THIS WEEK
•Southwest Minnesota State University (2-3, 0-1 NSIC South) continues Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division play on Saturday, Oct. 7, facing Wayne State College (3-2, 1-0 NSIC South) in Wayne, Nebraska, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. at Cunningham Field.
•SMSU will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak.
•SMSU has won the last two meetings in Wayne
•Saturday's game is Homecoming for WSC.
•Following play this Saturday, SMSU plays at Augustana on Oct. 14 starting at 1 p.m.
•SMSU's next home game is Thursday, Oct. 19, versus Minnesota State starting at 7:05 p.m.

    SMSU IN SOUTH DIVISION PLAY
•Since the NSIC adapted divisional play prior to the 2008 season, SMSU is 22-38 all-time in South Division games and has finished in the top half of the division three times in nine seasons.
•SMSU had its highest finish in 2013 at second place and has finished fourth three times, fifth twice and sixth three times.  

    SMSU OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•Senior wide receiver Nate Huot broke the NSIC record for career receptions in the loss to Sioux Falls on Sept. 30. He now has 216 during his 38-game career. The previous record of  210 was set by Brian Jark of Northern State (2006-09).
•Huot ranks fourth in the NSIC in receiving yards per game (92.4) and is ninth in all purpose (103.2).
•Junior linebacker Alex Ney ranks 12th in Division II in tackles per game (11.4).
•Senior quarterback Blake Gimbel had his 26-game consecutive game start streak snapped last week versus Sioux Falls. He did not play in the game.
•Gimbel was injured late in the game on Sept. 7 at MSU Moorhead. He played the first two series against both Minot State and Bemidji State, but did not play versus Sioux Falls.
•Junior quarterback Connor Wilkie made his first career start at completed 21 of 38 passes for 214 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions in the loss to USF.
•SMSU had its longest play from scrimmage this season in last week's loss to Sioux Falls as Wilkie connected with tight end Eldridge Joyce on a 60-yard touchdown pass.
•Junior punter Austin Wells ranks fourth in the NSIC in punt average at 39.2.  
•SMSU ranks fifth in Division II in kickoff return defense, allowing 14.1 yards per return.
•Senior running back Ashanti Payne ranks 10th in team history with 1,584 rushing yards. He needs 219 yards to move into ninth all-time.
•Sophomore running back Max Simmons ranks 15th in team history with 1,152 yards rushing.
•Senior defensive tackle Alex Werner has had a strong season leading the team in both sacks (2.5) and tackles for loss (5). He ranks tied for fifth in tackles with 21.
•Junior cornerback Je'Darien Jackson-Hanchett's four interceptions on Sept. 7 at MSU Moorhead is the highest single-game total in all levels of NCAA football this season.
•SMSU ranks 10th in Division II in turnover margin (+1.6) and 18th in turnovers forced (+13).
•SMSU suffered its only lost fumble of season on Sept. 23 at Bemidji State, which came on a kickoff return. •SMSU ranks tied for second in Division II in fumbles lost.
•SMSU has outscored its opponents 48-31 in the first quarter this season. It's the only quarter SMSU has held a scoring advantage this season.
•Senior Blake Gimbel needs one more touchdown pass to tie Josh Shudlick (2005-08) for third all-time in team history with 59.  
•Gimbel is 174 passing yards shy of moving into third place in team history with 7,329 yards.
•Sophomore Max Simmons ranks seventh in team history with 20 rushing touchdowns. He is one shy of tying Ken Sather and Rich Froemling for fifth all-time.

SMSU vs. WSC Series Notes
(all-time results listed on page 19)
Southwest Minnesota State and Wayne State meet for the 29th time on Saturday with WSC leading 20-8 in a series that started on Nov. 1, 1969 ... SMSU is 4-9 all-time in games played in Wayne ... SMSU has won the last two games in Wayne, including 61-3 in 2015 ... WSC won last season, 41-39 in Marshall, stopping an SMSU two-point conversion with 1:12 left in the game ... WSC had a seven-game winning streak in the series from 2005-11 ... WSC has won 10 of the last 15 meetings since 2002 ... SMSU has scored 39 or more points the last five games including 55 in 2013 and 61 in 2015.

