Marshall, Minn. – Despite just a 7-point deficit at the half, the Northern State University football team fell to Southwest Minnesota State 35-7 on Saturday evening. The Wolves drop to 2-6 overall, and will return to division competition next weekend.
 
The Mustangs tallied the first touchdown of the game with 7:42 left in the first quarter, and the 7-0 lead held through the half. SMSU quickly added three scores to open the third quarter, before the Wolves broke through with their first of the game at the 1:23 mark. Hunter Trautman connected with Jacob Streit for a 14-yard touchdown, the pair's fifth of the season.
 
Northern tallied a game high 135 yards rushing, while adding 225 yards passing. They averaged 4.0 yards per rush and 12.5 yards per reception. The Wolves struggled on fourth downs, unable to convert on all six attempts.
 
Streit led the Wolves receivers with 95 total yards, averaging 15.8 yards per reception and a 30-yard long. Trautman tallied 185 yards passing, completing 14-of-30 attempts without an interception.
 
Gerald Maxwell and Dakota Larson led the Wolves rushing attack with 53 and 50 yards respectively. Larson tallied the team's long of 50 yards in the second half of play, while Maxwell averaged 4.1 yards per carry with a 21-yard long.
 
Zach Bohnenkamp and Preston Droessler led the Wolves defense with seven tackles each in the game, followed by Brayden McNeary and Josh Coyle with six apiece. Droessler also tallied the team's lone fumble recovery, while Bohnenkamp led the Wolves with two pass breakups. Coyle and Noah Macpherson recorded the two sacks for NSU, while TJ Roberts grabbed the interception with a 5-yard return.
 
Jacob Wiedrich averaged 57.5 yards per kickoff and 38.0 yards per punt with three inside the 20 and a 50-yard long punting. Zech Culbreath led the returners with a total of 54 yards, including a 49-yard long late in the second half.
 
Up next for the Wolves is a 1 p.m. match-up with UMary on the road next Saturday.