THIS WEEK
•Southwest Minnesota State University (3-4, 1-3 NSIC South), fresh off a dramatic victory at St. Cloud State last Saturday, returns home this Saturday, Oct. 26, facing Minnesota State University Moorhead (3-4, 3-1 NSIC North) at Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
•Saturday's game is the final 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.
•SMSU enters Saturday's game having won three of its last four games, while MSUM has lost three straight.  
•SMSU scored 42 points and racked up 419 yards of offense last week versus against a St. Cloud State defense that was allowing only 14 points and 263 yards per game.
•MSUM has been limited to less than 100 yards rushing in five of seven games.
•A preview on MSUM 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.

SENIOR RECOGNITION DAY
•Despite one more home game remaining on the schedule, the SMSU football program will have "Senior Recognition Day" on Saturday and will recognize its 17 seniors in a ceremony prior to kick off.
•The seniors to be honored include: Randy Anderson, Richard Ayers, Brad Bahlmann, Boyer Bouman, Jason Brunet, Job Dallien, Daniel Davis, Diondre Green, Nick Guzman, Cory Hollowell, Maurice Hunter, Davaeon Johnson, Peyton Sanders, Max Simmons, Tahjee Smith, Zach Stratmoen and Zach Thissen.

SMSU vs. MSUM Series Notes
(all-time results listed on page 9)
Southwest Minnesota State and MSU Moorhead meet for the 47th time on Saturday with MSUM leading 27-19 ... the first meeting was on Oct. 24, 1970 ... SMSU has won the last seven games since Nov. 8, 2008 ... MSUM's last win came on Nov. 10, 2007, in Minneapolis ... SMSU leads 12-10 in games played in Marshall, which includes a 48-9 win in the last meeting at the Schwan REC on Sept. 26, 2015 ... SMSU has scored 45 or more points in five of the last six games ... MSUM won the first 16 meetings in the series from 1970 to 1985, before SMSU earned its first victory on Oct. 4, 1986 ... since 1986, SMSU leads the series 19-11.

The Last Time - SMSU vs. MSUM
Southwest Minnesota State forced six turnovers, including a school record four interceptions by Je'Darien Jackson-Hanchett, to earn a 51-35 victory over MSU Moorhead on Sept. 7, 2017. SMSU finished the game racking up 550 yards of offense with 27 first downs.   SMSU quarterback Blake Gimbel completed 32 of 44 pass attempts for 389 yards and five touchdown passes. Nate Huot caught a team-high nine passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Max Simmons led the SMSU rushing attack with 78 yards on 27 carries and caught four passes for 50 yards. Hanchett-Jackson added five tackles and one pass break-up to pace the defense while Michael Griffin recorded a team-high seven tackles. Demetrius Carr passed for 419 yards and three touchdowns for the Dragons, completing 21 of 46 pass attempts. All-American wide receiver Damon Gibson caught eight passes for 174 yards and one touchdown. MSUM closed the game with 470 total yards of offense.

SMSU vs. MSUM Series Information
Overall:    MSUM leads 27-19
In Marshall:    SMSU leads 12-10
In Moorhead:    MSUM leads 15-6
Neutral:     MSUM leads 2-1
Last SMSU win:    Sept. 7, 2017 (51-35)
Last MSUM win:    Nov. 10, 2007 (41-27)
Largest win for SMSU:    42 (52-10, 2009)
Largest win for MSUM:    44 (51-7, 1977)
Longest win streak for SMSU:    7 (2008-17)
Longest win streak for MSUM:    16 (1970-1985)
Current win streak:    SMSU, 7
Sauter vs. MSUM:    5-0
Laqua vs. SMSU:    0-4

