MANKATO — Minnesota State football coach Todd Hoffner almost always elects to defer if his captains win the opening coin toss, preferring to get the ball to start the second half.
But on Saturday, Hoffner elected to receive the opening kickoff, sending a strong message about his intentions.
“I have a lot of respect for the wishbone (offense),” Hoffner said. “I wanted to get on top and score early.”
Mission accomplished.
The Mavericks compiled 503 yards of offense, taking a big early lead and coasting to a 40-6 victory over Minot State in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game at Blakeslee Stadium. The Mavericks, who also had more than 500 yards last week to defeat Wayne State, had the ball for six minutes less than Minot State but showed some explosiveness that the Beavers couldn’t match.
“I really liked the approach of the whole team today,” Hoffner said. “They were focused in warmups and crisp and really focused on what we were doing.”
The Mavericks’ offense dominated the first half, scoring on every possession except the one where the backup quarterback got his first snaps of the season.
Sam Backer and Christian Vasser completed long drives with short touchdown runs as the Mavericks went up 12-0.
Hayden Ekern passed 20 yards to Isaiah Emanuel for a touchdown that made it 19-0. With 1:09 left to play in the second quarter, Ekern completed three passes to TreShawn Watson for 66 yards, with the final one scoring from 21 yards when he made an acrobatic catch along the sideline while taking a big hit just before halftime.
“Preparation is the key,” said Watson, who had six catches for 144 yards, his third straight 100-yard performance. “We’re doing a lot of the same things, and I’ve said it before: faith, trust and belief. I trust my teammates, they trust me. They set me up for big shots, and I have to make those plays.”
The Mavericks outgained the Beavers 308-98 in total yards in the first half.
The second half didn’t produce much drama as the Mavericks continued to grind. Minot State (3-1) scored its only touchdown late in the third quarter, but the Mavericks responded with Watson’s 27-yard touchdown catch, his sixth score in the last three games, and a 20-yarder from backup quarterback Mitchell Thompson to Jeremiah Howard, who jumped high in the end zone to make a spectacular catch in traffic.
Ekern finished with 14 completions in 19 attempts for 252 yards. The Mavericks rushed for 204 yards, with six players gaining at least 27 yards.
Linebacker Antonio Alzheimer led the defense with nine tackles, including a couple that were very physical.
“He’s going to find the ball and arrive in a very bad mood,” Hoffner said.
The defense forced two turnovers and held Minot State to 2 of 12 on third-down conversions.
“Our defense is playing together,” Alzheimer said. “When somebody makes a big play, it feels like we make that play, too.
“Preparing for the triple option is hard because you never practice against it and nobody else runs it. If you take a good attitude to practice every day, it shows up on game day.”
The Mavericks (4-0) are back on the road Saturday, playing at Concordia-St. Paul.
Follow Chad Courrier on X @ChadCourrier.