Ryan Ladika/MDN Running back Ali Mohamed breaks a tackle on a rushing attempt during Minot State’s 17-14 win over Upper Iowa Saturday afternoon.

For a very young Minot State football squad, growing pains are to be expected.

31 members of the team had yet to play a college football snap prior to the Sept. 4 season-opener. The Beavers were subsequently outscored 214-20 through their first four games. The signs of learning and improvement soon followed.

Minot State cracked the win column for the first time this season Saturday afternoon behind a strong defensive showing, downing the Upper Iowa Peacocks 17-14 in a clash of winless teams at Herb Parker Stadium.

The Beavers had shown tangible signs of growth throughout their last four weeks of play. After the discouraging first quartet of games, Minot State produced its season-high in points scored in a 49-35 Week 5 loss. The defensive unit then took a step forward the next week, allowing only 14 points to Minnesota State Moorhead.

A one-point loss to Northern State last week again gave the team a sign it was on the right track, and it all came together for the first time Saturday afternoon.

“A lot on the mental side,” quarterback Dawson Macleary said of the areas of growth he has seen from his team. “A belief to win, a belief that we’re good enough, and just that factor that you’re going to do it. Believing that you’re going to do it the next play. And it’s going to happen, good things happen.”

Minot State yielded a Peacocks touchdown on the visitors’ second drive of the day and allowed only seven more points the remainder of the contest. Its defense overcame three turnovers and nine penalties for 100 total yards that played a big factor in stalling the offense throughout the afternoon.

“Obviously we did enough to win, but we probably played our least-clean game with penalties and turnovers,” said Beavers head coach Mike Aldrich. “I chalked that up to we were pressing a little bit, trying to get that win. The positive is we’re going for it; the negative is there are too many mental mistakes that we have to clean up.”

The Beavers tallied 14 of their 17 points in the second quarter, starting with a 10-play, 83-yard drive. After a fourth-down stand by Minot State’s defense deep in Beavers territory to open the quarter, Macleary completed attempts to three different receivers for 51 yards on the drive and Ali Mohamed added 32 more on the ground.

On fourth down and six from the Peacocks’ 23 yard line, Macleary called Joemah Norman’s number in the back of the end zone. The wideout fought through a defensive pass interference call and hauled in his first touchdown of the season with a slick one-handed grab to help tie the game at seven.

Later in the quarter, Macleary captained a 93-yard scoring drive that gave Minot State its first lead of the day. Mohamed broke off a 38-yard dash on first down from his own 19 yard line and a 22-yard Peyton Lamoureux reception later pushed the Beavers into the red zone.

13 more yards on three more attempts by Mohamed put the Beavers in the end zone for the second time, capped off by a gritty one-yard rush through a pile of defensive lineman.

A third-quarter Upper Iowa touchdown tied the game once again, but Dillon Fedor’s subsequent field goal gave the Beavers a three-point lead that a Roma’n Grissett interception in the end zone on the Peacocks’ final drive would later seal.

With its first win of the season in its back pocket, Minot State will now look to carry its momentum into its matchup with No. 16 University of Minnesota Duluth Oct. 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.