THIS WEEK
•Southwest Minnesota State University (3-4, 1-3 NSIC South) plays its fourth and final NSIC North Division opponent this Saturday, Oct. 20, facing Northern State University (2-5, 1-3 NSIC North) starting at 5 p.m. at Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center.
•SMSU, which had its three-game winning streak snapped last week at No. 6 Minnesota Duluth, has lost three of its four games this season to nationally ranked teams.
•NSU is coming off a 42-21 home loss to Augustana last Saturday. The game was tied at 21 midway through the fourth quarter.
•Saturday's game features two of the top four passing quarterbacks in the NSIC.
•A preview on NSU is located on page 4.
SENIOR RECOGNITION NIGHT
•Despite two more home games remaining on the schedule, the SMSU football program will have "Senior Recognition Night" this Saturday and will recognize its 18 seniors in a ceremony prior to kick off.
•The seniors to be honored include:
Hayden Acker,
Hunter Cushman,
Ricky Davis,
Jon Dicke,
Blake Gimbel,
Je'Darien Jackson-Hanchett,
Lukas Johnson,
Paul Johnson,
Carter Kirk,
Rejean Macon,
Alex Ney,
Shane Ratkovich,
Noah Sander,
Tad Steffensen,
Chance Steward,
Nate Van Asperen,
Hudson Walton,
Austin Wells,
Connor Wilkie.
Game Facts
Northern State University (2-5, 1-3 NSIC North) at
Southwest Minnesota State University (3-4, 1-3 NSIC South)
Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018 • 5 p.m. • Marshall, Minn.
Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center (turf)
Broadcasts
Radio Broadcast: 105.1 FM KARL
Internet Radio: marshallradio.net
Internet Video Broadcast: SMSUmustangs.com/watchnow
Live Statistics: SMSUmustangs.com
SMSU vs. NSU Series Notes
(all-time results listed on page 5)
Southwest Minnesota State and Northern State meet for the 36th time on Saturday night with NSU leading 23-10-2 in a series that started on Sept. 20, 1980 ...NSU leads 8-7-1 in games played in Marshall ... NSU has won the last two games and three of the last four overall ... NSU won the last meeting in Aberdeen, 51-35, on Sept. 10, 2016 ... SMSU's last win in the series came on Sept. 8, 2012 ... NSU had won 16 straight games (1992-2007) in the series, but SMSU has won four of the last seven games since 2008.
The Last Time - SMSU vs. NSU
Northern State scored three defensive touchdowns and also blocked a punt for a touchdown to help earn a 51-35 victory over SMSU on Sept. 10, 2016, at Swisher Field in Aberdeen. SMSU ran a total of 92 plays to NSU's 68 and outgained the Wolves, 474-306, but the turnovers proved to be too much to overcome. SMSU's
Blake Gimbel completed 34 of 49 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns.
Nate Huot caught a career-high 12 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Divonte Beale rushed for 97 yards on 16 carries to pace the SMSU rushing game. Nathan True led the Wolves with 83 yards rushing and one touchdown on 26 attempts. NSU's Christian McAlvain passed for 175 yards and one touchdown completing 16 of 23 attempts.
SMSU vs. NSU Series Information
Overall: NSU leads 23-10-2
In Marshall: NSU leads 8-7-1
In Aberdeen: NSU leads 13-3-1
Neutral Record: NSU lead 2-0
Last SMSU win: Sept. 8, 2012 (32-30)
Last NSU win: Sept. 10, 2016 (51-35)
Largest win for SMSU: 37 (49-12, 1991)
Largest win for NSU: 39 (56-17, 2000)
Longest win streak for SMSU: 3 (1989-91 & 2008-10)
Longest win streak for NSU: 16 (1992-2007)
Current win streak: NSU, 2
Sauter vs. NSU: 2-3
Dosch vs. SMSU: 5-3 (2-1 at Jamestown, 3-2 at NSU)
OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•SMSU has forced a combined 13 turnovers in the last four games.
•SMSU ranks sixth in Division II with five blocked kicks this season, including a combined three blocked field goals the last two weeks.
