THIS WEEK: Southwest Minnesota State University (4-3 NSIC, 1-2 NSIC South) continues NSIC South Division with a rare midseason weeknight game this Thursday, Oct. 20, facing Minnesota State University (5-2 NSIC, 2-1 NSIC South) at Blakeslee Stadium in Mankato. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. SMSU will look to snap a two-game losing streak, which is the program's first two-game losing streak since the 2014 season. MSU is on a two-game winning streak, which includes a 35-28 road win last Saturday versus Augustana.

    A VICTORY FOR SMSU ON SATURDAY WOULD...:
    •Be its first-ever versus Minnesota State.
    •Give SMSU a 2-2 record in road games this season.  
    •Give SMSU a 22-34 all-time record in NSIC South Division games.
    •Lift SMSU's all-time record to 192-306-5, including 130-212-5 in NSIC play.

    THE HEAD COACH: Cory Sauter is in his seventh season as head coach at Southwest Minnesota State and has an overall record of 33-41, including 32-39 in conference games. The 33 victories ranks second all-time among 10 head coaches in program history. Gary Buer (1979-92), the program leader with 70 victories, recorded 27 victories during his first seven seasons as head coach. 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.

    MUSTANGS IN THE NCAA STATS: Southwest Minnesota State enters Thursday's game ranked third in Division II in third-down conversion pct., ninth in passing offense, 12th in scoring and 14th in total offense. Blake Gimbel ranks second in the nation in completions per game, second in completion percentage, 10th in passing touchdowns and 10th in passing yards. Max Simmons ranks 12th in rushing touchdowns, Nate Huot ranks 14th nationally in all purpose yards and 32nd in receiving yards, while Raphael Lawson-Gayle is fifth in kickoff returns. Gene Germain is ranked 41st in solo tackles and 101st in total tackles. A complete look of the NCAA stats are located on pages 22-23.

    MUSTANGS IN THE NSIC STATS: In the NSIC stats, SMSU's Blake Gimbel ranks second in passing yards and fourth in total offense, Max Simmons ranks first in scoring, while Nate Huot ranks second in all purpose yards, sixth in receiving yards per game and seventh in receptions per game. Gene Germain begins the week ranked eighth in tackles per game, while Tyler Flud is 12th in tackles. SMSU ranks second in the NSIC in passing yards, second in scoring offense, fourth in total offense, seventh in rushing offense, seventh in pass defense, 13th in scoring defense, 14th in rush defense and 14th in total defense. A complete look of the NSIC stats are located on pages 20-21.

    COMEBACK ATTEMPT FALLS SHORT TO WAYNE STATE: Wayne State held off a late Southwest Minnesota State comeback attempt to earn a 41-39 victory last Saturday in Marshall. SMSU scored with one minute and 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter on a Blake Gimbel to Gabriel Galamue 25-yard touchdown pass to cut the WSC lead to 41-39. SMSU was stopped however on the two-point conversion and WSC would later seal the win recovering the on-side kick. WSC, which earned its third win in the last four weeks, recorded 485 yards of total offense and converted 10 of 14 third-down conversions. SMSU, which entered the game ranked third in Division II in third-down conversion percentage, was just 4 of 13 on third down, but did convert 5 of 6 on fourth down. The SMSU offense, which was averaging 511 yards per game and ranked fifth in Division II, was held in check for most of the game, before an explosive fourth quarter. SMSU was limited to just 248 yards of offense through the first three quarters of the game and 20 points, before scoring 19 points in the final frame. SMSU finished the night with 379 yards of offense and 24 first downs. Gimbel finished the game completing 24 of 35 for 256 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Max Simmons rushed for a game-high 101 yards and three touchdowns on 22 attempts to pace the Mustang rushing attack. Simmons also caught six passes for 47 yards, while Nate Huot also had six catches for 78 yards.

    MUSTANG DEFENSE FORCING TURNOVERS: The Southwest Minnesota State defense has been opportunistic this season, forcing at least one turnover in all seven games, including three or more in four games. SMSU has forced a combined 12 turnovers the past four weeks, including five three week's ago in a win versus Upper Iowa. SMSU had four interceptions in the win versus UIU, which is its highest total since racking up four versus Black Hills State in 2009. In last week's game versus Wayne State, SMSU had three interceptions and now racked up 12 this season.  

