Catapulted to victory
Big plays lead Mustangs to second-half comeback win over Minot State
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MINOT, N.D. - Despite a slow start in the first half, the Southwest Minnesota State University football team scored 28 unanswered points to lead the Mustangs to a 28-23 come-from-behind win on the road at Minot State University on Thursday night.
It marked the first season-opening victory for SMSU since 2016 against Minnesota-Duluth and the first season-opening victory on the road since 2015 at Minot State.
"We knew it wouldn't be pretty," SMSU defensive back Hunter Bohannon said in a radio interview after the game. "The triple option is not an easy task to run or defend. We tried to stay united through adversity. Being united gave us the edge."
It wasn't pretty for the game's first 29 minutes and 56 seconds. With four seconds left in the first half, the Mustangs trailed 17-0. Four seconds were all that sophomore quarterback Marcus Martin needed to connect with wide receiver Peter Osman on a 35-yard touchdown pass to give SMSU a little confidence going into halftime.
"(The drive) gave us life," SMSU coach Scott Underwood said in a radio interview after the game. "It catapulted us, and got the deficit down to 10 points. Our kids had a good mindset and worked at that deficit."
Martin would finish the game with three touchdown passes, tying his career high. Osman finished the game with four catches for 71 yards and a career-high two touchdown catches.
"Man, he's got an arm," Osman said of Martin after the game in a radio interview. "You're going to know Marcus by the end of the season if you don't already."
The second connection between Martin and Osman gave the Mustangs a 21-17 lead. From that point, they handed the ball to running back Donald Austin to bring home the win. A 37-yard touchdown run from Austin pushed the lead out to double-digits, enough cushion to absorb a late score from the Beavers as SMSU pulled out the 28-23 win. Austin finished with 154 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.
SMSU will have a few extra days to regroup before its home opener on Sept. 9 for AgBowl. The Mustangs will host nationally-ranked Bemidji State, which dominated Northern State University 49-13 on Thursday night.
"A win is a win," Underwood said. "I'm proud of what our kids did to get to that point and get the win, but we have a lot of work to do."