THIS WEEK: Southwest Minnesota State University (2-0, 0-0 NSIC South) travels to St. Cloud, Minn., this Saturday, Sept. 19, to face St. Cloud State University (1-1, 0-0 NSIC North) with kickoff set for 3 p.m. at Husky Stadium.
    SMSU will be seeking its first 3-0 start since 1991 and will also look to earn just the second win all-time versus SCSU in 18 games.  

    A VICTORY FOR SMSU ON SATURDAY WOULD...:
    •Give SMSU its first 3-0 start since the 1991 team started 9-0.
    •Be its first win over St. Cloud State since 1981.
    •Be its first win ever in St. Cloud.
    •Lift SMSU's all-time record to 182-300-5, including 120-206-5 in conference play.

    SMSU IN DIVISION PLAY: Since the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference adopted two divisions in 2011, SMSU has an all-time record of 8-10 versus NSIC North Division teams. SMSU is a combined 11-16 in NSIC South Division games.

    SMSU ALL-TIME ON SEPT. 19: Southwest Minnesota State is 4-2 all-time when playing on Sept. 19. SMSU lost in 1970, but reeled off wins in 1981, 1987 and 1992. Following a loss in 1998, SMSU earned a win in 2009.

    THE HEAD COACH: Southwest Minnesota State head coach Cory Sauter is in his sixth season in 2015 and has an overall record of 23-35, including 22-33 in conference games. The 23 victories ranks third among 10 all-time head coaches in program history. He needs three more wins to tie Eric Eidsness (2004-09) for second on the list with 26 coaching 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 23.

    SMSU & GAME STORYLINES:
    •Junior running back Ashanti Payne rushed for a career-high 153 yards and one touchdown last week versus Bemidji State.
    •SMSU's 500 yards of offense was its highest total since racking up 521 versus Wayne State on Oct. 25, 2014.
    •Junior wide receiver Raphael Lawson-Gayle made two highlight reel catches last week versus Bemidji State, including a 12-yard reception for his first career touchdown.
    •Junior wide receiver Ty Steffensen set career-highs in both receptions (8) and yards (76) last week versus Bemidji State.
    •Senior running back Davontay Stevens' 164 yards rushing in week one at Minot State was a career-high.
    •SMSU was a "plus-1" in turnover margin in the season opening win at Minot State and was even last week versus Bemidji State. 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 21 of its last 37 games dating back to the final game of the 2011 season.

    PAGE NAMED NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior defensive end AJ Page was named Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for his efforts versus Bemidji State on Sept. 12. He recorded eight tackles, including two sacks, forced a pair of fumbles and recovered a fumble in SMSU's 34-30 win over BSU.

    PAYNE WITH CAREER DAY: Junior Ashanti Payne rushed for a career-high 153 yards and one touchdown on a career-high 23 carries in SMSU's 34-30 win over Bemidji State last Saturday. Payne also caught three passes for 10 yards.

    LAST WEEK RECAP VS. BEMIDJI STATE:  Blake Gimbel connected with Nate Huot on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to lift Southwest Minnesota State to a dramatic 34-30 victory over Bemidji State at the Schwan Regional Event Center on Saturday night. The victory for SMSU (2-0 NSIC) snaps a 13-game losing streak to BSU (0-2 NSIC) dating back to Sept. 27, 1997.
    Bemidji State led 30-27 with two minutes and 10 seconds left in the game, taking over at its own 29-yard line, and looking to run the clock out. The SMSU defense came through big time, forcing a three-and-out and a BSU punt, giving the SMSU offense the ball back with 1:07 remaining at the Mustang 36-yard line.
    Gimbel started the drive with back-to-back pass completions to Huot for a combined 23 yards, moving the ball to the BSU 41-yard line, before connecting with Ty Steffensen on a 13-yard completion at the BSU 28-yard line with 33 seconds remaining. Following an incompletion to stop the clock, Gimbel lofted a pass in the end zone to Huot—that fell incomplete—but pass interference on BSU gave SMSU a first down at the 13-yard line. On the next play, Gimbel fired a strike to Huot, who broke a tackle near the goal line and ran across the goal line for the game-winning touchdown.
    SMSU finished the night running 97 plays and recording 500 yards of offense, including 236 on the ground. It was SMSU's first 500-yard game since Oct. 25, 2014, and its second straight game with 30 or more first downs.
    Ashanti Payne led the SMSU offense with a career-high 153 yards rushing and one touchdown on 23 carries. Davontay Stevens added 98 yards and two touchdowns on 25 attempts. Gimbel completed 31 of 42 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. Steffensen and Huot both finished with eight receptions and combined for 141 yards receiving.
    AJ Page paced the Mustang defense with eight tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery, while Caleb Leichtnam finished with a team-high nine stops with 1.5 tackles for loss.