    NEW MARKS FOR SEVERAL MUSTANGS: Several Mustang players reached career-highs along with several "firsts" in last week's loss to Wayne State. Senior safety Wes Bednar and true freshman Michael Griffin each recorded their first career interceptions in the game. Senior cornerback Dallin Finley recorded a career-high 10 tackles, while sophomore linebacker Alex Ney also reached a new career-high with eight tackles, including one for loss.

    SIMMONS TIES SCHOOL RECORD: Southwest Minnesota State freshman running back Max Simmons tied a school single-game record in the win at Minnesota Crookston on Sept. 24 recording four rushing touchdowns. He is the fourth player in team history to reach the mark, joining Rich Froemling (1974), Robert Lipsey (1990) and Thomas Durham (2004).

    SMSU HIGH-OCTANE OFFENSE: Since being shutout on Nov. 5, 2011, Southwest Minnesota State has scored 30 or more points in 32 of its last 53 games dating back to the final game of the 2011 season. Since Nov. 12, 2011, SMSU has reached 40 points 18 times, 50 points eight times and 60 points once.

    NO TIME OF POSSESSION? NO PROBLEM: Southwest Minnesota State begins the week ranked 169th out of 170 teams in Division II in time of possession. Despite averaging the ball just 24 minutes and 47 seconds, SMSU ranks 12th nationally in scoring, 14th in total offense and 10th in first downs.

    FRESHMEN REACHING CENTURY MARK AGAIN: A pair of true freshman running backs have combined to rush for 14 touchdowns in the last five weeks and have also rushed for more than 100 yards in four of the last five games combined. Max Simmons made his first career start versus U-Mary in week three and rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns and followed that game with 112 yards and four touchdowns at Minnesota Crookston in week four. Last week verus Wayne State he rushed for 101 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries. Isley Carrington rushed for 181 yards and three touchdowns versus Upper Iowa on Oct. 1 in his first career game, but missed last week's game versus Wayne State with an injury.

    DUO REACH 100-YARDS RUSHING: Senior Divonte Beale and freshman Max Simmons both reached 100 yards rushing in the victory over U-Mary in week three. Beale amassed 164 yards on 27 carries, while Simmons finished with 101 on 13 attempts. It's the first time SMSU had a pair of players reach 100 yards in a single-game since last season's finale versus Winona State.

    SCORING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL: The Southwest Minnesota State defense has recorded a pair of touchdowns through seven games. Sophomore Chance Steward returned a fumble 50 yards for a touchdown at Northern State in week two, while senior Tyler Flud had a 48-yard interception return for a score in week four at Minnesota Crookston. Flud's interception return for a touchdown was SMSU's first since Daryl Thomas had a 27-yard touchdown return at Minnesota State in 2014.

    GERMAIN ALL GAME AGAIN: Senior linebacker Gene Germain has led the team in tackles in four of seven games this season and has amassed a team-high 58 for the season. He begins the week ranked 20th in Division II in solo tackles and 48th in total tackles. He set a career-high with 12 tackles, including five solo stops in SMSU's win over Minnesota Duluth in week one. He ranks 41st nationally in total tackles.

    GIMBEL IN THE RECORD BOOK: Junior quarterback Blake Gimbel holds the school single-game record for completions in a game (42, vs. Upper Iowa, 2015 and 2016) and also holds the school single-season record for completion percentage (66.4) set last season. He begins this week ranked first in the school career record book in completion pct. (67.0), tied for seventh in touchdown passes (47), seventh in completions (496), ninth in yards (5,516) and 10th in total offense (5,335).

    GIMBEL CAREER STARTS GAME-BY-GAME:
    2015    Opponent    Comp.    Att.    Int    TD    Yards    Long    Result
    S3    at Minot State    23    42    0    2    210    26    W, 21-10
    S12    Bemidji State    31    42    1    2    264    22    W,34-30
    S19    at St. Cloud State    16    24    0    1    182    33    W, 21-20
    S26    MSU Moorhead    18    28    0    5    299    44    W, 48-9
    O3    at Augustana    24    37    1    1    332    70    L, 23-48
    O10    at Wayne State    16    26    0    3    247    46    W, 61-3
    O17    Sioux Falls    38    52    0    3    384    24    L, 26-34
    O24    at Upper Iowa    42    56    0    4    454    82    W, 34-19
    O31    Minnesota State    24    40    3    1    253    39    L, 17-55
    N7    at Concordia-St. Paul    25    35    1    3    243    24    W, 48-24
    N14    Winona State    16    29    1    1    185    33    W, 33-38            
    2016    Opponent    Comp.    Att.    Int    TD    Yards    Long    Result
    S1    Minnesota Duluth    25    42    1    5    397    50    W, 42-38
    S10    at Northern State    34    49    2    2    336    41    L, 35-51
    S17    University of Mary    15    19    1    4    175    25    W, 47-23
    S24    at Minnesota Crookston    20    28    0    1    283    45    W, 47-13
    O1    Upper Iowa    42    53    2    3    436    39    W, 59-41
    O8    at Sioux Falls    27    40    1    3    248    42    L, 28-48
    O15    Wayne State    24    35    1    2    256    38    L, 39-41

    GIMBEL NAMED NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior quarterback Blake Gimbel was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 6, earning the award for the third time in his career. Gimbel helped SMSU rally from a 10-point deficit to defeat Minnesota Duluth and earn the program's first-ever win over a Division II Top 25 team. He finished the game completing 25 of 42 pass attempts for 397 yards and tying a career-high with five touchdown passes, including the game-winner with 23 seconds remaining.

    GIMBEL TIES OWN RECORD: Junior quarterback Blake Gimbel tied his own school record for completions in a single game in the win over Upper Iowa on Oct. 1, completing 42 on 53 pass attempts. The 42 completions ranks tied for the fourth highest total in Division II this season. He also completed 42 passes versus Upper Iowa last season in a victory in Fayette. In two games versus UIU, Gimbel has completed 84 passes on 109 attempts for 890 yards and seven touchdowns.  

    CARRINGTON EARNS NSIC HONOR: True freshman running back Isley Carrington was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 3. Carrington, who was appearing in his first career game, rushed for 181 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 carries and also caught three passes for 24 yards. His 16.5 yards per rushing attempt set a new SMSU single-game record. He is the second SMSU player (Blake Gimbel) to earn the award this season.

    CARRINGTON SETS SINGLE-GAME MARK: True freshman running back Isley Carrington made a big first impression in his first career game in week five versus Upper Iowa. His 181 yards rushing on 11 carries set a school single-game record for highest average per carry at 16.5, breaking the previous mark of 11.8 set by Barry Meyer in 1998.

    HUOT CONTINUES TREND: Junior wide receiver Nate Huot, who led the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns in 2015, has continued his fine play into this season. He recorded 11 catches for a career-high 182 yards and two touchdowns two weeks ago versus Upper Iowa and also caught a career-high 12 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns in the loss at Northern State in week two. He currently leads the team in receptions (44) and yards (658) and has eight career 100-yard receiving games ranking eighth in team history.

    HUOT TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS: Junior wide receiver Nate Huot has moved to sixth place on the school's all-time touchdown receptions list with 23. He needs two touchdown reception to move into a tie for fifth place and five to move into fourth place. He also has 150 career receptions which ranks 11th in team history and is two shy of moving in to 10th place.
        SMSU career pass reception TDs
    59    Alvin Ashley    1990-93
    35    James Ashley    1986-88
    29    Anthony Dean    2010-13
    28    Wayne Hawkins    1989-91
    25    Ray Denson    2002-05
    23    Nate Huot    2014-16
    23    Blake Wilson    2006-09

    SMSU IN THE SOUTH: The NSIC adapted divisional play during the 2008 season. SMSU is a combined 21-34 all-time in South Division games and finishing in the top half of the division just once in eight seasons. SMSU had its highest finish in 2013 at second place, but has finished fourth three times, fifth once and sixth three times.

    U-MARY PASSING HELD IN CHECK: The SMSU defense limited U-Mary to just 85 passing yards on 19 attempts in a week three victory. It was the first time since Oct. 4, 2014, (vs. Minnesota State, 66 yards) that SMSU held a team to less than 100 yards passing in a game.

    SMSU EARNS FIRST-EVER WIN OVER TOP 25 TEAM: Southwest Minnesota State earned its first-ever victory over a Division II Top 25 team on Sept. 1, defeating No. 19 Minnesota Duluth, 42-38, in Marshall.  

    MUSTANG AND THE AFCA TOP 25: Southwest Minnesota State received 20 points in the Sept. 5 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 poll, the most points the program has ever received in the weekly poll. SMSU's 20 points ranked 33rd overall. Last season, for the first time since 2008, SMSU received votes in the AFCA poll, receiving two votes in each of the polls on Oct. 12, 19 and 26.

    GET IN THE "ZONE": Southwest Minnesota State has scored on 28 of its 30 (93.3) possessions inside the "red zone" this season with 27 touchdowns and one field goal. SMSU opponents are 28 of 31 (90.3) inside "red zone" this season with 22 touchdowns and six field goals. The following is SMSU in the "red zone" since 2010.
    Year    Red-Zone    TD    FG
    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    39 of 50 (78.0)    36    3
    2016    28 of 30 (93.3)    27    1

    BIG PLAY MUSTANGS: SMSU has recorded 70 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards in 2016, including 42 by the Mustang offense (11 run, 31 pass). For a complete look at the "long" plays and SMSU's "money" plays for this season, go to pages 16-17. The following is SMSU's "long plays" since 2010.
"Long" plays (20 yards or more) since 2010
    Year    No.    TD    Run    Pass    KR    PR    IR    FR
    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    78    18    13    39    18    5    3    0
    2016    70    17    11    31    24    0    3    1

    SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS: Southwest Minnesota State junior Michael Rivera leads the Mustang special teams with a six tackles this season with all five coming on kickoffs. Redshirt freshman Tyshonn Woodard, senior Esten Weber and sophomore Austin Wells each rank second with four tackles apiece.  

    2016 TEAM CAPTAINS: Four players, two on offense and two on defense, have been named team captains for the 2016 season. The team captains were selected by a vote of the Mustang players. The offensive team captains selected were senior tackle Grant Greenfield and junior quarterback Blake Gimbel. The defensive team captains named were senior linebacker Tyler Flud and senior cornerback Dallin Finley. It's the second straight season Gimbel and Flud have been selected a team captain.

    MUSTANGS AT HOME: The 2016 season marks the ninth year that Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center serves as the home for SMSU football. SMSU, which is 3-1 this season, is 23-26 all-time at the stadium, including finishing 3-2 in 2015. Last season was the first winning season in team history at the stadium. The $16 million facility opened in the fall of 2008 with the first college football game played on Aug. 30 versus Minnesota Crookston.  

    RECORD ON THE ROAD: SMSU is 1-2 on the road in 2016 following a 48-28 loss to Sioux Falls on Oct. 8. SMSU finished 5-1 in road games last season setting a school record for road wins in a season. Prior to last season, the 1991 and 2013 teams held the record of four wins. SMSU is a combined 30-52 in road games since 2000.

    GREENFIELD NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN: Senior offensive tackle Grant Greenfield was named a second team NCAA Division II preseason All-American by Lindy's magazine, a noted college football preview publication. Greenfield helped the SMSU offense last season lead the NSIC in total offense with 486 yards per game, including ranking fourth in rushing (196.8) and fourth in passing (288.6). Greenfield is one of just five players from the NSIC to earn either first or second team preseason honors by Lindy's.



    CAA ALL-REGION: Senior offensive tackle Grant Greenfield was named to the 2015 Conference Commissioners Association All-Super Region 3 second team. Super Region 3 consists of schools from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), the Great American Conference (GAC) and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC).

    ALL-NSIC RETURNERS: SMSU returns six players this season who earned All-NSIC South Division honors in 2015. Senior offensive tackle Grant Greenfield and senior linebacker Tyler Flud were named both named first team All-NSIC South, senior safety Caleb Leichtnam was named second team, while junior wide receiver Nate Huot, junior quarterback Blake Gimbel and junior center Austin Hilgert were named honorable mention.

    EIGHT VICTORIES THE HIGHEST AT DIVISION II LEVEL: Southwest Minnesota State finished the 2015 season with eight victories setting a school record for wins at the Division II level (since 1995). SMSU finished 8-3 overall and 4-3 in the NSIC South Division, tying for fourth overall in the NSIC and placing fourth in the South Division. It's just the third time ever an SMSU team has won eight or more games in a season. The 1991 team finished 9-1, while the 1990 squad was 8-3.

    THREE-YEAR RUN: Southwest Minnesota State put together one of the best three-year runs in school history entering this season (2013-15). SMSU recorded a combined 18 victories from 2013 to 2015, marking its highest three-year victory total since winning 19 games from 1991-93.

    SMSU IN THE 2015 NCAA REGION RANKINGS: For the first time in program history, SMSU was ranked in the NCAA Super Region 3 rankings during the 2015 season. SMSU was ranked No. 8 in the first region poll released on Oct. 26 and after falling out of the Nov. 2 ranking, SMSU moved back into the poll at No. 9 on Nov. 9.

