THIS WEEK
•Southwest Minnesota State University (2-4, 1-3 NSIC South), following a last-second homecoming loss to Bemidji State, looks to rebound this Saturday, Oct. 19, taking on St. Cloud State University (3-3, 2-2 NSIC North) in St. Cloud, Minn., with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. at Husky Field. 
•Saturday's game is the third of four straight versus NSIC North Division opponents for SMSU during the month of October. The Mustangs will resume NSIC South play at home on Nov. 2 versus Winona State. 
•Both SMSU and SCSU suffered heart-breaking losses last Saturday. Bemidji State rallied from a 24-0 fourth quarter deficit to defeat SMSU, 25-24, while SCSU lost 16-13 in overtime at Augustana.  
•SCSU features one of the top defensive units in the NSIC allowing just 14 points per game. SCSU has not allowed more than 20 points in a game this season and has recorded 20 sacks. 
•A preview on SCSU is located on page 4. 

BROADCAST INFO 
•Saturday's game will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL with seventh-year SMSU play-by-play voice Ryan Rohlik. 
•Live stats and video can be found at SMSUmustangs. com.

SMSU VERSUS THE NSIC NORTH
•Since 2012, when the NSIC schedule had each team playing four inter-divisional games, SMSU has a record of 17-13 versus NSIC North Division teams including 1-1 this season following last week's loss to Bemidji State. 
•SMSU finished 3-1 versus NSIC North opponents last season and is now 13-4 versus North Division teams since 2015.
•SMSU went a perfect 4-0 versus North Division squads in 2015, 3-1 in 2016, 2-2 in 2017 and 3-1 last season.  

OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS 
•SMSU has outscored its opponents 82-55 in the second and third quarters this season, but has been outscored 85-24 in the fourth quarter and overtime. 
•Senior Daniel Davis has averaged 6.8 receptions per game in 17 career games ranking second in team history. 
•Davis, who has 116 career receptions in 17 career games, ranks second in the NSIC in receptions (37) and is third in receiving yards (512). 
•Davis has eight career 100-yard receiving game ranking tied for ninth in team history. 
•After not reaching 100 yards rushing in six straight games dating back to last season (last three in 2018 and first three in 2019), SMSU has amassed 158, 254 and 193  yards rushing the last three weeks.   
•Freshman Duce Reynolds rushed for a career-high 100 yards on 20 attempts in last week's loss to Bemidji State.
•Senior running back Max Simmons moved into sole possesion of sixth place in the program record book with 2,250 rushing yards during last week's loss to Bemidji State. He needs 14 yards to tie for fifth all-time with Warren Matthews (2009-12) at 2,264. 
•Simmons also became the 12th player in team history to reach 3,000 all purpose yards in last week's versus BSU. 
•Simmons has racked up 10 career 100-yard rushing game ranking tied for third in team history. He needs one more to tie Zach Wysong for second all-time and three more to tie Tyler Tonderum for the program record. 
•Simmons' 58-yard rush at Minot State in week five was the longest play from scrimmage for SMSU this season. 
•Sophomore Dakota Jaeschke caught four passes for 67 yards at Minot State, including grabbing a 49-yard Hail Mary touchdown to end the first half. It was his first career touchdown reception. 
•Freshman Adien Belt ranks second in the NSIC averaging 42.3 yards per punt. Belt's 64-yard punt in week three versus Sioux Falls was the longest by an SMSU punter since Mike Wenk had a 74-yarder versus Concordia-St. Paul on Nov. 1, 2014. 
•Sophomore linebacker Onte Burns (63) and junior safety Garrett Chapman (51) and rank first and third respectively in the NSIC in total tackles. 
•Senior safety Davaeon Johnson and junior linebacker Gage Roberson rank sixth in the NSIC with 7.7 tackles per game. 
•Senior left tackle Zach Stratmoen has started 28 straight games the past three seasons. It's the longest streak by any current Mustang.  
•SMSU's victory at Minot State on Oct. 5 was the 200th in the program's 52-year history.  
•SMSU held Minot State to 251 yards of total offense in week five, which is the lowest by a Mustang opponent this season. SMSU allowed just 12 first downs in the victory.

SMSU HEAD COACH CORY SAUTER
•Cory Sauter is in his 10th season as head coach with an overall record of 42-64, including 41-62 in NSIC games. 
•Sauter's 42 victories rank second among 10 head coaches in program history. 
•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.

