THIS WEEK: Southwest Minnesota State University opens its 49th season of football hosting No. 19 ranked University of Minnesota Duluth on Thursday, Sept. 1. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center in Marshall. SMSU will be looking to snap an eight-game losing streak to UMD and earn its first win since Sept. 25, 1999. The last time SMSU won in Marshall came during the 1997 season. SMSU will also be looking to earn its first-ever victory over a team ranked in the Division II Top 25.   

    FOR OPENERS: Southwest Minnesota State is 21-27 all-time in season openers following last season's 21-20 win at Minot State. The victory ended a four-game losing streak in season openers for SMSU. SMSU is 2-4 in season openers under head coach Cory Sauter.

    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 187-303-5, including 125-209-5 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.

    A VICTORY FOR SMSU ON THURSDAY WOULD...:
    •Be its second straight season opening win.
    •Be its first over UMD since 1999 and first in Marshall since 1997.
    •Be its first over a nationally ranked Division II team.
    •Lift SMSU's all-time record to 188-303-5, including 126-209-5 in conference play.

    THE 2015 SEASON: Southwest Minnesota State University finished the 2015 season with a record of 8-3 overall and 4-3 in the NSIC South Division. SMSU tied for fourth overall in the 16-team NSIC and placed fourth in the NSIC South Division.

    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). 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 has put together one of the best three-year runs in school history entering this season. SMSU has a combined 18 victories since 2014, marking its highest three-year victory total since winning 19 games from 1991-93.

    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.

    SMSU TO APPEAR ON ESPN3/WATCHESPN: Southwest Minnesota State's week two match-up at Northern State on Sept. 10 will be broadcast live on ESPN3/WatchESPN. The game is part of the 22-game NCAA Division II Football Showcase, which broadcasts two national games of the week, with one airing on ESPN3/WatchESPN and the other on the American Sports Network. This is the second year of a three-year agreement the NCAA has with ESPN and ASN.

    THE 2016 ROSTER: The 2016 SMSU roster features 115 players (as of Aug. 28) with 22 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 53 players, followed by Iowa (12), Illinois (10), 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).

    THE HEAD COACH: Cory Sauter is in his seventh season as head coach at Southwest Minnesota State and has an overall record of 29-38, including 28-36 in conference games. The 29 victories ranks second all-time 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.
    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 is 20-25 all-time at the stadium, including finishing 3-2 in 2015, marking 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.  

    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.

    ALL-NSIC RETURNERS: SMSU returns six players 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.

    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).

    PAYNE AND BEALE IN THE BACKFIELD: A pair of seniors are expected to carry a bulk of the rushing attempts in 2016 having to replace the NSIC's leading rusher from last season, Davontay Stevens. Ashanti Payne is the team's top returning rusher, after finishing last season with 771 yards and five touchdowns on 153 carries. Divonte Beale ranked third on the squad last year and closed the season rushing for 403 yards and three touchdowns on 61 attempts.

    GIMBEL SETS RECORDS: Junior quarterback Blake Gimbel finished the 2015 season with a 66.4 completion percentage setting a team single-season record. He also set a school single-game record with 42 completions versus Upper Iowa on Oct. 24. The 66.4 percentage ranked eighth in Division II, while he also ranked fifth nationally in completions per game (24.8). He also ranks among the top 10 in the single-season record book in several categories, including third in completions (273), fourth in pass efficiency (146.3), sixth in passing yards (3,053) and eighth in touchdown passes (26).  

    GIMBEL IN SOPHOMORE RECORDS: Blake Gimbel set three school sophomore class passing records last season, including completions (273), touchdown passes (26) and passing yards (3,053). Jeff Loots held the previous record, completing 215 passes for 2,967 yards and 25 touchdowns in 1990.

    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
    O 31    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            

    HUOT FINISHES SEASON STRONG: Junior wide receiver Nate Huot had an outstanding close to the 2015 season to lead the SMSU offense. In the last five games, Huot caught 40 passes for 457 yards and four touchdowns. He caught at least eight passes in four of the last five games. Huot finished the season with a team-high 63 receptions, ranking 13th in the team single-season record book, while his 830 yards receiving ranks tied for 15th.

    HUOT TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS: Junior wide receiver Nate Huot begins the 2016 season ranked 10th in school history with 18 touchdown receptions. He needs two touchdown receptions to move into a tie for eighth 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    Blake Wilson    2006-09
    22    Preston Cunningham    1991-95
    20    Juan Mitchell    1982-85
    20    Herschel Jackson    1992-93
    18    Nate Huot    2014-16
    WELCOME BACK TY: Through the first eight games last season, senior wide receiver Ty Steffensen led the team with 44 receptions for 426 yards and two touchdowns before suffering a season-ending injury at Upper Iowa on Oct. 24. He led the team in receptions in five of the first eight games of the season. He set a career-high with 85 yards receiving in the win over MSU Moorhead on Sept. 26.  

