Mankato, Minn. – Despite a hard-fought, well-played game in the 2021 opener the Northern State University football team fell to No. 2 Minnesota State in overtime. The Wolves led the Mavericks 27-17 heading into the fourth, however a 17-7 MSU run and touchdown with under a minute to play in the final quarter forced the inevitable overtime period.
 
THE QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: NSU 34, MSU 40
Records: NSU 0-1, MSU 1-0
Attendance: 4369
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Northern tallied seven points in the first, ten in the second and third, and seven in the fourth, out-scoring Minnesota State 10-0 in the third quarter
• The Mavericks quickly opened the game with a touchdown at 12:05 on the clock, however that was answered even quicker by the Wolves
• Hunter Trautman connected with Jacob Streit for the first receiving touchdown of 2021, a 7-yard reception with 10:22 on the clock
• NSU took their first lead of the game on the opening drive of the second, another passing touchdown by Trautman; but this time it was a 2-yard completion to Dewaylon Ingram
• Just over a minute expired on the clock, before the Mavericks knotted up the game with a 71-yard passing touchdown from Hayden Ekern to Jalen Sample
• Minnesota State grabbed the lead with just 3:40 left in the half on an 18-yard field goal by Luke Williams
• Payton Eue was not to be out-done, tying the game on a career long 50-yard field goal with 1:34 to play in the second
• The Wolves tallied back-to-back scores in the third, kicked off by a 16-yard receiving touchdown for Dakota Larson (Trautman)
• Eue notched his second made field goal with 3:09 remaining in the third, a 23-yard attempt which gave the Wolves the 27-17 lead
• Minnesota State chipped away with a rushing score to open the fourth, however Larson and Trautman extended the Wolves lead with a 65-yard touchdown at 12:55
• The Mavericks went on to rattle off ten more points in the final five minutes of the fourth, including a game tying touchdown with 38 seconds remaining
• Northern opened the overtime period with the ball, however was unable to break things open on the scoreboard, coming up short on a 61-yard field goal attempt
• MSU sealed their first win of the season on a 16-yard touchdown run
• While the Mavericks out-rushed the Wolves, 247-52, Northern tallied 331 passing yards to Minnesota State's 295
• NSU went 9-of-19 on third down conversions and scored on each of the four times they entered the red-zone
• Defensively, they held the Mavericks to 6-of-19 on third downs and tallied five sacks for a total loss of 27 yards
• Three Wolves tallied double figure tackles, with Brennan Kutterer and Chance Olson each notching an interception

 
NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

• Hunter Trautman: 21-of-42, 4 touchdowns, 331 yards passing
• Dakota Larson: 168 yards receiving, 24 yards per reception, 2 touchdowns, 65-yard long
• Vance Barnes: 83 yards receiving, 41.5 yards per reception, 56 return yards
• Hunter Hansen: 14 tackles (8 solo, 6 assisted), 1 forced fumble
• Brennan Kutterer: 11 tackles (6 solo, 5 assisted), 1 interception
• Chance Olson: 10 tackles (6 solo, 4 assisted), 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception
• Adam Heining: 3 tackles, 2.0 sacks (loss of 7 yards)
• Payton Eue: 2 made field goals, 50-yard long (career best), 4-of-4 PAT, 62.0 yards per kickoff, 36.6 yards per punt

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The last time the Wolves finished a contest within single digits of the Mavericks was in the 1971 Gypsy Days victory (16-14)
  • 2021 marks the 50-year anniversary of the contest

 
UP NEXT
Northern returns to Aberdeen next Saturday for their 2021 home opener and the inaugural game from Dacotah Bank Stadium. Kick-off is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 11 versus Southwest Minnesota State. Game day information, including parking, tickets, tailgating, and facility entrances will be released on nsuwolves.com in the coming days.