Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Setting the Stage: The Southwest Minnesota State University football team (3-4, 3-3 NSIC; 2-2 South Division) finishes its two-game road trip this Saturday, Oct. 18 when it takes on Concordia University-St. Paul (3-3, 2-4 NSIC; 0-3 South Division) at Griffin Stadium in St. Paul, Minn.  Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. 
     SMSU will be looking for its third straight victory in the series including its second in a row in St. Paul.   
     SMSU is coming off a 39-20 road loss to Augustana, while CSP was shutout 35-0 at Minnesota State, Mankato.

With a Win on Saturday, SMSU Would...
1...    win its third straight over Concordia
2...    win its second in a row in St. Paul
3...    win its second NSIC road game of the season for the
    first time since 1999
4...    give head coach Eric Eidsness his 19th career victory

SMSU vs. CSP Series Notes
Southwest Minnesota State and Concordia meet for the 12th time on Saturday with Concordia holding a slight 6-5 lead including 3-2 in games played at CSP ... the teams first met in 1979 and played once more in 1980 before meeting every season since 1999 ... CSP won six straight in the series from 2000-05 ... SMSU has won the last two meetings in the series including 24-19 last season in Marshall.

The Last Time
SMSU jumped to a 12-0 first quarter lead and never looked back in earning a 24-19 homecoming victory last season in Marshall.  SMSU running back Zach Wysong set a school record in the game becoming the first player to have a rushing and receiving touchdown of 75 yards or more in one game.  His 75-yard reception gave SMSU a 12-0 lead following two Scott Talcott field goals.  Wysong opened the second half with a 75-yard run to give SMSU an 18-7 lead.  Talcott would add two more field goals to secure the victory.  Wysong finished the game rushing for 108 yards on 12 carries while Paul Benesh added 109 yards on 16 attempts.  Josh Shudlick completed 20 of 34 passes for 224 yards.  SMSU was just 1 of 11 on third-down conversions. 


Internet Radio, Video & Stats: All SMSU football games during the 2008 season can be seen and heard on the Internet.  A video Webcast is available free of charge at www.northernsun.tv while the radio broadcast is available at www.SMSUmustangs.com.  Fans can also follow the game on the Internet with live in-game statistics for all home games at www.SMSUmustangs.com and clicking on the football link on the left side of the page.

Radio Broadcasts: SMSU football will once again be heard all season long on KARL 105.1 FM, Marshall.  Sports director Aaron Ziemer will handle the play-by-play for a sixth straight season.

Last Week's Result: Josh Shudlick passed for a career-high 451 yards and completed a school record 40 passes but it wasn't enough as SMSU dropped a 39-20 road decision to Augustana.  SMSU was limited to minus-13 yards net rushing with Zach Wysong held to just 12 yards on seven carries.  Blake Wilson and Wysong each caught 10 passes to lead the offense with Wilson finishing the game with a career-high 135 yards receiving.  Wade McDonough finished with four receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns.

NSIC Road Victory No. 2?: With a victory on Saturday at Concordia, SMSU would do something it hasn't done since the 1999 season and that is win two conference road games in one season. In fact SMSU won three road games that season defeating Minnesota-Morris, Minnesota Duluth and MSU Moorhead.  SMSU has won one conference road game in each of the past five seasons, including this year. 

Mustangs in the NCAA Statistics: The SMSU offense has the 13th ranked passing offense in the country averaging 295.1 yards per game with senior quarterback Josh Shudlick ranking tied for 13th in total offense (279.0) and 42nd in passing efficiency (137.4).  For a complete look at SMSU and Mustang individuals in the NCAA statistics see chart on page 3.

Talcott A Busy Man Versus Concordia: If senior kicker Scott Talcott has been sore following the past two games versus Concordia, no one could blame him.  In the last two games versus the Golden Bears Talcott has attempted 10 field goals connecting on seven.  In the 2006 win in St. Paul, he was 3-for-4 drilling kicks from 26, 44 and 27 yards while missing from 44.  Last season he tied a school record with four field goals made on six attempts connecting from 27, 23, 29 and 46 yards while missing from 51 and 40.

