THIS WEEK: Southwest Minnesota State University (5-2, 1-2 NSIC South) will return to the road to face Upper Iowa University (5-2, 2-1 NSIC South) in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division game this Saturday, Oct. 24.  Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Harms-Eischeid Stadium in Fayette, Iowa. SMSU will look to bounce back after suffering an eight-point home loss to No. 5 Sioux Falls last Saturday night.
    Saturday's game features two of the top passing units not only in the NSIC, but Division II as well. UIU ranks second in the NSIC in passing offense and 10th in the country, while SMSU ranks third in the NSIC in passing and 21st nationally. SMSU enters the game ranked 17th in Division II in total offense. UIU also features a strong defense, ranking third in scoring defense in the NSIC and 22nd in Division II. The UIU rush defense ranks second in the NSIC and 16th in Division II.
    SMSU, which received two votes in this week's AFCA Top 25 poll for the second straight week, has defeated UIU seven straight times since 2008. A preview of Upper Iowa is located on page 4.

    A VICTORY FOR SMSU ON SATURDAY WOULD...:
    •Secure a winning season for just the 10th time in school history. SMSU's last winning season came in 2013 (7-5).
    •Be its eighth straight over UIU since 2008.
    •Move head coach Cory Sauter into sole possession of second place in career victories at SMSU with 27.
    •Give SMSU its best start after eight games since the 1991 team started 8-0.
    •Lift SMSU's all-time record to 185-302-5, including 123-208-5 in conference play.

    MUSTANGS RECEIVE VOTES IN AFCA TOP 25: Southwest Minnesota State received two votes in this week's American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll for the second straight week on Monday. SMSU is one of 15 teams outside the Top 25 to earn votes. Prior to this season, the only other time SMSU has received votes in the AFCA Top 25 poll came in the first regular season poll in 2008.

    THE HEAD COACH: Southwest Minnesota State head coach Cory Sauter is in his sixth season and has an overall record of 26-37, including 25-35 in conference games. The 26 victories ranks tied for second with Eric Eidsness (2004-09) among 10 head coaches in program history. Gary Buer (1979-92) is the program leader with 70 victories. Sauter was named head coach on March 29, 2010, after serving two seasons as an assistant coach at SMSU. In 2009, Sauter served as the team's offensive coordinator, while in 2008 he served as quarterbacks coach. A complete bio on coach Sauter can be found on page 24.

    MUSTANG BACKS AMONG AT THE TOP IN RUSHING: Senior Davontay Stevens ranks second in the NSIC and 45th in Division II in rushing with 102.4 yards per game on a league-high 156 attempts. Stevens also ranks sixth in the league in all purpose yards (123.6). Junior Ashanti Payne ranks 10th in the conference in rushing with 74 yards per game.

    SMSU HIGH IN THE NSIC STATISTICS: Southwest Minnesota State ranks high in several team NSIC statistical categories through seven weeks. SMSU ranks first in first downs (204), second in total offense (493.0), third in passing offense (290.9), third in turnover margin (+3), fourth in time of possession (30:53), fourth in third-down conversions (53.2), fourth in rushing offense (202.1) and seventh in total defense (393.6).

    NSIC AND NCAA STATISTICS: A complete listing of where SMSU ranks in this week's NCAA and NSIC statistics are located on pages 20-23.

