WINONA, Minn. – Winona State University kicked off its new campaign in emphatic fashion with a 30-20 victory over No. 25 Bemidji State University on Thursday night at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium.
The Warriors used a balanced attack on both sides of the ball to upend the nationally-ranked Beavers. Quarterback Darren Beenken successfully navigated the offense in his first collegiate start while senior Andrew Spencer led the Warriors' defensive unit.
Spencer led all players with 11 tackles, including eight solo, to go along with a sack and a late fourth-quarter interception to seal the win.
WSU led wire-to-wire as Beenken orchestrated a 10-play, 69-yard drive on the game's opening possession which resulted in a 19-yard catch and score by Jake Balliu.
Two possessions later, after a missed BSU field goal attempt, Eric Birth found pay dirt on a 14-yard scamper to stretch the Warriors' lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter.
The Beavers got on the board with a 32-yard field goal on their ensuing possession to make it a 14-3 game. Bemidji tacked on another field goal as the first half came to a close, but not before Winona found the end zone once more.
Beenken connected with Aitor Flood late in the second quarter to give the Warriors a 17-point lead prior to the Beavers' second field goal as Winona State took a 20-6 advantage into the locker room.
After punting on its first possession of the second half, Bemidji made it a one-possession game when John Vogeler intercepted Beenken and returned it for a Beaver touchdown.
The Bemidji defense would intercept Beenken once again on Winona's ensuing possession, and despite it being his first start, the senior quarterback remained poised in the face of his second-half miscues.
"My adrenaline was flowing all game," Beenken said. "I've been waiting a long time for this opportunity and it was nothing short of magical. My teammates are so supportive. They had my back after the second interception, and that motivated me to go back out there and take care of business."
The Warrior defense forced a Beaver three-and-out after the interception, and Beenken and the offense got back to work. Birth padded the Winona lead by finding the end zone for the second time at the 4:39 mark of the third quarter.
Bemidji wasted little time responding, and cut its deficit to 27-20 with a six-play, 67-yard drive which took less than two minutes off the clock as the teams went to the fourth quarter.
Both defensive units stepped up in the final quarter as Carter McCauley's 28-yard field goal was the lone score with 6:17 left in the game.
Spencer's interception put the exclamation mark on the Warrior defense's outstanding effort in the waning minutes of the contest.
The Winona defense shut down the Beaver ground attack to the tune of 57 rushing yards. BSU quarterback and two-time reigning NSIC North Division Offensive Player of the Year, Jordan Hein, was sacked three times and held to just one touchdown pass.
"Our defense loved the challenge of facing a ranked opponent right out of the gate," Spencer said. "We have a lot of pride as a unit, and we were excited for the opportunity to prove ourselves against a great offensive player [Hein] who led one of the best offenses in the country last season."
Bemidji was 2-for-2 in red zone chances, but held to field goals in both instances.
Beenken threw for 308 yards on 24-of-35 attempts for two touchdowns while spreading the ball around to 12 different receivers.
Elliot Cox led the receiving core with 62 yards on three catches.
The Warrior offensive line also shined by not allowing a single Beaver sack on the night.
Winona State (1-0) travels to St. Cloud State University next week for a 6 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, September 9.