The Last Time - SMSU vs. WSC
Wayne State held off a late Southwest Minnesota State comeback attempt to earn a 41-39 victory on Oct. 15, 2016, in Marshall. SMSU  scored with 1:12 left in the fourth quarter on a Blake Gimbel to Gabe Galamue 25-yard touchdown pass, but SMSU was stopped on the two-point conversion and WSC would seal the win recovering the on-side kick. WSC recorded 485 yards of total offense and converted 10 of 14 third-down conversions. WSC quarterback Zach Osborn completed 23 of 33 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions and also rushed for 83 yards and one touchdown on 11 attempts. The SMSU offense 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 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.

SMSU vs. WSC Series Information
Overall:    WSC leads 20-8
In Marshall:    WSC leads 11-4
In Wayne:    WSC leads 9-4
Neutral Record:    0-0
Last SMSU win:    Oct. 10, 2015 (61-3)
Last WSC win:    Oct. 15, 2016 (41-39)
Largest win for SMSU:    58 (61-3, 2015)
Largest win for WSC:    49 (49-0, 1969)
Longest win streak for SMSU:    2 (1990-91, 2012-13)
Longest win streak for WSC:    7 (2005-11)
Current win streak:    WSC, 1
Sauter vs. WSC:    3-4
McLaughlin vs. SMSU:    9-3

    HUOT IN THE NSIC RECORD BOOK
•Senior wide receiver Nate Huot became the all-time receptions leader in NSIC history (conference games only) with a third quarter reception on Sept. 30 versus Sioux Falls.
•Huot has 216 receptions in 38 games.
•Brian Jark from Northern State held the previous record entering the season with 210 receptions from 2006-09 in 36 games.
•Huot opened the 2017 season ranked seventh with 184 receptions in 33 career games.

    SMSU BATTLES BUT FALLS TO NO. 7 USF
•SMSU dropped its second straight game with a 24-10 homecoming loss to No. 7 Sioux Falls last Saturday night.
•USF limited SMSU to 281 total yards including 39 rush yards.
•SMSU was held to five first downs and 131 yards of offense in the second half.
•Nate Huot put his name atop the NSIC record book early in the third quarter with a reception to become the league's all-time leader in receptions (216).
•Connor Wilkie made his first career start for SMSU and completed 21 of 38 pass attempts for 214 yards and one touchdown.
•Ashanti Payne finished with 37 yards rushing on 12 attempts to pace the Mustang rushing attack.
•Alex Ney recorded a game-high 16 tackles with one forced fumble to pace the Mustang defense.
•Michael Griffin added 12 tackles, two pass break-ups and recovered a fumble.

    HEAD COACH
•Cory Sauter is in his eighth season as head coach and has an overall record of 36-47, including 35-45 in conference games.
•Sauter's 36 victories rank second all-time in program history among 10 head coaches.
•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 Sauter can be found on page 24.







    SMSU / WSC IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•A full listing of SMSU in the national statistics can be found on pages 22-23.
    (168 teams ranked)    SMSU    WSC
    Scoring Offense    85th    76th    
    Rushing Offense    103rd    116th    
    Passing Offense    32nd    31st
    Passing Efficiency    62nd    35th
    Total Offense    67th    70th
    Scoring Defense    118th    30th
    Rushing Defense    123rd    101st
    Pass Defense    132nd    101st
    Pass Efficiency Defense    76th    29th
    Total Defense    129th    106th
    Net Punting    43rd    92nd
    Punt Returns    91st    74th
    Kickoff Returns    96th    83rd
    Turnover Margin    10th    34th
    Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm.    25th    10th
    Time of Poss.    69th    138th
    3rd Down Conv.    27th    142nd    
    3rd Down Conv. Defense    145th    93rd    

    MUSTANG DEFENSE FORCING TURNOVERS/SCORING
•The SMSU defense has forced 13 turnovers in five games ranking 18th in Division II.
•SMSU recorded six turnovers with five interceptions in a week two road victory over MSU Moorhead.
•SMSU forced a pair of turnovers in its loss to St. Cloud State to open the season, forced two more in the win over Minot State in week three, one in week four at Bemidji State and two versus Sioux Falls in week five.
•The SMSU defense has scored one touchdown this season with Hunter Cushman returning an interception 68 yards versus St. Cloud State. Cushman also had a 31-yard fumble return at MSU Moorhead but was tackled at the MSUM 1-yard line.
•The SMSU defense was opportunistic last season, forcing at least one turnover in the first 10 games, including three or more in five games and two or more in six games.

    SMSU VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
•SMSU is 1-18 versus Division II Top 25 teams since the 2008 season including 0-1 this season after losing 24-10 to No. 7 Sioux Falls on Sept. 30.
•SMSU's lone victory came in the 2016 season opener versus Minnesota Duluth (42-38) in Marshall.