•SMSU recorded six sacks in last week's loss at UMD. UMD entered the game allowing just five total sacks all season. It was the first time SMSU had six sacks in a game since 2013.
•Junior safety
Peyton Sanders set a career-high with nine tackles with one sack last week at UMD.
•Junior wide receiver
Daniel Davis has three 100-yard receiving games in the last five weeks. He caught a season-high 11 passes last week at UMD.
•Davis ranks sixth in Division II with nine touchdown receptions, 11th in receptions per game (6.7) and 18th in receiving yards (662).
•Davis ranks third in the NSIC in receptions, fourth in receiving yards and fourth in all purpose yards.
•SMSU rushed for a season-high 256 yards in the win over Minnesota Crookston two weeks ago.
•Junior
Max Simmons (1,800) needs three more rushing yards to move into 10th place on the school's all-time rushing list. He is 97 yards shy of moving to seventh all-time.
•Simmons has nine career 100-yard rushing games.
•Senior
Blake Gimbel recorded his 10th career 300-yard passing game three weeks ago at UMary.
•Gimbel needs 30 more passing yards to reach 9,000 in his career.
•Gimbel ranks first in team history with 830 completions surpassing Josh Shudlick's (2005-08) school record of 769. Gimbel set the record in SMSU's road win over UMary on Sept. 29.
•Gimbel ranks sixth in Division II in completions per game (24.2) and is 16th in passing yards (1,821).
•Senior linebacker
Shane Ratkovich has led the team in tackles in five games this fall. He has a team-high 68 tackles and ranks second in the NSIC and 38th in Division II with 9.7 tackles per game.
•Junior cornerback
Cory Hollowell ranks 19th in Division II in passes defended with 1.6 per game.
SMSU VERSUS THE NORTH
•Since 2012, when the NSIC schedule had each team playing four inter-divisional games, SMSU has a record of 15-12 versus NSIC North Division teams.
•SMSU is 11-4 versus North Division teams since 2015.
•SMSU went a perfect 4-0 versus North Division squads in 2015, finished 3-1 in 2016 and 2-2 last season.
SMSU / NSU IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•The following is where SMSU and NSU rank in the current NCAA statistics.
•A full listing of SMSU in the weekly NCAA statistics can be found on pages 22-23.
(167 teams ranked) SMSU NSU
Scoring Offense 74th 96th
Rushing Offense 138th 124th
Passing Offense 32nd 42nd
Total Offense 92nd 84th
Scoring Defense 103rd 105th
Rushing Defense 113th 117th
Pass Defense 103rd 128th
Pass Efficiency Defense 118th 100th
Total Defense 108th 128th
Net Punting 116th 102nd
Punt Returns 91st 19th
Kickoff Returns 148th 164th
Turnover Margin 18th 65th
Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm. 23rd 11th
Time of Possession 92nd 58th
3rd Down Conversions 62nd 98th
3rd Down Conv. Defense 92nd 105th
UMD PULLS AWAY FROM SMSU IN SECOND HALF
•No. 6 ranked Minnesota Duluth used a strong ball-control offense and a big defensive score in the second half to pull away and earn a 42-13 victory over SMSU last Saturday in Duluth.
•The Bulldogs closed the game with 369 yards of offense, with 207 gained on the ground.
•The SMSU defense had a solid day, putting pressure on the UMD quarterbacks throughout the game and finished with six sacks.
•SMSU finished the game with 240 yards offensively, but had just 59 on the ground on 24 attempts.
•The Mustangs closed with 16 first downs and finished 8 of 15 on third down conversions.
•
Blake Gimbel finished the day completing 21 of 38 passes for 216 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
•
Daniel Davis finished with a game-high 11 receptions for 80 yards and one touchdown to lead the Mustang offense.
•The Mustang defense was led by a career-high nine tackles by
Peyton Sanders.
•
Alex Ney had eight tackles with one sack while
Shane Ratkovich had six tackles, two sacks and blocked a field goal.
