THIS WEEK
•Southwest Minnesota State University (3-5, 1-3 NSIC South) returns to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division play this Saturday, Nov. 2, hosting Winona State University (6-2, 2-2 NSIC South) in the annual "Battle for the Sledge" at Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
•Saturday's game is the final home game for SMSU in 2019 and begins a three-game stretch to close the season versus teams from the NSIC South Division.
•WSU is currently on a four-game winning streak and is ranked No. 9 in this week's Super Region Four rankings released on Monday. The top seven teams from each of the four regions qualify for the NCAA playoffs.
•WSU has registered the most interceptions (17) in Division II this season and is ranked ninth in turnover margin.
•A preview on WSU 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 vs. WSU Series Notes
Southwest Minnesota State and Winona State meet for the 50th time on Saturday with WSU leading 29-20 ... the teams first met on Oct. 10, 1970 ... WSU leads 3-1 since the "Battle for the Sledge" trophy game was started in 2015 ... WSU has won the last three meeting after SMSU won three straight from 2013-15 ... SMSU leads 12-11 in games played in Marshall ... WSU won the last game played in Marshall, 45-7, on Nov. 4, 2017 ... WSU has won 20 of the last 25 meetings overall since 1994 ... WSU has scored 30 or more points in 16 of the last 18 games, including 40 or more 12 times ... SMSU won seven straight in the series from 1987-93 ... WSU won 13 of 14 games from 1994 to 2007.

The Last Time - SMSU vs. WSU
Winona State broke open a 16-16 tie with 22 points in the final 12 minutes to earn a 38-26 victory over Southwest Minnesota State on Oct. 27, 2018, in Winona. SMSU finished the game with 377 yards of offense and 19 first downs. Blake Gimbel completed 19 of 33 passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns for the Mustangs. Daniel Davis caught four passes for 130 yards, including a 66-yard reception in the fourth quarter. SMSU's Gabe Galamue had two receptions for 50 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown, while teammate Aaron Murphy also had two receptions for 36 yards. WSU held a 25-19 advantage with eight minutes left in the game before a touchdown pass from Owen Burke and a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown by Isaiah Hall, pushed the WSU lead to 38-19 and seal the victory. Javian Roebuck rushed for 82 yards, while Sam Santiago-Lloyd added 68 yards on 10 carries for the Warriors.

SMSU vs. WSU Series Information
Overall:    WSU leads 29-20
In Marshall:    SMSU leads 12-11
In Winona:    WSU leads 18-8
Last SMSU win:    Nov. 14, 2015 (33-28)
Last WSU win:    Oct. 27, 2018 (38-26)
Largest win for SMSU:    33 (47-14, 1991)
Largest win for WSU:    56 (56-0, 1975)
Longest win streak for SMSU:    7 (1987-93)
Longest win streak for WSU:    7 (2001-07)
Current win streak:    WSU, 3
Sauter vs. WSU:    3-6
Sawyer vs. SMSU:    18-5

FIFTH MEETING FOR THE "BATTLE FOR THE SLEDGE"
•Saturday's game will be the fifth annual "Battle for the Sledge", presented by BIG Athletics and Adidas.
•The trophy is a seven-foot tall Sledge Hammer. In addition to the sledge trophy, BIG Athletics will also be providing two MVP trophies to be awarded to a player on each team.
•Here is the history behind the naming of the trophy game, "Battle for the Sledge": During the 2008 season, during warm-ups of the WSU/SMSU game on Oct. 4, a WSU player brought a sledgehammer to mid-field while SMSU players looked on. SMSU went on to earn a 35-28 victory over WSU, snapping the Warriors' seven-game winning streak in the series. Following the game, SMSU players ran over to the WSU sideline and grabbed the sledgehammer, celebrating the victory at midfield. With emotions running high for both teams, a WSU player went over to the SMSU sideline to get its sledgehammer back. SMSU eventually gave the sledgehammer back and a rivalry was born.

SMSU "BATTLE FOR THE SLEDGE" GAME MVPS
•2015, Davontay Stevens, RB •2016, Max Simmons, RB
•2017, Alex Ney, LB  •2018, Shane Ratkovich, LB  

DAVIS MOVES UP IN SMSU RECORD BOOK
•Senior Daniel Davis, despite playing in just 19 career games, has moved into the top 11 in a handful of school career records.
•He is second in receptions per game (7.3), sixth in all purpose yards per game (113.4), 10th in receiving yards (1,908) and 11th in touchdown receptions (18).

OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•SMSU is 0-4 at home this season and will play its final home game on Saturday. The last time SMSU finished a season winless at home was in 1995 (0-5).
•SMSU is "even" in turnover margin this season and have been "plus" in four of the last five games.
•SMSU has outscored its opponents a combined 131-83 in the second and third quarters this season, but has been outscored 105-31 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
•Junior linebacker Adihia Bell set a career-high with three tackles for loss versus MSU Moorhead last week.
•Junior tight end Luke Narveson tied a career-high with four receptions last week versus MSU Moorhead, while freshman receiver Albert Lemon has his first three career receptions for 69 yards in the loss to MSUM.
•SMSU has registered five scoring drives of 80 or more yards this season.
•The SMSU defense forced a season-high four turnovers two weeks ago at St. Cloud State.
•Senior Boyer Bouman set career-highs for passing yards (338) and touchdown passes (4) at St. Cloud State.
•Bouman ranks second in the NSIC in passing yards (214.7) and second in total offense (216.5).
•Senior Daniel Davis ranks second in team history averaging 7.3 receptions per game in 19 games.
•Davis, who has 138 career receptions in 19 games, ranks first in the NSIC in receptions (59) and is second in receiving yards (795).
•Davis also ranks fourth in the NSIC in scoring (non-kickers) at 6.8 points per game and seventh in all purpose yards (109.1)
•Davis has 10 career 100-yard receiving game ranking tied for fifth in team history.
•Freshman Adien Belt ranks tied for third in the NSIC averaging 40.8 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 (75) rank second in the NSIC in tackles with 9.4 per game.
•Junior safety Garrett Chapman (71) and senior safety Davaeon Johnson (64) rank fourth and fifth respectively in the NSIC in tackles.
•Senior running back Max Simmons ranks fifth in the program record book with 2,302 rushing yards. He needs 125 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.
•Senior left tackle Zach Stratmoen has started 30 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 43-65, including 42-63 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 24.

SMSU / WSU IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•The following is where SMSU and WSU rank in this week's NCAA statistics.
•A full listing of SMSU and individuals in the national statistics can be found on pages 22-23.
    (166 teams ranked)    SMSU    WSU    
    Scoring Offense    114th    72nd    
    Rushing Offense    139th     75th    
    Passing Offense    57th    94th
    Total Offense    153rd    90th
    Scoring Defense    104th    22nd    
    Rushing Defense    147th    49th
    Pass Defense    125th    105th
    Pass Efficiency Defense    126th    29th
    Total Defense    153rd    68th
    Net Punting    29th    49th
    Punt Returns    52nd    43rd
    Kickoff Returns    151st    5th
    Turnover Margin    77th    9th
    Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm.    98th    48th   
    Time of Possession    106th    52nd
    3rd Down Conversions    106th    54th        
    3rd Down Conv. Defense    121st    61st

DAVIS, BURNS, BELT RANK HIGH IN NCAA STATS
•Senior Daniel Davis ranks 10th in Division II in receptions per game, 11th in receiving yards, 12th in receiving yards per game and 14th in receiving touchdowns.
•Sophomore Onte Burns is currently 32nd nationally in tackles per game, while freshman Aiden Belt ranks 34th in punt average.

SMSU FALLS SHORT TO MSU MOORHEAD
•MSU Moorhead jumped to a 20-0 first half lead and then made a big defensive stand in the fourth quarter to earn a 23-14 victory over SMSU last Saturday in Marshall.
•SMSU trailed 20-14 midway through the fourth quarter and had first and goal from the eight-yard, but a penalty and sack would help stall the scoring drive attempt.
•MSUM would later add a field goal in the final two minutes to seal the victory.
•SMSU closed the game with 404 yards of total offense and 28 first downs, but were limited to just 62 yards rushing which included suffering seven sacks for minus-49 yards.
•SMSU finished the game running 91 plays to MSUM's 64 and limited the Dragons to 4 of 14 on third-down conversion attempts.
•Boyer Bouman completed 28 of 51 passes for 334 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for a team-high 34 net yards on 15 attempts.
•Daniel Davis had another big game receiving for the Mustangs with 11 receptions for 156 yards and one touchdown.
•Luke Narveson caught four passes for 44 yards while teammate Albert Lemon added three receptions for 69 yards.
 
