BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Bemidji State University Beavers football program tallied its 20^th straight win over the Minot State University Beavers on Saturday afternoon. Bemidji State is now 5-2 this season with a 4-2 record in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
 
Minot State won the initial coin toss and elected to defer until the second half, giving the BSU Beaver offense the ball to kick things off. Things started slowly for both Beavers with BSU's first drive lasting just five plays for 12 yards and MSU's following drive being just three for four yards. Bemidji State capitalized on the following drive, marking 41 yards over eight plays to charge into the endzone. Quarterback Sam McGath was able to show his rushing abilities against MSU, marking the first and third touchdowns for the Green and White and tallying 80 net yards on 18 attempts. Switching things up on special teams, Connor Mantelli came in to grab the extra point after kick and put BSU up 7-0 heading into the second frame. Before the first quarter ended, Colton Hinrichs found his power at the right place and time to force a fumble which would be returned by Eli Coenen for three yards, ending MSU's drive at just two plays. 
 
The second period saw the BSU Beavers starting things with an eight minute and 22 second drive lasting 14 plays and moving 40 yards. During this drive, a combination of penalties from both Beavers moved the ball back and forth until multiple short gains from running back Jarrett Gronski grabbed the Beavers another touchdown, making 13 unanswered points. Mantelli came back for his second PAT kick of the night to increase that lead to 14 points. The following drive from Minot State was able to mark a few points for MSU, ending in a 33-yard field goal from Maverick Price with just over three minutes remaining. 
 
A muffed punt to start the second half resulted in a recovery for Minot State and a drive that ended in a 13-yard rushing touchdown for Minot State. The Beavers wouldn't let up any more points to Minot State for the remainder of the game. Instead, BSU went on to add one more touchdown, an eight-yard rush for McGath marking his second of the day, and a PAT kick from Mantelli, bringing the score to 21-9 in favor of BSU. 
 
Entering the game, Minot State was ranked ninth in the NCAA for rushing yards at an average of 245.7 per game. This changed quickly against the Beavers' Gang Green Defense and they finished the game with just 114 net yards on the ground and one touchdown. Bemidji State's defense also marked three sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, plus eight quarterback hurries. Leading the Beavers this weekend was senior defensive back Jacob Vasquez with nine tackles, seven solo and two assisted. Vasquez also marked one tackle for a loss and forced a fumble. Colton Hinrichs and Cade Barrett found themselves in the Minot State backfield the most often, each grabbing three tackles for a loss and marking 17 and 11 TFL yards, respectively. Both, along with Marcus Hansen, also tallied sacks for Bemidji State.
 
On the offensive front, Drayton Lehman marked the highest number of receiving yards for BSU at 27, followed closely by Kaleb Miller with 25. On the ground, Sam McGath and Jarrett Gronski marked all the Beavers' touchdowns and 146 rushing yards between the pair. McGath had the longest play for BSU with a 20-yard rush early in the fourth quarter. McGath tallied a .706 completion percentage through the air with 66 yards and a long of 12 yards. 
 
Connor Mantelli was moved into the Beavers' PAT kicking role this afternoon and found all three attempts going through the uprights. After a long break from play due to injury, Landon Arends returned to his spot on the Beavers' kickoff unit, marking an average of 53 yards per kick with two attempts. 
 
Bemidji State now heads to Winona, Minn. next Saturday to take on the Winona State University Warriors at 1 p.m. from Maxwell Field. They'll be back at the Chet on Nov. 2 when they host (RV) Wayne State College at 1 p.m. Both games will be available on NSIC Network for streaming and on the Beaver Radio Network. 
 
For more information on the Bemidji State Football program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X (@BSUBeaversFB), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and like them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversFB).
 
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 Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).