mvosburg@mankatofreepress.com
It’s never a bad thing to start 2-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
That’s what No. 8 Minnesota State football gets to celebrate for the rest of the weekend after a 34-16 conference win against Minot State Saturday.
It was a game filled with intrigue: multiple quarterbacks shined, a member of the chain gang got steamrolled by a Beavers player that couldn’t put on the brakes in time (the chain gang guy got up and was fine by the way), the Mavericks played the Beavers, and the Beavers offense was something straight out of the John F. Kennedy administration.
Yes, that was a lot at once. So let me explain it all in my three takeaways from Week 2.
Sims is closer than we think
The biggest question mark entering the season for the No. 8 football team in Division 2 was quarterback. After Week 1’s 38-14 win over Northwest Missouri State all signs appeared to sophomore Mitchell Thompson having the keys to the offense.
Saturday saw redshirt freshman Maximus Sims, who did have his moments of brilliance in Week 1, take the majority of the snaps against the Beavers.
And honestly, he played exactly how you’d expect a redshirt freshman dual threat quarterback would play in his first collegiate start.
He led the Mavericks on a 13-play, 64-yard drive out of the chutes for a 7-0 lead. MSU played with the lead for the remainder of the game.
And after racking up 102 yards off nine carries he showed everyone at Blakeslee Stadium why the Mavericks wanted him in the first place. While Thompson runs like thunder, Sims may end up being a guy that moves like lightning.
Him passing the ball, though, is an area that saw Sims have a combination of bad luck and developing instincts.
There were at least three times where a receiver simply couldn’t haul in a pass. There were times where he fired balls too high.
In fact, there was one opportunity where he dropped back and patiently waited in the pocket for a slant route to open up in the endzone. Sims waited and fired not where his receiver was at, but where the opening in Minot State’s zone defense was going to be set at.
His pass, from a horizontal perspective, was on point. From a vertical perspective, about six inches too high. The Mavericks settled for a field goal on the drive.
Yes, Sims went 7 of 16 for 70 yards as a passer, but those numbers could have been better with a little better luck and accuracy. Sims really isn’t that far off and played well in his first start.
Thompson Time successful again
Thompson also saw action. Once again, he and TreShawn Watson were on the same page.
The duo connected on a post route into the wind for a 71-yard touchdown and also connected from 28 yards out.
When Thompson targets Watson he is 8 of 8 with three touchdowns.
And after finishing 6 of 7 for 142 yards with two scores and an interception on a Hail Mary in the endzone to close the first half it’s fair to say that Thompson was also impressive.
So who is the guy going forward?
If I had to concoct a hypothesis, it would be Thompson gets first crack at Minnesota Duluth next week with Sims also getting some action. Thompson and Watson have chemistry that compliments the run game nicely.
It’s tough because both Thompson and Sims have similar skill sets and high ceilings. The difference is the extra year in the program Thompson possesses.
But the gap between the two is closer than you think.
Minot’s old school offensive approach
Football is without a shadow of doubt a copycat sport. From the Wishbone to the Pistol to Spread offenses, everyone copies one another in a race to make modern work first.
Then you have Minot State, whose offensive approach is something I keep in my back pocket in college football video games to grind out the clock when ahead.
The Beavers worked primarily out of two formations that I didn’t think I’d ever see in college football in 2025. Yet, as someone who played and coached high school football in a Power-T formation, loved watching the entire game.
Primarily, the Beavers played out of a Double Wing formation. A slot back off the ball at the end of either side of the formation parallel with the quarterback under center and a fullback (or what the Beavers call a “B-back” on their roster).
You still get pre-snap motion like you do on jet sweeps, but you’re set up for an old-school triple option look, which worked wonders on the Beavers’ first drive of the second half, finding the endzone in three plays.
Then you have one of my all-time favorite looks: the Maryland I (it’s also known as a Power I or Stack I, but Maryland I sounds cooler to me). Seven linemen, quarterback under center, three running backs stacked behind the quarterback. You immediately have a quick dive look to the first back, a traditional iso look to the second, or two players at full speed barreling to open up running lanes.
And after accumulating 337 rushing yards and chewing up 36:45 of game clock, the offense served its purpose.
But credit to MSU’s defense, who faced a modern spread offense a week earlier. The Beavers went 6 of 14 on third down, 1 of 3 on fourth down, came up with a fumble recovery on what felt like their own 1/64th yard line and forced three turnovers.
It’s not an easy adjustment, but it’s an adjustment the Mavericks made well, and well enough to win by three-possessions after seeing the Beavers pull within three points to start the second half.
Mitch Vosburg is a multi-time award-winning sports writer and photographer who proudly serves as sports editor for the Mankato Free Press. He can be reached at mvosburg@mankatofreepress.com. Follow him on Instagram (@themantheycallmitch) and on X/Twitter (@realmitchvburg).