Mustang Quick Hitters: Junior Blake Wilson finished with a career-high 135 yards receiving in a week seven loss to Augustana ... junior Matt Carmody blocked two PAT attempts by Augustana ... sophomore linebacker Paul Muecke finished with a career-high eight tackles versus Augustana ... SMSU's 86-yard touchdown drive in week seven versus Augustana was its longest drive of the season ... redshirt freshman Derek Klinkner recorded a career-high 10 tackles versus Winona State ... freshman Wade McDonough caught his first two touchdowns of his career in week five versus Wayne State ...  senior punter Korey Roethler had a season-high three punts inside the Wayne State 20-yard line ... redshirt freshman cornerback Nate Finkey returned an interception 37 yards for his first career touchdown in week five versus Wayne State ... junior safety Kevin Wagner had his first career INT versus Wayne State ... senior nose guard Brad Wolf and junior linebacker Aaron Diggs both recorded a career-high eight tackles versus Upper Iowa ... junior running back Zach Wysong rushed for a career-high 145 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 38 attempts in the loss to Black Hills State ... SMSU was held to 192 yards of total offense versus Black Hills State, the first time being held under 200 yards since the 2006 season ... senior linebacker Michael Liggins recorded a career-high 10 tackles versus Black Hills State ... quarterback Josh Shudlick completed just 6 of 22 passes for 67 yards in the loss to BHSU ... SMSU limited Minnesota, Crookston to just one first half first down and 59 total yards in the season opener ... SMSU blocked two punts versus Minnesota, Crookston (Curt Gosser and Derek Townsend) and returned one of the blocked kicks for a touchdown (Lionel Lamarre) ... 23 players saw their first collegiate action in an SMSU uniform in the win over Minnesota, Crookston ... SMSU senior wide receiver Ryan Wudtke caught a career-high seven passes in the win over Minnesota, Crookston ... senior quarterback Tony Rislov's touchdown pass in the season opener was his first since 2005 ... SMSU's 54 points scored in the opener was its highest total since scoring 63 in the 2006 season opener.

The Head Coaches: Southwest Minnesota State University head coach Eric Eidsness is in his fifth season at SMSU and has compiled an overall record of 18-33, including 12-25 in conference games. 
     Before being named head coach at SMSU, Eidsness was offensive coordinator at South Dakota State University for five seasons (1999-2003).  He also served as assistant head coach during his last season in 2003.  Prior to SDSU, Eidsness was offensive coordinator at Ferris State (Mich.) (1998), and was an offensive assistant at both South Dakota State (1996-97) and Morningside (Iowa) (1994-95).
     Mark Mauer is in his fifth season at Concordia with a record of 28-24. 

Eidsness Second on Coaching List: SMSU head coach Eric Eidsness ranks second all-time on SMSU career wins list with 18 victories.  Gary Buer is the program's all-time leader with 70 wins in 14 years (1979-92).

Shudlick Sets School Record: Senior quarterback Josh Shudlick set a school record in SMSU's loss to Augustana on Oct. 10 with 40 pass completions.  Earlier in the season he tied the school record (done three times earlier) with 39 completions in a loss to Minnesota Duluth.  Shudlick finished the Augustana game passing for a career-high 451 yards and three touchdowns on 61 attempts.  The previous record of 39 completions was held by Shudlick, Curt Strasheim (11/14/81 vs. MSU Moorhead), Jeff Loots (10/20/90 vs. Bemidji State) and Shawn Dupris (9/3/94 vs. Missouri Western State).
 
Block Party: The SMSU special teams have blocked six kicks this season through seven games.  SMSU blocked two punts in the season opener versus Minnesota, Crookston with junior Lionel Lamarre returning one of them 20 yards for a touchdown.  It was SMSU's second blocked punt for a touchdown in two seasons.
     SMSU also blocked a PAT attempt in the loss to Minnesota Duluth in week three, blocked a field goal in a win over Winona State and blocked two PAT attempts versus Augustana.

