MANKATO — This time, there was no dramatic field goal.
The defense won this one.
Minnesota State didn’t lead until early in the fourth quarter, then made a dramatic stand in the final seconds to defeat Bemidji State 27-23 in an NCAA quarterfinal football game Saturday at Blakeslee Stadium.
Bemidji State scored first on a 44-yard field goal in the first quarter, and Minnesota State’s Matthew Jaeger missed from 47 yards.
The Beavers scored the first touchdown on a 10-yard pass to make it 10-0.
Minnesota State’s best drive of the first half came late in the second quarter. A 34-yard run by Christian Vasser put the ball inside the 10, and a couple plays later, Sam Backer scored on a 5-yard run. Jaeger’s PAT cut the deficit to 10-7.
The Beavers were able to score again before halftime, set up by a nice kick return, but the Mavericks scored again with 14 seconds remaining on Hayden Ekern’s 12-yard run as the lead shrank to 17-14 at halftime.
Bemidji State scored early in the third quarter on a 77-yard run, but the PAT was blocked. The Mavericks came back with an 8-yard pass from Ekern to TreShawn Watson that made it 23-21.
Bemidji State was about to score in the fourth quarter but fumbled at the Minnesota State 3. Lorenzo Jones then returned it to the Bemidji 16. Four plays later, Ekern scored on the sneak, and the Mavericks led for the first time at 27-23 with 11:07 to play.
The Mavericks burned most of the fourth quarter with a long drive but tried a fourth-down play at the Bemidji State 36. The Beavers held with a minute to go.
Bemidji State drove quickly and had a first down at the 11. But the Minnesota State defense held on four plays to seal the win.
Minnesota State (11-3) will be on the road in the national semifinals, with the pairings announced later Saturday.
Follow Chad Courrier on X @ChadCourrier.