THIS WEEK
•Southwest Minnesota State University (1-3, 1-3 NSIC South) steps out of NSIC South divisional play for the next four weeks as it embarks a trip to Bismarck, N.D., to face the University of Mary (0-4, 0-4 NSIC North) on Saturday, Sept. 29, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. at the MDU Resources Community Bowl.
•SMSU earned is first victory of the season and snapped an 11-game losing streak dating back to last season with a 21-20 home win over Upper Iowa last Saturday in Marshall.  
•SMSU opened this season with four games versus teams from the NSIC South Division, but will now face four straight NSIC North Division opponents, before closing the season with three games versus NSIC South foes starting on Oct. 27.
•UMary is winless this season and has had three consecutive 1-10 seasons.
•A preview on UMary is located on page 4.

Game Facts
Southwest Minnesota State University (1-3, 1-3 NSIC South) at
University of Mary (0-4, 0-4 NSIC North)  
Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018 • 2 p.m. • Bismarck, N.D.
MDU Resources Community Bowl (turf)

Broadcasts
Radio Broadcast: 105.1 FM KARL
Internet Radio: marshallradio.net
Internet Video Broadcast: SMSUmustangs.com/watchnow
Live Statistics: SMSUmustangs.com

SMSU vs. UMARY Series Notes
(all-time results listed on page 5)
Southwest Minnesota State and UMary meet for the ninth time on Saturday afternoon with UMary holding a 5-3 advantage in a series that started on Sept. 4, 1999 ... UMary leads the series 2-1 in games played in Bismarck, including earning a 19-18 victory in the last game played in Bismarck during the 2014 season opener on Sept. 6 ... UMary won the first three games in the series in 1999, 2006 and 2007 ... SMSU's win in 2010 was the first road victory for SMSU head coach Cory Satuer ... SMSU won the last game played, 47-23 in Marshall on Sept. 17, 2016.

The Last Time - SMSU vs. UMARY
Southwest Minnesota State rallied from a 17-14 deficit midway through the third quarter—scoring 21 unanswered points—to earn a 47-23 victory over the University of Mary on Sept. 17, 2016, in Marshall. Trailing 17-14 in the third, SMSU's Blake Gimbel connected on a 25-yard touchdown pass to Raphael Lawson-Gayle with seven minutes and six seconds remaining in the third quarter to help start the Mustang comeback. Gimbel finished the game completing 15 of 19 passes for 175 yards and four touchdowns. SMSU's Divonte Beale rushed for a career-high 164 yards on 27 attempts, while true freshman Max Simmons—making his first career start—added 101 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 13 carries. The Mustang offense racked up 514 yards of offense and 28 first downs, despite having the ball for just 20 minutes. UMary's triple-option offense racked up 258 yards rushing and held the ball for nearly 40 minutes in the game. The Marauders held a time of possession advantage of 22 minutes to eight in the first half. UMary closed the game with 343 yards of offense with 21 first downs. Ben Jollilffe rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries to pace the Marauder offense, while completing 8 of 18 passes for 85 yards.

SMSU vs. UMARY Series Information
Overall:    UMary leads 5-3
In Marshall:    UMary lead 3-1
In Bismarck:    UMary leads 2-1
Last SMSU win:    Sept. 17, 2016 (47-23)
Last UMary win:    Sept. 6, 2014 (19-18)
Largest win for SMSU:    24 (47-23, 2016)
Largest win for UMary:    19 (43-24, 2012)
Longest win streak for SMSU:    2 (2010-11)
Longest win streak for UMary:    3 (1999-2007)
Current win streak:    SMSU, 1
Sauter vs. UMary:    3-2
Bagnell vs. SMSU:    0-0

    OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•SMSU's win last week broke an 11-game losing streak that dated back to week four (Sept. 23) last season at Bemidji State. Prior to Saturday, SMSU's last victory came on Sept. 16, 2017, versus Minot State.
•The win on Saturday also snapped a 12-game losing streak in NSIC South Division games dating back to the final two games of the 2016 season.
•SMSU rushed for a season-high 137 yards in the win over UIU. SMSU entered the UIU game having rushed for just 88 total yards on 86 attempts in three weeks.
•SMSU was a combined 7 for 33 on third down conversions the first two games of the season, but in the last two weeks are a combined 15 for 34 on third down and 2 for 3 on fourth down.
•Max Simmons rushed for a season-high 154 yards on 30 carries in the victory on Saturday. It was his eighth career 100-yard rushing game which ranks fifth in team history.
•Aaron Murphy's 56-yard touchdown reception last week was the longest play from scrimmage for SMSU this season.
•SMSU's 94-yard touchdown drive at Sioux Falls in week three was its longest scoring drive since a 97-yard touchdown drive versus Upper Iowa on Oct. 24, 2015.
•Senior quarterback Blake Gimbel ranks second in team history with 764 completions and is just six shy of breaking Josh Shudlick's (2005-08) school record of 769.
•Gimble has also moved into sole possession of second place in team history with 65 career touchdown passes in the win over UIU, passing Steve Elzenga (1983-87) who recorded 64 touchdown passes.
•Gimbel ranks sixth in Division II in completions per game (26) and is 26th in passing yards (969).
•Senior linebacker Shane Ratkovich has led the team in tackles for three straight games. He has a team-high 44 tackles this season and ranks first in the NSIC and 21st in Division II with 11 tackles per game.
•Junior cornerback Cory Hollowell ranks 29th in Division II averaging six solo tackles per game. He leads SMSU with 24 solo tackles on the season and ranks ninth in the NSIC in tackles per game (8.0).
•Hollowell also ranks 12th nationally in passes defended with 1.8 per game.
•Junior wide receiver Daniel Davis ranks 18th in Division II with 6.8 receptions per game and is third in the NSIC.

