THIS WEEK
•Following an overtime loss at Wayne State last Saturday night, the Southwest Minnesota State University (0-2, 0-2 NSIC South) football returns home to face the University of Sioux Falls (1-1, 1-1 NSIC South) on Saturday, Sept. 21.
•Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center.
•USF has defeated SMSU in all seven meetings since the Cougars joined the NSIC in 2012.
•Sioux Falls, which dropped its season-opener at Concordia-St. Paul, earned a 34-12 home victory last Saturday versus Winona State.
•A preview on USF 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.

OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•SMSU has started 0-2 for the second straight season.
•SMSU will be looking to snap a seven-game losing streak to Sioux Falls.
•Following Saturday's loss at Wayne State, SMSU has lost 11 straight NSIC South Division road games over the last three seasons.  
•SMSU's last divisional road victory came on Nov. 7, 2015, versus Concordia-St. Paul.
•Junior safety Garrett Chapman (23) and sophomore linebacker Onte Burns (19) rank second and fourth respectively in the NSIC in total tackles.
•Last Saturday was the second of three night games SMSU will play in the opening four weeks. SMSU will play afternoon games in each of the final seven weeks.  
•SMSU has not rushed for 100 yards in five straight games dating back to last season. SMSU's last time reaching 100 yards was on Oct. 20, 2018, versus Northern State.
•Redshirt freshman wide receiver Jalen Coleman caught his first career pass in Saturday's loss at Wayne State. The 42-yard reception is the longest pass play for SMSU this season.
•Senior running back Max Simmons needs 39 rushing yards to move into sole possession of seventh place in the program career record book with 1,947 yards.
•Senior left tackle Zach Stratmoen has started 24 straight games the past three seasons. It's the longest streak by any current Mustang.  
•Senior wide receiver Daniel Davis registered his seventh career 100-yard receiving game in the season-opener versus Minnesota State. His seven 100-yard games ranks 10th in team history.

SMSU vs. USF Series Notes
(all-time results listed on page 9)
Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls meet for the 12th time on Saturday with USF leading 8-3 ... the two teams first met on Sept. 21, 1968, in Marshall ... the first game between the two schools was also the first-ever game in SMSU history with USF earning a 13-6 victory at Legion Field in Marshall ... SMSU defeated USF 36-12 in 1969 in Sioux Falls and then won in both 1978 and 1979 ... USF has won all seven games since joining the NSIC in 2012, including last season's game 39-21 in Sioux Falls ... USF has scored 41, 55, 44, 34, 48 and 39 points in six of the seven meetings since joining the NSIC ... USF has been ranked nationally in six of the seven prior meetings ... SMSU's last win in the series was on Oct. 20, 1979, in Sioux Falls.

The Last Time - SMSU vs. USF
Sioux Falls, ranked No. 24 nationally, used several big scoring plays in the first half and then used a pair of big defensive stops to hold on for a 39-21 victory over Southwest Minnesota State on Sept. 15, 2018, in Sioux Fall, S.D. USF finished the game with 500 yards offense including 304 on the ground on 55 attempts. Gabe Watson rushed for a game-high 193 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Cougar offense while teammate Caden Walters completed 12 of 17 pass attempts for 196 yards and four touchdown passes. SMSU closed the game with 339 yards of offense and 21 first downs with Blake Gimbel completing 24 of 42 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Mustang attack. He completed passes to 12 different receivers in the game while racking up his ninth career 300-yard passing game. SMSU's Daniel Davis caught a game-high seven passes for 105 yards and one touchdown and also had a 47-yard punt return. Max Simmons rushed for a team-high 38 yards and one touchdown on 16 attempts.
   