Special Team Tackles: The following is a look at the top tacklers for SMSU on special teams this season: Curt Gosser (5), Jordan Wager (5), Derek Townsend (4), Alex Mayorov (3), Derek Klinkner (3), Tyler Reed (3), Shaye Thomas (3), Scott Talcott (3), Michael Liggins (2), Levi Bullerman (2), Shane LaDage (2), Tony Awoleye (2), John Kersbergen (1), Aaron Diggs (1), Levi Reiff (1), Zach Kasper (1), Dan Brannen (1), Bryce Haessly (1), Lionel Lamarre (1)
    
Talcott, Shudlick & Lamarre Earn NSIC Awards: Three Mustang players have earned conference player of the week honors this season.  Senior quarterback Josh Shudlick was named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 21, junior cornerback Lionel Lamaare was named NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 2 while senior kicker Scott Talcott was named Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 6. 
     Lamarre recovered a fumble on an UMC kickoff return and also scooped up a blocked punt and ran it back 20 yards for a touchdown in the season opener.
     Shudlick completed 23 of 35 passes for 332 yards and tossed three touchdowns to lead SMSU to a 38-31 victory over Upper Iowa.  Shudlick's final pass was a 54-yard touchdown strike to Sean Patrick O'Leary with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter to snap a 31-31 tie and lift SMSU to the victory. 
     Talcott booted field goals of 45 and 37 yards in SMSU's win over Winona State and was also a perfect 3-for-3 on PATs. 

In the Red Zone Under Eidsness: Southwest Minnesota State has scored on 26 of 34 trips inside the “red zone” this season.  The following is a look at SMSU's “red zone” statistics under coach Eidsness.
    Year    Red-Zone    TD    FG
    2004    30 of 47 (63.8)    25    5
    2005    21 of 29 (72.4)    14    7
    2006    27 of 38 (71.1)    20    7
    2007    28 of 42 (66.7)    20    8
    2008    26 of 34 (76.5)    22    4

Close Calls the Past Two-Plus Years: Southwest Minnesota State's 9-20 overall record since the start of 2006 is nothing to write home about, however, a look inside the numbers reveals that the Mustangs have suffered a handful of “what if” games during the past two-plus years.  In the last 29 games, 18 of the games have been decided by a total of 90 points, an average of 5.0 per game.  During that time span, 12 of SMSU's 20 losses have been by a total of 61 points (5.0 per game).

Reed Climbing Record Book: Senior safety Tyler Reed continues to climb in the SMSU record book.  He is third all-time in solo tackles with 158 and now ranks seventh all-time in total tackles with 274. 
•• All records are from 1977 to present ••
SMSU career solo tackles
    199    Nate Rudolph    1996-99
    163    Melvin German    1992-95
    158    Tyler Reed    2005-08
SMSU career total tackles
    358    Mike Roggenbuck (111-247)    1982-85
    356    Nate Rudolph (199-157)    1996-99
    315    Dan Lee (129-186)    1978-81
    286    Jason Jacobs (143-143)    1996-99
    281    Mike Meier (156-125)    1994-97
    280    Steve Molohon (156-124)    1992-95
    274    Tyler Reed (158-116)    2005-08
   
Shudlick Moves up the Record Book: Senior quarterback Josh Shudlick has moved into sole possession of second place on the school's all-time passing list with 7,149 yards and is also second all-time in completions with 663 and is just 41 shy of tying the school record.  He also ranks second in pass completion pct. (58.7), third in pass attempts (1,129) and fourth in touchdown passes (48).  The following is where he ranks on four career lists:
SMSU career passing yards
    10,116    Jeff Loots      1990-92
    7,600    Josh Shudlick    2005-08
SMSU career passing TDs
    102    Jeff Loots    1990-92
    64    Steve Elzenga    1983-87
    56    Steve Yakesh    1995-98
    48    Josh Shudlick    2005-08
SMSU career pass completions
    703    Jeff Loots      1990-92
    663    Josh Shudlick    2005-08
SMSU pass completion pct (minimum 600 attempts)
    59.1    Steve Elzenga (518-876)    1983-87
     58.7    Josh Shudlick (663-1129)    2005-08
     57.4    Jeff Loots (703-1224)    1990-92