MUSTANG DEFENSE FORCING TURNOVERS
•SMSU has forced three or more turnovers in four of seven games this season, including five in a week two loss to Wayne State and six in a win over Minnesota Crookston in week six.
•SMSU has forced 18 total turnovers which ranks seventh in Division II.
•SMSU forced 22 turnovers last season and recorded at least one in 10 of 11 games.
DAVIS NAMED NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
•Junior wide receiver
Daniel Davis was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 8 following his performance in SMSU's win over UMC.
•Davis tied the program single-game record with four touchdown receptions with scoring receptions of 18, 32, 19 and 30 yards. He finished the night with a game-high six receptions for 134 yards.
GIMBEL NAMED NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
•Senior quarterback
Blake Gimbel was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 1 following his performance in a victory at UMary.
•Gimbel completed 21 of 31 passes for 356 yards and tied a career-high with five touchdown passes, while also rushing for a one-yard touchdown. He completed touchdown passes of 38, 64, 10, 18 and 16 yards—all in the first half—in helping SMSU earn its second straight victory.
•It is the fifth time in his career he has earned the weekly award.
DICKE RECOGNIZED FOR TWO MAJOR AWARDS
•Senior defensive tackle
Jon Dicke was recognized for two major awards last month for his work in the classroom and community.
•On Sept. 13, Dicke was named one of 22 college football players in the country named to the AFCA Allstate Good Works Team.
•The prestigious award, which has played a prominent role in collegiate sports for more than 25 years, celebrates student-athletes for their extraordinary commitment to making a lasting impact off the field.
•For his selection to the Good Works Team®, Dicke will be honored at halftime of the 2019 Allstate® Sugar Bowl® in New Orleans on Jan. 1, 2019.
•Dicke is the third Mustang football student-athlete to be selected to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team in program history, joining Russ Barclay (1999) and Tyler Fischer (2007).
•On Sept. 26, he was named one of 179 semifinalist for the 2018 National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) William V. Campbell Trophy presented by Fidelity Investments.
•The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 31, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 60th NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class.
SMSU HEAD COACH
•
Cory Sauter is in his ninth season as head coach and has an overall record of 39-57, including 38-55 in conference games.
•Sauter's 39 victories rank second in program history among 10 head coaches.
•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.
TRANSFERS MAKE IMPACTS
•Several transfer players have made big impacts during their first season in Mustang uniforms.
•Junior wide receiver
Daniel Davis has caught a team-high 47 passes for 662 yards and nine touchdowns.
•Junior cornerback
Cory Hollowell has 46 tackles and a team-high nine pass break-ups with two interceptions.
FROM THE HARDWOOD TO THE GRIDIRON
•Senior tight end
Carter Kirk, a four-year standout for the SMSU men's basketball, is the team's starting tight end.
•He caught his first career touchdown in the win at UMary and has 19 receptions for 213 yards on the season.
POSITION SWITCH IS NO PROBLEM FOR WILKIE
•Fifth-year senior wide receiver
Connor Wilkie spent the first four seasons at SMSU as a quarterback, including making four starts a season ago.
•He ranks second on the team with 18 receptions for 194 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
THREE TRUE FRESHMEN PLAY
•Three true freshmen have played for SMSU this season.
•Linebacker
Onte Burns has started all seven games and has 27 tackles, including two fumble recoveries and one interception.
•Running back
Arthur Cox has played on both offense and special teams and has 25 rush attempts and has caught seven passes.
•Running back
Codie Meinen has played in two games and scored on a 52-yard run versus UMC.
SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS
•
Ben Specht leads the team with 10 special teams tackles with five on punt returns and five on kick returns.
•
Dakota Jaeschke ranks second with seven tackles and one fumble recovery.
GET IN THE "ZONE"
•SMSU is 19 for 23 inside the "red zone" with 17 touchdowns and two field goals.
•SMSU opponents are 19 of 24 (79.2) inside "red zone" with 18 touchdowns and one field goal.
