Polk runs No. 25 MSU past Southeastern Oklahoma 33-23

Polk runs No. 25 MSU past Southeastern Oklahoma 33-23

WICHITA FALLS, Texas - Junior quarterback Daniel Polk came off the bench to smash his own Midwestern State University single-game rushing record as he led the Mustangs to a 33-23 Homecoming victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State University Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

Polk, the 6-2 signal-caller from Dallas/South Oak Cliff, came in just before the end of the first quarter and finished the night with 19 carries for 259 yards with touchdown runs of three, 80 and 69 yards. He broke his own school record from last season of 244 yards against

Eastern New Mexico
. He also threw for the other MSU touchdown.

The game was

Polk lifted MSU (7-2, 5-2 in all LSC games) in the second half, rushing for 211 yards on 11 carries in that half alone after MSU managed just 92 yards of total offense in the first half.

Midwestern
State
tallied 410 yards of total offense for the evening, while the MSU defense allowed SOSU (4-4, 3-4 all LSC games) 373 total yards.

The game was again slow developing again, as the game was scoreless after the first frame.

Polk got MSU on the board first with his six-yard pass to Mookie Davis.

Southeastern answered the score with a 76-yard drive to tie the score with a one-yard Brandon McCain quarterback sneak.

MSU retook the lead with a 27-yard Kristian Foster field goal with 3:04 to play in the half, only to have SOSU tie the game going into halftime with a Pete Cuva 18-yard field goal as the horn sounded.

After the teams traded possessions, Polk started a 10-play, 64-yard drive to give the Mustangs a lead they would not relinquish. Polk capped the drive with the three-yard run.

Then the MSU defense got into the scoring act. After McCain made a bad pitch for a loss of 16 yards, the swarming force him into the end zone on a scramble. MSU's Donial Arps sacked McCain for a 13-yard loss and a safety to put the Mustangs up 19-10.

Southeastern brought injured quarterback Justin Pitrucha into the game in the fourth quarter and he pull SOSU back within two with a pass to Daniel Nichols from five yards out to cap a 10-play, 99-yard drive.

But Polk answered with a weaving 80-yard run to pull MSU back to a nine-point lead.

Then on MSU's next possession, Polk went to the right side and cut back across the grain to race 69-yards and give the Mustangs a 33-17 advantage.

Southeastern wouldn't keel over, coming back with a 15-yard Pitrucha pass to Jimmy Dailey, but failed to convert a two-point attempt and MSU just ran out the clock.

MSU closes it's regular season home schedule next Saturday against

Eastern New Mexico
, who defeated Texas A&M-Kingsville 37-14.

+++ MSU +++