    GIMBEL IN THE RECORD BOOK
•Senior quarterback Blake Gimbel ranks first in school history in completing percentage (67.3), third in completions (660), fourth in passing yards (7,149) and fourth in passing touchdowns (58).
•Gimbel holds the school single-game record for completions in a game (42, vs. Upper Iowa, 2015 and 2016 and vs. Augustana, 2016) and twice has set the school single-season record for completion percentage (69.2).
•A complete look at where Gimbel ranks in school history is listed on page 5.
GIMBEL CAREER STARTS GAME-BY-GAME
    2015    Opponent    Comp.    Att.    Int    TD    Yards    Result
    S3    at Minot State    23    42    0    2    210    W, 21-10
    S12    Bemidji State    31    42    1    2    264    W, 34-30
    S19    at St. Cloud State    16    24    0    1    182    W, 21-20
    S26    MSU Moorhead    18    28    0    5    299    W, 48-9
    O3    at Augustana    24    37    1    1    332    L, 23-48
    O10    at Wayne State    16    26    0    3    247    W, 61-3
    O17    Sioux Falls    38    52    0    3    384    L, 26-34
    O24    at Upper Iowa    42    56    0    4    454    W, 34-19
    O31    Minnesota State    24    40    3    1    253    L, 17-55
    N7    at Concordia    25    35    1    3    243    W, 48-24
    N14    Winona State    16    29    1    1    185    W, 33-28    

    2016    Opponent    Comp.    Att.    Int    TD    Yards    Result
    S1    Minnesota Duluth    25    42    1    5    397    W, 42-38
    S10    at Northern State    34    49    2    2    336    L, 35-51
    S17    U-Mary    15    19    1    4    175    W, 47-23
    S24    at Minn.Crookston    20    28    0    1    283    W, 47-13
    O1    Upper Iowa    42    53    2    3    436    W, 59-41
    O8    at Sioux Falls    27    40    1    3    248    L, 28-48
    O15    Wayne State    24    35    1    2    256    L, 39-41
    O20    at Minnesota State    30    45    1    1    245    L, 20-35
    O29    Concordia-St. Paul    9    17    0    1    122    W, 28-14
    N5    at Winona State    19    31    0    0    170    L, 27-42
    N12    Augustana    42    56    2    2    362    L, 20-35

2017    Opponent    Comp.    Att.    Int    TD    Yards    Result
    A31    St. Cloud State    25    39    2    2    285    L, 26-41
    S7    at MSU Moorhead    32    44    0    5    389    W, 51-35
    S16    Minot State    6    7    0    0    54    W, 28-20
    S23    at Bemidji State    1    2    0    0    6    L, 22-40
    S30    Sioux Falls            DNP - injured

    GIMBEL TIES OWN COMPLETION RECORD
•Quarterback Blake Gimbel twice tied his own school record for completions in a single game last season.
•In the win over Upper Iowa on Oct. 1, he completed 42 on 53 pass attempts while he also completed 42 of 56 passes in a loss to Augustana on Nov. 12.
•The 42 completions ranked tied for the fourth highest total in Division II last season.
•He also completed 42 passes versus Upper Iowa in 2015 in a victory in Fayette.
•In two games versus UIU, Gimbel has completed 84 passes on 109 attempts for 890 yards and seven touchdowns.  

    HUOT LEADS THE WAY IN RECEPTIONS...AGAIN
•Senior wide receiver Nate Huot has led the team in receptions the last three seasons and leads again this season with 38.
•Huot is just the third player in team history and first since Ray Denson (2003-05) to lead the team three straight seasons.
•No player in team history has led the team in receptions for four straight seasons.

    HUOT MOVING UP SMSU RECORD BOOK
•Senior wide receiver Nate Huot ranks third in team history in receptions (216)
•He ranks fifth on the school's all-time touchdown receptions list (27) and is fourth in receiving yards (2,817).
•Huot also ranks eighth in all purpose yards (3,405).
•A complete look at where Huot ranks is listed on page 5.

    NEY KEEPS LEADING THE WAY
•Junior linebacker Alex Ney leads the team with 57 tackles and ranks second with 24 solo stops.
•Ney had 16 tackles and forced a fumble in a loss to Sioux Falls in week five.
•Ney racked up 20 tackles including 11 solo stops during SMSU's loss to St. Cloud State in week one.
•The 20 tackles is the most by an SMSU player since the 1997 season. The single-game record is 27 set by Pat Litwicki versus Dakota State in 1978.

