MARSHALL, Minn. – Northern State rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit using outstanding defense in the second half to earn a 24-17 victory over Southwest Minnesota State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football on Saturday night and spoil SMSU's annual homecoming game. 
 
SMSU, which dropped its sixth straight game and is now 1-6 overall, 1-5 NSIC, held a 17-10 halftime advantage and racked up 234 yards of offense on 28 plays. However, the NSU defense limited SMSU to just 32 yards on 18 plays in the final 30 minutes. NSU outgained SMSU 304 to 32 in the second half to earn its second straight victory in the series. 
 
NSU picked up its second straight victory and improves to 3-4 overall, 3-4 NSIC. 
 
NSU quarterback Colton Hackel came on in relief late in the first half and finished the game completing 9 of 15 pass attempts for 215 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 63 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries. 
 
Dewaylon Ingram caught a game-high five passes for 132 yards, including a game-tying 63-yard touchdown reception to open the second half. 
 
SMSU quarterback Marcus Martin closed the game completing 12 of 23 passes for 201 yards and one touchdown. Eric Lira led the Mustangs with four receptions for 89 yards and one touchdown. Donald Austin paced the SMSU rushing attack with 39 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries. 
 
NSU finished the game with 483 yards on offense with 23 first downs on 68 plays and held a 36:07 to 23:53 time of possession advantage. 
 
SMSU closed with 266 yards on 46 total plays with 11 first downs. 
 
Josiah Hedensten and Gideon Ervasti each recorded a game-high 12 tackles with Hedensten racking up 2.5 tackles for loss. Thomas Mergen added 11 tackles, while Jalani Jefferson chipped in with 10 tackles. 
 
The game started in a big way for SMSU in scoring the game's first points with Austin capping a 67-yard drive on just four plays with a 12-yard touchdown run. Martin completed passes of 26 yards to Austin and 27 yards to Lira to highlight the drive. 
 
NSU answered on its first drive with a 26-yard field goal by Drew Smook to cut the deficit to 7-3 midway through the first quarter. 
 
The SMSU offense clicked once again on its second drive with Martin connecting on a 45-yard touchdown pass to Lira at the 2:34 mark to extend the lead to 14-3 following Carter Dicker's PAT. The touchdown reception for Lira was the first of his career. 
 
SMSU nearly added to the lead midway through the second quarter, but a dropped pass on a potential 68-yard touchdown dropped incomplete. One play later, Martin was intercepted at the NSU 30-yard line and the Wolves' comeback was underway. 
 
Hackel entered the game with just under five minutes left in the half and on his third play of the game completed a 51-yard touchdown pass to Dakota Larson to make the score 14-10 with 3:41 left in the half. 
 
SMSU rallied back on its next drive with Martin finding Peter Osman for a 42-yard pass on the drive's first play to help set up a 41-yard field goal by Dicker at the 1:27 mark to help SMSU take a 17-10 halftime lead. 
 
NSU quickly tied the game in the third quarter as Hackel found Ingram on a slant pass on the first play of the half and the senior sprinted for a 63-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 17-17. 
 
Following a three-and-out by the Mustangs, the Wolves would take their first lead of the game on their next drive as Hackel capped a 77-yard, five-play drive with a 7-yard touchdown run at the 10:37 mark to make the score 24-17.  
 
NSU would later miss a 27-yard field goal and SMSU's Tate Gaul would block a NSU punt in the third quarter, but SMSU wasn't able to take advantage as the offense would finish with four straight three-and-out possessions. 
 
NSU would start the fourth quarter with an impressive drive that took more than eight minutes off the clock. The drive would see the Wolves convert a third-and-six from their own 19-yard and later a fourth-and-2 from the SMSU 47-yard line. The SMSU defense would finally end the drive turning NSU on downs at the SMSU 29-yard line with 6:56 remaining. 
 
SMSU would pick-up its only first down of the second half as Martin found Jake Anderson for a 24-yard pass play on third-and-15. SMSU would later move the ball towards midfield but was forced to punt facing fourth-and-11 with 4:24 remaining in the game. 
 
NSU would not give the ball back to SMSU as the Wolves offense picked up a first down on fourth-and-one from their own 30-yard with 2:35 left in the game. NSU would record two more first downs to run out the clock and seal the victory. 
 
SMSU remains at home next Saturday, Oct. 21, facing MSU Moorhead with kickoff slated for 1 p.m.