Mavericks Run Past RiverHawks
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeastern St. (7-5) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Minn. St. Mankato (9-3) | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
| Excelsior Springs,MO | Tiger Stadium | |||||
| Northeastern St. | Minn. St. Mankato |
|---|---|
|
Pa:
Johnny Deaton - 119
Ru: Terrance Dixon - 34 Rec: Brandon Trobridge - 53 |
Pa:
Daniels - 128
Ru: Pfeiffer - 176 Rec: Thielen - 78 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | Northeastern St. | Minn. St. Mankato |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 126 | 128 |
| Rushing Yards | 58 | 241 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 2 |
| Time of Poss. | 16:14 | 43:06 |
EXCELSIOR SPRING, Mo. --- Andy Pfeiffer ran for a career-high 176 yards and scored one touchdown to help lead Minnesota-State to a 28-14 win over Northeastern State in the 46th Mineral Water Bowl here Saturday afternoon.
Pfeiffer was named the game's Most Valuable Offensive Player and helped the Mustangs end the 2011 campaign with a mark of 9-3. NSU, which lost back-to-back games, finished 7-5, its most wins since 2000.
Langston Jones, who recorded 11 tackles for the RiverHawks, was named the Defensive MVP.
With rain falling incessantly and temperatures in the low-40s, Northeastern State's passing game never got on track, while MSU played ball control with much of its productivity coming on the ground. The Mustangs held a 3-to-1 advantage of possession time (43:30 to 16:30) and ran 90 plays, garnering 32
Nate Robinson gave the RiverHawks an ealry 7-0 edge with an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown with 11:43 left in the first quarter. The return set a Mineral Water Bowl record and was his second TD return this year.
Minnesota State scored twice to take a 14-7 lead. Quarterback Jon Daniels tossed TD passes to Adam Thielen (13 yards) and Dennis Carter (31 yards). However, Kyle Beam sauntered in from 53 yards out on a Johnny Deaton pass with 7:27 to play in the second to tie the game at 14-all.
Daniels capped a 65-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge with :27 left and MSU led 21-14 at halftime.
Pfeiffer's lone TD was a 1-yarder with 4:37 to go in the 3rd for a 28-14 Mustangs advantage and neither team broke into the scoring column the rest of the way.
Minnesota State had 369 total yards, 241 of those coming on the ground. By contrast, NSU managed only 184 yards and was 10-of-32 through the air with four interceptions.
