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Minot State scores season-high 47 points

By MICHAEL LINNELL, Sports Editor mlinnell@minotdailynews.com

Minot State University's Nick Banks (1) runs behind the block of Lance Hollinger (21) as Banks scored on a 12-yard run during the second half of the Beavers' 47-26 Dakota Athletic Conference football win Saturday at Herb Parker Stadium. Jennifer Thorgramson/MDN

Minot State University just keeps on finding new ways to win football games.

This time around it was the offense's turn to carry the Beavers as MSU scored a season-high 47 points and amassed 495 yards of total offense to defeat Valley City State 47-26 in Dakota Athletic Conference football Saturday at Herb Parker Stadium.

“It was nice to see the offense come through like that,” MSU junior defensive end Chris Bowden said. “The defense has kept us in games in the second half over the first couple of games, but (Saturday) it was the offense.”

The win, MSU's fifth in a row all in conference, coupled with Jamestown College's 19-16 loss to Black Hills State, has the Beavers (5-0 DAC, 5-3 overall) alone atop the league with two weeks to play.

“We aren't thinking about that right now,” MSU head coach Paul Rudolph said. “We will enjoy this one and get in the pool and the weight room next week and get ready for another one.”

The Beavers had two big momentum swing plays in the game.

The first came midway through the first quarter on the Beavers' second play from scrimmage. The Beavers trailed 7-0 after an impressive first drive by the Vikings. MSU quarterback Jon Meier, who had thrown an interception on his first pass, found Kevin Hanson on a double move and Hanson raced 76 yards for the score, knotting the game at 7.

“I saw they were in man and we had the wrong play called so I checked to (Hanson),” Meier said. “It was a big play. We needed something to get us going.”

“It was a great read by Jon and it just kind of opened up for me,” Hanson said. “The offense opened things up a little and we got things going.”

The second big play came midway through the third quarter. The Vikings took a 26-20 lead on two Anthony Walkine runs, one right before the end of the first half and one early in the third quarter. The Beavers responded with a five-play, 50-yard drive that featured a steady dose of Nick Banks. Banks carried the ball three times in the drive for 39 yards and hit pay dirt with a 12-yard run to give MSU its first lead at 27-26

Banks, Meier and Hanson put up impressive offensive numbers as Banks rushed for 204 yards on 35 carries, Meier threw for 301 yards and four scores and Hanson had four catches for 114 yards and a touchdown.

“We got Johnny (Meier) and Nick going at the same time and that was great to see,” Rudolph said. “I looked at the stats and was surprised at how many yards Nick ended up having. That's a tribute to how we ran the ball.”

The MSU defense responded after a slow start. The Beavers gave up 26 points over the first two quarters and two minutes, but did not allow the Vikings inside the MSU 25 over the final 28:27 of the game.

“We started to do some things different up front, some stunting and twisting and that made a difference,” Bowden said. “I think we started to get to (VCSU quarterback Jason Beilke) a little more. We came in wanting to shut down their running game and keyed on the pass.”

Beilke threw for 305 yards, but needed 52 passes to do so and was picked off four times. MSU's Nick Marshall recorded his DAC-leading seventh interception, while sophomore linebacker Martel Pope nabbed his fourth of the season, Travis Harmon intercepted a pass setting up the Beavers' sixth score and tipped a ball that Bowden snagged with one hand, setting up the Beavers' final score.

“I don't know what to say, we have been very good at taking it away at home,” Rudolph said. “Nick and Martel have probably have the best hands on the team. Nick timed his perfectly and Martel started understanding what they were doing better in the second half and made a good read.”

The Vikings (2-3 DAC, 2-5 overall) looked to be in good position after the Walkine score that made it 26-20, but, according to head coach Dennis McCulloch, have had trouble sustaining games deep into the second half.

“We have had trouble in the second and I don't know why,” he said. “I thought we were in good shape, but give Minot credit, they have a good defense and we started to turn the ball over.”

MSU turned the final two turnovers into points as Meier scored on a QB sneak and then hit Chauncy Hendershot with a 12-yard fade route, the second Meier-to-Hendershot score in the game.

“The receivers ran good routes and the line made the blocks up front,” Meier said. “It is pretty easy to make the pass if that happens.”

Walkine, the league's second-leading rusher behind Banks coming into the game, finished with 84 yards on 28 carries and scored three times. But, MSU limited Walkine to just three yards on 10 carries in the second.

“They wore us down a little I think. We had the defense on the field too much,” McCulloch said. “Plus, we got too one-dimensional.”

MSU heads to Madison, S.D. to take on Dakota State next Saturday to clinch at least a share of the conference championship. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m.