Submitted Photo Minot State quarterback Carson Chrisman rushes up the field past several Sioux Falls defenders during a football game at Herb Parker Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 25. Chrisman rushed 21 times for 124 yards and a touchdown and completed five passes for 52 yards. Photo provided by Minot State’s Sean Arbaut.

Momentum was on the side of Minot State heading into halftime against Sioux Falls.

The Beavers had erased an early 10-point deficit by ending the opening 30 minutes scoring 17 unanswered to take the lead, but the offense wasn’t there in the second half. Instead, Sioux Falls rallied for a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter and held Minot State off the scoreboard in the second half, handing the Beavers a 24-17 defeat at Herb Parker Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 25.

The Beavers amassed 351 yards of total offense, with 299 coming on the ground. However, Minot State lost the turnover battle, losing a pair of fumbles and tossing an interception, while the Cougars didn’t turn the ball over.

Minot State’s first of two fumbles came on its opening drive and led to points for Sioux Falls. On the first play from scrimmage, running back Evan Lovett fumbled at MSU’s own 37 and the Cougars recovered, setting them up with solid field position. The Beaver defense held Sioux Falls out of the end zone, as it had to settle for a 32-yard field goal off the leg of JT Frieders.

The Cougars (5-3 overall, 4-3 NSIC) would find the end zone early in the second quarter to push their lead to 10-0. Bubba Tann III ripped off a 54-yard touchdown run for his longest run of the afternoon. Tann III led all rushers with 161 yards on 25 carries. He accounted for more net yards than Sioux Falls as a team due to sack yardage bringing the team total down to 155 yards for the game.

It was all Minot State (2-6, 2-5) the rest of the half, as its offense came alive immediately following Tann III’s long TD run. MSU running back Devan Daniels countered Tann III with a 45-yard touchdown scamper on the first play of the Beavers’ next possession to cut USF’s lead to 10-7 with 10:53 left in the second quarter.

MSU quarterback Carson Chrisman put the Beavers in front with a 24-yard touchdown run on the next possession following a successful onside kick attempt and Brandon McCary kicked a 48-yard field goal in the final two minutes of the half to cap off a scoring burst that saw the Beavers take a 17-10 lead into the locker room.

The Beavers accumulated 145 yards of offense in the second quarter alone – 127 coming on the ground.

The halftime lead lasted all of two plays and 44 seconds into the third quarter, as the Cougars struck for a big play in the passing game. USF quarterback Tate Schafer connected with Adonis Hutchinson for a 63-yard touchdown to tie the game. The two would hookup again later in the quarter on a 15-yard connection to put the Cougars in front.

The Beavers only managed 113 yards of offense in the second half on their five second-half drives. They went punt, fumble, interception, turnover on downs and an unsuccessful attempt at the lateral play as time expired.

Minot State’s second fumble of the game was a backbreaker as it was knocking on the doorstep to potentially go in for the tying touchdown. The Beavers drove down to the USF 25, but Chrisman fumbled at the 12 after a 13-yard gain on 2nd-and-1. USF’s Cain McWilliams forced the fumble and teammate Cade Morse recovered to end the drive in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.

“If you turn the ball over three or four times, it’s going to be hard to win,” Minot State head coach Ian Shields said in a press release. “The yards, that’s nice and all, but you can’t turn the ball over three or four times, and you certainly can’t turn it over in the fourth quarter going in to score. That’s the difference in the game. is the turnover battle.”

Beau Giblin picked off Chrisman going deep on a 4th-and-8 from the USF 35, coming down with the ball at the 11.

The Beavers didn’t cross into USF territory the rest of the game.

Chrisman and Lovett both had 100-yard rushing games. Chrisman led the Beavers with 124 yards on 21 carries and Lovett hit exactly 100 yards on 18 attempts. Chrisman also went 5-for-11 for 52 yards passing.

Schafer finished 14-for-23 with 178 yards and two touchdowns. Hutchinson caught five passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Cougars.

Minot State heads to Bismarck to face rival U-Mary on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 2 p.m. for the Battle of the Big Lake trophy.