    SMSU & GAME STORYLINES:
    •SMSU ranks first in Division II in first downs with 204.  
    •SMSU ranks eighth in Division II in third-down conversions at 53 percent (67 of 126).
    •SMSU has outgained its opponents rushing in five of seven games this season.
    •SMSU has had three different running backs rush for more than 100 yards in a game this season.
    •Sophomore Blake Gimbel set career-highs in completions (38), attempts (52) and yards (384) last week versus Sioux Falls. He ranks ranks fourth in the NSIC in passing yards (274) and eighth in total offense (264.7).
    •Senior AJ Page ranks third in the NSIC and 27th in Division II in tackles for loss per game (1.7) and is third in the NSIC and 43rd in the country in sacks (0.7).
    •Junior safety Caleb Leichtnam is tied for second in the NSIC with three interceptions.
    •Junior wide out Ty Steffensen ranks sixth in the NSIC in receptions per game (5.7).
    •SMSU is a "plus-3" in turnover margin this season and has been even or plus in six of seven games. A season ago SMSU was a "plus" in turnover margin just twice and was "even" in two other games. SMSU finished 3-1 in the four games.
    •SMSU has scored 30 or more points in 23 of its last 42 games dating back to the final game of the 2011 season.
    •SMSU is 3-3 all-time when playing on Oct. 24, winning in 1981, 1987, 1998, while losing in 1970, 1992 and 2009.




    LAST WEEK RECAP VS. SIOUX FALLS: No. 5 University of Sioux Falls remained undefeated holding off Southwest Minnesota State 34-26 on Saturday night at the Schwan Regional Event Center. USF quarterback Luke Papilion had a strong game completing 20 of 34 pass attempts for 225 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 92 yards and one touchdown. SMSU (5-2, 1-2 NSIC South) signal-caller Blake Gimbel completed a career-high 38 passes on 52 attempts for a career-high 384 yards and three touchdowns. USF finished with 483 yards of offense and 25 first downs, while SMSU recorded 479 yards and 32 first downs. SMSU's receiving corps was paced by Nate Huot's eight receptions for 89 yards, while Ty Steffensen added seven catches for 58 yards. Ashanti Payne rushed 11 times for 64 yards to lead the Mustangs with teammate Davontay Stevens added 57 yards and one touchdown on 19 attempts.

    GIMBEL REACHES 300 AGAIN: Sophomore quarterback Blake Gimbel recorded his first career 300-yard passing game in week five at Augustana with 332 yards. He reached the mark again last week versus Sioux Falls setting a career-high with 384 yards on a career-high 38 completions.He is the 17th player in program history to reach the 300-yard mark in a game. A complete list is on page 4.

    MOST POINTS SCORED IN A HALF: In SMSU's 61-3 road victory versus Wayne State on Oct. 10, SMSU scored 47 points in the opening half, setting a school record for points in a half. The new mark surpassed the previous record of 46 set on Oct. 19, 1991, in the second half versus Bemidji State.

    LIMITING TO SINGLE DIGITS: Southwest Minnesota State has held two opponents this season to less than 10 points in a game. The Mustangs limited MSU Moorhead to nine points in week four and Wayne State to just three points in week six. The three points allowed versus Wayne State was the fewest since shutting out Waldorf College on Sept. 4, 2004. This year marks the first time since 2006 that SMSU has held an opponent to single digits twice in one season. In 2004, SMSU had three games limiting where opponents scored seven or less points.

    BEST START SINCE 1991: This season's 4-0 start was just the second in team history and the program's best since the 1991 team won its first eight games in route to a 9-1 season. It was also just the third time in program history (1990 & 1991) that an SMSU team had started conference play with a 4-0 record.

    RECORD AFTER SEVEN WEEKS: SMSU's 5-2 start is the program's best after seven weeks since the 1991 team started 7-0. It's the third time in history the team has started 5-2, matching the 1987 and 1990 squads.

    TWO REACH 100-YARDS IN ONE GAME: Senior Davontay Stevens (131) and junior Divonte Beale (127) both reached 100 yards rushing in the win at Wayne State on Oct. 10. It's the first time two SMSU players have reached the century mark in a game since Gannon Moore and Warren Matthews versus Wayne State on Oct. 6, 2012.

    POUNDIN' THE ROCK: Southwest Minnesota State has been able to establish its running game through six games averaging 220 yards per game ranking fourth in the NSIC. SMSU has had 45 or more rush attempts in six of seven games this season, including 50 or more rush attempts in four games. SMSU rushed 45 times or more in a game just three times all of 2014 and had 45 or more rush attempts six times in 12 games during the 2013 season in which the team played in the Mineral Water Bowl.

