The Free Press, Mankato, MN

College Sports

Related Photos

October 31, 2009

MSU pounds Upper Iowa 48-17

Mavs clinch South Division title in NSIC

FAYETTE, IOWA — Third-string quarterback Cody Rose rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another as Minnesota State defeated Upper Iowa 48-17 in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football victory Saturday.

The victory (10-0) gave Minnesota State the South Division championship at 7-0, and the Mavericks equaled a school record for victories.

The Maverick offense racked up 403 yards of total offense in the win, while the defense held Upper Iowa to 320 total yards. Quarterback Steve Pachan, who has been playing in place of injured Ryan Fick, took a big hit in the first half and didn’t play again, allowing for Rose, a redshirt freshman and transfer from the University of Wisconsin, to see his first significant action.

“He did a nice job,” coach Todd Hoffner said. “He threw a pick, but he did a good job. He’s our third-string quarterback, and he found a couple of ways to score.”

Jake Aberg put Minnesota State on the board with a 5-yard touchdown run, and Kelvin Rodgers made it 14-3 with a 78-yard kick return for a touchdown, the fourth of his career.

“He also had an interception so he made two big plays,” Hoffner said. “He’s a special player.”

Rose took over in the second quarter and passed 13 yards to Cameron Sprecher for a touchdown, and he scored on runs of 8 and 5 yards before halftime as the Mavericks led 38-3.

Minnesota State started the second half with Sam Brockshus’ 30-yard field goal, and Rose added a 7-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Rose completed 10 of 17 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. Aberg added 17 carries for 105 yards.

Defensively, Troy Jones led Minnesota State with five tackles, while Kevin Klug and Matt McQuiston each added four. The defense made three interceptions, pushing the season total to 27, which ties a team record for interceptions in a season.

“I thought we came out and played really hard,” Hoffner said. “It was a very dominant performance.”

The Mavericks wrap up the regular season at 1 p.m. Saturday at St. Cloud State.

“Last year, we shared (the South Division title), and this year we’re outright champs so that’s exciting,” Hoffner said. “Hopefully, the players are still hungry for more. There are still a lot of things at stake.”

Text Only | Photo Reprints
College Sports
  • MSU bball 3/15 2 Top-seeded Mavericks get knocked off by Huskies

    St. Cloud State advanced to the region championship game with an 83-71 victory Sunday, ending the season for the top-seeded Mavericks.

    March 15, 2010 2 Photos

  • xsmall_Schiller, Joe_PE6X7791.JPG Mavericks healthier but still hurting

    Michael Dorr and Eriah Hayes will be back in the lineup, but with six players still out with injury, center Joe Schiller will move to defense.

    November 3, 2011 1 Photo 1 Story

  • xsmall_Lee, Austin_PE6X7812.JPG College hockey gameday

    Minnesota State at Michigan Tech

    6:07 p.m. today and Saturday, MacInnes Student Ice Arena, Houghton, Mich.

    Radio: KTOE 1420 AM TV: None

    November 3, 2011 2 Photos 1 Story

  • Northern Sun to vote on expansion

    Today, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference board of directors will vote on whether to expand from 14 to 16 programs.

    January 19, 2011

  • Gusties ranked 8th in DIII

    The Gustavus Adolphus men’s hockey team is ranked eighth in the country, according to the first U.S. College Hockey Online poll released earlier this week.

    October 28, 2010

  • MSU w hock-9.jpg Sister support: Ariel the latest Mackley to shine for MSU

    Anyone familiar with women’s college hockey in southern Minnesota must know the Mackleys. Since the fall of 2004, at least one of the three Mackley sisters has been skating for Minnesota State or Gustavus Adolphus.

    October 7, 2010 1 Photo

  • msu hockey 10-4-1.jpg Zuck's goal lifts MSU past British Columbia

    MSU's Eli Zuck’s short-handed breakaway goal 100 seconds into the third period stood as the lone goal in the Mavericks’ 1-0 victory over British Columbia before an announced crowd of 2,236 at the Verizon Wireless Center.

    October 5, 2010 1 Photo

  • Young Mavericks look to prove rankings wrong

    The Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s preseason polls were released on Wednesday, and Minnesota State isn’t getting a lot of love from the league’s coaches nor from the media who cover the conference. Both polls put the Mavericks in 10th place in what is now a 12-team conference.

    October 2, 2010

  • gustfb 092510.jpg Clark, St. Olaf run past Gustavus

    St. Olaf halfback Leon Clark cut loose for 134 second-half yards and scored the game-winning touchdown with 29 seconds left to lift his team to a 19-14 victory over Gustavus Saturday.

    September 26, 2010 1 Photo

  • MSUfb 092510.jpg Mavericks get shocked at home

    Concordia upset No. 11 MSU 28-26 in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game before 4,264 fans. It was the second time in the series history that MSU lost to Concordia.

    September 26, 2010 2 Photos