BEMIDJI, Minn. (Chet Anderson Stadium) -- The No. 22 Bemidji State University football program rushed behind the legs of the backfield and freshman quarterback Jared Henning to grab its seventh consecutive Homecoming victory Saturday, 52-28, against Minot State University. Henning finished with a team-high and career-high 172 rushing yards, followed by running backs Gena Adams with 152 and Tahi Nomane with 87 to improve the Beavers to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division.
BSU began the game with two consecutive touchdown drives, including a 36-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Nick Mehlum to Adams on the team’s first offensive play. Adams scored from 22 yards out on the second drive before Mehlum threw his second touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Juwaan Richard from 18 yards out to take a 21-7 lead.
The Mehlum to Richard connection was the beginning of a 25-point quarter for Bemidji State to head into halftime with a 39-21 lead. The BSU backfield totaled 222 rushing yards by halftime, including 127 from Henning. The Beavers finished with 436 yards on the ground after building the early lead through the air.
The "Gang Green" defense held Minot State to seven points and 94 total yards in the second half. Senior defensive back Kameel Al-Khouri grabbed his third interception of the season late in the third quarter while junior linebacker Anthony Valentine scooped up his first fumble recovery of the season on MiSU’s final drive of the game.
Bemidji State’s rushing attack has produced 1,068 yards over the past three games, including a program record 480 against University of Mary. The Beavers’ previous record in a single game was 453 set in 1989, putting Saturday’s effort just 17 yards shy of that mark.
No. 22 Bemidji State travels to University of Minnesota Duluth for a matchup of unbeaten teams in NSIC North play. The Beavers and Bulldogs kick off at 1 p.m. from Duluth, Minn.
For more information on the Bemidji State athletic programs, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on Twitter (@BSUBeavers or @BSUBeaversFB), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers or facebook.com/BSUBeaverFootball) or sign up for the TXTUpdates from BSUBeavers.com text-messaging system through the "Multimedia" pull down menu on the main page of BSUBeavers.com.
Nestled in Northern Minnesota’s wooded region and located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men’s and women’s hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
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