MINOT, N.D. -- The Minot State football team enjoyed the bus ride home following its win over Mary last week in the Battle of the Big Lake Trophy game, but the Beavers get right back to work as they host Northern State at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday (Oct. 5) in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Thursday Night Football game televised live on the Midco Sports Network from Herb Parker Stadium.

The Beavers notched their first win of the season last week, and the first under head coach Mike Aldrich, with the 27-19 victory over the Marauders to retain the Battle of the Big Lake Trophy for the third consecutive season. Minot State relied on all three phases of the game in order to secure its initial win in 2017.

The tide turned in the fourth quarter when JoseLuis Moreno pinned Mary deep in its own territory with a 38-yard punt. Mary fumbled on its first snap of the ensuing drive and Bryce Broome recovered the fumble to set the Beavers up on the Mary 4-yard line. Larry Overstreet powered in for a touchdown on the next play and the Beavers took the lead for good when Taylor Maloney scored on a fake extra point. Minot State then turned to its defense, and a big play by Overstreet, to seal the win. Overstreet raced 76 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter and Broome and Nikko Walker intercepted passes halting Mary scoring threats.

Overstreet was outstanding in helping lead the Beavers to the win as he piled up a career-high 190 yards rushing to go along with a career-high three touchdowns. His three touchdowns tied him for second place in MSU single-season history behind only the school record of four touchdowns. Led by Overstreet, Minot State accumulated a season-high 267 yards rushing against Mary.

For the season, Overstreet has rushed for a team-leading 331 yards and four touchdowns, while Hayden Van Winkle has 171 yards rushing.

Quarterback Zac Cunha has thrown for 810 yards on the season and has five touchdown passes, while Andy Jones has seen action in two games and has 92 yards passing.

Lavante Bushnell continues to be the Beavers top receiving target as he has a team-leading 15 catches for 198 yards and three scores. Lane Torgerson has 12 catches, while Overstreet has 11 receptions and a touchdown.

The Minot State defense has collected seven interceptions on the season led by Kiante Goudeau who has two picks. Kywan Owens, Justin Gonzales, Broome, Walker and Donnell Vercher each have one interception on the season.

Vercher, who led the Beavers in tackles in 2016, leads the team with 52 tackles while Broome is second on the squad with 51 tackles. Matt Marler is third on the squad with 38 tackles and leads the Beavers with 6.0 tackles for loss.

Walker and Elijah Mosley are tied for the team lead with two quarterback sacks, while Matthew Cole ranks second on the team with 1.5 sacks.

Northern State enters the contest with a 2-3 overall record and a 1-0 record in the NSIC North. The Wolves defeated Minnesota State Moorhead 28-20 last week to snap a three-game losing streak.

Northern State leads the all-time series with Minot State 12-7-1.

Thursday night is Military Appreciation Day where the Beavers will honor and recognize all those who have served to protect the freedom we enjoy.