#7 Minnesota State 42 Wayne State 35

            Five Wayne State turnovers and a bad punt snap resulted in 21 Minnesota State points as the #7 Mavericks held off the Wildcats 42-35 in Northern Sun Conference football played Saturday afternoon in the 24^th annual Egg Bowl Game at Cunningham Field in Wayne.  The visiting Mavericks remain unbeaten at 9-0 overall while moving to 5-0 in the NSIC South Division with Wayne State dropping to 5-4 on the season and 2-3 in NSIC South Division play.
            The Wildcats dug themselves a 21-0 hole in the first quarter thanks to two turnovers and a bad punt snap that gave Minnesota State the ball at the WSC eight yard line turning into a score.  But Wayne State responded and tied the score at 21-21 late in the second quarter.  Redshirt freshman quarterback Brian Kent's one yard plunge was the first Wildcat score with 13:47 to go in the second quarter making it 21-7.  The next series saw WSC force a Minnesota State turnover as Jeff Pokorny recovered a Maverick fumble at the MSU 24.  Junior running back Charlie Davidson later scored on a four yard run with 8:52 to play in the first half, cutting the Minnesota State lead to 21-14. 
            On the next possession WSC forced the Mavericks to punt and the Wildcats marched 57 yards on five plays with Kent scampering 38 yards for a score to even the score at 21-21 with 3:09 left before halftime.  But the Mavericks responded on the ensuing drive as junior quarterback Jon Wolf found Adam Thielen on a 39 yard scoring play giving Minnesota State a 28-21 lead with 44 seconds to go in the half.  WSC was driving but a Nathan Most screen pass to Charlie Davidson went off his hands and into the hands of MSU linebacker Isaac Kolstad who raced 60 yards for a touchdown on the interception return on the final play of the first half giving Minnesota State a 35-21 lead at halftime.
            Neither team scored in the third quarter, but the Wildcats got on the board early in the fourth quarter as Davidson found the end zone for the second time in the game on a five yard run making the score 35-28 with 10:54 to play in the game.  But again Minnesota State had an answer by responding with a score as Wolf connected with sophomore Andy Pfeiffer on a 39 yard passing, pushing Minnesota State's lead back to 14 points at 42-28 with 6:56 remaining.  The Wildcats scored with 1:19 to play as Most found junior tight end Grant Otten on a 10-yard scoring pass to cap a seven-play, 58 yard drive that made the score 42-35. 
            WSC then attempted an onside kick but the Wildcats touched the ball before the ball went 10 yards and Minnesota State got possession at the WSC 40, but the Wildcats forced a punt and got the ball at their own 20 following a touchback on the punt with 53 seconds to play.  The 'Cats moved the ball to the Maverick 47 yard line and on the game's final play a Nate Most pass intended for Adam Stark fell incomplete near the end zone as Minnesota State held on for the win.
            Wayne State outgained Minnesota State 455-366 in the contest.  The Wildcats had more first downs (28-15), more rushing yards (188-168) and more passing yards (267-198) than the Mavericks, but five turnovers on WSC (four interceptions and one fumble) along with a bad punt snap led to 21 Maverick points.
            Junior running back Charlie Davidson earned Egg Bowl MVP honors for Wayne State, rushing for 146 yards on 26 carries with two scores.  Junior quarterback Nate Most completed 20 of 32 passes for 235 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions.  Senior wide receiver Kevin Paulsen had 12 catches for 141 yards followed by Grant Otten with five receptions for 61 yards and one score. 
            For Minnesota State, junior quarterback Jon Wolf was named Egg Bowl MVP after completing 10 of 18 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another 54 yards on 10 attempts and one score.  Sophomore Andy Pfeiffer led a balanced rushing attack for Minnesota State with 75 yards on 16 carries and one score while Adam Thielen was the top Maverick receiver with seven receptions for 99 yards and one score.
            Defensively for Wayne State, redshirt freshman linebacker Nathan Scott and sophomore linebacker Nick Monzu had seven tackles apiece followed by Austan Pomajzl with six. 
            Wayne State hits the road next weekend visiting Upper Iowa Saturday afternoon in a 1 p.m. Northern Sun Conference contest in Fayette, Iowa.