Photo by Samantha Davis Southwest Minnesota State University defensive lineman Jojo Parham (95) rushes a passer during a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game against Sioux Falls on Oct. 11 at Mattke Field in Marshall. The Mustangs hosted Concordia-St. Paul for senior day on Saturday, falling 19-14.

MARSHALL — A fourth-quarter touchdown shattered the Southwest Minnesota State University football team’s hopes of snapping its seven-game losing streak when it hosted Concordia-St. Paul for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matchup on Saturday. The Mustangs pulled ahead for a lead in the third quarter, but the Golden Bears answered in the fourth to hand SMSU a 19-14 senior day loss.

The Golden Bears trailed by a point when they took over at the SMSU 39-yard line three minutes into the final frame. A series of short gains allowed them to move the ball up the field until Joel Lacy ran the ball in for a five-yard touchdown to give the Golden Bears the lead. SMSU stopped Concordia’s 2-point conversion attempt, but the Golden Bears still lead 19-14.

In need of an answer, SMSU was forced to punt four plays into its ensuing drive and, after getting a stop, punted again after three plays on the next drive. SMSU had one last chance to take the lead with two minutes to play, but SMSU turned the ball over on downs at its own 32-yard line and the Golden Bears kneeled out the final 65 seconds.

SMSU trailed heading into the third quarter, but a 33-yard completion to Tryg Auten gave SMSU a spark. Quarterback Drew Kluender found Colin Meagher for a 21-yard gain a few plays later to set up first-and-goal from the 7, and a pass interference penalty set the Mustangs up at the 2-yard line, resulting in a go-ahead touchdown run for Jacob Honstetter to take a 14-13 lead.

Kluender made his return from an injury in the game after being out since Sept. 27. He took the reins from starting quarterback Macloud Crowton on the first drive of the second quarter with the Mustangs trailing by a touchdown.

On his second trip down the field, Kluender broke off a 14-yard run for a first down, found Tariq Parker for a 10-yard gain into the red zone and threw a 9-yard touchdown to Auten to tie up the game at 7 points apiece.

Kluender completed 11 of his 29 attempts for 107 yards and a touchdown while Crowton completed six of his eight attempts for 76 yards and an interception. Auten led the Mustang receiving corps with four catches for 80 yards.

On the ground, Kluender ran the ball six times for 30 yards while Honstetter finished with 10 carries for 25 yards. Still, SMSU finished with a team total of 37 rushing yards on 1.8 yards per carry while Concorida logged 252 yards on 5.4 yards per carry, led by 143 yards from Lacy and another 129 from Daniel Hornacek.

Concordia scored the game’s first points halfway through the first quarter, with Lacy pushing in a 2-yard run to cap off a 63-yard drive. Lacy also broke off a 93-yard run in the waning minutes of the second quarter to give the Golden Bears a 13-7 lead at halftime.

Josiah Hedensten and Gideon Ervasti led SMSU’s defense in their final home game as Mustangs. Hedensten logged 13 total tackles while Ervasti added another 10, with Ervasti also tying Amarion Meshack for a team-leading four solo tackles.

Treverran Mack finished the day with a pair of sacks and a forced fumble in the game while Parker Knutson and Cam Enrought each added another sack. Kaden Lunsford also contributed seven total tackles, a forced fumble and broke up a pass.

For the Golden Bears, Yeager completed six of his 10 pass attempts for 44 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Jonas Barros had a 53-yard reception return to set up Lacy’s opening touchdown and led the Golden Bears with five solo and six total tackles.

SMSU falls to 1-9 on the year and closes out the season on the road against Winona State in the Battle for the Sledge on Saturday at noon at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winona.