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Sep. 6—BEMIDJI — Bemidji State and Minnesota State have been two of the best football programs in the NSIC in recent years, consistently in the running for conference titles late into the season.
Unsurprisingly, that’s made for some instant classics when the two teams face off.
Last year, the Mavericks entered Chet Anderson Stadium on homecoming for a top-ten clash and
blocked a 42-yard field goal
attempt to escape with a 27-24 victory.
In 2022, MSU left the Chet with a nail-biting 37-34 victory decided by just three points.
This year has the makings of yet another classic.
“It’s a place that’s always kind of had a winning tradition since coach (Todd) Hoffner got there and he’s built it off that,” BSU head coach Brent Bolte said. “They stress the physicality, they’ve always been really good on defense, they’ve been wanting to run the ball and when you add (those) together, it’s usually a pretty good recipe for success.”
Both teams are 1-0 and ranked heading into this Saturday’s matchup, with the Beavers at No. 20 and the Mavericks at No. 8 in the
D2Football.com
poll.
And Bemidji State’s players certainly remember what it feels like being on the losing side of those tightly contested games.
“Kato games always sit in your head,” senior defensive lineman Stephen Hoffman said. “This will be my fourth year here playing, and I haven’t got a single win against them. The last two years we’ve lost both games (by six) points total. Having that kind of competitiveness in the series just makes everybody excited about it.”
Week zero played out a little differently for Bemidji State and Minnesota State.
The Mavericks beat No. 22 Northwest Missouri State on the road 36-22, while the Beavers
survived an overtime thriller
against Michigan Tech for a 19-13 victory.
Bemidji State and Minnesota State are two programs that pride themselves in their…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/beavers-mavericks-clash-top-25-023500943.html
Author : The Bemidji Pioneer, Minn.
Publish date : 2024-09-07 02:35:00
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