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Setting the Stage: The Southwest Minnesota State University football team (4-5, 4-5 NSIC; 3-3 South Division) concludes its 2008 home season this Saturday, Nov. 1 hosting Northern State University (1-8, 1-7 NSIC; 1-5 North Division).  Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Mattke Field at the SMSU Regional Event Center.
     SMSU will be looking to do something it hasn't done since the first George Bush was President of the United States and that is beat NSU in football.  Northern State has won 16 straight games in the series with SMSU's last victory coming on Oct. 12, 1991.  SMSU has had five different head coaches since the last time the Mustangs have beaten Northern State.
    
With a Win on Saturday, SMSU Would..:
•snap a 16-game losing streak to Northern State.
•finish its home schedule with a 3-3 record.
•move its overall record to .500
•give SMSU a 2-1 record versus NSIC North teams
•give head coach Eric Eidsness his 20th career victory.

What to Watch For on Saturday:
•Zach Wysong needs six rushing yards to move into fourth all-time in career rushing yards at SMSU and needs 59 yards to become the fourth player in school history to reach 2,000 yards rushing.
•Tyler Reed needs one tackle to move into sole possession of fourth place in career tackles at SMSU.

Senior Day at SMSU: Fourteen Mustang seniors will be playing their final home game on Saturday.  The players will be honored prior to the game.  The senior players include: Tom Brown, Tim Cariveau, Matt Fischer, Tom Kolb, Michael Liggins, Jim Nelson, Tyler Reed, Tony Rislov, Korey Roethler, Josh Shudlick, Ed Smith, Scott Talcott, Brad Wolf and Ryan Wudtke.

SMSU vs. NSU Series Notes
Southwest Minnesota State and Northern State meet for 29th time with NSU leading 20-6-2 in a series that first started in 1980 ... NSU is currently on a 16-game winning streak in the series with SMSU's last victory coming on Oct. 12, 1991 ... NSU leads 7-5-1 in games played in Marshall including winning the past seven games ... the two teams have tied twice in both 1980 and 1983.

The Last Time
Northern State scored 31 first half points in building a 31-14 lead and held on for a 31-27 win over Southwest Minnesota State on Sept. 22, 2007, in Marshall.  SMSU pulled to within four points midway through the third quarter but couldn't pull any closer in losing its 16th straight game to NSU.  Eric Ellingson completed 23 of 30 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns to lead the NSU offense.  NSU wide out Brian Jark caught five passes for 132 yards including an 87-yard touchdown reception.  SMSU's Josh Shudlick completed 26 of 49 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns while Zach Wysong rushed for 43 yards and two touchdowns.  SMSU finished the game 10-for-20 on third down conversions while NSU was just 1-for-10.

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: Minnesota State, Mankato scored the game's final 13 points to break away from a seven-point lead and earned a 34-14 victory over SMSU last Saturday in Marshall.  SMSU pulled to within 21-14 with 6:03 left in the third quarter before MSU answered with its own scoring drive with just under four minutes left in the third.  MSU forced four SMSU turnovers and limited SMSU to 59 yards rushing on 16 attempts.  Josh Shudlick completed 35 of 66 passes for 326 yards and one touchdown for SMSU but was intercepted four times. 

Shudlick Sets SMSU Career Record: SMSU senior quarterback Josh Shudlick set a new SMSU career record in the week nine loss to Minnesota State, Mankato.  Shudlick completed 35 passes in the game and in the process became the school's all-time leader in pass completions.  Shudlick now has 728 in his career and passed the previous record of 703 held by Jeff Loots (1990-92).

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 29.1 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 also reached the mark four times.  The last time an SMSU team scored 30 or more points in at least five games in one season came in 1991.
     SMSU's current 29.1 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.

Mustang Passing Attack: The SMSU passing offense has racked up 2,652 yards this season and is on pace to reach 3,000 yards passing for the first time since the 1993 team finished with 3,153 yards.

More Offensive Numbers: SMSU quarterbacks Josh Shudlick and Tony Rislov have passed for 25 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 11th ranked passing offense in the country averaging 294.6 yards per game with senior quarterback Josh Shudlick ranking 14th in total offense (281.6) and 60th in passing efficiency (128.6).  Junior wide out Blake Wilson ranks tied for 29th in receptions per game (6.0), while junior running back Zach Wysong ranks tied for 17th in receptions (6.4) and 63rd in rushing (76.3).  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 ... 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 19-34, including 13-26 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).
     Chris Boden is in his fourth season at Northern State with a record of 16-26.  Boden came to Northern State after one year as the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M University-Commerce and eight seasons at Valdosta State University (Ga.).  He has also been an assistant coach at Urbana University (Ohio) and Central Michigan University

