Senior quarterback James McNear rushed for a pair of touchdowns and threw for another to lead Concordia University (3-1) past Minnesota State, Mankato (1-3) 35-21 on Saturday afternoon at Griffin Stadium in St. Paul, Minn.

McNear rushed for 112 yards on 14 attempts and passed for 115 while completing 8-17. McNear's favorite target was Tyrone Ruffin, who had three receptions for 71 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown reception with 2:39 to play in the first half.

The Bears jumped on the board early when junior running back Aaron Cawthorn exploded for a four-yard touchdown run, capping off a three-play, 20-yard drive after the Mavericks fumbled sophomore Miles Coffin's punt when the Bears stalled on their opening drive.

MSU tied the score at 7 late in the first quarter when Joshua Bryant scored an eight-yard touchdown run with 2:31 to play in the quarter.

Cawthorn answered on the ensuing kickoff, as he broke off a 42-yard kick return, setting up the Bears with the ball on the 50-yard line. CU proceeded to march to the end zone on six plays in 1:47. McBear finished off the drive with a two-yard TD rush with :35 remaining in the quarter.

The score remained 14-7 for the first ten and a half minutes of the 2nd quarter until Travis Mellor blocked and recovered MSU's punt on the MSU 12-yard line, setting up a 12-yard touchdown run by McNear at the 4:20 mark.

The Mavericks weren't done turning the ball over, though. On their very next drive, Maishon Holdbrooks sacked Bryant, forcing a fumble that was recovered by CU's Adam Kroth at the MSU 17-yard line.

McNear connected with Ruffin on the next play from 17 yards out, putting the Bears ahead 28-7 with 2:51 remaining in the half.

The only scoring in the third quarter was a two-yard TD run by Cawthorn. The drive was sparked by a 47-yard bomb from McNear to Ruffin, which set the Bears up with a first and goal on the three.

MSU's Tyrell Smith scored a pair of 4th quarter touchdowns from 10 and 40 yards with 3:12 and :06 to play, respectively. Smith was the only offensive weapon for the Mavericks, as he had nine receptions for 134 yards and the two TDs. He also had a pair of carries on reverses totaling 51 yards.

MSU running back Sean Treasure, who ate up the Bears last season, was held to just 40 yards on 10 carries, as the CU defense shut down the Mavericks for most of the game.

The defensive effort was led by Doug Cox's eight tackles, while Travis Johansen and Adrian Mitchell each added seven. Cesar Perez recorded two of Concordia's five sacks. The others came from Kroth, Holdbrooks, and Eric Power.

CU was outgained 318-257 and outpassed 222-138 despite the two touchdown victory. Turnovers and field position made the difference, as the Bears forced a pair of fumbles and blocked a punt en route to the victory. A majority of MSU's yards were accumulated in the fourth quarter,as the Golden Bear defense overwhelmed the Mavericks for three quarters, allowing the Bears to build a 28-point lead.

Concordia was also 5-5 in the red zone, while the Mavericks were just 2-4.

Concordia returns to action next Saturday, Sept. 24 when they open their Northern Sun schedule by hosting Bemidji State at 1:30 at Griffin Stadium.