Box Score #1 Minnesota State 49 Wayne State 0

            #1 Minnesota State handed Wayne State College a 49-0 setback Saturday afternoon in the final home game for the Wildcats at Bob Cunningham Field in Wayne in the 26^th annual Egg Bowl Game.  The visiting Mavericks improve to 10-0 overall and 6-0 in the NSIC South Division.  WSC is now 5-5 overall and 3-3 in divisional play and was shutout for the first time since the 2005 season opener when St. Cloud State blanked the Wildcats 35-0.
            Wayne State forced Minnesota State to punt on their first two series.  The Wildcats had a sustained drive on their second series of the first quarter and moved the ball from their own 11 to the MSU 13, a drive that covered 13 plays and 76 yards, before the Wildcats turned the ball over on downs. 
            After a scoreless first quarter, Minnesota State got on the board with 13:18 to go in the second quarter on a two yard run by Connor Thomas for a 7-0 Maverick lead.  Following a WSC punt, the Mavericks scored again on a 23-yard pass from Nick Pieruccini to Austin Rieder with 11:55 remaining in the half for a 14-0 MSU lead.
            On the next series, WSC started from their own 25 and consumed over six minutes on the clock, moving the ball to the MSU 21 where the Wildcats failed to convert a 4^th and 4 pass play that gave MSU the ball.  The Mavericks then marched 79 yards on seven plays and used a Pieruccini 30 yard run with 3:06 to play in the half for a 21-0 halftime lead.
            Minnesota State scored on the opening drive of the third quarter for a 28-0 lead and added a 20-yard interception return by Kris Fleigle late in the third quarter for a 35-0 advantage.
            Fourth quarter scores by Pieruccini on a six yard run and a three yard plunge from Chad Zastrow made the final score 49-0.
            Minnesota State held a 542-268 advantage in total offense over Wayne State.  The Mavericks had 172 yards on the ground and 370 passing while WSC finished with 135 rushing and 133 passing.
            Freshman Lane Yates was the top ground gainer for WSC with 57 yards on 11 carries followed by sophomore quarterback Zach Osborn with 35 yards on seven rushes.
            Throwing the ball, Osborn was 15 of 32 for 128 yards with one interception while senior Brody Rohach was 1 for 1 for five yards.
            Brian Kent led WSC receivers with five catches for 67 yards while senior Cole McDaniel was limited to three catches for one yard, marking just the second game this season that McDaniel did not have at least seven catches in a game.
            Defensively, senior linebacker Nick Monzu paced the Wildcats with a game-high 13 tackles to go along with two sacks and three tackles for loss to be named Egg Bowl Most Valuable Player for the Wildcats.  With his 13 tackles, Monzu becomes the 11^th Wildcat player in school history to surpass 300 career tackles.
            The Egg Bowl MVP for Minnesota State was sophomore quarterback Nick Pieruccini, who completed 20 of 22 passes for 297 yards and one touchdown while adding another 91 yards rushing on 11 carries and three scores.
            Wayne State will close out the 2014 season next Saturday with a 12 p.m. road game at #17 Sioux Falls.