BEMIDJI, Minn. - Bemidji State senior quarterback Nathan Sannes (Fertile, Minn.) set a BSU single-game record with six touchdown passes, leading the Beavers to a 42-17 victory over Minot (N.D.) State in the team’s 2005 opener.

Sannes opened the game 6-of-6 passing for 116 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 21-of-28 day for 290 yards and the school-record six touchdowns. He completed passes to seven different receivers, with junior transfer Jonathan Hawks and sophomore Anthony Schreiber hauled in a team-high six passes each.

Sannes’s six touchdown passes surpassed the previous record of five, held by two players. Marty Follis set the mark against Southwest State on Nov. 17, 1991, and Sannes tied the record Sept. 11, 2004 at Chadron (Neb.) State.

BSU exploded to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, extended its advantage to 28-0 in the second quarter and never looked back.

Minot State turned the ball over three times on its first seven snaps from scrimmage, and all three miscues led to BSU touchdowns.

Andre James fumbled on Minot State’s second snap of the game, and five plays later Sannes hit Anthony Schreiber from three yards out to give the Beavers the first score of the game and a 7-0 lead.

Zach Christ intercepted James Culver was intercepted on the first play of the ensuing MSU drive, and Bemidji State needed just three plays to turn that turnover into points. Sannes hit Jonathan Hawks from 34 yards out, the first score of Hawks’ career, to help give BSU a 14-0 lead.

James fumbled again on the first play of Minot’s third drive, and BSU needed four plays to find the end zone. Sannes found Hawks from 26 yards out, giving Hawks touchdowns on each of his first two career receptions, to stake BSU to a 21-0 lead.

Sannes hit Chad Christianson from 65 yards out at 10:25 of the second quarter to cap a three-play, 60-yard drive and put BSU ahead, 28-0.

Minot State rallied and put up 14 unanswered points to close the second quarter and pull within two touchdowns, 28-14. Culver hit Mat Jensen from 11 yards out to put Minot on the board, capping an 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive at 5:29 of the second. Culver later connected with Silas Sneed from four yards out as time expired in the quarter to get the hosts within two scores.

BSU rolled up 353 yards on 42 snaps in the first half, with Sannes completing 11 of 14 passes for 218 yards and four touchdowns. Minot State was held to 141 yards on 26 plays from scrimmage and held the ball for just 9:31 compared to 20:29 for BSU.

The teams played a scoreless third quarter, with BSU generating just 22 yards of offense on 12 snaps.

Marko Babic connected on a 46-yard field goal at 14:01 of the fourth quarter to pull Minot within 11 points, 28-17, but Sannes found Christianson from 10 yards out at 8:42 of the fourth and hit Randall Griffin for his record-setting sixth touchdown from five yards out.

The Bemidji State passing game overshadowed a difficult afternoon by the BSU running game. BSU rushed for 205 yards as a team, but needed 48 carries to do so (4.3 yards per rush) and failed to score a rushing touchdown. It snapped a streak of 13 consecutive games with a rushing touchdown for BSU, dating back to Nov. 1, 2003 against Minnesota-Duluth.

Tyler Olson (Alvarado, Minn.) led the way with 81 yards on 19 carries for BSU. Alvaro Carvajal (San Francisco, Calif.) had 67 yards on 11 carries, and Sannes added 33 yards on 12 keepers.

BSU took advantage of seven Minot State turnovers in the contest, scoring four touchdowns after Minot State turnovers. The BSU defense forced four fumbles and saw its secondary come up with three interceptions. Safety Chris Canter and linebackers Zach Christ and Tony Wanie came up with the interceptions for BSU; safety Jeremiah Johnson recovered two fumbles, while Christ and safety Adell Hawks each had one recovery.

Bemidji State ran its winning streak over Minot State to three consecutive games with today’s win, improving to 6-1 in the series overall. BSU remained unbeaten against Minot State in Minot, winning its fourth consecutive game on MSU’s home field.

The victory improved Bemidji State to 1-0 on the season, while Minot State dropped to 0-1. BSU is back in action on Saturday, Sept. 10 when it makes its 2005 home debut against Minnesota State. Opening kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. Central time at Chet Anderson Stadium on the BSU campus.

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