Complete Release (PDF)

Setting the Stage: The Southwest Minnesota State University football team (4-4, 4-3 NSIC; 3-2 South Division) returns to Marshall following a two-game road trip to host regionally ranked Minnesota State University, Mankato (6-2, 6-1 NSIC; 3-1 South Division) on Saturday, Oct. 25.  Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Mattke Field at the SMSU Regional Event Center.
     SMSU will be looking for its first ever win over MSU in seven tries and will also be seeking to earn the first victory by a team that competed in the NSIC in 2007 against one of the four new members of the conference this season.  The 10 NSIC teams from last season are currently 0-20 against the new members of the conference.
     SMSU is coming off a come-from-behind 38-28 road victory over Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday while MSU is on a two-game winning streak after posting back-to-back shutouts over Concordia (35-0) and MSU Moorhead (52-0).  The Mavericks, ranked No. 7 in the latest NCAA regional rankings, are currently tied for second place in the NSIC South Division standings, one game behind Augustana, while the Mustangs are tied for fourth place one and a half games behind Augustana.
    
With a Win on Saturday, SMSU Would..:
•win its first game versus Minnesota State in seven attempts.
•win its second straight home game and third of the season.
•record its first back-to-back wins of the season.
•give head coach Eric Eidsness his 20th career victory.

What to Watch For on Saturday:
•Josh Shudlick needs 11 completions to set a school record for career pass completions.
•Zach Wysong needs three rushing yards to move into fifth all-time in career rushing yards at SMSU and needs 53 rushing yards to move into fourth all-time in career rushing yards at SMSU.
•Tyler Reed needs two tackles to move into fifth all-time in career tackles at SMSU and needs seven to move into fourth all-time.   
•Tyler Reed needs four solo tackles to move into second all-time in career solo tackles at SMSU.

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.

SMSU vs. MSU Series Notes
Southwest Minnesota State and Minnesota State, Mankato meet for just the seventh time with MSU leading 6-0 in a series that started in 1971 ... the two teams last played in 1987 with MSU earning a 34-29 victory in Mankato ... the teams met three times as conference opponents from 1978-80 ... MSU is 2-0 in games played in Marshall, winning in 1979 and 1981.

The Last Time
The last time the two teams met in 1987, both schools had different names.  Southwest State and Mankato State battled in Mankato on Sept. 12, 1987, with the Mavericks earning a 34-29 victory.  Both teams went on to qualify for post season play later that fall as SMSU made its first ever appearance in the NAIA playoffs while MSU appeared in its first NCAA playoffs.  The two teams combined for 848 yards of offense with SMSU finishing with 343 through the air while MSU rushed for 377 yards.  Mustang quarterback Steve Elzenga passed for 343 yards and four touchdowns with all four scores thrown to James Ashley who finished with nine receptions for 230 yards.  MSU had four players rush for 50 or more yards with Dave Scofield leading the way with 103 yards on 15 carries.


Last Week's Result: Southwest Minnesota State rallied from an early 11-point fourth quarter deficit to earn a 38-28 road victory over Concordia-St. Paul.  Trailing 28-17 after CU scored on the first play of the fourth quarter, SMSU scored 21 consecutive points to earn its second conference road win of the season.  Josh Shudlick tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Derek Townsend with 8:31 left in the game for the go-ahead touchdown.  The score was set-up by a fumble forced by the Mustang defense at the CU 17-yard line.  Zach Wysong put the game away with a 68-yard touchdown run with 1:59 remaining.  Wysong finished with a career-high 152 yards rushing on 22 attempts while Shudlick tied a career-high with four touchdown passes while completing 30 of 48 passes for 260 yards.  The Mustang defense finished with six sacks its highest total since the 2006 season opener.

SMSU Picks up NSIC Road Victory No. 2: With its victory on Oct. 18 at Concordia, SMSU recorded its second conference road victory of the season for the first time since the 1999 season.  The 1999 team earned three conference road wins that season. 