    SMSU VERSUS THE NORTH
•Since 2012, when the NSIC schedule had each team playing 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 in 2016 and 2-2 in 2017.  

    SMSU / UMARY IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•The following is where SMSU and UMARY rank in the current NCAA statistics following week one.
•A full listing of SMSU in the weekly NCAA statistics can be found on pages 21-22.
    (167 teams ranked)    SMSU    UMARY    
    Scoring Offense    133rd     142nd    
    Rushing Offense    161st     128th    
    Passing Offense    54th    99th
    Total Offense    130th    131st
    Scoring Defense    115th    154th
    Rushing Defense    137th    156th
    Pass Defense    111th    78th
    Pass Efficiency Defense    130th    98th
    Total Defense    141st    144th
    Net Punting    115th    122nd
    Punt Returns    87th    28th
    Kickoff Returns    142nd    101st
    Turnover Margin    36th    163rd
    Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm.    60th    21st
    Time of Possession    93rd    102nd
    3rd Down Conversions    113th    145th        
    3rd Down Conv. Defense    50th    155th

    MUSTANGS EARN WIN OVER UPPER IOWA
•SMSU recorded its first victory of the season last Saturday holding on for a 21-20 win over Upper Iowa in Marshall.
•Max Simmons led the Mustangs with a game-high 154 yards rushing on 30 carries, while also catching five passes for 33 yards and one touchdown.
•Blake Gimbel completed 27 of 50 passes for 252 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
•Daniel Davis caught a game-high seven passes for 69 yards and one touchdown to pace the SMSU receivers.
•SMSU closed the game with 389 yards of offense, including a season-high 137 yards rushing.
•The Mustang defense, which forced three turnovers, was led by Shane Ratkovich, who finished with a team-high 10 tackles, including two for loss and one fumble recovery.
•Lucas Fisher added nine tackles and an interception.
•Cory Hollowell also had an interception and six tackles.












    DICKE RECOGNIZED FOR TWO MAJOR AWARDS
•Senior defensive tackle Jon Dicke was recognized for two major awards this 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 37-56, including 36-54 in conference games.
•Sauter's 37 victories rank second all-time in program history among 10 head coaches.
•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 Sauter can be found on page 23.

    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 27 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns.
•Junior cornerback Cory Hollowell has 32 tackles and a team-high six pass break-ups with one interceptions. He has racked up double digit tackles in two games and leads the team with 24 solo tackles.

    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 six passes for 46 yards in the season opener at Minnesota State.
•Kirk has 10 receptions for 124 yards on the season.  

    POSITION SWITCH IS NO PROBLEM FOR WILKIE
•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 12 receptions for 128 yards through three games.
•He finished with six receptions for 71 yards including a 30-yard touchdown reception in the season opener versus Minnesota State.

    A PAIR OF TRUE FRESHMEN PLAY
•Two true freshmen have played for SMSU this season.
•Linebacker Onte Burns has started all four games and has 22 tackles, including a fumble recovery.
•Running back Arthur Cox has played on both offense and special teams and has seven rush attempts.

    SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS
•Ben Specht leads the team with eight special teams tackles with five on punt returns and three on kick returns.
•Tahjee Smith ranks second with four tackles.   

    GET IN THE "ZONE"
•SMSU is 7 for 11 inside the "red zone" with seven touchdowns.
•SMSU opponents are 13 of 13 (100.0) inside "red zone" with 12 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    7 of 11 (63.6)    7    0

    BIG PLAY MUSTANGS
•SMSU has recorded 15 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards in 2018, with 11  coming from the offense (1 run, 10 pass).
•SMSU finished with 68 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards in 2017, including 40 by the Mustang offense (12 run, 28 pass).
•For a complete look at the "long" plays and SMSU's "money" plays for this season, go to pages 17-18.
•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    15    3    1    10    2    1    1    0    

    MUSTANG DEFENSE FORCING TURNOVERS
•The SMSU defense/special teams forced five turnovers in a week two loss to Wayne State and forced three more in a win over Upper Iowa in week four.
•SMSU did not force a turnover in week one or in week three this season.
•SMSU forced 22 turnovers last season ranking 52nd in Division II.
•SMSU forced a turnover in 10 of 11 games last season and recorded two or more turnovers in seven games.

