By Chad Courrier, Mankato Free Press

MANKATO — Coach Todd Hoffner tried to catch up to his team as it walked toward the locker room at halftime, hoping to gauge the mood of his group after allowing 10 second-quarter points, including a tying touchdown in the final seconds.

A strong start to the game was negated by wasted opportunities, and Minnesota Duluth had a lot of momentum going into halftime, even though the score was tied at 10.

“The players were very focused, and there was a lot of chatter, encouraging each other,” Hoffner said. “We knew we had a lot of work to do, and the coaches made some subtle changes. It was a great feel (in the locker room). The guys were very focused and excited.”

A 17-point blitz to start the second half pushed Minnesota State past Minnesota Duluth 44-17 in the championship game of the Super Region 3 football playoffs Saturday in front of 3,378 fans at Blakeslee Stadium. With the win Minnesota State advanced to the national semifinals for the second time in three years.

“We’re still playing football,” Hoffner said. “We’re really excited about that.”

The clinching score came on a 1-yard run by Connor Thomas with 9:56 to play for a 37-17 advantage. After Rumeal Harris’ interception return to the Bulldogs’ 2, Chad Zastrow scored the final touchdown of the 44-17 victory.

“From the get-go, we wanted to keep scoring as many points as we could,” quarterback Ricky Lloyd said.

The Mavericks finished with 475 yards of offense, with 296 yards in the second half. The Mavericks rushed for just 44 yards in the second half but had 124 yards rushing in the second half. Thomas rushed for 135 yards on 22 carries, taking most of the load because Pfeiffer missed the game with an injury.

Lloyd was 14 of 24 passing for 277 yards and three touchdowns. Buford had 110 yards on four receptions.

Minnesota State (13-0) will play Concord (W. Va.) at 2 p.m. Saturday in the national semifinals at Blakeslee Stadium.