MSU football wins NSIC with win over Wayne State
Mavericks improve to 9-0, drop to No. 4 in the AFCA poll
Andrew Neururer
Sports Editor
The Minnesota State football team had another dominating victory on Nov. 2, taking a 62-7 win over the Wayne State Cougars.
MSU improved to 9-0 and officially won the NSIC, currently sitting 8-0 in conference play.
The defense played a big part in the win, allowing just a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Senior Zach Robertson led the way with six tackles and the lone interception on the day. He also contributed to 1.5 tackles for a loss.
Senior Jordan Bergren and redshirt freshman Nic Dahlke came away with a half sack each, the only two to record a statistic in that column.
The defense did a good job limiting the Cougars to any offense. They had just 126 passing and 88 rushing yards – a total yardage of 214. A large difference to the Mavericks 556 total yards.
The game took off with a touchdown from Senior Ryan Schlichte to sophomore Jalen Sample. This 22-yard touchdown was the first of his season and the only catch for him on the day.
Senior Justin Arnold rushed one into the endzone from 25 yards out, putting the Mavericks up 14 early on.
Just a few minutes later, senior Nate Gunn would also find the endzone, this time on a one-yard run.
Sophomore Ashton Garner would close out the first quarter with a short field goal of 22 yards. Heading into the second quarter, MSU led 24-0.
Schlichte would call his own number and found the endzone after an eight-yard touchdown run.
Gunn gathered his second touchdown of the day, this time a three-yard run. He would finish the game with 49 yards on 13 attempts.
Senior Shane Zylstra would get in on the action and put MSU up 45-0 leading into halftime. This 16-yard touchdown pass from Schlichte would be his only scoring play. He would finish the day with a game-high 134 yards on nine receptions. After this performance, Zylstra finds himself over 1,000 receiving yards.
Sophomore Brevin Kaiser would connect with redshirt freshman Blake Ver Mulm on a 30-yard touchdown.
With 14 second remaining in the third, redshirt freshman Kaleb Sleezer would find the endzone on a five-yard carry. This touchdown would put the Mavericks up 59-0.
WSC would eventually get on the scoreboard after a rushing touchdown.
The game would see its final scoring play after Garner hit a 24-yard field goal, bringing the score to 62-7.
Schlichte had a good game, completing 10 of 12 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Kaiser missed just three of his 10 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. Junior JD Ekowa completed four passes for 45 yards.
The Mavericks will now head on the road to South Dakota to take on the University of Sioux Falls this Saturday.
Header photo: Minnesota State head coach Todd Hoffner raises the NSIC Conference Champion plaque after winning their conference after a football game against Wayne State at the Blakeslee Stadium Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019 in Mankato, Minn. (Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter)