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Setting the Stage: The Southwest Minnesota State University football team (5-5, 5-4 NSIC; 3-3 South Division) concludes the 2008 season this Saturday, Nov. 8 with a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game at MSU Moorhead (2-8, 2-7 NSIC; 2-4 North Division).  Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Nemzek Stadium on the MSUM campus.
     SMSU will not only be looking for its first two-game winning streak of the season but a victory would give the team a 6-5 record and earn the program's first winning season since 1999 and just the eighth in the program's 41-year history. 
     MSUM, which has won three straight over SMSU, is looking to rebound following a 42-7 road loss to St. Cloud State on Saturday.
 
With a Win on Saturday, SMSU Would..:
•snap a three-game losing streak to MSU Moorhead.
•have its first two-game winning streak of the season.
•finish the season with a winning record for the first time since 1999 and just the eighth in school history.
•earn its third NSIC road win of the season, the most since 1999.
•earn its sixth win of the season the most since 1999.
•give head coach Eric Eidsness his 21st career victory and second in five games versus MSU Moorhead.

What to Watch For on Saturday:
•Zach Wysong needs five rushing yards to reach 796 this season ranking as the 10th highest rushing total for one season in school history.  He needs 33 yards to move into ninth place.
•Zach Wysong enters the final game of the season ranked first in the country among running backs in receptions per game with 6.4.  He ranks tied for 18th among all players. 
•Senior safety Tyler Reed needs seven tackles to reach 300 in his career and become the fourth Mustang in school history to reach the 300-career tackle mark.
•Senior kicker Scott Talcott's next field goal attempt would tie the school record for attempts in a career with 52.
•Senior quarterback Josh Shudlick needs 18 pass attempts to rank second in the school single-season record book with 470 attempts.  The record is 507 set by Steve Elzenga in 1987.
•Both SMSU and MSUM have struggled in turnover margin this season.  SMSU enters the game ranked tied for 102nd in the country (148 ranked) in turnover margin at -.40 per game while MSUM is ranked 137th at -1.10

SMSU vs. MSUM Series Notes
Southwest Minnesota State and MSU Moorhead meet for 29th time with MSUM leading 27-12 in a series that first started in 1970 ... MSUM won the first 16 meetings in the series ... SMSU's first ever win came in 1986 ... MSUM is currently on a three-game winning streak in the series with SMSU's last victory coming on Oct. 9, 2004 in Marshall ... MSUM leads 15-2 in games played in Moorhead with SMSU's only victories at MSUM coming in 1987 (42-39) and 1999 (7-6) by a combined four points ... Saturday's game will be the first meeting in Moorhead since 2005 ... the last two games have been played at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

The Last Time
MSU Moorhead rallied from a 27-13 fourth quarter deficit scoring 28 unanswered points to earn a 41-27 victory on Nov. 10, 2007 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.  MSUM tied the game at 27-27 with 6:11 remaining in the game and on SMSU's next possession MSUM's Jon Swart recovered an SMSU fumble and returned it for a 28-yard touchdown to give MSUM its first lead of the game.  Dustin Long passed for 311 yards and three touchdowns for the Dragons with Enol Gilles rushing for 121 yards and one score.  SMSU's Josh Shudlick threw for 380 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Mustang offense while Zach Wysong rushed for 61 yards and one touchdown.

Final Game for 13 SMSU Seniors: Thirteen Mustang seniors will be playing their final game for SMSU on Saturday.  The senior players include: Tom Brown, Tim Cariveau, Matt Fischer, Tom Kolb, Michael Liggins, Jim Nelson, Tyler Reed, Tony Rislov, Korey Roethler, Josh Shudlick, Scott Talcott, Brad Wolf and Ryan Wudtke.

Previous Mustang Winning Seasons: A win on Saturday would give SMSU a final record of 6-5 and its first winning season since 1999 and just the eighth in school history.  Here is a look at the previous winning seasons at SMSU: 1981 (6-4), 1985 (6-4), 1987 (7-4-1), 1990 (8-3), 1991 (9-1), 1992 (6-3-1) and 1999 (6-5).

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 connected with Derek Townsend on a 60-yard touchdown reception with 1:38 remaining in the fourth quarter to lift SMSU to a 39-32 victory over Northern State in Marshall.  SMSU looked to be in cruise control in the first half jumping out to a 28-0 first half lead before settling for a 28-7 halftime lead.  SMSU held a 31-14 lead midway through the third quarter before NSU rallied with 18 unanswered points to take a 32-31 lead with 7:15 left in the fourth quarter before SMSU answered with its game-winning drive in the game's final two minutes.  Shudlick completed 31 of 42 passes for 415 yards and four touchdowns while Zach Wysong rushed for a game-high 104 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.