    MUSTANG AND THE AFCA TOP 25: For the first time since 2008, SMSU received votes in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll during the 2015 season. SMSU received two votes in each of the polls on Oct. 12, 19 and 26. The only other time SMSU has received votes in the AFCA Top 25 poll came in the first regular season poll in 2008.

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

    THE 2015 MUSTANGS AND RECORD BOOK: The 2015 team ranks high in several categories in program single-season record book. SMSU rushed for 2,165 yards on 520 attempts and 23 touchdowns, with all three ranking second in team history. SMSU's 196.8 rushing yards per game also ranks second in school history. SMSU finished with 3,175 yards passing, ranking sixth highest in team history, while the 28 touchdown passes ranks eighth. The SMSU offense closed the season with 5,340 total yards, ranking second all-time.  

    SMSU HIGH IN THE NSIC STATISTICS: Southwest Minnesota State finished ranked among the top 10 in several team NSIC statistical categories in 2015. SMSU ranked first in first downs (312), first in total offense (485.5), second in third-down conversions (51.3), fourth in passing offense (288.6), fourth in rushing (196.8), fourth in net punting (36.3), fifth in kickoff returns (22.6), sixth in scoring (33.3), seventh in total defense (397.6) and eighth in scoring defense (26.4).

    POUNDIN' THE ROCK: Southwest Minnesota State was able to establish its running game most of the 2015 season averaging 196.8 yards per game ranking fourth in the NSIC. SMSU had 45 or more rush attempts in seven of 11 games this season, including 50 or more rush attempts in five games. SMSU rushed 45 or more times 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.

    LIMITING TO SINGLE DIGITS: Southwest Minnesota State held two opponents last 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. Last season marked the first time since 2006 that SMSU has held an opponent to single digits twice in one season.

    GET IN THE "ZONE": Southwest Minnesota State scored on 39 of its 50 (78.0) possessions inside the "red zone" in 2015 with 36 touchdowns and three field goals. SMSU opponents finished 37 of 49 (75.5) inside "red zone" with 29 touchdowns and eight 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

    BIG PLAY MUSTANGS: SMSU recorded 78 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards in 2015, including 52 by the Mustang offense (13 run, 39 pass). For a complete look at the "long" plays and SMSU's "money" plays for the 2015 season, go to pages 18-19. 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

    SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS: Southwest Minnesota State senior Wes Bednar and sophomore Elijah McGeehan finished the 2015 season leading the team with nine special teams tackles each with all nine coming on kickoffs.

    RECORD ON THE ROAD: 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 29-50 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.

    TURNOVER MARGIN: Southwest Minnesota State finished the 2015 season "plus four" in turnover margin. It was a major improvement from 2014, when SMSU finished minus-13 in turnover margin. Since the start of the 2004 season (133 games), SMSU has been a "plus" in turnover margin in just 39 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 five times in 2015). In SMSU's last 110 conference games, which spans from late in the 2004 season through 2015, SMSU is minus-44 in turnover margin. The Mustangs have been "even" or "minus" in turnover margin in 75 of their last 110 conference games.

    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.

    ABOUT MINNESOTA DULUTH: Curt Wiese is entering his fourth season as head coach at UMD and has compiled an overall record of 33-6 with three NSIC North Division titles and two playoff appearances. UMD finished 9-3 a season ago and claimed a share of its eighth consecutive NSIC North title and also earned a victory in the Mineral Water Bowl. UMD missed the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 2007. UMD welcomes back 52 lettermen from a year ago, including 10 starters on offense and five on defense. Headlining the list of holdovers is senior quarterback Drew Bauer, who suffered a season-ending injury last October but still wound up sporting the 11th best pass efficiency rating in the country (155.5).  Bauer enters his final collegiate go-around having generated both the fourth most all-time total yards (8,086) and passing yards (5,640) in team history. Peter Bateman, a three-time All-NSIC tackle, anchors an offensive line that didn't lose a starter from 2015 while senior Beau Bofferding, who paced the 2015 Bulldogs in receptions (30) and all-purpose yards (1,025) and junior Nate Ricci (17 receptions) are expected to be among Bauer's primary go-to guys. Senior linebacker Beau Bates, one of four returning 2015 All- NSIC first team picks (along with Bateman, Bofferding and defensive end Karl Finkel), reigned as UMD's leading tackler last fall and will be a main cog in the Bulldog ball-stopping efforts again this season.

    UP NEXT: Southwest Minnesota State will play the first of five road games in 2016, taking on Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D., on Saturday, Sept. 10. The game, which will be aired on ESPN3, will kickoff at 6 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.