VALPARAISO, Ind. – Valparaiso rallied from an early 15-0 deficit by scoring the game's final 16 points to earn a 16-15 victory over Southwest Minnesota State in non-conference football at Brown Field.
 
Valpo, an FCS member of the Pioneer Football League, scored the game-winning touchdown with 5:14 left in the fourth quarter on a 35-yard touchdown run by Michael Appel to put the Beacons on top at 16-15.
 
SMSU, which drops to 1-4 overall, was outstanding on defense, limiting Valpo to 179 yards of offense on 58 plays with 11 first downs. Valpo (1-3) won the game despite finishing the game converting just 3 of 15 third-down conversions. SMSU finished the game with six sacks, its highest output since 2018 and also recorded a safety and an interception return for a touchdown.
 
The Valpo defense was also strong, limiting SMSU to 11 first downs and 243 yards of offense.
 
Donald Austin rushed for a game-high 57 yards on 19 carries for SMSU, while Marcus Martin finished with 35 yards on the ground despite three sacks.
 
Peter Osman caught a team-high three passes for the Mustangs for 30 yards.
 
Gideon Ervasti amassed a team-high nine tackles for the Mustang defense with Josiah Hedensten adding eight tackles and two sacks.
 
SMSU punter Mason Carver helped set-up the game's first points with his defensive teammates coming through with the game's first big play. Following a punt by Carver to the Valpo 2-yard line, Mark Person broke free and sacked Michael Appel in the end zone on third-and-nine to give SMSU a 2-0 advantage at the 6:58 mark of the first quarter.
 
Following the free kick, SMSU extended the lead as Martin tossed a 65-yard touchdown pass to Rashaan Palmer on third-and-16 to make the score 8-0 with 5:02 remaining in the first quarter.
 
After the teams exchanged punts, the SMSU defense came through once again with Jalani Jefferson catching a tipped pass at the Valpo 16-yard line and returning to the end zone to push the lead to 15-0 early in the second quarter. The interception return for a touchdown was SMSU's first since the 2021 season.
 
The Beacons would score their first points of the game at the 9:22 mark of the second on a 40-yard field goal by Ryan Hawk.
 
The Beacons would nearly score moments later with a blocked punt setting up the Valpo offense at the SMSU 3-yard line. The Mustang defense held strong again with Valpo's Patrick Oliva missing a 32-yard field goal attempt to end the drive with no points for the Beacons.
 
SMSU picked-up a first down on the ensuing drive, but a Martin fumble on third down near midfield gave Valpo a chance with just over two minutes left in the half. The Beacons would later face fourth-and-12 from the SMSU 28-yard line, but Appel connected with Brandon Jimenez on a 28-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 15-10 at the halftime break.
 
Both teams continued to play outstanding defense in the second half, but SMSU had a huge opportunity to add to the lead in the fourth quarter. Martin opened SMSU's first drive of the quarter with a 53-yard pass to Jake Anderson down to the Valpo 25-yard line. Two plays later, SMSU had first-and-10 at the 14-yard line, but a bad snap pushed the ball back to the 38-yard line. SMSU was not able to overcome the loss of yards and later punted with Valpo taking over at its 35-yard line.
 
The Beacons would answer with the game-winning drive, including converting a fourth-and-1 from their own 44-yard line. Three plays later, Appel sprinted on a quarterback draw for the game-winning touchdown.
 
SMSU returns to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play next Saturday, Oct. 7, with a 1 p.m. kickoff at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D.