    MONEY RUSHERS: Senior Davontay Stevens and junior Ashanti Payne have both put up solid numbers rushing the ball through seven games. Stevens is averaging 4.6 yards per carry on 156 attempts for 717 yards, while Payne is averaging 5.0 yards per carry on 104 attempts for 518 yards. More impressive for both has been their ability to "keep the chains" moving when they carrying the ball. Of Stevens' 156 carries this season, a team-leading 41 have resulted in either a first down or a touchdown. Payne has rushed for a first down or a touchdown on 30 of his carries and 11 of his 14 carries on third down. A complete list of "money" plays is found on page 16.

    A SEASON BLOCK PARTY: SMSU has recorded five blocked kicks this season. SMSU blocked a punt versus St. Cloud State, MSU Moorhead and Wayne State and also blocked a PAT versus MSU Moorhead and Sioux Falls. SMSU returned a blocked punt for a touchdown at Wayne State in week six, the first blocked kick returned for a touchdown since 2008.

    MUSTANG DEFENSE WITH BIG TIME PERFORMANCES: The SMSU defense has been strong all season, including a pair of outstanding performances in the last four weeks. SMSU held Wayne State to just three points and 309 yards offense on Oct. 10, while in the victory over MSU Moorhead on Sept. 26, the Dragons were held to just 275 yards and 14 first downs. The MSUM offense entered the game averaging 494 yards per game.

    TY RANKS HIGH: Junior wide receiver Ty Steffensen leads the team with 40 receptions for 386 yards and two touchdowns. He has led the team in receptions in five of seven games this season. He set a career-high with 85 yards receiving in the win over MSU Moorhead on Sept. 26. His 5.7 receptions per game currently ranks sixth in the NSIC and 47th in Division II.

    SMSU IN DIVISION PLAY: Since the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference adopted two divisions in 2011, SMSU has an all-time record of 10-10 versus NSIC North Division teams. For the first time ever, SMSU went a perfect 4-0 versus North Division squads. This season, South Division teams finished with a record of 24-8 versus North Division teams.
    SMSU is a combined 12-18 all-time in NSIC South Division games following last week's loss to Sioux Falls.

    GIMBEL NAMED NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sophomore quarterback Blake Gimbel was named Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 28 for his efforts versus MSU Moorhead. He accounted for six touchdowns in SMSU's 48-9 victory completing 18 of 28 pass attempts for a career-high 299 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes. He also had a 1-yard touchdown run.  

    PAGE NAMED NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior defensive end AJ Page was named Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 14 for his efforts versus Bemidji State. He recorded eight tackles, including two sacks, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble in SMSU's 34-30 win over BSU.



    SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS: Southwest Minnesota State sophomore Wes Bednar ranks first on the team with six special teams tackles with all six coming on kickoff returns. Ranking second on the team is sophomore Jordan Clark, junior Casey Hertz and redshirt freshman Elijah McGeehan, who have all recorded five special teams tackles. Hertz led SMSU with 14 special teams tackles last season with 11 coming on kickoff returns and two on punt return.

    TRUE FRESHMAN PLAY: Southwest Minnesota State has had five true freshman play this season in various roles. Fullback Dalton Jones, linebacker Aley Ney, defensive lineman Jon Dicke, defensive lineman Webb Bolstad and defensive back Peyton Sanders have all played for the Mustangs in their rookie seasons.

    MCREYNOLDS MOVES INTO TOP 10: Senior cornerback and return man Andrew McReynolds ranks tied for ninth in school history with eight interceptions following his INT in week two versus Bemidji State. He also ranks second in program history with 81 kickoff returns and sixth with 41 punt returns. Warren Matthews (2009-12) holds the school record with 104 kick returns, while Adrian Hebig (1985-88) ranks first with 89 punt returns.

