SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The University of Sioux Falls football team battled No. 3 Minnesota State Saturday afternoon at Bob Young Field, but a pair of late turnovers helped the Mavericks pull away for a 28-14 victory during Cougar Days.
Sioux Falls remained within one score at 21-14 midway through the fourth quarter and came up with three takeaways defensively, including two interceptions from Beau Giblin. The Cougars finished with 317 yards of total offense and held the football for nearly 33 minutes, but Minnesota State turned four USF turnovers into 13 points to hand the Cougars their second loss of the season. USF moves to 3-2 overall and 3-1 in NSIC play.
First Half Recap
Minnesota State opened the scoring on its first possession, marching 68 yards in eight plays. Mitchell Thompson broke free for a 41-yard run to move the Mavericks inside the USF 10 before finishing the drive with a six-yard rushing touchdown to give MSU a 7-0 advantage.
The Cougar defense kept Minnesota State from adding to its lead later in the first quarter. After the Mavericks moved to the USF 18, Connor Fournier missed a 35-yard field goal attempt, keeping the deficit at seven.
USF's special teams unit helped flip the field early in the second quarter when Scott Dickson delivered a 70-yard punt that pinned Minnesota State at its own two-yard line. The Cougar defense forced a punt five plays later, giving the offense possession at its own 31.
Sioux Falls moved across midfield on the ensuing possession before Minnesota State's Connor Stauff intercepted Bennett Brueck and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown, extending the Maverick lead to 13-0 with 6:43 remaining in the half.
Minnesota State came away with another interception on USF's next possession and returned it to the Cougar 10, but the Sioux Falls defense answered with a takeaway of its own. On third-and-goal, Giblin intercepted Maximus Sims in the end zone to keep the Mavericks off the board.
The Cougars immediately capitalized, going 80 yards in six plays. Brueck opened the drive with a 35-yard run before connecting with Caden Henkes for 20 yards to move USF into the red zone. Two plays later, the pair connected again for a 19-yard touchdown, pulling Sioux Falls within 13-7 with one minute remaining.
Giblin struck again before the break, intercepting Thompson at the USF 30 with seven seconds remaining to send the Cougars into halftime trailing by just six.
Second Half Recap
The Sioux Falls defense opened the second half with another stop. Minnesota State moved to the USF 40 before Peyton Marceau broke up a fourth-down pass to give the Cougars possession.
USF responded with a methodical drive that reached the Minnesota State 29 before a sack stalled the possession. Brueck then pinned the Mavericks at their own three-yard line with a 33-yard punt.
Minnesota State responded with one of the defining drives of the afternoon, going 97 yards in 14 plays and taking 7:31 off the clock. Thompson finished the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter before completing a two-point conversion to Jalyn Thompson, extending the Maverick lead to 21-7.
The Cougars refused to go away. USF answered with an 11-play, 75-yard drive that featured a 19-yard reception from Todd Benedict, a 13-yard run by Bubba Tann III and a 12-yard third-down run from Brueck. Facing fourth-and-seven from the Minnesota State 20, Brueck found Henkes in the end zone for their second touchdown connection of the afternoon, cutting the deficit to 21-14 with 9:25 remaining.
Minnesota State threatened to answer, driving from its own 30 to the USF two-yard line. Giblin came up with another key defensive play, forcing a Thompson fumble near the goal line that Owen McCloud recovered to give the Cougars possession with 3:50 remaining.
USF was unable to capitalize, however, as Minnesota State recovered a Cougar fumble at the USF five three plays later. Sam Backer scored on the next snap to stretch the Mavericks' advantage to 28-14 with 2:55 remaining.
The Cougars made one final push, moving 56 yards and converting a fourth down to reach the Minnesota State 12. The drive ended with an interception in the end zone with 34 seconds remaining, allowing the Mavericks to run out the clock.
Key Standouts
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Caden Henkes accounted for both Cougar touchdowns, hauling in three receptions for 59 yards with touchdown catches of 19 and 20 yards. He also added a 32-yard kickoff return.
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Todd Benedict led Sioux Falls with six receptions and 84 receiving yards, averaging 14.0 yards per catch.
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Bennett Brueck threw for 164 yards and two touchdowns while adding a game-high 80 rushing yards on 16 attempts, highlighted by a 35-yard run.
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Bubba Tann III finished with 61 rushing yards on 15 carries while adding two catches for 16 yards.
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Beau Giblin turned in a big afternoon defensively, leading the Cougars with nine tackles while recording two interceptions, a forced fumble and a pass breakup.
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Owen McCloud recorded six tackles and recovered Giblin's fourth-quarter forced fumble at the USF two-yard line.
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Cade Morse added seven tackles, including one tackle for loss.
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Scott Dickson averaged 43.7 yards across three punts, highlighted by a 70-yard punt that pinned Minnesota State at its own two-yard line.
By the Numbers
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317 - Total yards of offense for Sioux Falls compared to 340 for Minnesota State.
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153 - Rushing yards for the Cougars, with Brueck leading the way with 80 and Tann III adding 61.
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164 - Passing yards for USF, with both touchdown passes going to Henkes.
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20-20 - The two teams finished even in first downs.
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32:53 - Time of possession for Sioux Falls compared to 27:07 for Minnesota State.
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8-of-16 - Third-down conversions for USF, a 50-percent success rate.
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2-for-2 - The Cougars converted both of their fourth-down attempts.
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3 - Takeaways created by the Sioux Falls defense with two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
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2 - Interceptions by Giblin, both coming in the second quarter.
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4 - USF turnovers, including three interceptions and one lost fumble.
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13 - Points scored by Minnesota State off Cougar turnovers.
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2 - Touchdown receptions by Henkes, accounting for all 14 USF points.
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3,217 - Fans in attendance at Bob Young Field for the Cougar Days matchup.
Up Next
Sioux Falls will head to cross-town rival No. 20 Augustana next weekend with a kickoff scheduled for 1pm on Saturday, October 3 at Kirkeby-Over Stadium.
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