    THE 2015 ROSTER: The 2014 SMSU roster features 106 players (as of Sept. 15) with 13 seniors, 23 juniors, 15 sophomores, 13 redshirt freshmen and 42 freshmen. The roster includes players from 18 different states and Canada. Minnesota leads the way with 53 players, followed by Iowa (9), Wisconsin (8), California (6), Illinois (6), South Dakota (5), Florida (3), 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).

    STEVENS IN THE STARTING ROLL: Senior running back Davontay Stevens made his second career start at tailback in the opener at Minot State. Stevens had a big game, rushing for a career-high 164 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries. Stevens replaces two-year starter Tyler Tonderum, who led the team in rushing in both 2013 and 2014. Last season, Stevens rushed for 483 yards on just 76 carries, for an average of 6.4 per rush. He had one 100-yard rushing game and two other games where he rushed for more than 90 yards.

    NEWCOMERS PLAY ROLE EARLY IN SEASON: As is the case early in every season, SMSU had several newcomers make big impacts in week one. A total of 17 players saw their first-ever game action for SMSU in the win over Minot State.

    WELCOME BACK IN A BIG WAY: Junior safety Caleb Leichtnam has played a big role in his first two games for the Mustangs this season. After not playing football in 2014 and redshirting at Iowa State University in 2013, Leichtnam recorded a team-high 12 tackles and ended Minot State's final drive with a fourth quarter interception to key the SMSU victory in the opener. In week two versus Bemidji State, he led the team with nine tackles, including 1.5 for loss.

    THREE TRUE FRESHMAN PLAY: Southwest Minnesota State played five true freshman in the season opener at Minot State. Fullback Dalton Jones, linebacker Aley Ney, defensive lineman Jon Dicke, defensive lineman Webb Bolstad and defensive back Peyton Sanders all played for the Mustangs. Jones caught two passes for 11 yards, including a key third-down conversion reception in the fourth quarter, while Ney had three tackles.

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

    HUOT BREAKS OUT IN 2014: Sophomore wide receiver led SMSU in receptions (52), yards (649) and touchdowns (9) last season and became the first Mustang freshman to lead the team in receptions since 1994. Huot had a pair of 100-yard receiving games last season and caught two touchdown passes in three different games. He had a career-high 10 receptions versus Wayne State.

    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.

    NSIC AND NCAA STATISTICS: A complete listing of where SMSU ranks in this week's NCAA and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference statistics are located on pages 19-22.

    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 last week versus Bemidji State. He also ranks third in program history with 77 kickoff returns and tied for 10th with 30 punt returns.

    PAGE IN THE RECORD BOOK: Southwest Minnesota State senior defensive end AJ Page ranks among the top 10 in a pair of defensive categories. He ranks fifth all-time in tackles for loss with 37 and tied for eighth in sacks with 15. Page's 17 tackles for loss in 2013 ranks fourth on the SMSU single-season list.
    SMSU Career Tackles for Loss
    58.0    Jason Jacobs    1996-99
    54.0    Dan Lee    1978-81
    40.0    Nate Rudolph    1996-99
    38.0    Greg Delaine    1988-91
    37.0    AJ Page    2012-15



    SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS: Junior Esten Weber leads the team with three special teams tackles in two weeks, with all three coming on kickoffs. Junior Casey Hertz led SMSU with 14 special teams tackles last season with 11 coming on kickoff returns and two on punt return. In 2013, Hertz ranked second on the team with 11 special teams tackles.