    SIMMONS IN THE RECORD BOOK
•Max Simmons ranks seventh in team history with 20 rushing touchdowns and ranks 15th in rushing yards (1,152).
•His 18 rushing touchdowns last season ranked second in team single-season history while he also ranked fifth in touchdowns scored (18) and fifth in scoring (108).
•The 18 rushing touchdowns was a school single-season history for rushing touchdowns by a freshman.  
•Simmons also twice tied the school single-game record for rushing touchdowns last season (at Minnesota Crookston and at Winona State).

    MR. PRESIDENT WITH CAREER-HIGHS VS. MSUM
•Senior Ashanti Payne had a career night in the victory over Minot State on Sept. 16.
•He set career-highs in rushing attempts (30), yards (154) and touchdowns (3) including scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
•Payne served as SMSU student body president from 2015-17.

    JACKSON-HANCHETT SETS SINGLE-GAME RECORD
•Junior cornerback Je'Darien Jackson-Hanchett set a school single-game record with four interceptions in SMSU's week two win at MSU Moorhead.

    GIMBEL AND JACKSON-HANCHETT EARN AWARD
•Senior Blake Gimbel and junior Je'Darien Jackson-Hanchett were named the NSIC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week on Sept. 11.
•It's the fourth time Gimbel has earned the award in his career.

    THE KICK IS UP...AND GOOD
•Freshman kicker Skyler Crew booted three field goals in SMSU's week two win at MSU Moorhead. He is the first Mustang to make three in a game since Mike Wenk on Sept. 13, 2014.
•He is also 15 of 17 on PATs and has also ran for a two-point conversion.
•He is 4 of 4 field goals with a long of 27 yards.

    CUSHMAN MAKING BIG TIME PLAYS
•Junior cornerback Hunter Cushman has made several big plays this season.
•He returned an interception 68 yards for a touchdown in week one versus St. Cloud State.
•He also had a 31-yard fumble return versus MSU Moorhead in week two setting up a 1-yard SMSU touchdown drive.

    SMSU HIGH-OCTANE OFFENSE
•Since being shutout on Nov. 5, 2011, Southwest Minnesota State has scored 30 or more points in 33 of its last 62 games dating back to the final game of the 2011 season.
•Since Nov. 12, 2011, SMSU has scored 40 or more points 18 times, 50 or more points nine times and 60 or more points once.

    SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS
•Brad Bahlmann and Josh Bauer lead the Mustang special teams with a five tackles each this season.
•Michael Rivera and Shaylar Burnell rank tied for third on the team with four special team tackles.   

    GET IN THE "ZONE"
•Southwest Minnesota State has scored on 15 of its 18 (83.3) possessions inside the "red zone" this season with 11 touchdowns and four field goals.
•SMSU opponents are 15 of 17 (88.2) inside "red zone" this season with 12 touchdowns and three 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    38 of 45 (84.4)    37    1
    2017    15 of 18 (83.3)    11    4

    BIG PLAY MUSTANGS
•SMSU has recorded 39 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards in 2017, including 24 by the Mustang offense (6 run, 18 pass).
•For a complete look at the "long" plays and SMSU's "money" plays for this season, go to pages 17-18.
•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    93    21    15    40    33    1    3    1
    2017    39    8    6    18    13    0    1    1

    2017 TEAM CAPTAINS
•Four players--two on offense and two on defense--serve as team captains for the 2017 season.
•The offensive team captains selected were senior center Austin Hilgert and senior quarterback Blake Gimbel.
•The defensive team captains are junior linebacker Alex Ney and junior defensive lineman Chance Steward.
•It's the third straight season Gimbel has been selected a team captain.
•The team captains were selected by a vote of the Mustang players.

    FOUR TRUE FRESHMEN SEE ACTION
•A total of four true freshmen have seen game action in five games this season.
•Brenton Shaw and Chris Bain have both played on kickoff return with Shaw recording five returns for 95 yards including a long of 22 yards versus St. Cloud State.
•Lucas Fisher has appeared on special teams and defense and has one interception.  
•Skyler Crew handles place kicking duties and has made four fields this season including three in a win at MSU Moorhead.  