High Scoring Numbers for SMSU: Southwest Minnesota State, which is averaging 31 points per game, has scored 30 or more points in four different games this season the most by an SMSU team since the 2004 team reached the mark four times.
     SMSU's current 31 points per game average would rank as the fifth highest in school history and the highest since the 1992 team finished the season averaging 33.8 points.  The school record for scoring average is 45.3 set by the 1991 squad.

More Offensive Numbers: SMSU quarterbacks Josh Shudlick and Tony Rislov have passed for 24 touchdowns this season the most by SMSU since the 2000 team finished with 26.  Only four previous Mustang teams have ever reached the 30 touchdown passes thrown mark in one season.  The 1991 squad holds the team record with 51, followed by the 1987 (38), 1992 (35) and 1993 (30) teams.

Mustangs in the NCAA Statistics: The SMSU offense has the 12th ranked passing offense in the country averaging 290.7 yards per game with senior quarterback Josh Shudlick ranking 17th in total offense (276.3) and 49th in passing efficiency (136.6).  Junior wide out Blake Wilson ranks tied for 24th in receptions per game (6.2) while junior running back Zach Wysong ranks tied for 28th in receptions (6.0) and 57th in rushing (80.0).  Wysong ranks second in the country in receptions per game among running backs.  For a complete look at SMSU and Mustang individuals in the NCAA statistics see chart on page 3.

Mustang Quick Hitters: Junior Zach Wysong rushed for a career-high 152 yards in the week eight win over Concordia ... SMSU finished with a season-high six sacks in the win over Concordia ... 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 ... 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 19-33, including 13-25 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).
     Todd Hoffner is in his first season at Minnesota State with a record of 6-2.  Hoffner came to MSU this past offseason after spending the previous two years as the offensive coordinator at the University of South Dakota.  Hoffner was head coach at Wisconsin-Eau Claire from 1999-2005, compiling a record of 46-28 including a conference title in 2001.  He was also an assistant at Wisconsin-Stevens Point and the University of North Dakota. 

Eidsness Second on Coaching List: SMSU head coach Eric Eidsness ranks second all-time on SMSU career wins list with 19 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 eight 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.
     The Mustangs 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 (7), Alex Mayorov (6), Jordan Wager (5), Scott Talcott (5), Derek Townsend (4), Levi Bullerman (4), Derek Klinkner (3), Tyler Reed (3), Shaye Thomas (3), Tony Awoleye (3), Michael Liggins (2), Shane LaDage (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 30 of 39 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    30 of 39 (76.9)    26    4

Close Calls the Past Two-Plus Years: Southwest Minnesota State's 10-20 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 30 games, 19 of the games have been decided by a total of 100 points, an average of 5.2 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 160 and is just four shy of moving into second all-time.  He also has moved into a  tie for sixth all-time in total tackles with 280. 
•• All records are from 1977 to present ••
SMSU career solo tackles
    199    Nate Rudolph    1996-99
    163    Melvin German    1992-95
    160    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    Tyler Reed (158-116)    2005-08
    280    Steve Molohon (156-124)    1992-95
   
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 7,860 yards and is also second all-time in completions with 693 and is just 11 shy of setting the school record.  He also ranks second in pass completion pct. (58.9), third in pass attempts (1,177) and fourth in touchdown passes (52).  The following is where he ranks on four career lists:
SMSU career passing yards
    10,116    Jeff Loots      1990-92
    7,860    Josh Shudlick    2005-08
SMSU career passing TDs
    102    Jeff Loots    1990-92
    64    Steve Elzenga    1983-87
    56    Steve Yakesh    1995-98
    52    Josh Shudlick    2005-08
SMSU career pass completions
    703    Jeff Loots      1990-92
    693    Josh Shudlick    2005-08
SMSU pass completion pct (minimum 600 attempts)
    59.1    Steve Elzenga (518-876)    1983-87
     58.8    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 two weeks ago versus Augustana.  Dating back to last season Shudlick has passed for 300 or more yards in nine of his last 13 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.  He needs just three more yards to move into fifth on the all-time list.
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
1,894    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 six this season giving him 27 in his career ranking second in school history. 
SMSU Field Goals Made Record Book
    33    Nate Krull    1997-2000
    27    Scott Talcott    2005-08