SMSU / SCSU IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•The following is where SMSU and SCSU rank in this week's NCAA statistics.
•A full listing of SMSU and individuals in the national statistics can be found on pages 21-22. 
    (166 teams ranked)    SMSU    SCSU     
    Scoring Offense    120th    102nd    
    Rushing Offense    125th     97th    
    Passing Offense    104th    121st 
    Total Offense    132nd    125th 
    Scoring Defense    99th    9th     
    Rushing Defense    159th    7th 
    Pass Defense    77th    130th 
    Pass Efficiency Defense    129th    42nd
    Total Defense    155th    15th 
    Net Punting    19th    47th 
    Punt Returns    21st    122nd 
    Kickoff Returns    148th    151st 
    Turnover Margin    79th    75th 
    Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm.    80th    39th   
    Time of Possession    106st    123rd 
    3rd Down Conversions    111th    90th        
    3rd Down Conv. Defense    141st    17th

SMSU DROPS LAST-SECOND STUNNER TO BSU
•Bemidji State scored 25 unanswered points in the final nine minutes, including the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds remaining, to earn a stunning 25-24 victory over SMSU last Saturday in Marshall.
•The SMSU defense limited BSU to 203 yards and 10 first downs in the game's first 49 minutes, but rallied with four straight scoring drives of 75, 60, 77 and 61 yards.
•SMSU finished the game with 391 total yards, including 193 on the ground and closed with 21 first downs. 
•The Mustangs' balanced rushing attack was led by Duce Reynolds, who amassed a career-high 100 yards on 20 carries, while Max Simmons added 82 yards on 22 attempts. 
•Mustang quarterback Boyer Bouman completed 14 of 22 pass attempts for 198 yards and three touchdown. •Daniel Davis had his eighth career 100-yard receiving game finishing with six receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns for SMSU.
•The SMSU defense was paced by a career-high 16 tackles Onte Burns, who also had a pass break-up and a forced fumble. 

FOUR QUARTERBACKS THRUST INTO DUTY
•Due to injuries in the opening two games SMSU has used four quarterbacks this season with three different starters. 
•Junior college transfer quarterback Steven Nava was pressed into duty in the second half of the season-opening loss to Minnesota State replacing injured starter Boyer Bouman. He completed 15 of 21 pass attempts for 184 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. 
•Nava started at Wayne State in week two, but was injured late in the third quarter and did not return. 
•Junior college transfer Paul Herrera replaced Nava at Wayne State and started in week three versus Sioux Falls completing 19 of 30 passes for 154 yards with three interceptions.
•True freshman Sir-Coy Gray played one series versus Sioux Falls and attempted one pass and had one rush attempt. 
•Bouman returned to the starting line-up at Upper Iowa in week four and has started the past thr games. 

DAVIS CONTINUES TO BE "MONEY" PLAYER
•Senior Daniel Davis ranks second in the NSIC with 37 receptions and also ranks third with 512 receiving yards. 
•Twenty-six of Davis' 37 receptions this season have been "money" plays which is a reception that leads to a first down, including five of which that have gone for touchdowns. 

BURNS LEADING THE DEFENSE
•Sophomore linebacker Onte Burns ranks first on the team with 63 tackles which ranks first in the NSIC. 
•Burns also has four tackles for loss, one interception and one fumble recovery on the season. 
•He racked up a career-high 16 tackles with one forced fumble and one pass break-up versus Bemidji State. 

DEFENSIVE TRANSFERS MAKE IMPACT
•Several transfers on defense have played major roles this season.
•Junior safety Garrett Chapman is second on the team with 51 tackles. 
•Junior linebacker Gage Roberson ranks tied for third on the team with 46 tackles and has a team-high five for loss.  
•Senior safety Davaeon Johnson ranks tied for third on the team with 46 tackles with one interception, while junior cornerback Marshawn Reese has 24 tackles and a team-leading two interceptions. 

CREW BOOTS CAREER LONG FIELD GOAL
•Junior kicker Skyler Crew had a solid game in week two at Wayne State booting a pair of long field goals.
•Crew's first field goal was a career-long 40-yarder in the second quarter.
•He would later set another career-high with a 43-yard field goal late in the third quarter. 
•Crew is 4 of 6 on field goals and 15 of 15 on PATs this season. 