Shudlick Passing Over 300 Again & Again & Again: Senior quarterback Josh Shudlick has passed for over 300 yards in four games this season including 451 yards last week versus Augustana.  Dating back to last season Shudlick has passed for 300 or more yards in nine of his last 12 games.  He finished the 2007 season passing for over 300 yards in the final five games becoming the first SMSU quarterback to pass for over 300 yards in five straight games since Jeff Loots in 1992. 

Passing Yards One of the Best: Senior Josh Shudlick passed for 2,942 yards in 2007, the highest total by a Mustang quarterback since Shawn Dupris passed for 3,153 yards in 1993.

Wysong Moving Up List: Junior running back Zach Wysong moved into sixth on the school's all-time rushing list following his 114-yard performance in week four versus Upper Iowa. 
SMSU career rushing yards
    2,552    Rich Froemling    1971-74
    2,410    Robert Lipsey    1987-90
    2,246    Ken Sather    1999-02
    1,946    Lionel Bolden    1971-74
    1,896    Shad Peckenpaugh    1982-85
1,742    Zach Wysong    2006-08

Talcott in the Career Record Book: Talcott, who set a single-season record in 2006 with 11 field goals made, has kicked five this season giving him 26 in his career ranking second in school history. 
SMSU Field Goals Made Record Book
    33    Nate Krull    1997-2000
    26    Scott Talcott    2005-08

Second Half Rally a First Since 2006: SMSU's 38-31 victory in week four over Upper Iowa marked its first win when trailing at halftime (24-28) in nearly two seasons.  SMSU's last win when trailing at halftime was also against Upper Iowa on Oct. 14, 2006.

Another BIG Rally Note: SMSU trailed 21-3 early in the second quarter versus Upper Iowa in week four before mounting a rally and earning a 38-31 victory.  It was the first victory for SMSU when trailing by 14 or more points since rallying from a 30-16 second half deficit to earn a 37-30 victory versus Wayne State on Oct. 16, 2004.

Mustang Big Plays in '08: The SMSU offense, defense and special teams have provided long and exciting plays in 2008.  The SMSU offense has 16 plays of 25 yards or more while the kick return team has three returns of 30 yards or more.  SMSU special teams have also blocked two punts, three extra points, one field goal and recovered one on-side kick.
Mustang Offensive Plays of 25 or More Yards &
Kickoff/Punt Returns of 30 or More Yards
    Yds    Player    Opponent
    57    McDonough catch    Augustana
    54    O'Leary catch    Upper Iowa
    46    O'Leary kickoff    Minn., Crookston
    44-td    Wysong catch    Minn., Crookston   
    43    Townsend catch    Augustana
    36    Brannen kickoff    Minn., Crookston
    34    Wilson punt    Black Hills State
    33    Wilson catch    Augustana
    33    Wysong run    Upper Iowa
    32    Townsend catch    Upper Iowa
    30    Wilson catch    Black Hills State
    29    Wysong run    Winona State
    28    Fischer catch    Upper Iowa
    28    Townsend catch    Upper Iowa
    27    Wysong catch    Wayne State
    27    Wilson catch    Upper Iowa
    26    Fischer catch    Minn., Crookston
    25    Wilson catch    Winona State
    25    Wudtke catch    Winona State
       
