on the field as a result,” said Shields. “We turned the ball over twice as well, and we just aren’t tooled yet to overcome that. Bemidji did a nice job converting on 4th downs and the QB’s legs were effective for them.”
Even now that MSU has hit a .500 record for the first time this season, it sets up for an exciting finish for what is to come.
After Bemidji State took a 14-0 lead, MSU got on the scoreboard with 3:10 remaining in the second quarter to narrow the margin to 14-3. Another Minot score then cut the deficit to 14-9.
MSU didn’t score again in the game and Bemidji State tacked on seven more points to finish off the scoring.
Bemidji State outgained Minot State 250-149 in the contest. MSU tallied six points in the third quarter, accounting for two thirds of their total score. MSU converted 4-12 third downs while Bemidji State was successful on 2-12.