EIGHT TRUE FRESHMEN PLAY THIS SEASON
•Eight true freshmen have made their collegiate debuts for SMSU this season.  
•Running back Duce Reynolds has rushed for 294 yards on 61 carries with three touchdowns. He also has a team-high eight kickoff returns for 152 yards. 
•Defensive lineman Gary Barnes has started five games and has 10 tackles. 
•Punter Adien Belt is averaging 42.3 yards per punt including a 64-yard punt versus Sioux Falls. He currently ranks third in the NSIC in punt average. 
•Defensive back Demeiko Hill has played on both special teams and defense.
•Defensive lineman Nate Collins has played in five games and has registered one tackle. 
•Quarterback Sir-Coy Gray played one series versus USF.
•Running back Jack Beardmore has played two games on  special teams.  
•Defensive back Julian Luciano has also played in one game on special teams. 

SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS
•Senior Josh Bauer leads the team with six special teams tackles with all coming on kickoffs. 
•Junior Garrett Chapman, redshirt freshmen Nathan Hill  and junior Adihia Bell all have recofded four special team tackles.
•Hill's and Bell's tackles have come on kickoffs while Chapman has one on kickoff and three on punt returns. 

THE 2019 SMSU ROSTER
•The 2019 SMSU roster (Oct. 15) features 103 players with 24 seniors, 21 juniors, 13 sophomores, 15 redshirt freshmen 30 freshmen. 

TEAM CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2019
•Four players--two on offense and two on defense--serve as team captains for the 2019 season. 
•The offensive team captains selected were senior quarterback Boyer Bouman and senior offensive lineman Nick Guzman. 
•The defensive team captains are junior safety Lucas Fisher and sophomore linebacker Onte Burns. 
•The team captains were selected by a vote of the Mustang players. 

SIMMONS IN THE RECORD BOOK
•Senior running back Max Simmons ranks third in team history in rushing touchdowns (27), sixth in rushing yards (2,250) and seventh in total touchdowns (32). 
•Simmons' 18 rushing touchdowns in 2016 rank second in team single-season history and was a school single-season record for a freshman.  
•Simmons has also twice tied the school single-game record for rushing touchdowns (4) which came during the 2016 season at Minnesota Crookston and at Winona State. 
•See page 9 for career record rankings. 

BOUMAN'S CAREER AT QUARTERBACK
•Fifth-year senior quarterback Boyer Bouman started the season opener versus No. 3 Minnesota State before leaving at halftime with an injury. He missed the Wayne State and Sioux Falls games before returning and starting the past three weeks.
•Bouman entered this season having played 19 career games including making four starts to close the 2017 in place of an injured Blake Gimbel. He made his first career start versus Minnesota State on Oct. 19, 2017. 
•In Bouman's four starts in 2017, he completed 100 of 168 pass attempts for 799 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. 
•In the final game of 2017, Bouman completed 37 of 55 for 316 yards and one touchdown in a road loss to Concordia-St. Paul. 
•In 2018, Bouman was 8 of 14 passing for 32 yards and one touchdown. 

GET IN THE "ZONE"
•SMSU is 10 for 13 (76.9) inside the "red zone" this season with seven touchdowns and three field goals. 
•SMSU finished last season 28 for 37 (75.7) inside the "red zone" with 23 touchdowns and five field goals. 
•SMSU opponents are 18 of 23 (78.3) this season inside "red zone" with 13 touchdowns and five field goals.
•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    28 of 37 (75.7)    23    5
    2019     10 of 13 (76.9)    7    3

BIG PLAY MUSTANGS
•SMSU has recorded 32 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards this season with 23 coming from the offense (4 run, 19 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    70    15    8    51    7    2    2    0
    2019    32    9    4    19    7    1    1    0 

SMSU VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
•SMSU is 1-24 versus Division II Top 25 teams since the 2008 season including 0-1 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.

SMSU HIGH-OCTANE OFFENSE
•Following a shutout loss on Nov. 5, 2011, SMSU has since scored 30 or more points in nearly half of its games. 
•Dating back to the final game of the 2011 season through six games this season, SMSU has scored 30 or more points in 37 of its last 85 games.
•In that time, 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 five times in its last 32 games since Oct. 20, 2016, which includes three last season and once this season.

TURNOVER MARGIN BY THE NUMBERS
•SMSU is "even" in turnover margin this season following last week's loss to Bemidji State. 
•SMSU finished "plus-2" in turnover margin last season after finishing "plus-9" in turnover margin in 2017. 
•Since the start of the 2004 season (172 games), SMSU has been a "plus" in turnover margin in just 56 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, twice in 2018 and four times this season). 
•The Mustangs have been "even" or "minus" in turnover margin in 97 of their last 149 conference games. 