Holding onto the Ball: Winning the turnover margin each week is a major key to winning games.  SMSU finished the season opener versus Minnesota, Crookston plus-5, was minus-2 in week two's loss to BHSU, plus-1 in a loss to Minnesota Duluth in week three, minus-1 in a victory over Upper Iowa, even in a loss to Wayne State and minus-2 in week six versus Winona State and Augustana.
     Turnover margin has been a major issue for SMSU in recent years.  Since the start of the 2005 season through this season (40 games), SMSU has been a “plus” in turnover margin in just seven games and since head coach Eric Eidsness took over in 2004, SMSU has forced more turnovers than its opponent in just 10 games (three in 2004, two in 2005, one in 2006, two in 2007 and two in 2008). 
     In SMSU's last 32 conference games, which spans from late in the 2004 season through this season, SMSU is minus-31 in turnover margin.  The Mustangs have been “even” or “minus” in turnover margin in 25 of its last 32 conference games.  

400-Yard Games for SMSU Offense: Four times during the 2007 season the Mustang offense recorded 400 or more yards of total offense in one game.  The SMSU offense has reached that mark twice this season finishing with 455 yards in a win over Upper Iowa and 438 in a loss to Augustana.
     Since head coach Eric Eidsness took over in 2004, SMSU has recorded 13 games of 400 yards or more of total offense.
 
SMSU “D” Against the Run: The Mustang defense has held opponents to under 100 yards rushing 15 times since 2004, a span of 51 games and have held opponents to 108 yards or less in 17 games during that same time period. 
     Last season SMSU held opponents to under 100 yards rushing in just two games but in the season opener this year versus Minnesota, Crookston the rush defense held UMC to just 86 yards.

On the Road Again: SMSU is 1-2 on the road this season and is 3-9 record in road contests since the 2006 season.  SMSU is 8-14 in road games during head coach Eric Eidsness' tenure.
     Since the program started in 1968, SMSU has had just three road winning seasons.  In 1991, SMSU finished 4-1, the 1997 team finished 3-2, while in 2004, the squad also finished at 3-2.

Reed Earns Preseason Honors: Senior safety Tyler Reed was named to the 2008 D2Football.com second team preseason All-America football team on Aug. 26.  He is one of just two players from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference that was named to either the 50-member first or second team squad. 
     Reed was also named the 2008 NSIC South Division Preseason Player of the Year as voted upon by the league's 14 head coaches.

2008 Team Captains: SMSU head coach Eric Eidsness announced this week that four players have been named team captains for the 2008 season as selected by the players.  Senior quarterback Josh Shudlick and senior center Tom Kolb have been named offensive team captains while senior Tyler Reed and senior Brad Wolf were named defensive captains.  It's the second straight year Shudlick and Kolb have served as team captains.

Wolf Man is Back: Senior defensive tackle Brad Wolf, the 2006 NSIC Defensive Newcomer of the Year, returned to the field this season after missing all of last year with an injury suffered in preseason camp.  He has started all seven games including recording a career-high eight tackles versus Upper Iowa in week four.

Ready to Run: SMSU rushed for over 200 yards twice during the 2007 season and has reached the 200-yard rushing mark eight times under coach Eidsness.

A New Home for SMSU Football: The Aug. 30 game marked a new era for SMSU football as the program opened a new $16 million stadium.  Construction of the 2,800-seat Regional Event Center began in May of 2007 and is the new home for SMSU football and soccer.  It will also serve as the home for Marshall High School football and soccer.
     During the official Grand Opening of the stadium on Sept. 6, the playing field was officially named Mattke Field.  Mattke was the former director of athletics and long time coach at the university.  If the name sounds familiar to football fans it should.  SMSU's previous home football stadium was called Mattke Field.  The official name of the new stadium is “Mattke Field at the Southwest Minnesota State Regional Event Center”.

The New Look NSIC: The 2008 season marks a new era of football in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with four new schools entering the conference to form a 14-team league.  The NSIC schedule will be broken into two seven-team divisions (north/south). Each team will play ten conference games that will count towards the NSIC overall champion as well as six divisional games that will count towards the NSIC North/South championships. In all, three league championships will be awarded (Overall Champion, North Division Champion, South Division Champion). Ties will not be broken for overall or division champions.

