MARSHALL, Minn. (Mattke Field) - Brandon Miles (So., RB, Kenai, Alaska) rushed for a career-high 133 yards on 30 carries to lead a corps of Bemidji State University running backs that combined for 242 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-14 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory over Southwest Minnesota State University Saturday at Mattke Field in Marshall, Minn. The victory not only snapped the Beavers' longest losing streak in five years, it also extended a winning streak over the Mustangs to 10 games.

The Beavers dominated the time of possession in the game holding the ball for over 37 minutes gaining the bulk of their 335 yards of total offense on the ground while the team's defensive unit held SMSU without a single yard of net rushing, accumulated three fumble recoveries, an interception returned for a touchdown and kept the SMSU quarterback on his toes totaling four sacks.

Turnovers played a major role in first half scoring. Although BSU's Derek Edholm (Fr., QB, Anoka, Minn.) threw a pair of interceptions in the scoreless first quarter of is first collegiate start, the Beavers were on the receiving end of two Mustang turnovers in the second quarter that each led to a BSU touchdown to propel the Beavers to a 14-0 lead at the half.

After struggling to generate any offensive continuity in its first four possessions, junior linebacker Jake Anderson (Karlstad, N.D.) gave the Beavers the spark they needed. After a Josh Shudlick pass was completed to Tim Cariveau, Anderson met the receiver at the BSU 40-yardline forcing a fumble and recovering the ball to give the offense a short field to work with. Nine plays later, James Moore (So, RB, Houston, Tex.) dashed five years into the endzone to give BSU a 7-0 lead with 5:18 to go in the first half.

The ensuing kickoff was returned to the SMSU 33-yard line and after a Shudlick incompletion, Anderson again game up big stepping in front of a Shudlick pass for his first interception of the season and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown just 22 seconds after the Beavers' first score of the game.

Southwest Minnesota State cut the BSU lead in half as the third quarter wound down.

Edholm was sacked for a four-yard loss just as the Beavers ventured inside the SMSU 20-yard line. On the sack, Edholm lost the ball and the Mustangs recovered at the SMSU 23-yardline with 2:55 remaining in the quarter. It would take the Mustangs just three plays to get on the scoreboard as Shudlick connected with Derek Townsend for a 69-yard touchdown.

As the fourth quarter got underway, the Mustangs, already pinned inside their own 12-yardline, were called for holding. Unable to generate any offense, SMSU was forced to punt. Kory Roethler got a punt off but it traveled only 22 yards as Anthony Schreiber (Sr., WR, Berkeley, Ill.) signaled for a fair catch while standing on the SMSU 30-yard line.

The Beavers needed only two play to put seven points on the board as Miles scampered for the first 11 and Moore finished the job finding a hole on the SMSU defense and running 19-yard for his second touchdown of the game.

After BSU's "Gang Green" defense forced SMSU into their third three-and-out of the game, the Beavers would take over on their own 40-yard line with 11:29 to play. Twelve plays and 60 yards later, the Beavers turned in their fourth touchdown of the game with the school's all-time leader in career receptions, Schreiber, under center for a one-yard quarterback sneak.

Schreiber, originally recruited to BSU as a quarterback before making the transition to wide receiver, was in as the emergency quarterback in relief of back-up quarterback Edholm with BSU starter Cory Wardrope (So, Anchorage, Alaska) unavailable.

SMSU would add another touchdown with 2:39 left on the clock and would successfully execute an on-side kick and recover at their own 43-yard line, but it was too little, too late as the Beavers would coast to their fifth conference victory of 2007.

In addition to Miles' day running the ball, Moore rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries while Edholm was 11-of-25 through the air for 93 yards with the two interceptions. He also totaled 41 rushing yards. Besides his one-yard plunge into the end zone, Schreiber led all players with six catches for 38 yards.

On defense it was Josh Rose (Sr., CB, Stillwater, Minn.) who turned in a career-high 12 tackles (nine solo), but Anderson was the story recording a career-best 10 tackles (five solo) with 3.5 tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and the interception returned for a second-quarter touchdown. Robert Molstad (Sr., DE, Champlin, Minn.) also came up big for BSU. After failing to record a sack in the Beavers' last three contests, he posted three of BSU's four sacks on the day while he totaled seven tackles (three solo.)

For the Mustangs, any offense was generated by Shudlick. The quarterback threw for 327 yards on 23-of-39 with a pair of touchdown strikes and an interception. Justin Van Wyk led the SMSU receivers with five catches, but it was Townsend that racked up a game-high 127 receiving yards including the long touchdown catch-and-run.

Reed Tyler paced the SMSU defense racking up 10 tackles (six solo) with a TFL and one of the Mustangs two interceptions.

The 5-4 Beavers, 4-3 in league play, continue league play when they host Concordia University-St. Paul Saturday Nov. 3 in the 2007 home finale. The game is slated for a 1 p.m. start at Chet Anderson Field.

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