Photo by Samantha Davis: SMSU defensive back Keshaun Reynolds, left, goes in for the tackle against Wayne State on Saturday evening at Mattke Field. The Mustangs lost 41-7 and drop to 0-6 overall on the season.

MARSHALL — The Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs looked to grab its first season win on homecoming night but fell to Wayne State 41-7 on Saturday evening despite a close first half. The loss marked a tie for their worst start since 1976, 1977 and 1978, in which the Mustangs dropped their first six games each year. SMSU finished the 1976 season 0-9.

Coming into the game, Wayne State led the series 26-8 overall and has taken the last seven meetings, including a 49-10 win last season. The Wildcats currently rank ninth in Division II football in turnover margin and is second in the NSIC behind Minnesota State.

“They [Wayne State] are a good team, and we felt like there were some things we could do and play at a high level to get it accomplished,” SMSU head coach Scott Underwood said. “If you watch the first half, we showed it. When we make the plays and do the right things, we can be extremely competitive. But again, compounding mistakes in the second half both on the offensive and defensive side, hindered that process.”

SMSU has rotated its starting quarterbacks between Wyatt Oak, Kendon Krogman and Drew Kluender. Krogman led the team’s offense on Saturda, completing 12 of his 17 attempts for 96 yards and a touchdown.

Wayne State quarterback Nick Bohn threw for 218 yards on 15 complete passes and 23 attempts.

The Mustangs played a competitive first half and got on the board as the clock ran down in the second quarter. They trailed by a touchdown as they headed to the locker room facing a 14-7 deficit. Wayne State eventually found the end zone twice in the third and fourth quarters to pull away.

“The defense played really well at times [in the first half]. Even though we gave up two scores, we even felt like those were scores that we didn’t have to give up, we just kind of missed assignments,” Underwood said. “We made them drive the football, stalled them out where we needed to.”

Defensive backs Connor Shelton and Parker Knutson each broke up a long pass attempt to keep the Mustang energy alive in the first half, both of which forced a fourth down. But, the offense wasn’t able to respond on either occasion.

The Wildcats grabbed its first pair of touchdowns toward the beginning of the first and second quarters.

With just over a minute to go in the second quarter, SMSU performed a string of successful plays to bring in some homecoming excitement through Mattke field.

Krogman threw a pass to running back Zander Wolf who ran 22-yards for a first down on the 41-yard line. Wide receiver and Marshall native Omar Abdi then went another 9-yards off a Krogman pass to bring SMSU into the red zone. After a two-yard run, Krogman connected with Colin Maher for the touchdown pass.

Wolf and Greg Schafer tied with a team-leading 18 rushing yards while Jacob Honstetter added another 17. Wolf also led the team with 30 receiving yards on a pair of catches.

At the half, SMSU had three more minutes of possession time than Wayne State did. But Wayne State prevented big plays from the Mustang offense by sacking Krogman four times.

Momentum shifted in Wayne State’s favor as the Mustangs’ hope faded. SMSU gained a total of 44 yards with one first down in the second half.

“The second half for some way, we didn’t have that same ability [as the first],’ Underwood said. “I credit them [Wayne State] for making some plays as well. It’s the third downs that get us off the field and we throw their defense the ball [back].”

The Wildcats went 8-for-13 on third down conversions, compared to the Mustangs’ 1-for-11. SMSU is now 11-for 74 on third-down conversion attempts this season.

Wayne State didn’t allow much time to pass before advancing its lead to 21-7 in the third. SMSU was unsuccessful in taking the ball back on offense behind an incomplete pass, snapping error and loss of yardage.

The Wildcats sacked Krogman once more and recovered an SMSU fumble by Schafer on a second-down with just over three minutes to go in the third, which resulted in another touchdown.

Linebacker Josiah Hedensten sacked Bohn for a loss of 9-yards on a first down on the Wildcats’ first run to start the fourth, igniting some Mustangs momentum.

Hedensten led SMSU with nine tackles, six of which were solo. He also currently leads the team in total tackles on the season.

However, it wasn’t enough as Wayne State halted any Mustangs’ opportunities the rest of the night.

The Wildcats ran in for a 17-yard touchdown to extend its lead and a 50-yard rush with just over four minutes to go for the 41-7 advantage, and ultimately the final score.

The Mustangs could not find an answer to WSC’s defense through the night, as it continued to find Krogman and force a loss of yards through sacks.

Krogman was sacked a total of seven times, compared to Bohn’s one.

“I think there’s always a combination of things. Whether it’s bringing pressure, us holding the ball too long … or in the protection. I think at times, we may not protect it as well as we need to,” Underwood said. “It’s never one facet.”

Underwood acknowledged the team’s struggles, but works to instill a competitive mindset in his players.

“It’s really hard when you work with 18-to-22-year-olds and you’re not having much success,” Underwood said. “It’s been a tough start for us here, but you got to hold the course. If you do that, stay together and do the work that each individual needs to do to get better, we will get better collectively as a team.”

SMSU (0-6, 0-5 NSIC) will look ahead and travel to take on Northern State (3-4, 3-3 NSIC) in Aberdeen, S.D., next Saturday at 6 p.m.