DAVIS COMES THROUGH IN FIRST SEASON
•Senior wide receiver Daniel Davis had a big first season in 2018 leading the NSIC in both receptions and receiving yards while ranking third in all purpose yards. 
•Davis was named to the Don Hansen All-American third team following last season and was also named second team all-region by Don Hansen.
•He finished the season with six 100-yard receiving games including a season-high 162 yards on 10 catches versus Northern State. 
•Davis had a team-high 1,113 receiving yards last season ranking fifth in team single-season history and becoming just the eighth player in team history to reach 1,000 yards in a season and the first since 2013. 

NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish 11th overall and seventh in the South Division in the annual 16-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll. 
•Senior wide receiver Daniel Davis and senior cornerback Cory Hollowell were named "Players to Watch" in the NSIC this season.

SMSU IN NSIC SOUTH DIVISION PLAY
•Since the NSIC adapted divisional play prior to the 2008 season, SMSU is 24-53 all-time in South Division games through four weeks this season and has finished in the top half of the division three times in 11 seasons. 
•SMSU had its highest finish of second place in 2013 and has also placed fourth three times, fifth once, sixth five times and eighth once.  

MUSTANGS AT HOME
•The 2019 season marks the 12th year that Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center has served as the home for SMSU football. 
•SMSU, which is 28-37 all-time at the stadium, is 0-3 this season after finishing 3-3 in 2018. 
•SMSU recorded back-to-back home 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.  

MUSTANGS RECORD ON THE ROAD
•SMSU is 2-1 in road games this season and 5-14 in road games since the 2016 season. 
•SMSU is a combined 34-64 in road games since 2000.

OPENING GAME NOTES
•SMSU is 22-30 all-time in season openers following this season's loss to No. 3 Minnesota State.
•SMSU has lost its last three season openers.
•SMSU is 3-7 in season openers under head coach Cory Sauter. 

2018 ALL-NSIC RETURNERS
•SMSU returns three players from last season's team that garnered All-NSIC South honors in 2018.
•Senior wide receiver Daniel Davis was named first team All-NSIC South, senior cornerback Cory Hollowell was named second team All-NSIC South while senior offensive lineman Zach Stratmoen was named honorable mention All-NSIC South. 

MUSTANG DEFENSE MAKES PLAYS IN 2018 
•The SMSU defense finished with 84 tackles for loss last season ranking third in team history. 
•The defense also recorded 28 sacks ranking tied for seventh in team history.  
•SMSU forced three or more turnovers in four games a season ago including five in a week two loss to Wayne State and six in a win over Minnesota Crookston in week six. 

WORKING OVERTIME
•SMSU is 4-8 all-time in overtime games, including 0-1 this season, since the NCAA added overtime in 1998. 
•SMSU is 1-3 in multi-overtime contests. 
•SMSU's last overtime game was a loss at Wayne State (19-13) on Sept. 14, 2019.
•SMSU's last overtime win came on Nov. 2, 2013, (51-44) versus Winona State. 
•The program's last multi-overtime game was a 34-31 double overtime loss at Minnesota State on Oct. 13, 2012.

MUSTANG HISTORY
•The 2019 season marks the 52nd year of college football at Southwest Minnesota State dating to 1968. 
•SMSU owns an all-time record of 200-329-5, including 138-235-5 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.

SCOUTING ST. CLOUD STATE
•Scott Underwood is in his 12th season as head coach at St. Cloud State with a record of 85-47. He led the Huskies to NCAA playoff appearances in 2010, 2011 and 2013. 
•SCSU's last four games have been down-to-the-wire affairs with each game decided by six or less points, including the last three by three points each.  
•SCSU is coming off a 16-13 overtime loss at Augustana last Saturday. The Huskies tied the game with a field goal with four seconds remaining in regulation, but fumbled on its first drive of overtime. Augustana was able to kick a field goal on its possesion to secure the victory.
•SCSU was held to 23 yards rushing on 32 attempts, totaled just 207 yards of offense and finished with 12 first downs. 
•SCSU's defense limited Augustana to 324 yards and 13 first downs. 
•Senior quarterback Dwayne Lawhorn has completed 82 of 182 passes for 1,028 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
•Sophomore running back Joe Blando has a team-high 288 yards rushing and one touchdown on 81 carries. 
•Junior wide receiver Tanner Teige has caught 24  passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns.
•Senior wide receiver John Solberg has 17 receptions for 272 yards and a team-high three touchdowns. 
•Sophomore linebacker Devon Krzanowski has racked up a team-high 42 tackles with seven for loss.