WINONA, Minn. --- The Winona State football team battled No. 5 Minnesota State on homecoming Saturday afternoon at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium before the Mavericks pulled away late for a 34-16 victory.
The Warriors fell to 2-5 overall and 2-4 in NSIC play, while Minnesota State improved to 7-0 overall and 6-0 in the NSIC.
Jacob Sampson led the Winona State offense, completing 23 of 35 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown. Jake Schultz caught eight passes for 65 yards and hauled in the Warriors' lone touchdown. Jahmani Muhammad paced the rushing attack with 11 carries for 55 yards.
Blake Schraufnagel led the Warriors' defense with nine solo tackles, including three tackles for loss and one sack. Patrick Curtin added eight tackles, with five assisted stops and three solo tackles. Kane Donnelly recorded a pass breakup, while Jaydon Lanser added a sack.
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Minnesota State outgained Winona State 403-324 in total yards, but the Warriors held an edge in passing yards, 207-159. Winona State also controlled time of possession, holding the ball for 30 minutes, 41 seconds compared with 29:19 for the Mavericks.
Minnesota State opened the scoring with a 31-yard field goal after forcing a three-and-out on Winona State's first possession. The Mavericks extended their lead to 10-0 with a 16-yard touchdown pass with 3:36 remaining in the first quarter.
The Warriors responded with a lengthy drive to get on the scoreboard. Winona State marched 80 yards on 16 plays over 8 minutes, 19 seconds before Sampson connected with Schultz for a 4-yard touchdown pass. The score cut the deficit to 10-7, and the Warriors continued to challenge the Mavericks on both sides of the ball. Mathias Yaggie capped the first half with a 41-yard field goal as time expired, tying the game at 10-10 heading into the locker room.
Minnesota State regained the lead on its opening drive of the second half, connecting on an 11-yard touchdown pass with 8:24 remaining in the third quarter. Winona State answered with another scoring drive, as Yaggie connected on a 28-yard field goal to bring the Warriors within four at 17-13.
The Mavericks added a 38-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to extend their lead to 20-13. Yaggie then converted his third field goal of the afternoon, trimming the deficit to 20-16 with 13 minutes remaining. Minnesota State pulled away in the closing minutes with two long touchdown runs by Sam Backer, who scored from 51 and 44 yards to secure the 34-16 victory.
Checking the box score
- No. 5 Minnesota State defeated Winona State 34-16.
- Jacob Sampson led the Warriors, completing 23-of-35 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown.
- Jake Schultz caught the lone touchdown of the day for WSU, finishing the game with eight catches for 65 yards.
- Jahmani Muhammad had 11 carries for 55 yards.
- Mathias Yaggie knocked in three field goals, finishing the day 3-of-3.
- Blake Schraufnagel had nine solo tackles, including three for a loss and one sack.
- Kane Donnelly recorded a pass breakup, while Jaydon Lanser recorded a sack.
- Minnesota State outgained Winona State 403-324.
- WSU had 207 passing yards compared to MSU's 159.
- MSU recorded 21 first downs, while WSU had 18.
News and notes
- Winona State fell to 2-5 (2-4 NSIC) with the loss.
- Minnesota State remained unbeaten on the season at 7-0 (6-0 NSIC).
- The Mavericks snapped the Warriors' home winning streak of seven games that dated back to 2025.
- MSU now leads the all-time series 41-19-4.
- Winona State suffered its first homecoming loss since 2023.
- The Warriors have not committed a turnover in six of seven games this season.
- The game featured a homecoming crowd of 3,513 fans.
Up next
Winona State will take next week off, before heading to Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday, Oct. 24. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.
Stay connected with Winona State University Athletics all season long by following the Warriors on social media at @WinonaStateATH (X/Instagram), @winonastatewarriors (YouTube) and Winona State Warrior Athletics (Facebook). Catch full schedules, scores and stories at winonastatewarriors.com.