Preseason NSIC Poll: Southwest Minnesota State was picked to finish sixth in the seven-team NSIC South Division and 11th overall in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll released in August.

A New Look Region as Well: The NCAA has also made changes for the 2008 season as another conference will be joining the Northwest Region.  The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (10 teams) will join with the NSIC (14 teams) and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (12 teams) to form a 36-team region.  Six teams will qualify for the NCAA playoffs starting Nov. 15.   

A Little SMSU History: This is the 41st season of college football at Southwest Minnesota State, dating back to 1968.  SMSU owns an all-time record of 150-258-5 including 90-166-5 in conference play.  SMSU has recorded seven winning seasons with the last one coming in 1999 (6-5).  The program appeared in two NAIA playoffs (1987 and 1991) and earned its lone conference championship in 1990.

Reed Earns All-Region Accolades: Senior safety Tyler Reed was named first team All-Northwest Region by both Daktronics and Football Gazette following the 2007 season.  Reed was just the third Mustang player to earn first team Daktronics all-region honors at the Division II level.  Defensive tackle Jason Jacobs (1999) and punter Andy Schlichting (2005) were the only two previous SMSU players to earn first team honors.

Mustangs Going Overtime: Last season SMSU dropped a double overtime decision to NSIC champion Winona State marking the program's seventh overtime game and third multi-overtime game in school history since the NCAA added overtime in 1998.  SMSU is 2-5 in overtime games including 1-2 in multi-overtime contests. 

Looking for Wins Against the Top: The Mustangs have done a solid job over the past 10 years winning games against teams that finish in the middle or the bottom half of the NSIC standings in each year, but facing the top teams in the league has been a different story. 
     From 1998 through 2008, SMSU has compiled a record of 4-38 against teams that finished in the top four of the NSIC standings that particular season.  SMSU defeated MSU Moorhead (who finished tied for fourth) in 1999, Winona State (who finished first) in 2000 and Concordia (who tied for third) in 2006.
     Based off of the above numbers, SMSU has obviously struggled against the traditional top teams in the conference.  Since 1998, SMSU is a combined 5-38 in 43 games against Bemidji State, Concordia, Northern State and Winona State.  Three of SMSU's victories have came against Concordia (1999, 2006 & 2007), while the other two were against Winona State (2000 & 2008).  SMSU last beat Bemidji State in 1997, while SMSU hasn't defeated Northern State since 1991.

All-Conference Returners: Southwest Minnesota State returns nine players in 2008 who earned all-conference honors following last season.  Senior safety Tyler Reed was SMSU's only first team honoree last season while junior offensive lineman Bill Noethlich and senior kicker Scott Talcott were both named second team All-NSIC.  Senior tight end Matt Fischer, senior center Tom Kolb, senior guard Jim Nelson, senior punter Korey Roethler, senior quarterback Josh Shudlick and junior running back Zach Wysong were all named honorable mention All-NSIC.

Scouting Concordia-St. Paul: The Golden Bears average 18.6 points per game this season and allowing 28.1 per game but the main stat that has hurt them is turnover margin.  CSP is minus-15 in turnover margin ranking 146th out of 148 in the latest NCAA statistics.  Redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Ohm has taken over as the starting the past two games and has completed 35 of 64 attempts for 309 yards with one touchdown and seven interceptions.  Junior Mitch Brecke started the first five games and completed 89 of 147 passes for 1,232 yards with seven touchdowns and 11 interceptions.  Senior wide receiver Tyrone Ruffin leads the Golden Bears with 30 receptions for 483 yards and six touchdowns while sophomore wide out Calvin Simon has 21 catches for 339 yards and two touchdowns.  Sophomore running back Hayden Vavra leads the team in rushing with 190 yards on 55 carries.  CSP is averaging 71 yards rushing per game.  Sophomore linebacker Rojeer Wright paces the CSP defense with a team-high 62 tackles including 36 solo stops.