Box Score Mayville - N.D. - The Comets Football team hosted the Dakota State Trojans at Jerome Berg Field on Saturday. Mayville State's defense dominated the game and shut out the Trojans 13-0.

Mayville State opened with the ball and managed to march into the redzone before a 4^th and 3 pass fell incomplete. After multiple punts, the Trojans got the ball at the Mayville 48 and managed to drive down to the one yard line, where it was first and goal. The Comets defense stuffed Dakota State's rushing attack three times, then forced a fumble on fourth down, giving the ball back to the offense.

Four consecutive rushes took the ball to the Mayville 19. On 3^rd and 3, Javeion Davison sped past the defense and Tim Salmon hit him in stride enroute to an 81 yard touchdown. Braeden Lacombe converted the extra point and gave the Comets the 7-0 lead.

"Our defense played unreal all day long. They were flying around and making plays," said head coach Rocky Larson.

The Comets defense stifled any sort of offensive attack for Dakota State, limiting them to only one first down the rest of the half. Mayville State's pass rush swarmed the Dakota State QB, resulting in three sacks in the 2^nd quarter. Bailey Mullenberg racked up 1.5 of those sacks. With the clock dwindling down in the first half, the Comets took advantage of a poor punt and used a 20 yard screen pass to Mason Ollman to get inside the 10. Lacombe came on for a 22 yard field goal and nailed it to give the Comets a 10-0 lead.

Both offenses struggled to gain any momentum in the 2^nd half, as the teams combined for 10 punts. The Comets lost a fumble midway through the third quarter, but the defense held fast and forced a three and out. Field position became critical, and the Comets got the ball at Dakota St 49 just before the fourth quarter. Mayville State went 34 yards in seven plays, with Lacombe kicking a 33 yard field goal to make the score 13-0.

With Dakota State forced to pass, the defense continued to apply pressure. When the Trojans received the ball at the Mayville 49 with 4:44 left, one big play would have gotten them right back in the game. Instead, Marcellus Moore picked off a Dakota State pass and allowed the Comets to keep running down the clock. The Trojans last gasp came with 2:34 remaining, but the Comets again forced a turnover on downs and the Comets ran off the rest of the clock, resulting in a 13-0 shutout.

Larson also added, "I am proud of our kids for the continual commitment to the process of Mayville State Football. Thank you to our supporters for believing in our program, huge win for us today."

Salmon passed for 156 yards and a touchdown. Ollman collected 62 yards rushing and receiving, and Davison caught three passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.

The defense allowed only 182 yards and 9 first downs for the game, racking up 4 sacks and 10 total tackles for loss. Richard Shelton filled the box score with 12 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and a sack. Mullenberg added six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Devon Woods racked up a sack and two tackles for loss and Moore had the interception and also a tackle for loss.

"We are looking forward to a bye week to get healthy and it's coming at a great time," said Larson.

The shut out is the first since 2019 and the first conference shut out since 2011. This puts the Comets record at 1-5, 1-3 in the North Star. Mayville State has the next week off and will face Dickinson State at Jerome Berg Field on October 14^th.