SMSU VERSUS THE NSIC NORTH
•Since 2012, when the NSIC schedule had each team playing four inter-divisional games, SMSU has a record of 18-13 versus NSIC North Division teams including 2-1 this season.
•SMSU finished 3-1 versus NSIC North opponents last season and is now 14-5 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 is "plus-two" in turnover margin this season and have been "plus" in each of the last four games.
•The SMSU defense forced a season-high four turnovers in last week's victory at St. Cloud State.
•Senior Boyer Bouman set career-highs for passing yards (328) and touchdown passes (4) in last week's victory.
•Junior Bailey Olson recorded a career-high seven receptions for a career-high 94 yards and his first career touchdown in last week's victory.
•SMSU has outscored its opponents a combined 117-76 in the second and third quarters this season, but has been outscored 102-31 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
•SMSU has registered five scoring drives of 80 or more yards this season with two coming in last week's win at St. Cloud State.
•Senior Daniel Davis has averaged 7.1 receptions per game in 18 career games ranking second in team history.
•Davis, who has 127 career receptions in 18 career games, ranks first in the NSIC in receptions (48) and is second in receiving yards (639).
•Davis also ranks fifth in the NSIC in scoring (non-kickers) at 6.9 points per game.
•Davis has nine career 100-yard receiving game ranking tied for seventh in team history.
•Sophomore linebacker Onte Burns (69) leads the NSIC in tackles with 9.9 per game.
•Junior safety Garrett Chapman (57) and senior safety Davaeon Johnson (57) are both tied for fifth in the NSIC in tackles.
•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, 193 and 81 yards rushing the last four weeks.   
•Senior running back Max Simmons moved into sole possession of fifth place in the program record book with 2,274 rushing yards during last week's win at St. Cloud State. He needs 153 yards to tie for fourth all-time with Robert Lipsey (1987-90) at 2,427.
•Simmons became the 12th player in team history to reach 3,000 all purpose yards earlier this season.
•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.
•Freshman Adien Belt ranks third in the NSIC averaging 41.2 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.
•Freshman running back Duce Reynolds rushed for a career-high 100 yards on 20 attempts versus Bemidji State in week six.
•Senior left tackle Zach Stratmoen has started 29 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.

DAVIS MOVES UP IN SMSU RECORD BOOK
•Senior Daniel Davis, despite playing in just 18 career games, has moved into the top 15 in a handful of school career records.
•He is second in receptions per game (7.1), eighth in all purpose yards per game (111.1), tied for 11th in touchdown receptions (17) and 15th in receiving yards (1,752).




SMSU HEAD COACH CORY SAUTER
•Cory Sauter is in his 10th season as head coach with an overall record of 43-64, including 42-62 in NSIC games.
•Sauter's 43 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 / MSUM IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•The following is where SMSU and MSUM 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    MSUM    
    Scoring Offense    104th    84th    
    Rushing Offense    131st     162nd    
    Passing Offense    80th    44th
    Total Offense    119th    136th
    Scoring Defense    102nd    104th    
    Rushing Defense    150th    80th
    Pass Defense    133rd    95th
    Pass Efficiency Defense    123rd    141st
    Total Defense    153rd    82nd
    Net Punting    20th    68th
    Punt Returns    44th    48th
    Kickoff Returns    151st    165th
    Turnover Margin    57th    57th
    Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm.    107th    8th   
    Time of Possession    115th    51st
    3rd Down Conversions    110th    127th        
    3rd Down Conv. Defense    133rd    22nd

DAVIS, BURNS, BELT RANK HIGH IN NCAA STATS
•Senior Daniel Davis ranks 11th in Division II in receptions per game, 19th in receiving yards and 21st in receiving yards per game.
•Sophomore Onte Burns is currently 24th nationally in tackles per game, while freshman Aiden Belt ranks 28th in punt average.

SMSU EARNS COME-FROM-BEHIND WIN AT SCSU
•SMSU earned, yet again, another dramatic victory as Boyer Bouman threw a career-high 328 yards, capped off by a 13-yard touchdown to Daniel Davis with 49 seconds remaining to claim a 42-38 comeback victory over St. Cloud State last Saturday.
•The duo of Davis and Bouman accounted for three of the four Mustang touchdowns as Bouman threw four touchdowns, while Davis finished with 11 receptions for 127 yards and three touchdowns.
•The SMSU offense closed the game racking up 25 first downs and 423 yards of offense, while the Mustang defense forced four turnovers, including a game-sealing interception by Lucas Fisher in the final seconds.
•The 42 points allowed by SCSU was its highest this season. SCSU hadn't allowed more than 20 points in game all season and held four opponents to 16 or less points.

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. Nava 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 has not played again this season.
•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 four games.

DAVIS CONTINUES TO BE "MONEY" PLAYER
•Senior Daniel Davis ranks first in the NSIC with 48 receptions and also ranks second with 639 receiving yards.
•Thirty-four of Davis' 48 receptions this season have been "money" plays which is a reception that leads to a first down, including eight of which that have gone for touchdowns.

