MANKATO — Minnesota State running back Shen Butler-Lawson said he met two young fans at practice this week, and leading up to Saturday’s game, one of them sent him a message, predicting that Butler-Lawson would rush for 200 yards.
As the yards started to pile up, Butler-Lawson knew he was getting close.
“Everything was coming to me, the offensive line was opening holes,” Butler-Lawson said. “The coaches were putting me in great position to make plays.”
Butler-Lawson ended up with “only” 199 yards rushing, but his two touchdowns helped Minnesota State defeat Concordia-St. Paul 42-10 in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football game Saturday at Blakeslee Stadium.
Concordia-St. Paul caught the Mavericks’ attention with an 18-play drive that lasted more than 10 minutes, but it ended with a field goal.
“Their game plan was good,” Minnesota State coach Todd Hoffner said. “They did what they had to do to try to win a football game, but you have to give credit to our guys.
“We probably gave up too much, and we have to do a better job of stopping that. But at the end of the day, giving up only 10 points is impressive.”
The Mavericks scored on their first five possessions, only three of which came in the first half.
The first drive was eight plays, with seven rushes, to cover 75 yards. Tony Anger capped the drive with a 3-yard runs, and Connor Fournier’s PAT put Minnesota State on top 7-3 in the final seconds of the first quarter.
Trey Vaval’s 55-yard punt return out the Mavericks in scoring position on the second drive. On the sixth play, quarterback Hayden Ekern scored on a 2-yard run, lowering his shoulder to get into the end zone for a 14-3 lead.
MSU scored again with 1:28 to play in the first half, with Butler-Lawson bulling in from 3 yards out. However, the Bears scored on a 6-yard pass on the final play of the first half to make it 21-10.
The Mavericks quickly got those points back. Butler-Lawson’s 9-yard run finished the first drive, and Ekern passed 9 yards to tight end Anthony Valanais for the second touchdown. The final touchdown came early in the fourth quarter as Ekern connected with TreShawn Watson, who made a bobbling catch in the back of the end zone to complete the 33-yard score.
Despite just eight possessions, the Mavericks gained 381 yards, with 261 yards rushing. Ekern completed 8 of 13 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
Jacob Daulton led the defense with seven tackles, and Maven Kretche and Cody Brown both had a sack. Vaval and Cayden Lovett each had an interception.
“Everyone here is on scholarship, and you have to respect every opponent,” Vaval said. “We knew they were going to try to run the ball so it’s up to the defense to get stops.”
The Mavericks (4-0) are on the road Saturday, playing at undefeated Bemidji State.
“It’s all about the Mavericks,” Vaval said. “We don’t look behind us or in front of us. We’ll go up there and play Maverick football.”
Follow Chad Courrier on Twitter @ChadCourrier.