MANKATO — Yeah, the Mitchell Thompson to TreShawn Watson connection is going to be a problem.
A 21-point surge sealed the deal as No. 8 Minnesota State football knocked off Minot State Saturday at Blakeslee Stadium.
The Mavericks are now 2-0 overall and are 1-0 in NSIC action.
“It was definitely an offensive game,” Mavericks head coach Todd Hoffner said. “We fortunately stopped them enough times to keep them off the scoreboard.”
The Beavers (0-2) pulled within three points to start the second half off a 3-play, 70-yard drive that saw Devin Daniels score from 25 yards out. It also put the visitors, who possessed the ball for 21:35 of the first half, down 13-10, hovering within striking distance.
The Mavericks immediately responded with an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped by sophomore Sam Backer’s second touchdown of the afternoon. And after the defense forced a three-and-out, Thompson entered the game at quarterback.
On 2nd and 10 from the Mavericks’ 29-yard line he fired a pass into the wind to Watson, who was beginning to open up on a post route. Thompson’s aerial sailed past two defenders and into the hands of Watson, who scampered into the endzone for a 71-yard touchdown and a 27-10 lead.
On the next drive the Thompson-to-Watson connection struck again. This time they connected for a 28-yard touchdown and a 34-10 lead entering the fourth quarter.
“It just all comes out of the faith, trust and belief in each other, that he’s gonna be at his landmark and I’m going to get him the ball,” Thompson said of his chemistry with Watson. “When you have a guy like that … you can throw him 50/50 balls and they can become 90/10 balls.”
While the Beavers’ old-school offensive approach did create problems at times, it was far from perfect.
Sure, Minot State churned 337 rushing yards and had the ball for 36:45. But the Mavericks’ defense forced the visitors to make three crucial mistakes.
With the Mavericks leading 10-3 the Beavers attempted to do something they’ve rarely done this season out of the double wing and Maryland I formations: throw the ball.
What they didn’t plan on early in the second quarter was junior Emanuel Spiyee ensuring nothing got over the top. He did that, earning an interception that cut off any hopes the Beavers had of shrinking the 7-3 hole they were in.
“I saw the (quarterback) throw the ball, and it came right at me,” Spiyee said. “I just squeezed onto (the ball).”
“Give Minot (State) a lot of credit. They came here to win,” Hoffner said. “They competed hard. They controlled the clock. They controlled the time of possession.”
The Beavers had another crack on offense, ultimately facing 4th and goal from the MSU 1 yard line with under two minutes remaining in the first half. Quarterback Carson Chrisman attempted to sneak in under center, but the ball squirted free on the exchange. MSU recovered the ball on the edge of their own goal line to extinguish another threat from Minot State.
The Mavericks recovered another fumble in the second half, finishing the day with three turnovers forced.
“I think the guys played a little bit looser,” Hoffner said. “I think they had a little bit more fun.”
Thompson finished 6 of 7 for 142 yards with two scores and added 53 yards on the ground.
Redshirt freshman Maximus Sims, who took the bulk of the quarterback snaps, was 7 of 16 for 70 yards and produced 102 yards of nine carries, including a 42-yard rush.
Watson had four catches for 113 yards and two scores and a 95-yard kick return. Senior Grant Guyett had six catches for 83 yards.
Backer added 32 yards and two scores on the ground.
Cade Stingle led the Mavericks with nine total tackles and added a tackle for loss. Amaun Wiliams had five solo tackles and a tackle for loss. Cayden Lovett and Jefferson Mobry had seven total tackles each.
The Mavericks hit the road for Week 3, colliding with Minnesota Duluth at 4 p.m. Saturday.