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 Another 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 nine 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 (7), 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 (2), Aaron Diggs (1), Levi Reiff (1), Zach Kasper (1), Dan Brannen (1), Bryce Haessly (1), Lionel Lamarre (1), Matt Fischer (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 32 of 42 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    32 of 42 (76.2)    28    4

Close Calls the Past Two-Plus Years: Southwest Minnesota State's 10-21 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 31 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 21 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 now second all-time in solo tackles with 165 and has moved into a tie for fifth all-time in total tackles with 286.
•• All records are from 1977 to present ••
SMSU career solo tackles
    199    Nate Rudolph    1996-99
    165    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
    286    Tyler Reed (165-117)    2005-08
   
Shudlick Moves up the Record Book: Senior quarterback Josh Shudlick broke the school record for career completions and attempts on Oct. 25 in a loss to Minnesota State, Mankato.  He now has 728 completions and 1,243 attempts in his career. 
     Shudlick is second on the school's all-time passing yards list with 8,186 yards, ranks second in pass completion pct. (58.6), second in total offense (7,941) and fourth in touchdown passes (53).  The following is where he ranks on five career lists:
SMSU career pass completions
    728    Josh Shudlick    2005-08
    703    Jeff Loots      1990-92

SMSU career pass attempts
 1,243    Josh Shudlick    2005-08
 1,224    Jeff Loots    1990-92

SMSU career passing yards
    10,116    Jeff Loots      1990-92
    8,186    Josh Shudlick    2005-08

SMSU career total offense
9,805    Jeff Loots    1990-92
7,941    Josh Shudlick    2005-08

SMSU career passing TDs
    102    Jeff Loots    1990-92
    64    Steve Elzenga    1983-87
    56    Steve Yakesh    1995-98
    53    Josh Shudlick    2005-08

SMSU pass completion pct (minimum 600 attempts)
    59.1    Steve Elzenga (518-876)    1983-87
     58.8    Josh Shudlick (728-1243)    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 five games this season including 451 yards three weeks ago versus Augustana.  Dating back to last season Shudlick has passed for 300 or more yards in 10 of his last 14 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 fifth on the school's all-time rushing list in a week nine loss to Minnesota State, Mankato.  He now needs just six more yards to move into sole possession of fourth on the all-time list with 1,947 yards and 59 yards to become just the fourth player in school history to reach the 2,000-yard mark in a career.
     Wysong also ranks fourth in career rushing touchdown with 18 and is three shy of tying for second place.  Wysong's 64.7 rushing yards per game average ranks second all-time, less than one yard behind leader Rich Froemling, who averaged 65.4 per game from 1971-74.
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
1,941    Zach Wysong    2006-08
SMSU career rushing touchdowns
    29    Robert Lipsey    1987-90
     21    Ken Sather    1999-02
     21    Rich Froemling    1971-74
      18    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.
     Talcott also ranks second all-time in PATs made with  80.  Nate Krull holds the all-time with 101 made.
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
    38    O'Leary catch    Minnesota State
    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    Townsend catch    Minnesota State
    27    Wysong run    Minnesota State
    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 (53 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 34 conference games, which spans from late in the 2004 season through this season, SMSU is minus-34 in turnover margin.  The Mustangs have been “even” or “minus” in turnover margin in 27 of its last 34 conference games.  

400-Yard Games for SMSU Offense: The Mustang offense has reached the 400-yard mark in total offense three times this season and 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 53 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 nine 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 151-259-5 including 91-167-5 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 Northern State: Northern State is on a three-game losing streak following its lone win of the season on Oct. 4 versus Minnesota, Crookston.  NSU is averaging 22 points and 324.3 yards per game this season while opponents are scoring an average of 30.4 per game and 375.8 yards per contest.  Sophomore quarterback Eric Ellingson has started all nine games completing 224 of 346 passes for 2,182 yards with 18 touchdown and 15 interceptions.  Junior wide out Brian Jark is the team leader with 44 receptions for 364 yards and two touchdowns while senior running back Tavis Ve'e has caught a team-high five touchdowns while also rushing for a team-high 364 yards and two scores on 93 carries.
     The Wolves defense is paced by senior cornerback Nate McGruder, who has recorded a team-high three interceptions with seven pass break-ups.  Junior linebacker Nate Ponzo is the club leader with 91 tackles while senior defensive end Bryar Johnson ranks second with 58 tackles including 9.5 for loss.
     The NSU special teams have been solid in recent weeks blocking kicks.  Last week Chris McClellan blocked an extra point which continued NSU's streak of having at least one blocked kick in each of its last five games.