•The following is SMSU in the "red zone" since head coach
Cory Sauter took over in 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 24 of 37 (64.9) 18 6
2018 19 of 23 (82.6) 17 2
BIG PLAY MUSTANGS
•SMSU has recorded 37 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards in 2018, with 29 coming from the offense (6 run, 23 pass).
•For a complete look at the "long" plays and SMSU's "money" plays for this season, go to pages 18-19.
•The following are 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 68 10 12 28 25 1 1 1
2018 37 10 6 23 4 2 2 0
2018 TEAM CAPTAINS
•Four players--two on offense and two on defense--serve as team captains for the 2018 season.
•The offensive team captains selected were senior wide receiver
Connor Wilkie and senior quarterback
Blake Gimbel.
•The defensive team captains are senior linebacker
Alex Ney and senior defensive lineman
Jon Dicke.
•It's the fourth straight season Gimbel has been selected a team captain.
•The team captains were selected by a vote of the Mustang players.
DICKE NAMED 2017 ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN
•Senior defensive lineman
Jon Dicke was named a 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-American.
•Dicke is the 20th SMSU student-athlete in school history to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America® honors and just the seventh to earn first team accolades.
•He is the fifth SMSU football player to earn CoSIDA Academic All-American honors.
•Dicke carries a 4.0 cumulative GPA in exercise science.
GIMBEL RETURNS AT QUARTERBACK
•The 2018 SMSU offense returns sixth-year senior quarterback
Blake Gimbel, who missed nearly all of last season with injury. An All-NSIC South honorable mention honoree in 2015 and 2016, Gimbel started the first four games last season, but was injured late in week two and played just a few series in the third and fourth games of the season.
•Gimbel finished the 2016 season ranked fourth in the conference in passing and ninth in total offense, while ranking third in Division II in completion percentage, fourth in completions per game, 21st in passing yards and 32nd in passing touchdowns.
GIMBEL IN THE RECORD BOOK
•Senior quarterback
Blake Gimbel ranks first in school history in completing percentage (65.9), first in completions (830), second in passing touchdowns (76) and second in passing yards (8,970).
•Gimbel also 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).
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 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
O7 at Wayne State DNP - injured
O14 at Augustana DNP - injured
O19 Minnesota State DNP - injured
O28 at Upper Iowa DNP - injured
N3 Augustana DNP - injured
N10 at Concordia DNP - injured
2018 Opponent Comp Att Int TD Yards Result
A30 at Minnesota State 34 49 0 1 279 L 13-49
S8 Wayne State 19 35 0 1 137 L 14-23
S15 at Sioux Falls 24 42 1 2 301 L 21-39
S22 Upper Iowa 27 50 3 3 252 W 21-20
S29 at UMary 21 31 0 5 356 W 54-24
O6 Minn. Crookston 24 34 0 4 280 W 55-6
O13 at Minn. Duluth 21 38 2 2 216 L 13-42
SIMMONS IN THE RECORD BOOK
•Junior
Max Simmons ranks third in team history with 26 rushing touchdowns and is also tied for seventh in total touchdowns (30) and 11th in rushing yards (1,800).
•Simmons' 18 rushing touchdowns in 2016 rank second in team single-season history.
•The 18 rushing touchdowns was a school single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a freshman.
•Simmons also twice tied the school single-game record for rushing touchdowns (4) during the 2016 season at Minnesota Crookston and at Winona State.
SMSU HIGH-OCTANE OFFENSE
•Since being shutout on Nov. 5, 2011, Southwest Minnesota State has scored 30 or more points in 35 of its last 75 games dating back to the final game of the 2011 season.
•Since Nov. 12, 2011, SMSU has scored 40 or more points 21 times, 50 or more points 11 times and 60 or more points once.
•SMSU hasn't been as prolific scoring in the last two-plus seasons, having reached the 30-point plateau just three times in its last 22 games since Oct. 20, 2016. SMSU has reached the mark twice this season in victories over UMary and Minnesota Crookston.
•SMSU scored 51 points in a win over MSU Moorhead in week two last season, scored 54 in three weeks ago at UMary and 55 two weeks ago versus Minnesota Crookston.
