NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College football team rode a big second-quarter to a 39-31 win over Mayville State University (MSU) in the season finale on Saturday.

The Comets scored on two of their first three possessions, but MLC answered with touchdowns on five of their six first-half possessions to take a 33-13 lead into halftime. 

Austin DeNoyer started the scoring with a 32-yard run in the first quarter to give MLC a 7-6 lead. In the second quarter, Joshuah Kren caught a 59-yard touchdown pass from Max Nordlie. Later in the quarter, after Ethan Aguilar scored from 14 yards to push the mLC lead to 19-13, first-year runner Carson Oestreich ran around the right end down the sidelines for a 93-yard score, setting a new program record for the longest play from scrimmage in school history.

To cap off the half, Aguilar connected with Mike Radue as time expired for a 23-yard score to cash in an interception by Adam Arrowsmith with five seconds to play in the period. 

Turnovers were a big story throughout the game for the Comets, as MLC forced three first-half interceptions, and finished with five total picks in the game. Aiden Holien led the charge on defense with three of the five interceptions from his safety spot, while Arrowsmith and Jake Kieselhorst picked off the other two passes. 

The Comets threatened in the second half, pulling within one score in the fourth quarter, but Kren kept them at bay with a second touchdown reception (33 yards) from Aguilar to help seal the win.

The Knights ran for 321 yards as a team and put two rushers over the century mark in the game. Oestriech led the way with 140 yards on 12 carries, while DeNoyer added 111 yards on 15 attempts. Kren led the receivers wtih three catches for 120 yards and two scores. Radue added four catches for 41 yards. Aguilar and Nordlie combined to complete eight of 14 passes for 169 yards, three touchdowns and zero turnovers. 

The defense allowed 431 total yards to MSU, but the five forced turnovers were critical in the win. Ben Riegsecker joined Holien, Nathan Golisch and Ben Washburn with six total tackles, and also recorded a team-best 2.0 tackles for loss. 

MLC finished its 2020-21 spring season with a 3-1 record following the win. MSU fell to 2-7 overall in defeat.