    TURNOVER MARGIN: Southwest Minnesota State is "plus-4" in turnover margin this season following seven games. Since the start of the 2004 season (140 games), SMSU has been a "plus" in turnover margin in just 43 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, five times in 2015 and four times in 2016). In SMSU's last 117 conference games, which spans from late in the 2004 season through this season, SMSU is minus-39 in turnover margin. The Mustangs have been "even" or "minus" in turnover margin in 78 of their last 117 conference games.

    THE 2016 ROSTER: The 2016 SMSU roster features 114 players (as of Oct. 17) with 21 seniors, 19 juniors, 18 sophomores, 26 redshirt freshmen and 30 freshmen. The roster includes players from 15 different states and Canada. Minnesota leads the way with 51 players, followed by Iowa (12), Illinois (11), Wisconsin (8), South Dakota (6), California (4), Florida (4), Michigan (3), Oregon (3), Colorado (3), Arizona (3), Nebraska (2), Nevada (1), Georgia (1), Virginia (1) and Ontario (1).

    NSIC PRESEASON POLL: SMSU was picked to finish seventh overall and fourth in the South Division in the annual 16-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. SMSU received one first place vote in both the overall and South Division poll. Junior quarterback Blake Gimbel and senior linebacker Tyler Flud were named "Players to Watch" in the NSIC this season.

    WORKING OVERTIME: SMSU has played in 11 overtime games since the NCAA added the extra session in 1998. SMSU is 4-7 all-time in overtime games, including 1-3 in multi-overtime contests. SMSU's last overtime game was a home loss to Wayne State (48-45) on Oct. 25, 2014, while its last overtime win came on Nov. 2, 2013, (51-44) over Winona State. The program's last multi-overtime game was a 34-31 double overtime loss at Minnesota State on Oct. 13, 2012.

    FOR OPENERS: Southwest Minnesota State is now 22-27 all-time in season openers following this year's 42-38 win versus Minnesota Duluth on Sept. 1. SMSU is 3-4 in season openers under head coach Cory Sauter.

    MUSTANGS ON HOMECOMING: Southwest Minnesota State is now 22-25 all-time on homecoming following this season's win over Upper Iowa. SMSU has won three straight and four of the last five homecoming games. SMSU is 6-11 on homecoming since 2000.

    MUSTANG HISTORY: The 2016 season marks the 49th year of college football at Southwest Minnesota State dating back to 1968. SMSU owns an all-time record of 191-306-5, including 129-212-5 in conference play. SMSU has recorded 10 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.

    SMSU VERSUS THE NORTH: Since 2012, when the NSIC schedule required each team to play four inter-divisional games, SMSU has a record of 11-9 versus NSIC North Division teams. For the first time in program history, SMSU went a perfect 4-0 versus North Division squads in 2015 and this season finished with a 3-1 record. Since divisional play was started in 2009, SMSU is a combined 20-32 all-time in South Division games.

    ABOUT MINNESOTA STATE: Todd Hoffner is seventh season as head coach at Minnesota State with an overall record of 67-21. He has led MSU to four trips to the NCAA playoffs, including a national runner-up finish in 2014. He was also the head coach at Wisconsin-Eau Claire (1999-2005). The Mavericks are led by quarterback Nick Pieruccini, who has passed for 1,071 yards and 15 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He also is the team's leading rusher with 482 yards and four touchdowns on 109 attempts. Pieruccini started at running back for MSU the first two games of the season. Running back Virgil Hammond has rushed for 428 yards and three touchdowns on 73 attempts. Wide receiver Ty Dennis has caught a team-high 25 passes for 457 yards and six touchdowns. The Maverick defense is led linebacker Ruben Ibarra, who has 64 tackles with 4.5 loss and 2.5 sacks. Defensive end Evan Perrizo has a team-leading 9.5 tackles for loss and five sacks.

    UP NEXT: Southwest Minnesota State returns home to battle Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday, Oct. 29, with kickoff slated for 1 p.m.

    MUSTANGS ON RADIO: All SMSU football games during the 2016 season are broadcast on Marshall Radio, 105.1 FM KARL. Ryan Rohlik is in his fourth season as the play-by-play voice of SMSU football, while Anthony Rohlik will provide analysis.