MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State earned its first home victory since the 2018 with the Mustang defense forcing three turnovers, while Jesse Sherwood rushed for a career-high 196 yards on a career-high 32 carries, to pace SMSU to a 14-6 victory over Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday night at The Schwan Regional Event Center.
 
The victory was also the first for SMSU first-year head coach Scott Underwood.
 
SMSU used a pair of big touchdown runs to secure the victory as Sherwood broke free for a 63-yard score early in the game, while Eric Lira cruised to a 52-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to give the Mustangs an eight-point lead.
 
The last time SMSU held an opponent to less than 10 points came during its last home victory over Northern State on Oct. 20, 2018. SMSU also limited CSP to a pair of field goals tonight, which marked the first time since the 2015 season a Mustang defense held an opponent to zero touchdowns.
 
Sherwood also led SMSU with three catches for 29 yards, while Zeke Robinson caught two passes for 42 yards, including a 32-yard reception. Sherwood's 196-yard rushing performance tied for the 14th highest single-game total in team history.
 
Justus McComb earned his first career victory as a Mustang quarterback as he finished completing 8 of 17 yards for 106 yards and two interceptions.
 
Onte Burns racked up a game-high 11 tackles for pace the Mustangs, while Thomas Mergen added eight stops and forced one fumble. Alan Giron and Austin Moore also forced fumbles to help SMSU win the turnover battle.
 
Jaylin Richardson rushed for 175 yards on 14 carries to pace the CSP offense with teammate Conner Cordts completing 17 of 28 passes for 170 yards.
 
Following a punt by SMSU on its first possession of the game, CSP fumbled for the first time in the game as Johnson stripped Richardson with Hunter Bohannon recovering at the SMSU 34-yard line. Just two plays later, Sherwood ran off the left side and broke free for a 63-yard touchdown run.
 
CSP would cut the deficit to 7-3 late in the first quarter on a Sam Henson 24-yard field goal.
 
Neither team was able to muster much offense in the second half as the score remained 7-3 at halftime.
 
SMSU nearly added to the lead on its first drive of the second half, moving the ball to the CSP 20-yard line, but Carter Dicker's 37-yard field goal hit the right upright to keep the score 7-3.
 
CSP would move the ball inside the SMSU 45-yard line on its next drive, but Mergen forced the second turnover of the game with Jalani Jefferson pouncing on the ball.
 
The game would remain 7-3 into the fourth quarter before the SMSU stepped up in a big way to keep the Mustangs in the lead. CSP faced first-and-10 from the SMSU 12-yard line, but CSP was forced to settle for a Henson 22-yard field goal with 12:58 left in the game. Giron, Burns and Marquise Ogletree all had big tackles to help force the field goal.
 
SMSU answered with one of the biggest plays of the game on its next drive as Lira took a jet-sweep handoff and sprinted 52 yards for his first career touchdown to extend the lead to 14-6 at the 10:35 mark.
 
Moore came through on the first play of the ensuing CSP drive as he stripped-sacked Cordts with Josiah Hedensten jumping on the ball at the CSP 30-yard line.
 
SMSU looked to seal the victory facing third-and-seven from the CSP 9-yard line, but McCombs' pass was deflected intercepted by CSP's Brayden Hilgemann.
 
On CSP's first play from scrimmage moments later, Richardson put together an electrifying 74-yard run down to the SMSU 23-yard line. Once again, the Mustang defense held up and forced the Golden Bears to attempt a 50-yard field goal that was missed short.
 
SMSU would take over with 6:23 left in the game and sealed the victory by picking-up four first downs before turning over the ball on downs at the CSP 1-yard line with four second left.
 
SMSU continues play versus another NSIC North Division foe next Saturday with a 2 p.m. match-up at UMary in Bismarck, N.D.