Mavs dominate UMD in big Division II football game
Nate Gunn breaks Mavericks all-time rushing record in Homecoming victory
Andrew Neururer
Staff Writer
Week five on the Mavericks schedule was highlighted as a big game. It was a game in which the No. 3 and No. 12 teams in Division II football faced off.
The importance of the game was high, it was Homecoming weekend and there were over 6,000 fans present to watch a 52-7 dominating victory over the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.
The Mavericks offense was at the top of their game, putting up a season high 52 points.
More importantly, it was senior Ryan Schlichte’s breakout game. This season he has struggled to get things going offensively, with 36.4% being his best completion percentage in week one against Southwest Minnesota State.
Against Minnesota-Duluth, he went 9-for-17, with 198 yards and three touchdowns – which was the best performance for a quarterback on either side.
Junior quarterback JD Ekowa threw just six passes but completed four of them for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Senior Nate Gunn became MSU’s all-time rushing leader with 3,991 yards. He followed up that accomplishment with a big game, adding 147 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Redshirt freshman Kaleb Sleezer also had a big game, gaining 76 yards a touchdown on the ground.
Because MSU had such great success passing the ball, wide receiver Shane Zylstra had a great day. He added 220 yards and three touchdowns, with his longest being an 80-yard touchdown to start the game.
For the fourth straight week, the Mavericks defense held its opponents to under 10 points.
Senior Zach Robertson led the way with seven tackles, one of those being a sack. He continues to dominate and leads the Mavericks in tackles this season.
Senior Jack Curtis came away with the only interception in the game, which is his second on the season.
Redshirt freshman Nic Dahlke added two sacks, causing UMD to get pushed back by 17 yards.
It was a big game for both the defense and offense who found a lot a success against the No. 12 team in the country.
After a two-game homestand, the Mavericks will head to Aberdeen, South Dakota to take on the Northern State Wolves this Saturday.
Header photo: Minnesota State linebackers Tyler Johnson (44) and Destyn Woody (55) tackle Minnesota-Duluth wide reciever Quincy Woods (7) during the second half of the MSU Homecoming football game at the Blakeslee Stadium Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019 in Mankato, Minn. (Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter)