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THIS WEEK: Southwest Minnesota State University opens its 47th season of football on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 2:30 p.m. versus the University of Mary at the MDU Resources Bowl in Bismarck, N.D.

FOR OPENERS: Southwest Minnesota State is 20-26 all-time in season openers, including losing its last three season lid-lifters. SMSU lost last season's opener to St. Cloud State 49-35 in Marshall. SMSU's last season opening victory was in 2010 versus Northern State. SMSU is 1-3 in season openers under head coach Cory Sauter.

A VICTORY FOR SMSU ON SATURDAY WOULD...:
    •Be its first season opening win since 2010.
    •Be its fifth straight regular season win since week eight of 2013.
    •Be its first win over U-Mary since Sept. 10, 2011.
    •Lift SMSU's all-time record to 177-292-5, including 115-198-5 in conference play.

SMSU STORYLINES:
    •SMSU has scored 30 or more points in 16 of its last 24 games dating back to the final game of the 2011 season.
    •SMSU scored 50 or more points in four games last season setting a new program record. SMSU scored 40 or more points in six games in 2013, ranking second behind the 1991 team which holds the record with eight 40-point games.
    •SMSU finished second in the NSIC in red-zone offense (86.8) and finished 26th in Division II (86.0).
    •Tyler Tonderum rushed for more than 100 yards in five straight games twice last season becoming just the second SMSU player in team history (Shad Peckenpaugh,1985) to do so.
    •Tonderum has school record four 200-yard rushing games in his career.
    •Tonderum set the SMSU single-season record for rushing touchdowns with 19 in 2013.
    •Tonderum finished the 2013 season ranked 14th in Division II in scoring with 19 rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown. He scored at least two touchdowns in seven games.
    •AJ Page finished the NSIC season third in tackles, third in tackles for loss and seventh in sacks.
    •AJ Page (109) and Tate Bunkers (102) each reached 100-plus tackles last season becoming the first SMSU players since Tyler Reed in 2007 to reach 100 tackles in a season.