Box Score
MARSHALL, Minn. – Blake Gimbel connected with
Nate Huot on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to lift Southwest Minnesota State to a dramatic 34-30 victory over Bemidji State at the Schwan Regional Event Center on Saturday night.
The victory for SMSU (2-0 NSIC) snaps a 13-game losing streak to BSU (0-2 NSIC) dating back to Sept. 27, 1997. The victory also gives SMSU a 2-0 start to the season for the first time since 2010.
Bemidji State led 30-27 with two minutes and 10 seconds left in the game, taking over at its own 29-yard line, and looking to run the clock out. The SMSU defense came through big time, forcing a three-and-out and a BSU punt, giving the SMSU offense the ball back with 1:07 remaining at the Mustang 36-yard line.
Gimbel started the drive with back-to-back pass completions to Huot for a combined 23 yards, moving the ball to the BSU 41-yard line, before connecting with
Ty Steffensen on a 13-yard completion at the BSU 28-yard line with 33 seconds remaining. Following an incompletion to stop the clock, Gimbel lofted a pass in the end zone to Huot—that fell incomplete—but pass interference on BSU gave SMSU a first down at the 13-yard line. On the next play, Gimbel fired a strike to Huot, who broke a tackle near the goal line and ran across the goal line for the game-winning touchdown.
SMSU finished the night running 97 plays and recording 500 yards of offense, including 236 on the ground. It was SMSU's first 500-yard game since Oct. 25, 2014, and its second straight game with 30 or more first downs.
Ashanti Payne led the SMSU offense with a career-high 153 yards rushing and one touchdown on 23 carries.
Davontay Stevens added 98 yards and two touchdowns on 25 attempts.
Gimbel completed 31 of 42 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. Steffensen and Huot both finished with eight receptions and combined for 141 yards receiving.
AJ Page paced the Mustang defense with eight tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery, while
Caleb Leichtnam finished with a team-high nine stops with 1.5 tackles for loss.
BSU quarterback Jordan Hein completed 25 of 43 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Juwaan Richard caught a team-high six passes for 43 yards.
The Beavers finished with 408 yards of offense on 81 plays and 20 first downs.
SMSU started the scoring in the first quarter on its opening possession. Starting at their own 30-yard line, SMSU moved the ball 70 yards in eight plays with Payne plowing in on a 6-yard touchdown run with nine minutes and 13 seconds left in the first quarter to make the score 7-0 following
Austin Wells' PAT.
BSU answered right back—highlighted by a 75-yard kickoff return by Juwaan Richard—to tie the game on its next possession. Jordan Hein fired a 5-yard touchdown strike to Tucker Forsgren to make the score 7-7 midway through the opening quarter.
SMSU fumbled on its next drive, setting up the BSU offense at the Mustang 22-yard line. Six plays later Hein connected on a 5-yard touchdown pass to Christian Lunde to give the Beavers a 14-7 lead with 4:38 left in the quarter.
SMSU cut into the lead early in the second quarter as Stevens busted through on a 3-yard touchdown run to make the score 14-13. SMSU's point after try was blocked and BSU's Evan Tompkins scooped up the ball and returned it to the end zone for a defensive PAT and giving BSU a 16-13 advantage.
The Mustang defense then came through with a big stop late in the first half to help SMSU regain the lead. Taking over at their own 15-yard line with 2:07 left in the half, BSU was forced to put following a sack by
AJ Page and two incomplete passes. On the ensuing punt,
Andrew McReynolds returned the ball to the BSU 26-yard line with 1:28 remaining in the half.
Facing fourth-and-nine at the BSU 25-yard line with 45 seconds on the clock, Gimbel completed an 18-yard first down pass to Steffensen down to the seven-yard line. Following a false start penalty, Gimbel hit
Raphael Lawson-Gayle for a 12-yard touchdown pass and following the PAT, SMSU took a 20-16 lead into the break.
BSU scored on its first two possessions of the second half—converting third-down conversions on both possessions—to build a 30-20 lead with 7:21 left in the third.
Trailing by 10, SMSU came right back with a huge drive as Stevens, closed a 10-play, 72-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 30-27.
Following interceptions by both teams early in the fourth quarter, BSU looked to add to the lead midway through the fourth quarter. Starting at the SMSU 25-yard line with 10:16 remaining, the Beavers moved the ball to the SMSU seven-yard line, but the SMSU defense forced a 25-yard field goal attempt by Isaac Aanerud that was missed wide right keeping the lead at 30-27.
SMSU moved the ball down the BSU 33-yard line on its ensuing drive, but was stopped on downs with 2:10 on the clock, setting up the final two crucial possessions.
Southwest Minnesota State will travel to St. Cloud, Minn., next Saturday to face St. Cloud State (1-1 NSIC) at Husky Stadium starting at 3 p.m.
