The Packers couldn’t withstand an early flurry of big plays as they lost their homecoming football game to Rochester Mayo 42-14 in Art Hass Stadium Friday.

The Spartans opened the scoring when Alex Proell broke open a 55-yard touchdown run and Mayo (4-1 overall, 4-0 Big Nine) started to run away with the game as Eric Manges threw touchdown passes of 65, 79 and 13-yards to put his team up 28-6 at the break.

“I thought we started really good and then it just looked like the Faribault game again,” Austin head coach Brett Vesel said. “We played so good defensively last week and we just didn’t show up. They had some good receivers but we didn’t play it very well.”

Austin (1-4 overall, 1-3 Big Nine) scored its only touchdown of the first half when Nate Conner plunged in from a yard out to seal a 15 play, 70-yard drive that saw Austin convert a fourth and one and a fourth and three. The score made it 7-6 Mayo with 1:37 left in the first quarter.

“We started off pretty well and we were competing,” Austin receiver Nik Gasner, who had nine catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, said. “We just had some mental lapses that kind of ruined the game for us, then were kind of out of it after that.”

While Conner had some success on the ground in the first quarter, the Spartans quickly reacted and filled up the running lanes as they held the Packers to 74 yards on 47 carries.

“We can’t run the ball,” Vesel said. “We’re one dimensional and nobody wants to be one dimensional. We’re doing better things, but we’re just not consistent throughout the game.”

Austin will look to rebound when it plays at Rochester Century (2-3 overall, 2-2 Big Nine) next Friday. The Packers are hoping to avoid another breakdown like they had in the second quarter against Mayo.

“I know how good when we are, and when we let down like that it’s disappointing for all of us,” Ganser said. “It gets frustrating and they’re little mistakes we can make up for. We’ve just got to keep pushing through.”

AUSTIN STATS

Rushing: Elijah Dahmen, 8-for-38; Nate Conner, 15-for-28, TD; Ryan Synoground, 19-for-24; Sean Coffey 5-for-(-16); Passing: 18-for-36 205 yards 1 TD, 1 INT; Nik Gasner, 1-for-1, 31; Coffey, 2-for-4, 21; Receiving: Marcus Stoulil, 8-for-139; Gasner, 9-for-70, TD; Bret Lukes, 1-for-31; Jacob Kempen, 2-for-16; Penalties: 10-for-95; Fumble recoveries: Ajuda Nywesh (1)

SCORING SUMMARY

Mayo 7 21 7 7 — 42

Austin 6 0 8 0 — 14

First quarter

(M) Proell 55 run (Brownell kick) (2 plays, 64 yards) 7:44

(A) Conner 1 run (kick failed) (15 plays, 70 yards) 1:37

Second quarter

(M) Maurice Cain 65 pass from Manges (Brownell kick) (1 play, 65 yards) 10:36

(M) Fix 79 pass from Manges (Brownell kick) (3 plays, 90 yards) 6:36

(M) Rogers 13 pass from Manges (Brownell kick) (5 plays, 43 yards) 5:06

Third quarter

(M) Fjelsted 1 run (Brownell kick) (8 plays, 66 yards) 6:14

(A) Gasner 11 pass from Synoground (Olmsted from Synoground) (11 plays, 80 yards) 1:55

(M) Fix 24 pass from Manges (Brownell kick) (1 play, 24 yards) 11:19