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 five games.

DAVIS CONTINUES TO BE "MONEY" PLAYER
•Senior Daniel Davis ranks first in the NSIC with 59 receptions and ranks second with 795 receiving yards.
•Forty of Davis' 59 receptions this season have been "money" plays which is a reception that leads to a first down, including nine of which that have gone for touchdowns.

BURNS LEADING THE DEFENSE
•Sophomore linebacker Onte Burns ranks second in the NSIC with 75 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 second on the team with 71 tackles.
•Senior safety Davaeon Johnson ranks third on the team with 64 tackles with two interceptions.
•Junior linebacker Gage Roberson ranks fourth on the team with 57 tackles and has a team-high six for loss.  
•Junior cornerback Marshawn Reese has 34 tackles and two interceptions.

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 21 of 22 on PATs this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS
•Redshirt freshman Nathan Hill leads the team with five special teams tackles with all five coming on kickoffs.
•Sophomore Chris Bain, redshirt freshman Michael Bailey, junior Garret Chapman and junior Adihia Bell all have four tackles on special teams.

NINE TRUE FRESHMEN PLAY THIS SEASON
•Nine true freshmen have made their collegiate debuts for SMSU this season.  
•Running back Duce Reynolds has rushed for 341 yards on 77 carries with three touchdowns. He also has a team-high 10 kickoff returns for 177 yards.
•Defensive lineman Gary Barnes has started seven games and has 13 tackles.
•Punter Adien Belt is averaging 40.1 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.
•Wide receiver Albert Lemon has played in four games and has three receptions for 69 yards.
•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 four games on special teams and has two tackles.  
•Defensive back Julian Luciano has also played in three games on special teams.

THE 2019 SMSU ROSTER
•The 2019 SMSU roster (Oct. 30) 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 (2,302) 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 five 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 16 for 20 (80.0) inside the "red zone" this season with 13 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 25 of 32 (78.1) 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     16 of 20 (80.0)    13    3

BIG PLAY MUSTANGS
•SMSU has recorded 43 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards this season with 32 coming from the offense (4 run, 28 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    70    15    8    51    7    2    2    0
    2019    43    11    4    28    8    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 eight games this season, SMSU has scored 30 or more points in 38 of its last 87 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 34 games since Oct. 20, 2016, which includes three last season and twice this season.

TURNOVER MARGIN BY THE NUMBERS
•SMSU is "even" in turnover margin this season following last week's loss to MSU Moorhead.
•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 (174 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 98 of their last 151 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.  

SMSU VERSUS THE NSIC NORTH
•Since 2012, when the NSIC schedule had each team playing four inter-divisional games, SMSU has a record of 18-14 versus NSIC North Division teams including 2-2 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.  

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 28-38 all-time at the stadium, is 0-4 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 201-330-5, including 139-236-5 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 WINONA STATE
•Tom Sawyer is in his 24th season as head coach with a record of 188-83. He has led the Warriors to six 10-win seasons, six NCAA playoff appearances and three Mineral Water Bowl games.
•WSU has won four straight games and is ranked ninth in the first NCAA region rankings.
•WSU is coming off a 38-17 home victory over St. Cloud State last Saturday.  
•Senior kicker/punter Paul Ortiz was named the NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday. He made a 49-yard field goal, was 5 of 5 on PATs and averaged 41.5 yards on four punts.
•Junior quarterback Owen Burke has completed 123 of 211 pass attempts for 1,531 yards with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
•Junior running back Sam Santiago-Lloyd has a team-high 810 yards rushing and six touchdowns on 156 carries. He ranks 18th in Division II in rushing yards.
•Junior wide receiver Jake Balliu has caught 30 passes for 376 yards and six touchdowns.
•Junior wide receiver Tyler Anderson has 15 receptions for 246 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
•Senior linebacker Nick Pridgeon has racked up a team-high 39 tackles with team-leading 7.5 for loss.
•Redshirt freshman linebacker Clay Schueffner has registered 34 tackles and has a team-leading four interceptions.