Minot State running back Larry Overstreet (1) runs with the ball during a college football game earlier this season. Garrick Hodge/MDN

It’s no secret to say not everything has gone according to plan in Mike Aldrich’s first year coaching football at Minot State.

Eight games in, the Beavers sit at 1-7 and can only hope for a strong finish the last three games. Yet, the Beavers would take their season thus far in a heartbeat in comparison to this week’s opponent, Minnesota Crookston.

The Golden Eagles are 0-8 this year and have lost every game by at least 24 points. Meanwhile, MSU has lost three games by one possession. That doesn’t mean Aldrich is overlooking the Golden Eagles when the two teams face off at 1 p.m. today in Crookston, Minnesota.

“Crookston is hungry for a win. Any time you play a desperate team, desperate teams do desperate things, one way or the other,” Aldrich said. “But we’re a desperate team too, I’m not overshadowing that by any means. We have to be prepared for everything in-between the whistles and after the whistles. We have to understand that if we don’t play sound football, we’re going to be giving them opportunities we shouldn’t be giving them.”

Offensively, not much has gone right for Crookston. The Golden Eagles are averaging 10 points per game, the lowest mark in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Crookston averages a paltry 48.8 rushing yards per contest, last in the NSIC and the Golden Eagles average 178.3 passing yards per game.

Yet, Aldrich has said his defense has had problems against run-pass option teams in the past.

“They’ve got a couple weapons offensively,” Aldrich said. “Their kick return game has been pretty successful and consistent for them. You have to contain that or you’ll give them opportunities there. A lot of what they do offensively is the run-pass option stuff. So it’s option football, we have to be sound with it. Once we get undisciplined, any team in America would scare me. There’s times where I’ve been scared this year where we don’t do what we’re supposed to do and we have to encourage our team to do their jobs.”

On the other side of the ball, this could be a big week for MSU’s running game. The Golden Eagles are allowing a league-worst 44.4 points per game and are getting gashed by the run (nearly 300 rushing yards per game).

“We’re going to try to establish a run in every game, even if that means we beat our heads against the wall sometimes,” Aldrich said. “It’s because we’re trying to establish that mentality and be a tough football team. If you abandon the run too easily, you abandon the toughness factor that I want this team to have.”

MSU won the last year’s meeting 38-30 in Minot, but lost 45-14 in Crookston in 2015. The Beavers lead the all-time series 6-4.

“We have still not even come close to playing a perfect game,” Aldrich said. “We’ve got to continue to do that and continue to focus on us. Whether it’s against a 5-2 team that’s won national championships or against a team looking for their first win. If we try to compare ourselves then we’re not buying into what we want this program to be about.”

Garrick Hodge covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @Garrick_Hodge.