Box Score MINOT, N.D. – Most teams have a 24-hour rule following wins. Enjoy it for about a day and then get right back to work.

Minot State University might extend that a little.

The Beavers were all smiles after a successful fourth-quarter comeback, topping the University of Mary 32-21 for their first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference win in front of 1,913 fans at Herb Parker Stadium.

A trio of newcomers made some of the biggest plays for the Beavers this season as Zac Cuhna (Fr., QB, Rocklin, Calif.) threw three touchdown passes, Porter Sturm (R-Fr., WR, Roy, Mont.) caught the go-ahead TD, diving into the back of the end zone, and junior Jeff Buchert (DB, Plainfield, Conn.) sealed the win with an interception with just over a minute to play.

“I am really happy for this team to get a win like this,” said MISU head coach Paul Rudolph. “They guys deserve it.”

Sturm's acrobatic dive for his third TD in as many games brought the Beavers all the way back from a 21-10 deficit as Minot State entered the fourth quarter. It was the second straight pass play his way and he and Cunha made the adjustment.

“I was lined up on the outside, and me and Zac made a little eye contact so I had a feeling it was coming to me,” Sturm said. “He made a good throw and I was able to bring in the catch.”
Rudolph liked the decision his young quarterback made on the TD.

“They were bringing a lot of pressure down there and we guessed wrong a couple times before,” he said. “We thought we would get them in man and Zac had a few choices. He picked the right one and Sturm just made a great play on the ball. It sure worked out good.”

It was a game of runs as the Beavers (1-4 overall, 1-4 NSIC, 1-0 NSIC North) scored the game's first 10 points on a 34-yard pass from Cunha to Glyn Borel (Jr., WR, San Jose, Calif.) and a 41-yard field goal from Aaron La Deaux (Fr., K, Port Orchard, Wash).

The Marauders (3-2, 3-2, 0-1) countered with three straight scoring players as Zach Roberson rushed for a 1-yard TD, and passed for two hitting Elby Pope for a 26-yard TD and Jeremy Mayfield from 29-yards out. The Mayfield touchdown made it 21-10 U-Mary with 4:30 to play in the third quarter.

But the Marauders wouldn't find the end zone again. 

“Our defense was outstanding,” Rudolph said. “They changed the pace a little bit and they had a good plan. I thought our defense rose to the occasion. They were put in some tough spots in the second half but they held strong.”

The biggest play on defense was made by Buchert as he picked off a Roberson pass with just over a minute to play and – after Randall Barber (Fr., RB, Maricopa, Ariz.) sprinted away on the ensuing possession for his first collegiate touchdown – sealed the win for Minot State. He finished with a team-high 11 tackles and two interceptions.

“I had a gut feeling on what (U-Mary) wanted to do with the ball and my coaches let me go with that feeling,” Buchert said. “We had the right defense called and it paid off.

Roberson was 26-for-49 for 328 yards and two TDs as he did a solid job filling in for injured Craig Bagnell. Pope caught seven passes for 154 yards to pace the Marauders. Minot State limited the Marauders to 83 yards rushing.

“We wanted to 'one-up' them all game,” Buchert said of the defense. “We tried something completely new compared to what we have done the last few weeks. We wanted to mix things up for their quarterback. It was important for our defense to be on the same page.”

Blake Eggle (Sr., RB, Minot, N.D.) rushed for 86 yards and Cunha was 16-for-33 for 228 yards for the Beavers. Borel finished with 90 yards receiving, while Peters had 77. Along with Buchert, Chad Marshall (Jr., LB, Hazen, N.D.) and Casey Weinmann (So., LB, Selz, N.D.) finished with nine and eight tackles respectively, while Cameron Stone (So., DL, Great Falls, Mont.) finished with two sacks to pace the defense.

Minot State travels to Aberdeen, S.D., for another NSIC North matchup Saturday beginning at 2:30 p.m.