    GET IN THE "ZONE": Southwest Minnesota State has scored on nine of its 10 (90.0) possessions inside the "red zone" in 2015 with eight touchdowns and one field goal. SMSU opponents are four of seven (57.1) inside "red zone" with four touchdowns. 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    9 of 10 (90.0)    8    1

    BIG PLAY MUSTANGS: SMSU has recorded 10 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards in 2015, including four by the Mustang offense (1 run, 3 pass). Last season, SMSU recorded 71 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards, including 42 by the Mustang offense (15 run, 27 pass). In 2013, SMSU racked up 125 "long plays" which ranked as the most for an SMSU team since the statistic started being kept in 2001. For a complete look at the "long" plays and SMSU's "money" plays for the 2014 season, go to pages 14-15.
"Long" plays (20 yards or more) since 2004
    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    10    0    1    3    5    1    0    0    

    THE 2014 SEASON: The Southwest Minnesota State University football team finished the 2014 season with a record of 3-8 overall and 2-5 in the NSIC South Division. SMSU finished tied for 13th overall and tied for sixth in the South Division.

    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.

    PUNT RETURN RECORD SET: Senior punt returner Andrew McReynolds set an SMSU record last season with an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown in week four versus Northern State. The return broke the previous record of 80 yards set by Blake Wilson in 2009. The 89-yard play is the longest by an SMSU player this season.    

    DEFENSE SCORING TOUCHDOWNS: The SMSU defense scored a pair of touchdowns last season with Casey Hertz recording a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown versus Minnesota Crookston and Daryl Thomas with a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown at Minnesota State.

    TURNOVER MARGIN: Southwest Minnesota State is plus-1 in turnover margin this season after two weeks. In 2014, SMSU finished minus-13 in turnover margin.
    Since the start of the 2004 season (124 games), SMSU has been a "plus" in turnover margin in just 35 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 once this season). In SMSU's last 101 conference games, which spans from late in the 2004 season through 2015, SMSU is minus-47 in turnover margin. The Mustangs have been "even" or "minus" in turnover margin in 70 of their last 101 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 18-23 all-time at the stadium following the 2015 home opener victory over Bemidji State. 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 1-0 this season in road games after finishing 1-4 in road games last season. SMSU finished with a 4-1 record in road games in 2013. SMSU is a combined 25-49 in road games since 2000.

    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 181-300-5, including 119-206-5 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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    ABOUT ST. CLOUD STATE: Scott Underwood is in his eighth season as head coach at St. Cloud State with a record of 59-26. He has led the Huskies to three NCAA playoff appearances in 2010, 2011 and 2013. SCSU opened the season with a 28-10 home win over Concordia-St. Paul, before losing last week at Augustana, 41-27. In last week's loss, SCSU and Augustana were tied at 27 in the fourth quarter before the Vikings scored twice in the final 11 minutes to seal the victory. Junior quarterback Nate Meyer completed 30 of 38 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in the loss. Junior wide receiver Matt Hentges caught a team-high nine passes for 128 yards and one touchdown. SCSU was held to just 89 yards rushing on 38 attempts. Senior running back Ledell White led the team with 48 yards on 15 carries. SCSU is led by Meyer, who has completed 41 of 59 passes for 477 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in two games. Sophomore defensive back Carvel Graham paces the SCSU defense with a team-high 18 tackles, while sophomore defensive back Brady Westart has 13 tackles with 1.5 sacks.
 
    UP NEXT: Southwest Minnesota State will host MSU Moorhead for the annual homecoming game starting at 6 p.m.