Bemidji State Wins 34-14 Over Mary to Claim North Division Title

Bemidji State University secured the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division title on Saturday defeating the University of Mary 34-14 in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Bemidji State finished the season with a 6-5 overall record and a 6-4 mark in conference play, while Mary concluded its season at 3-8 overall and 2-8 in the conference.

The Beavers established control early by scoring 20 unanswered points in the first quarter. Bemidji State rushed for 306 yards and four touchdowns during the contest while holding the Marauders to 227 total yards, including 78 rushing yards.

The visiting offense converted Caden Bolte’s interception and 25-yard return into an opening 2-yard touchdown run by Antonio Brown. Connor Carver added a 2-yard rushing score and later connected with Jadon Hellerud for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds remaining in the opening period, building a 20-0 lead. Bemidji State went 6-for-6 on third down and 3-for-3 in the red zone in the first quarter.

Mary responded in the second quarter by putting together a 16-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a touchdown and an extra point to trim the deficit to 20-7.

The Beavers failed to record a first down on two full possessions in the second quarter and punted twice before halftime. Defensive plays by Luke Owen, who registered a tackle for loss, and Mike Watkins, who recorded a sack, halted Mary’s final possession of the half.

Carver dominated the ground game in the third quarter, adding touchdown runs of 26 and 11 yards. Mary capitalized on a recovered muffed punt to score a touchdown, narrowing the score to 27-14. Bemidji State answered immediately with a 75-yard drive capped by Carver’s 11-yard run, pushing the lead to 34-14 heading into the final period.

In the fourth quarter, the Bemidji State defense turned away two Mary possessions on downs, stopping a 10-play drive at the BSU 23-yard line and later halting another advance after Dominick Battle III broke up a fourth-down pass.

The Beavers reached Mary territory twice in the final period without scoring, turning the ball over on downs at the Mary 14-yard line and losing a fumble at the Mary 16-yard line before closing out the 34-14 win.

Carver finished the afternoon rushing 22 times for 149 yards and three touchdowns while completing 6 of 13 passes for 83 yards and one score. Brown contributed 92 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Defensively, Watkins tallied three tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble, while Bolte led the Beavers with five tackles alongside his interception.