    PAGE IN THE RECORD BOOK: Southwest Minnesota State senior defensive end AJ Page ranks among the top seven in a pair of defensive categories in the school record book. He ranks third all-time in tackles for loss with 46.5 and seventh in sacks with 18. Page's 17 tackles for loss in 2013, rank fourth on the SMSU single-season list.
    SMSU Career Tackles for Loss
    58.0    Jason Jacobs    1996-99
    54.0    Dan Lee    1978-81
    46.5    AJ Page    2012-15

    GET IN THE "ZONE": Southwest Minnesota State has scored on 25 of its 33 (75.8) possessions inside the "red zone" in 2015 with 23 touchdowns and two field goals. SMSU opponents are 19 of 28 (67.9) inside "red zone" with 15 touchdowns and four field goals. The following is SMSU in the red zone since 2004.
    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    38 of 51 (74.5)    33    5
    2009    41 of 45 (91.1)    36    5
    2010    22 of 30 (73.3)    22    0
    2011    35 of 41 (85.4)    29    6
    2012    30 of 37 (81.1)    25    5
    2013    49 of 57 (86.0)    40    9
    2014    35 of 43 (81.4)    26    8
    2015    25 of 33 (75.8)    23    2

    BIG PLAY MUSTANGS: SMSU has recorded 48 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards in 2015, including 32 by the Mustang offense (6 run, 26 pass). For a complete look at the "long" plays and SMSU's "money" plays for the 2015 season, go to pages 15-16.
"Long" plays (20 yards or more) since 2001
    Year    No.    TD    Run    Pass    KR    PR    IR    FR
    2001    59    6    6    18    32    1    2    0
    2002    70    16    10    32    22    1    4    1
    2003    65    16    15    24    21    3    1    1            
    2004    67    10    17    27    18    1    4    0
    2005    61    12    10    28    18    2    3    0
    2006    43    4    3    25    11    2    2    0
    2007    69    11    7    32    24    1    4    1
    2008    61    10    6    32    18    2    3    0
    2009    98    22    14    49    30    1    4    0
    2010    61    14    10    32    18    0    0    1
    2011    60    8    13    22    23    1    1    0
    2012    66    20    18    28    19    1    0    0
    2013    125    30    28    51    41    1    2    2
    2014    71    12    15    27    21    3    5    0
    2015    49    12    6    26    10    5    2    0    

    THE 2015 ROSTER: The 2014 SMSU roster features 111 players (as of Oct. 19) with 13 seniors, 24 juniors, 15 sophomores, 13 redshirt freshmen and 46 freshmen. The roster includes players from 18 different states and Canada. Minnesota leads the way with 56 players, followed by Iowa (9), Wisconsin (8), California (6), Illinois (6), South Dakota (6), Florida (4), Michigan (3), Colorado (2), Arizona (2), Nevada (1), Nebraska (1), Kansas (1), Georgia (1), Oklahoma (1), Arkansas (1), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (1) and Ontario (1).

    RETURNING OFFENSIVE LINE IN 2015: Southwest Minnesota State returned six players that made five or more starts on the offensive line in 2014. SMSU had five new starters on the offensive line in 2014, following the graduation of all five starters from 2013.

    TEAM CAPTAINS: Four players, two on offense and two on defense, have been named team captains for the 2015 season. The team captains were selected by a vote of the Mustang players. The offensive team captains selected were senior running back Davontay Stevens and sophomore quarterback Blake Gimbel. The defensive team captains named were senior defensive end AJ Page and junior linebacker Tyler Flud. It's the second straight season Page has been selected captain.



    TURNOVER MARGIN: Southwest Minnesota State is plus-3 in turnover margin this season after seven weeks. In 2014, SMSU finished minus-13 in turnover margin.
    Since the start of the 2004 season (129 games), SMSU has been a "plus" in turnover margin in just 37 games (three in 2004, two in 2005, one in 2006, two in 2007, three in 2008, three in 2009, two in 2010, three in 2011, seven in 2012, six in 2013, twice in 2014 and three times this season). In SMSU's last 106 conference games, which spans from late in the 2004 season through 2015, SMSU is minus-45 in turnover margin. The Mustangs have been "even" or "minus" in turnover margin in 73 of their last 106 conference games.