TURNOVER MARGIN BY THE NUMBERS
•SMSU is "plus-7" in turnover margin this season.
•SMSU finished "plus-9" in turnover margin in 2017.
•Since the start of the 2004 season (162 games), SMSU has been a "plus" in turnover margin in just 52 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, six times in 2017 and twice in 2018).
•The Mustangs have been "even" or "minus" in turnover margin in 91 of their last 139 conference games.
SMSU IN SOUTH DIVISION PLAY
•Since the NSIC adapted divisional play prior to the 2008 season, SMSU is 23-47 all-time in South Division games and has finished in the top half of the division three times in 10 seasons.
•SMSU had its highest finish in 2013 at second place and has finished fourth three times, fifth twice, sixth three times and seventh once.
MUSTANGS AT HOME
•The 2018 season is the 11th year that Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center has served as the home for SMSU football.
•SMSU, which is 27-32 all-time at the stadium, is 2-1 this season after finishing 1-4 a season ago.
•SMSU recorded a 4-2 record at home in 2016.
•SMSU recorded back-to-back winning seasons in 2015 and 2016 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 1-3 in road games this season and 3-12 in road games since the 2016 season.
•SMSU went 5-1 in road games in 2015 setting a school record for road wins in a season.
•SMSU is a combined 32-62 in road games since 2000.
NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish 12th overall and seventh in the South Division in the annual 16-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•Senior quarterback
Blake Gimbel and senior linebacker
Alex Ney were named "Players to Watch" in the NSIC this season.
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 VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
•SMSU is 1-23 versus Division II Top 25 teams since the 2008 season including 0-3 this season.
•SMSU's lone victory versus a Division II Top 25 team came in team history came in the 2016 season opener versus No. 19 Minnesota Duluth (42-38) in Marshall.
FOR OPENERS
•Southwest Minnesota State is 22-29 all-time in season openers following this season's loss at Minnesota State.
•SMSU is 3-6 in season openers under head coach
Cory Sauter.
MUSTANGS ON HOMECOMING
•SMSU is 23-26 all-time on homecoming following this season's 55-6 win over Minnesota Crookston.
•SMSU has won four straight and five of the last six homecoming games.
•SMSU is 7-12 on homecoming since 2000.
MUSTANG HISTORY
•The 2018 season marks the 51st year of college football at Southwest Minnesota State dating to 1968.
•SMSU owns an all-time record of 197-322-5, including 135-228-5 in conference play.
•SMSU has recorded 10 winning seasons, two NAIA playoff appearances (1987 and 1991) and one Mineral Water Bowl appearance (2013).
•The program earned its lone conference championship in 1990.
ABOUT NORTHERN STATE
•NSU, 2-5 overall, 1-3 NSIC North, is coming off a 42-21 home loss to Augustana last Saturday afternoon. The game was tied at 21 midway through the fourth quarter before the Vikings pulled away with three straight touchdowns.
•Sophomore quarterback Hunter Trautman has completed 139 of 252 pass attempts for 1,755 yards with 17 touchdowns and six interceptions. He is also second on the squad with 183 rushing yards on 91 carries.
•Senior running back Chaka Kelly has rushed for a 414 yards and three touchdowns on 127 carries.
•Freshman wide receiver Dakota Larson has caught a team-high 40 passes for 702 yards and six touchdowns. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Jacob Streit has 34 receptions for 421 yards and four touchdowns.
•Senior linebacker Noah MacPherson has racked up 59 tackles, including six for loss and three sacks to pace the Wolves defense.
•Tom Dosch is in his ninth season as head coach with a record of 45-50. The 2014 NSIC Coach of the Year, he has led the Wolves to four straight winning seasons, including back-to-back 6-1 marks in NSIC North play in 2014 and 2015. He was the head coach at Jamestown (N.D.) from 2004-2007, finishing with a record of 25-17 with two NAIA playoff appearances.
MUSTANGS ON RADIO
•All SMSU football games during the 2018 season will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL.
•Ryan Rohlik is in his sixth season as the play-by-play voice of SMSU football.