BURNS LEADING THE DEFENSE
•Sophomore linebacker Onte Burns ranks tied for first in the NSIC with 69 tackles.
•Burns also has four tackles for loss, one interception, four pass break-ups and one fumble recovery.
•He racked up a career-high 16 tackles with one forced fumble and one pass break-up versus Bemidji State in week six.

DEFENSIVE TRANSFERS MAKE IMPACT
•Several transfers on defense have played major roles this season.
•Junior safety Garrett Chapman is tied for second on the team with 57 tackles.
•Senior safety Davaeon Johnson ranks tied for second on the team with 57 tackles with two interceptions, while junior cornerback Marshawn Reese has 31 tackles and two interceptions.
•Junior linebacker Gage Roberson ranks fourth on the team with 52 tackles and has a team-high five for loss.  

CREW BOOTS CAREER LONG FIELD GOAL
•Junior kicker Skyler Crew booting a pair of long field goals in a week two loss at Wayne State.
•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 19 of 20 on PATs this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS
•Redshirt freshmen Nathan Hill has recorded five tackles on kickoffs to pace the Mustangs this season.
•Junior Adihia Bell, junior Garrett Chapman and redshirt freshman Michael Bailey all have four tackles.

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 323 yards on 69 carries with three touchdowns. He also has a team-high eight kickoff returns for 152 yards.
•Defensive lineman Gary Barnes has started six games and has 12 tackles.
•Punter Adien Belt is averaging 41.2 yards per punt including a 64-yard punt versus Sioux Falls. He currently ranks third in the NSIC in punt average.
•Demeiko Hill has played on special teams, defense and wide receiver.
•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 three games on special teams.  
•Defensive back Julian Luciano has also played in one game on special teams.

THE 2019 SMSU ROSTER
•The 2019 SMSU roster (Oct. 22) features 100 players with 23 seniors, 21 juniors, 13 sophomores, 15 redshirt freshmen 28 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 (28), fifth in rushing yards (2,274) and seventh in total touchdowns (33).
•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 four 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 14 for 17 (82.4) inside the "red zone" this season with 11 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 22 of 27 (81.5) this season inside "red zone" with 17 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     14 of 17 (82.4)    11    3

BIG PLAY MUSTANGS
•SMSU has recorded 38 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards this season with 28 coming from the offense (4 run, 24 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    38    11    4    24    7    1    2    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 seven games this season, SMSU has scored 30 or more points in 38 of its last 86 games.
•In that time, SMSU has scored 40 or more points 22 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 six times in its last 33 games since Oct. 20, 2016, which includes three last season and twice this season.

TURNOVER MARGIN BY THE NUMBERS
•SMSU is "plus-two" in turnover margin this season following last week's win at St. Cloud 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 (173 games), SMSU has been a "plus" in turnover margin in just 57 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 five times this season).
•The Mustangs have been "even" or "minus" in turnover margin in 97 of their last 150 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 in 2018 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 3-1 in road games this season and 6-14 in road games since the 2016 season.
•SMSU is a combined 35-64 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 which tied for seventh in team history.  
•SMSU forced three or more turnovers in four games, 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 201-329-5, including 139-235-5 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 MSU MOORHEAD
•Steve Laqua, the 2018 NSIC Coach of the Year, is in his ninth season as head coach at MSUM with a record of 40-56. He led the Dragons to eight victories last season including a trip to the Mineral Water Bowl.
•MSUM has lost three straight games, including a 48-3 setback at home last Saturday to Augustana.
•The Dragons trailed 42-3 at halftime and finished the game with just 12 first downs and 217 yards of offense. MSUM closed the game 2 of 16 on third-down conversions.  
•MSUM has played a pair of true freshman quarterbacks the past four weeks following a week three injury to junior starter Jakup Sinani.
•Quarterback Matthew Plasterer has started the past four weeks and has completed 103 of 177 passes for 1,142 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions.
•Quarterback Max Carter played in relief last week versus Augustana and completed 4 of 7 passes for 27 yards.
•Junior running back Ty Jochim has a team-high 260 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 71 carries.
•Junior wide receiver Grady Bresnahan has caught 45  passes for 577 yards and four touchdowns.
•Sophomore wide receiver Trent Marquart has 26 receptions for 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
•Junior strong safety Shad Vedaa has racked up a team-high 48 tackles with four for loss.
•Junior linebacker Matt Schoh has registered 41 tackles with 2.5 for loss and one interception.