Ekern has thrived since returning to MSU football
Nov. 26—Minnesota State football coach Todd Hoffner said his staff tracks decision-making by quarterbacks during games.
The play might not be as successful as hoped, but did the quarterback do the right thing? Hoffner said quarterback Hayden Ekern made the right decision every time.
"I don't think that's ever happened since I've been here," Hoffner said. "Especially on third down, his decision-making was spot on."
The No. 3-seeded Mavericks (10-2) take on No. 2 Colorado School of Mines (10-2) in the Super Region 4 semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday at Golden, Colorado.
Ekern will have to have another big day for the Mavericks to be successful in what could be a high-scoring game.
"We all have to do our jobs," Ekern said. "We have to help the defense out, and the defense will help us out. We'll be ready to go. Take it one snap at a time."
Ekern was having a good first half in the season-opener at Bemidji State when he injured his shoulder, forcing him to miss the next three games. He played sparingly against Concordia-St. Paul and resumed the starting role against Wayne State in Week 6.
From that point, he still managed to put together an All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season, passing for 1,460 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushing for 351 yards and eight touchdowns.
"As the quarterback, you need to provide that on-field leadership and off-field leadership," Hoffner said. "He holds his teammates accountable, and he has a strong voice in meetings and on the field. He's lived up to the expectations of what the quarterback needs to do."
Last week, in a 26-9 playoff win over Wayne State in cold, windy conditions, he only had 45 yards rushing and 73 yards passing, but he made some clutch throws and some timely runs that allowed the Mavericks to convert 8 of 15 third-down plays.
"The offensive line, the receivers, the running backs all did a great job," Ekern said.
Colorado School of Mines has won 10 straight games since opening the season with losses to Grand Valley State and Angelo State, the top two teams in the last national polls.
The Orediggers have an explosive offense, averaging 47.2 points and 500.3 yards of offense.
Running back Michael Zeman has rushed for 4,229 yards and 54 touchdowns in his career, with 1,069 yards and 20 touchdowns this season.
Quarterback John Matocha has completed 70.7% of his passes for 3,731 yards and 39 touchdowns with just five interceptions, and receivers Max McLeod and Josh Johnston both have more than 1,000 yards receiving.
"They have a dynamic offense," Hoffner said. "They expect the quarterback to make a lot of decisions, and he's a really good athlete. You can't sell your soul to stop the run or the pass because he does both well. This is the most athletic, long, fast defense we've faced all year."
The Mavericks have averaged 32.7 points and allowed 21.3 points, rushing for 168.8 yards and passing for 200.1 yards per game.
Ekern is looking forward to the challenge of winning an NCAA playoff road game. He's still not 100% healthy, but he's ready to help his team extend the winning streak.
"Not a lot of people who play college football at this level get to fly to a game," Ekern said. "It's an awesome opportunity. We're really pumped."
Follow Chad Courrier on Twitter @ChadCourrier.
