> Box Score

MANKATO, Minn. – No. 3 Minnesota State exploded for 35 points in the second quarter and went on to earn a 56-14 victory over Southwest Minnesota State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football on Saturday at Blakeslee Stadium.

MSU—which has now defeated SMSU in 13 all-time meetings—used a strong defense and big special teams play to blow open a scoreless game in the second quarter. The Mavericks have score 34 or more points in the last eight meetings.

 MSU improves to 5-0 overall, 1-0 NSIC South, while SMSU drops its third straight game and is 1-4 overall, 0-1 NSIC South.

 SMSU finished the game with 307 yards of offense and a season-low 15 first downs. SMSU's Davontay Stevens rushed for a team-high 91 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries, while also catching four passes for 24 yards. SMSU quarterback Charlie Kern completed just 10 of 20 pass attempts for 77 yards with one interception. Blake Gimbel came in at quarterback for SMSU in the third quarter and completed 11 of 23 passes for 93 yards.

MSU closed the game with 294 total yards and 16 first downs, but 228 came on the ground with Connor Thomas rushing for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 17 attempts.

The teams played a scoreless opening quarter, with the SMSU defense forcing a pair of punts.

Following MSU's second punt of the game, SMSU started a promising drive at its own 3-yard line. Kern picked up a third-down conversion with a nine-yard run and later completed a 29-yard pass to Tyler Tonderum to move the ball to the MSU 49-yard line. Two plays later disaster struck, as Kern was sacked and fumbled the ball, which was picked up by MSU's Joshua Gordon and returned for a 47-yard touchdown to make the score 7-0 with 14:04 left in the second quarter.

It was all MSU after that, as the Mavericks forced a punt on the Mustangs' next possession and moved 38 yards on seven plays to take a 14-0 lead as Thomas scored on a 3-yard run with 9:11 left.

The MSU special teams then took over to put the game out of reach. On SMSU's next possession, punter Mike Wenk attempted a rush on fourth-and-five, but was stopped short at the SMSU 29-yard line. MSU scored just 44 seconds later as Nick Pieruccini completed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Keyvan Rudd to extend the lead to 21-0.

SMSU was forced to punt on its next drive and Wenk's kick was blocked and returned to the SMSU 4-yard line. Thomas scored one play later to make the score 28-0 with 5:54 remaining.

Two SMSU possessions later, Wenk's 31-yard punt into a stiff wind was returned 67 yards for a touchdown by Austin Rieder to give MSU a 35-0 halftime lead.

Kern was intercepted on the first play of the second half at the SMSU 39-yard line. MSU took advantage of the short field with another touchdown—a 4-yard pass from Ricky Lloyd to Bryce Dunson—to make the score 42-0.

The MSU special teams came through again on the next SMSU possession as Wenk's punt was blocked for the second time in the game with MSU taking over at the SMSU 19-yard line. Rieder scored on the first next play on a 19-yard pass from Lloyd to push the lead to 49-0 with 10:03 left in the third.

SMSU was able to break the shutout late in the third quarter as Davontay Stevens closed off a 68-yard, six-play drive with a 6-yard touchdown run—his first touchdown at SMSU--at the 4:52 mark. It was the first points allowed by MSU in three home games this season.

MSU build the advantage to 56-7, before the SMSU defense got into the mix as Daryl Thomas intercepted an MSU pass and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown to make the score 56-14.

Alex Burton recorded a team-high seven tackles for the SMSU defense, while Blake Pennock added six tackles.

Southwest Minnesota State returns to Marshall next Saturday to take on Upper Iowa University for Homecoming with kickoff set for 6 p.m. at the Schwan Regional Event Center.