October 24th, 2026 4:15pm
MANKATO, Minn. – In front of the third-largest crowd in Blakeslee Stadium history, the fifth-ranked Minnesota State football team delivered a dominant performance Saturday afternoon, defeating No. 22 Wayne State 35-0 on Family Weekend.
The Mavericks improved to 8-0 overall and 7-0 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play while recording their first shutout since a 52-0 victory at Southwest Minnesota State on Nov. 6, 2021. It also marked Minnesota State's first home shutout since a 36-0 win over Northern State on Sept. 23, 2017. It also marked the second shutout in series history against Wayne State as MSU improved to 16-3 all-time against the Wildcats.
Prior to kickoff, head coach Todd Hoffner was recognized for earning his 200th career coaching victory, which came in a 49-7 win over Concordia-St. Paul on Oct. 30. Hoffner also collected his 160th victory at Minnesota State with Saturday's win and now owns a 202-69 career record in 24 seasons, including a 160-41 mark in 17 seasons with the Mavericks.
Saturday's announced attendance of 7,024 ranks as the third-largest crowd in program history.