The Cardiac Kids: SMSU has made it exciting to be a fan this season in earning four of its five victories.  The Mustangs held a 44-point halftime lead over Minnesota, Crookston in the season opener and were never threatened after that but in its next four wins, SMSU has been either tied or trailing in the fourth quarter before mounting comebacks to win. 
     SMSU was tied with 21 seconds left in the fourth quarter versus Upper Iowa but scored the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds left.  Two weeks later SMSU trailed Winona State 28-27 with 6:07 left in the game but scored the go-ahead touchdown with 3:31 remaining.  In the win over Concordia, SMSU trailed 28-17 early in the fourth quarter before scoring 21 straight points to get the victory and last week SMSU fell behind 32-31 to Northern State with 7:15 to play before scoring the game-winner with 1:38 left on the clock.

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 marking the first time an SMSU team has won two conference roads games in a season since 1999.  This Saturday SMSU will be looking for its third conference road win of the year for the first time since 1999. 

High Scoring Numbers for SMSU: Southwest Minnesota State, which is averaging 30.1 points per game, has scored 30 or more points in five different games this season and is the first SMSU team to do so in one season since 1991.
     SMSU's current 30.1 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 3,067 yards this season and has reached the 3,000-yard mark for the first time since the 1993 team finished with 3,153 yards.

Shudlick Sets SMSU Career Record: SMSU senior quarterback Josh Shudlick set a new SMSU career record for pass completions in the week nine loss to Minnesota State, Mankato.  He has now completed 759 in his career breaking the previous record of 703 held by Jeff Loots (1990-92).

Reaching the 3,000 Mark: Senior Josh Shudlick has passed for 3,027 yards this season, the highest total by a Mustang quarterback since Shawn Dupris passed for 3,153 yards in 1993.

More Passing Numbers: SMSU quarterbacks Josh Shudlick and Tony Rislov have passed for 29 touchdowns this season the most by SMSU since the 2000 team finished with 26.  Only four 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.

That's Another Mustang First Down!: The SMSU offense has racked up 219 first downs this season ranking as the third highest in school history and is just 15 shy from moving into second on the list.  The 1987 teams holds the record with 283 while the 1991 team ranks second with 234.

Mustangs in the NCAA Statistics: The SMSU offense has the 10th ranked passing offense in the country averaging 306.7 yards per game with senior quarterback Josh Shudlick ranking 12th in total offense (292.0) and 53rd in passing efficiency (133.7).  Junior wide out Blake Wilson ranks tied for 31st in receptions per game (5.9), while junior running back Zach Wysong ranks tied for 18th in receptions (6.4) and 59th in rushing (79.1).  Wysong ranks first 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: Redshirt freshman John Kersbergen intercepted his first career pass versus Northern State in week ten ... SMSU finished with a season-high 489 yards of offense versus Northern State ... 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 is its longest drive of the season ... redshirt freshman Derek Klinkner recorded a career-high 10 tackles versus Winona State ... 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 20-34, including 14-26 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).
     Damon Tameo is in his third season as head coach at MSU Moorhead and has a career record of 12-20.  He served as MSUM's defensive coordinator in 2005 before taking over as head coach in the spring of 2006.
    
Eidsness Second on Coaching List: SMSU head coach Eric Eidsness ranks second all-time on SMSU career wins list with 20 victories.  Gary Buer is the program's all-time leader with 70 wins in 14 years (1979-92).

400-Yard Games for SMSU Offense: The Mustang offense has reached the 400-yard mark in total offense four times this season and eight times in the last two years.  SMSU finished with 455 yards in a win over Upper Iowa, 438 in a loss to Augustana, 406 in a victory over Concordia and a season-high 489 yards in a win over Northern State.
     Since head coach Eric Eidsness took over in 2004, SMSU has recorded 15 games of 400 yards or more of total offense.

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.
    
In the Red Zone Under Eidsness: Southwest Minnesota State has scored on 36 of 46 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    36 of 46 (78.3)    31    5

Close Calls the Past Two-Plus Years: Southwest Minnesota State's 11-21 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 32 games, 20 have been decided by a total of 107 points, an average of 5.3 per game.  During that time span, 12 of SMSU's 21 losses have been by a total of 61 points (5.0 per game).

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).

