Mavericks' rally comes up short
Sep. 18—ABERDEEN, S.D. — Minnesota State trailed 23-0 to start the fourth quarter and was down to its third-string quarterback.
But true freshman Camden Dean and a stingy defense allowed the Mavericks to rally, eventually losing 23-22 to Northern State in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football game Saturday.
The Mavericks had beaten Northern State 10 straight times before Saturday.
"The warning signs were there this week," coach Todd Hoffner said. "We didn't prepare well enough to win. We did some nice things in the fourth quarter, but championship teams play like that for all four quarters."
The Mavericks struggled offensively in the first half, gaining just 124 yards and trailing 10-0. A final drive of the second quarter looked promising but ended with an interception deep in Northern State's end just before halftime.
Northern State hit a field goal to start the third quarter, and Minnesota State fumbled its first snap, setting up a 26-yard touchdown to former Mankato West standout Wyatt Block.
"We put our defense in some tough situations and short fields," Hoffner said.
In the third quarter, quarterback Mitch Randall was injured, and the Mavericks turned to Dean.
He threw an interception on his first possession, but then passed for touchdowns to Gabe Hagen, Nyles Williams and Jalen Sample to make it 23-20.
With less than two minutes to play, Minnesota State blocked a punt, which the Mavericks couldn't recover in the end zone, resulting in a safety.
Dean directed one last drive, but that ended in an interception in Northern State territory with less than a minute to play.
Dean ended up completing 13 of 25 passes for 200 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Sample made six catches for 95 yards.
"(Dean) has been prepping for two weeks," Hoffner said. "He's gotten some quality reps with our best players, and he's been getting better every week."
The Mavericks (2-1) return to Blakeslee Stadium on Saturday for a game against Mary, starting at 2 p.m.
Follow Chad Courrier on Twitter @ChadCourrier.
