Maverick football dominates Mustangs on the road

After their final home game of the season being spoiled by Sioux Falls just two weekends ago, Minnesota State had two road games in front of them before their 2021 season came to an end. First on the list came Southwest Minnesota State, a bottom half conference opponent who had not won a game since Oct. 2, where they defeated Upper Iowa 20-14 on the road.

The Mustangs were definitely eager to find themselves in the win column one last time before eventually playing an 8-2 Augustana team at home to close out their season. SMSU was unable to do so against the Mavs, as the Mavericks were able to dominate the Mustangs on the road 52-0.

It was a very unfortunate day for SMSU as they were able to get absolutely nothing going all day against the Mavs, who forced a monstrous eight turnovers from the Mustangs. The Maverick offense and defense had everything clicking on all cylinders during the lopsided matchup.

On the defensive side of the ball the Mavs were able to force three fumbles and five interceptions against the SMSU offense. MSU’s five interceptions against the Mustangs were the most in a game dating back to Oct. 19, 2013 when the Mavs recorded six interceptions against SMSU in that contest.

Junior Nic Vinson was the star of the game for both teams without a doubt. Vinson was able to record one interception for an 87 yard touchdown, a fumble recovery, two tackles, and two pass breakups against the Mustangs for one of the most dominant defensive performances the Mavs have provided all season.

Senior cornerback Ty’Shonan Brooks was also able to find himself in the interception column in this one, which was his fifth interception of the season. Brooks leads the team in interceptions at five, which is good enough for second in the NSIC in total interceptions, only behind Northern State’s Chance Olsen with seven. 

On the offensive side of the ball everyone shared the love with senior JD Ekowa and redshirt freshman Hayden Ekern back splitting backfield reps. Both quarterbacks threw for two touchdowns on the day, while also both surpassing 120 passing yards.

Junior wide receiver Jalen Sample was on the receiving end of nearly every pass from the two quarterbacks, hauling in 10 catches for 183 yards and two touchdowns in another monstrous performance from a Maverick player. The Mavs pretty evenly split backfield rushing attempts throughout their whole depth chart in this one, with no running back surpassing nine rushing attempts.

MSU did however end with 263 rushing yards on the day with rushing longs ranging anywhere from 12 to 30 yards. It was an absolutely dominant performance by a Mavericks team who needed to get back on track after a tough loss at home the week prior.

Up next for Minnesota State is Winona State in their final game of the season. MSU will surely bring a new found fire in their beat down of SMSU, which should make for a good contest against the Warriors in one final brawl.