MTU football beats Midwestern State 48-27 and ties a 48-year-old school record
Michigan Tech Huskies Football played the Midwestern State Mustangs in their home opener on Saturday, Sep. 5, 2026. Coming into the game, the Huskies were 1-0 and ranked as the 20th best team in NCAA Division II football by Flo Football. The game was a hard-fought battle, and the Huskies won by a score of 48-27.
Despite the score gap, this was a tough win for MTU. Both teams’ offenses started out slow as the defenses made big plays. The Huskies were able to score first on their third possession of the game, a touchdown pass from sophomore Elliott Larner to junior Bryce Kurncz. After this play, the Huskies offense started rolling. They went on to score three more touchdowns and a field goal in the first half. The Huskies defense held the Mustangs to just one touchdown in the first half. The halftime score was 31-7, in favor of the Huskies.
The second half took a harder turn for the Huskies. The Mustangs were able to get their offense rolling and started a comeback. During their comeback, the Mustangs made the score 34-21 early in the fourth quarter, before they muffed a punt and allowed the Huskies to regain their momentum. The Huskies scored two more touchdowns and allowed one after this moment. The final score had the Huskies on top, 48-27.
The Huskies had one player who stood out from the rest. As time expired in the first half, the Huskies sent junior Avery Kucharski to kick a 51-yard field goal, which tied the MTU school record for longest field goal made. This record has been standing since Oct. 17, 1978. When asked about how the kick impacted the team going into halftime, Kucharski said, “I think it just gave everybody a big boost… everybody’s congratulating me, congratulating each other, [and it] just picked up the spirits right before halftime.” When asked how he prepares for a kick like that, Kucharski gave credit to everyone around him, “It’s a lot of work with the guys, … our holder, o-line, and then building up that trust with the coach, so that… he has the confidence to send me out there to go and kick it.”
With this win, the Huskies maintain an undefeated season record of 2-0. Their next game is Sep. 12, at Emporia State, and the next home game is Sep. 19, vs. Upper Iowa which will also be Tech’s homecoming game.
