August 29th, 2024 10:00pm
MARYVILLE, Mo. --- #13 Minnesota State's fast start proved to be the difference Thursday evening in Maryville as the Mavericks bested #22 Northwest Missouri State 36-22 in the Show Me Showdown.
With the win, MSU improves to 1-0 on the season, while NWMSU drops to 0-1. This marks the 12th consecutive season that the Mavericks have won their season opener.
"I thought that we had a lot of early motivation and we were all about the team early in the game," head coach Todd Hoffner said. "I thought we were in good shape back from halftime. Northwest Missouri capitalized on a few of our errors but our resiliency and resolve proved to be the difference down the stretch."
On its first drive, the Maverick offense went 71 yards in 10 plays to jump out in front 8-0. Senior Hayden Ekern completed two passes and rushed for 23 yards, including the six-yard touchdown carry. Senior Joey Goettl then connected on a pass with junior Jake Cicero for the two point conversion.
After their second drive ended with a blocked field goal, the Mavericks took over on their own 23 with 13:14 to go in the second quarter. Ekern started the drive with a 32-yard pass to junior TreShawn Watson, before five straight rushes brought the Mavericks to the end zone. Ekern finished the drive with a 13-yard touchdown carry to put MSU up 15-0.