    THE 2017 ROSTER
•The 2017 SMSU roster features 108 players with 16 seniors, 28 juniors, 25 sophomores, 15 redshirt freshmen and 24 freshmen.
•The roster includes players from 15 different states and Canada. Minnesota leads the way with 53 players, followed by Iowa (15), Wisconsin (9), South Dakota (7), Illinois (7), Florida (3), Oregon (2), Arizona (2), Nebraska (2), Louisiana (2), California (1), Texas (1), Washington (1), Georgia (1), Maryland (1) and Ontario (1).

    NEW LOOK REGION FOR THE NSIC
•SMSU and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference has been placed in a new region for the 2017 season.
•The NSIC is now a part of Super Region 4, which consists of schools from the NSIC, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), the Lone Star Conference (LSC) and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC).

    SMSU VERSUS THE NORTH
•Since 2012, when the NSIC schedule required each team to play four inter-divisional games, SMSU has a record of 13-11 versus NSIC North Division teams.
•SMSU is 9-3 versus North Division teams since 2015.
•SMSU went a perfect 4-0 versus North Division squads in 2015, finished 3-1 and ended 2-2 this season.








    TURNOVER MARGIN BY THE NUMBERS
•SMSU is "plus-8" in turnover margin in 2017.
•Since the start of the 2004 season (149 games), SMSU has been a "plus" in turnover margin in just 47 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, five times in 2016 and three times in 2017).
•In SMSU's last 126 conference games, which spans from late in the 2004 season through this season, SMSU is minus-33 in turnover margin.
•The Mustangs have been "even" or "minus" in turnover margin in 83 of their last 126 conference games.

    MUSTANGS AT HOME
•The 2017 season marks the 10th year that Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center serves as the home for SMSU football.
•SMSU, which finished 4-2 at home last season, is 25-29 all-time at the stadium including 1-2 this season.
•SMSU has recorded back-to-back winning seasons at home for the first time since having four straight winning seasons from 1989-92.
•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 1-1 on the road this season.
•SMSU finished 1-4 on the road in 2016.
•SMSU went 5-1 in road games in 2015 setting a school record for road wins in a season.
•SMSU is a combined 31-55 in road games since 2000.

    NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish eighth overall and fifth in the South Division in the annual 16-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•Senior quarterback Blake Gimbel and junior linebacker Alex Ney were named "Players to Watch" in the NSIC this season.

    ALL-NSIC RETURNING PLAYERS
•SMSU has three players on this season's team that earned All-NSIC South Division honors following the 2016 season.
•Running back Max Simmons was named the NSIC Offensive Newcomer of the Year and second team All-NSIC South.
•Senior quarterback Blake Gimbel and senior wide receiver Nate Huot were both named honorable mention All-NSIC South.

    2016 ALL-REGION HONORS
•Running back Max Simmons was named the 2016 Don Hansen Football Super Region Three Freshman of the Year and was named third team all-region.

    SIMMONS RANKS FIRST IN ALL OF NCAA
•Running back Max Simmons not only led Division II, but he ranked first among all freshman players in all four divisions of NCAA football with 18 rushing touchdowns in 2016.

    WORKING OVERTIME
•SMSU has played in 11 overtime games since the NCAA added overtime in 1998, recording a 4-7 record.,
•SMSU is 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.

    SMSU TO APPEAR ON NSIC GAME OF THE WEEK
•SMSU will appear twice on the "NSIC Thursday Night Game of the Week" aired Midco Sports Network.
•SMSU's game at MSU Moorhead on Sept. 7 and SMSU's home game versus Minnesota State on Oct. 19, will air live on Midco Sports Network.

    ABOUT WAYNE STATE
•Wayne State is 3-2 overall, 1-0 NSIC South, following a 16-13 road win over Augustana.
•WSC forced seven turnovers in the victory which led to 13 points, including an interception return for a touchdown.
•WSC played the Augustana game without starting quarterback Zach Osborn, who missed the game with an injury.
•Aaron Bleil completed 12 of 27 passes for 138 yards and one interception for WSC in the win.
•Rashad Trimble leads the team in rushing with 461 yards and four touchdowns on 90 carries.
•Osborn has completed 86 of 134 passes for 1,188 yards and 12 touchdowns with three interceptions. He leads the NSIC in pass efficiency at 163.7.
•Layne Sullivan has caught a team-high 29 passes for 295 yards and one touchdowns.
•Nate Rogers has 20 receptions for 305 yards and six touchdowns.
•Dan McLaughlin is his 13th season as head coach at WSC with a record of 69-70.
•He is the all-time wins leader in WSC history.