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 759 completions and 1,285 attempts in his career. 
     Shudlick is second on the school's all-time passing yards list with 8,601 yards, ranks tied for first in pass completion pct. (59.1), second in total offense (8,326) and third in touchdown passes (57).  The following is where he ranks on five career lists:
SMSU career pass completions
    759    Josh Shudlick    2005-08
    703    Jeff Loots      1990-92

SMSU career pass attempts
 1,285    Josh Shudlick    2005-08
 1,224    Jeff Loots    1990-92

SMSU career passing yards
    10,116    Jeff Loots      1990-92
    8,601    Josh Shudlick    2005-08

SMSU career passing TDs
    102    Jeff Loots    1990-92
    64    Steve Elzenga    1983-87
    57    Josh Shudlick    2005-08

SMSU pass completion pct (minimum 600 attempts)
     59.1    Josh Shudlick (759-1285)    2005-08
    59.1    Steve Elzenga (518-876)    1983-87

SMSU career total offense
9,805    Jeff Loots    1990-92
8,326    Josh Shudlick    2005-08

Shudlick Passing Over 300 Again & Again & Again: Senior quarterback Josh Shudlick has passed for over 300 yards in six games this season including a career-high 451 yards on Oct. 11 versus Augustana.  Dating back to last season Shudlick has passed for 300 or more yards in 11 of his last 15 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. 
 
Fischer Cracks Top 15 in Receiving Chart: Senior tight end Matt Fischer now ranks 15th in school history with 123 career receptions. 

Reed Climbing Record Book: Senior safety Tyler Reed continues to climb in the SMSU defensive record book.  He is now second all-time in solo tackles with 167 and fourth all-time in total tackles with 293.  He needs seven tackles this Saturday to become just the fourth Mustang player to reach 300 career tackles.
•• All defensive records are from 1977 to present ••
SMSU career solo tackles
    199    Nate Rudolph    1996-99
    167    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
    293    Tyler Reed (165-117)    2005-08

Wysong Moving Up List: Junior running back Zach Wysong moved into fourth on the school's all-time rushing list last week versus Northern State and is just the fourth SMSU player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a career.  He needs just two more yards to move into third place on the school's career rushing list. 
     Wysong also ranks fourth in career rushing touchdown with 19 and is two 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
    2,045    Zach Wysong    2006-08

SMSU career rushing touchdowns
    29    Robert Lipsey    1987-90
     21    Ken Sather    1999-02
     21    Rich Froemling    1971-74
      19    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 seven this season giving him 28 in his career ranking second in school history.
     Talcott also ranks second all-time in PATs made with 84.  Nate Krull holds the all-time with 101 made.
SMSU Field Goals Made Record Book
    33    Nate Krull    1997-2000
    28    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 6-25 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. 

Block Party: The SMSU special teams have blocked seven kicks this season through 10 games.  SMSU blocked two punts in the season opener versus Minnesota, Crookston with junior Lionel Lamarre returning one 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, blocked a field goal in a win over Winona State, blocked two PAT attempts versus Augustana and blocked a PAT versus Northern State.

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 (7), Scott Talcott (6), Derek Townsend (5), Levi Bullerman (5), Derek Klinkner (3), Tyler Reed (3), Shaye Thomas (3), Aaron Diggs (3), Tony Awoleye (3), Michael Liggins (2), Shane LaDage (2), John Kersbergen (2), Levi Reiff (1), Zach Kasper (1), Dan Brannen (1), Bryce Haessly (1), Lionel Lamarre (1), Matt Fischer (1).

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 23 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
    60    Townsend catch    Northern State
    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    Wilson catch    Northern State
    26    McDonough catch    Northern State   
    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 (54 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 35 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 28 of its last 35 conference games.  

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 17 times since 2004, a span of 54 games and have held opponents to 108 yards or less in 19 games during that same time period.
     SMSU held Minnesota, Crookston to 86 yards in the season opener, held Concordia to 63 yards in a week eight win and limited Northern State to 73 yards in week ten.

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. 

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 10 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 152-259-5 including 92-167-5 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 MSU Moorhead: MSU Moorhead is averaging 17.9 points and 308.1 yards per game this season.  Freshman quarterback Tyler Wegner took over as the starting quarterback in week six and has completed 106 of 193 passes for 1,021 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions.  Junior wide out Jabari Taylor leads the team with 70 receptions for 620 yards and three touchdowns while junior running back Enol Gilles has rushed for a team-high 440 yards and three touchdowns on 106 carries.
     The Dragon defense is allowing 30.8 points and 360.0 yards per game and is led by senior linebacker Jon Miller, who has a team-high 78 tackles including a team best 10 tackles for loss.  Senior strong safety Eric Schaumburg is second in tackles and has team-high six interceptions ranking tied for eighth in the country.