    MUSTANGS AT HOME: The 2015 season marks the eighth year for SMSU football at Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center. SMSU is 19-24 all-time at the stadium, including 2-1 this season. The $16 million facility opened in the fall of 2008 with the first college football game played on Aug. 30, versus Minnesota Crookston. SMSU has never recorded a winning season at the stadium, but has finished .500 three different seasons.

    RECORD ON THE ROAD: Southwest Minnesota State is 3-1 this season in road games after finishing 1-4 in road contests in 2014. SMSU finished with a 4-1 record in road games in 2013. SMSU is a combined 27-50 in road games since 2000.

    WORKING OVERTIME: SMSU has played in 11 overtime games since the NCAA added the extra session in 1998. SMSU is 4-7 all-time, including 0-1 last season. SMSU is 1-3 in multi-overtime games. SMSU's last overtime game was a home loss to Wayne State (48-45) on Oct. 25, 2014. The program's last multi-overtime game was a 34-31 double overtime loss at Minnesota State on Oct. 13, 2012.

    NSIC PRESEASON POLL: SMSU was picked to finish 11th overall and sixth in the South Division in the annual 16-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. Sophomore wide receiver Nate Huot and senior cornerback Andrew McReynolds were named "Players to Watch" in the NSIC this season.

    MUSTANG HISTORY: The 2015 campaign marks the 48th season of college football at Southwest Minnesota State dating back to 1968. SMSU owns an all-time record of 184-302-5, including 122-208-5 in conference play. SMSU has recorded nine winning seasons, made two NAIA playoff appearances (1987 and 1991) and one Mineral Water Bowl appearance (2013). The program earned its lone conference championship in 1990.

    FOR OPENERS: Southwest Minnesota State is now 21-27 all-time in season openers following this season's victory at Minot State. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak in season opening games. SMSU is now 2-4 in season openers under head coach Cory Sauter.

    HOME OPENERS ALL-TIME: SMSU is now 27-22 all-time in home openers, including 4-2 during head coach Cory Sauter's tenure on the sideline since 2010. SMSU has won its last two home openers, including this season over Bemidji State.

    ALL-NSIC RETURNERS: SMSU returns two players who earned All-NSIC South Division honors in 2014. Senior cornerback Andrew McReynolds was named second team All-NSIC South, while sophomore wide receiver Nate Huot was named honorable mention All-NSIC South.

    MUSTANGS ON RADIO: All SMSU football games during the 2015 season will be broadcast on Marshall Radio, 105.1 FM KARL. Ryan Rohlik is in his third season as the play-by-play voice of SMSU football, while Anthony Rohlik provides analysis.

    ABOUT UPPER IOWA: Tom Shea is in his seventh season as head coach at Upper Iowa with an overall record of 27-45. He has also been a head coach at Peru State, U-Mary, Dakota State and William Penn and has a career record of 131-121-3.
    The Peacocks are coming off a 35-21 road win over Winona State last Saturday, the program's first-ever over WSU. Junior quarterback Dimitri Morales was named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week after completing 32 of 42 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 39 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, Morales has completed 206 of 311 passes for 2,244 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. Junior receiver Jalen Amis has caught 65 passes for 511 yards and four touchdowns, while sophomore receiver Jarred Edmonds has 39 receptions for 521 yards and seven touchdowns. Derrick Portis has a team-leading 299 yards rushing with two touchdowns on 74 attempts.
Senior linebacker Alex Wahl paces the UIU defense with a team-high 62 tackles with a team-leading 13.5 tackles for loss. Senior defensive lineman Jevell Rollins is third with 40 tackles and has 11.5 tackles for loss.
 
    UP NEXT: Southwest Minnesota State returns home on Oct. 31 to face No. 1 Minnesota State with kickoff set for 1 p.m.