    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.


    THE 2018 ROSTER
•The 2018 SMSU roster features 104 players with 17 seniors, 26 juniors, 21 sophomores, 12 redshirt freshmen 28 freshmen.
•The roster includes players from 12 different states and Canada. Minnesota leads the way with 45 players, followed by Iowa (12) and Wisconsin (12), Illinois (11), California (8), South Dakota (5), Florida (3), Arizona (3), Louisiana (2), Washington (1), Nebraska (1) and Texas (1).

    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.

    NEY RETURNING ALL-NSIC PLAYER
•Senior linebacker Alex Ney is the only returning player that earned All-NSIC South Division honors following the 2017 season. He was named All-NSIC South honorable mention.
•Ney led the team last season with 120 tackles and also ranked first with 60 solo stops.
•Ney became just the second Mustang to reach 100 tackles in season since 2007 and the first since 2013. The 120 tackles is the seventh highest total in team single-season history and also ranked 13th in Division II in tackles per game.

    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 (66.0), second in passing touchdowns (65), second in completions (764) and third in passing yards (8,118).
•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
    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-St. Paul        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

    SIMMONS IN THE RECORD BOOK
•Junior Max Simmons ranks fifth in team history with 24 rushing touchdowns, is 10th in touchdowns (28) and ranks 11th in rushing yards (1,586).
•His 18 rushing touchdowns in 2016 rank second in team single-season history, while also ranking fifth in single-season touchdowns scored (18) and fifth in single-season scoring (108).
•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 33 of its last 72 games dating back to the final game of the 2011 season.
•SMSU hasn't been as prolific scoring in the last two-plus seasons, having reached the 30-point plateau just once in its last 19 games since Oct. 20, 2016.
•SMSU scored 51 points in a win over MSU Moorhead in week two last 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.

    TURNOVER MARGIN BY THE NUMBERS
•SMSU is "plus-3" in turnover margin this season following four weeks of play.
•SMSU finished "plus-9" in turnover margin in 2017.
•Since the start of the 2004 season (159 games), SMSU has been a "plus" in turnover margin in just 51 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 once in 2018).
•In SMSU's last 136 conference games, which spans from late in the 2004 season through this season, SMSU is minus-29 in turnover margin.
•The Mustangs have been "even" or "minus" in turnover margin in 89 of their last 136 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.  

    NSIC SOUTH ACTION TO OPEN THE SEASON
•For the first time since the NSIC adopted an 11-game conference schedule in 2012, all NSIC teams will play their first four games versus divisional opponents.
•Prior to this season, SMSU opened the season with four games versus NSIC North opponents.
•Following the four games versus NSIC South foes, SMSU will play four NSIC North opponents, before closing the season with three games versus NSIC South teams.

    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 26-32 all-time at the stadium, is 1-1 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 at home the 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 0-2 in road games this season and is 2-11 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 31-61 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.

    SUPER REGION 4 FOR THE NSIC
•SMSU and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference was placed in a new region prior to 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).

    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 1-22 versus Division II Top 25 teams since the 2008 season including 0-2 this season.
•SMSU's lone victory versus a Division II Top 25 team came in the 2016 season opener versus No. 19 Minnesota Duluth (42-38) in Marshall.

    MUSTANGS ON HOMECOMING
•SMSU is 22-25 all-time on homecoming.
•SMSU has won three straight and four of the last five homecoming games.
•SMSU is 6-11 on homecoming since 2000.

    FOR OPENERS
•Southwest Minnesota State is now 22-29 all-time in season openers following last week's loss at Minnesota State.  
•SMSU is 3-6 in season openers under head coach Cory Sauter.

    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 195-321-5, including 133-227-5 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 UNIVERSITY OF MARY
•UMary is 0-4 overall, 0-4 NSIC North, following a 48-20 home loss to MSU Moorhead last Saturday night.
•UMary is coming off three straight 1-10 seasons and have lost 37 of its last 40 games since Nov. 1, 2014. UMary's three victories since 2015 have all come against Minnesota Crookston.
•Junior transfer starting quarterback Jordan Velarde was injured in a week two loss to Bemidji State and has missed the last two games.
•True freshman quarterback Jason Hoekstra has started the last two games and has completed 39 of 76 passes for 380 yards with one touchdown and seven interceptions.  
•Freshman running back Bryan Lumsden has rushed for a team-high 138 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries.
•Sophomore wide receiver Luke Little has caught a team-high 23 passes for 362 yards.
•Junior linebacker Grady Blewett has racked up a team-high 30 tackles to pace the defense.
•Freshman linebacker Max Askew leads the team with four tackles for loss.
•Craig Bagnell is in his first season as head coach.
•Bagnell, a record-setting quarterback at UMary from 2010-13, is the youngest head coach in Division II.
•Bagnell was offensive coordinator at Bemidji State the past three seasons.   

    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.