Second Half Rally a First Since 2006: SMSU's 38-28 road win at Concordia in week eight was its second of the season when trailing at halftime.  SMSU also came back to beat Upper Iowa in week four.  Prior to this season the last time SMSU won when trailing at halftime was on Oct. 14, 2006.  SMSU is 6-24 under coach Eidsness when trailing at halftime.

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.  SMSU also trailed 21-7 late in the second quarter in week eight versus Concordia and rallied for a 38-31 victory. 

Mustang Big Plays in '08: The SMSU offense, defense and special teams have provided long and exciting plays in 2008.  The SMSU offense has recorded 18 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
    68     Wysong run    Concordia
    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    Townsend catch    Concordia
    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, but has finished with a “plus” in turnover margin just once since then. (see chart on page 3)
     Turnover margin has been a major issue for SMSU in recent years.  Since the start of the 2004 season (52 games), SMSU has been a “plus” in turnover margin in just 10 games (three in 2004, two in 2005, one in 2006, two in 2007 and two in 2008). 
     In SMSU's last 33 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 26 of its last 33 conference games.  

400-Yard Games for SMSU Offense: The Mustang offense has reached the 400-yard mark in total offense three time this season and now seven times in the last two seasons.  SMSU finished with 455 yards in a win over Upper Iowa, 438 in a loss to Augustana and 406 in a victory over Concordia.
     Since head coach Eric Eidsness took over in 2004, SMSU has recorded 14 games of 400 yards or more of total offense.

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.

SMSU “D” Against the Run: The Mustang defense has held opponents to under 100 yards rushing 16 times since 2004, a span of 52 games and have held opponents to 108 yards or less in 18 games during that same time period.
     SMSU held Minnesota, Crookston to 86 yards in the season opener and to just 63 yards in a week eight win over Concordia.

On the Road Again: SMSU is 2-2 on the road this season and is 4-9 record in road contests since the 2006 season.  SMSU is 9-14 in road games during head coach Eric Eidsness' tenure.  SMSU has a chance to earn its first road winning record since 2004 with a road game in the season finale at MSU Moorhead. 
     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.

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. 

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.

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 eight games including recording a career-high eight tackles versus Upper Iowa in week four and forcing a fumble on a sack that lead to the go-ahead touchdown in a week eight win over Concordia.

2008 Team Captains: SMSU head coach Eric Eidsness announced during fall practice 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.

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”.

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 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 151-258-5 including 91-166-5 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.

Scouting Minnesota State: After an opening season loss at Central Missouri, MSU has reeled off six wins in its last seven games with the only loss being suffered at Augustana in overtime on Oct. 4.  The Maverick defense has shutout three opponents this season including the last two games versus Concordia and MSU Moorhead.  The MSU offense is averaging nearly 33 points per game and has scored at least 35 points in its last four games.  Junior quarterback Ryan Fick has started all eight games completing 118 of 208 passes for 1,550 yards with 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.  Junior wide out Vincent Flurry has been the team's top receiving threat with 39 receptions for 497 yards and six touchdowns.  Junior Chris Nowlin has 31 catches for 396 yards and four touchdowns.  The Maverick rushing attack is led by senior Donte Shackelford who has amassed a team-high 437 yards and four touchdowns on 91 carries.  Sophomore linebacker Matt McQuiston is the team leading in tackles with 72 including a team-best 6.5 tackles for loss.  Senior safety Steve Robinson leads the Maverick defense with four interceptions including returning one for a touchdown.