SMSU vs. USF Series Information
Overall:    USF leads 8-3
In Marshall:    USF leads 4-1
In Sioux Falls:    USF leads 4-2
Neutral Record:    0-0
Last SMSU win:    Oct. 20, 1979 (24-6)
Last USF win:    Sept. 15, 2018 (39-21)
Largest win for SMSU:    24 (36-12, 1969)
Largest win for USF:    24 (44-20, 2014)
Longest win streak for SMSU:    3 (1969-79)
Longest win streak for USF:    7 (2012-present)
Current win streak:    USF, 7
Sauter vs. USF:    0-7
Anderson vs. SMSU:    2-0

MUSTANGS LOSE HEARTBREAKER AT WAYNE STATE
•Wayne State scored the game-tying touchdown and point after attempt with three seconds left in regulation and then scored on an Andy McCance to Mason Lee 10-yard touchdown pass in overtime to earn a 19-13 overtime victory over SMSU last Saturday night in Wayne, Neb.
•WSC scored the tying touchdown to complete a 14-play, 77-yard drive.
•In overtime, SMSU missed a 35-yard field goal wide left on the first possession.
•WSC answered moments later with the game-winning drive moving 25 yards on three plays.
•WSC dominated time of possession and racked up 547 yards of offense on 96 plays while SMSU amassed just 185 yards on 49 plays.
•WSC finished the game with 32 first down while SMSU was held to 11.
•SMSU quarterback Steven Nava, who was starting for an injured Boyer Bouman, completed 9 of 18 passes for 135 yards and one touchdown, but was injured in the third quarter.
•He was replaced by Paul Herrera, who completed 1 of 3 pass attempts for five yards.
•Daniel Davis caught a team-high five passes for 70 yards and one touchdown to pace the SMSU offense.
•Trey Sachs rushed for a team-high 25 yards on eight carries while Herrera added 20 yards on five attempts.

SMSU DEPTH PUT TO THE TEST
•SMSU had three new starters on offense and were also without a key back-up in last week's loss at Wayne State. •All four played in the season opener versus Minnesota State.
•Quarterback Boyer Bouman, tight end Luke Narveson  and wide receiver Bailey Olson all missed last week's game due to injury.
•Back-up wide receiver Quadri Busari also missed the game due to an injury.
•SMSU back-up quarterback Steven Nava was also injured in the third quarter of last week's game and did not return.

NAVA THRUST INTO DUTY
•Junior college transfer quarterback Steven Nava was pressed into duty in the second half of the season-opening loss to Minnesota State replacing an injured Boyer Bouman.
•Nava completed 15 of 21 pass attempts for 184 yards and two touchdowns with one interception versus MSU.
•Nava started last week's game at Wayne State completing 9 of 18 passes for 135 yards and one touchdown.
•Nava was injured late in the third quarter and did not return.

DAVIS CONTINUES TO BE "MONEY" PLAYER
•Senior Daniel Davis currently ranks tied for first in the NSIC with 14 receptions and is also first in receiving yards with 216.
•A total of 12 of Davis' 14 receptions through two games have been "money" plays which is a reception that leads to a first down, two of which have gone for touchdowns.





NEWCOMER CHAPMAN LEADING THE DEFENSE
•Junior college transfer safety Garrett Chapman leads the team with 23 tackles through two games which ranks second in the NSIC.
•He recorded a game-high 15 tackles including 11 solo stops versus Minnesota State and then added eight total tackles at Wayne State on Saturday.

MORE DEFENSIVE TRANSFERS MAKE IMPACT
•Along with Chapman, several other transfers on defense have played major roles this season.
•Junior linebacker Gage Roberson ranks third on the team with 18 tackles and has a team-high three for loss.  •Senior safety Davaeon Johnson ranks fourth on the team with 17 tackles while junior cornerback Marshawn Reese has eight tackles and the team's lone interception.

CREW BOOTS CAREER LONG FIELD GOAL
•Junior kicker Skyler Crew had a solid game last week 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.
•Crew would later set another career-high with a 43-yard field goal late in the third quarter.
•He is 3 of 4 on field goals and 3 of 3 on PATs this season.

FIVE TRUE FRESHMEN PLAY IN FIRST TWO GAMES
•Five true freshmen have made their collegiate debuts for SMSU in the first two weeks of the season.  
•Running back Duce Reynolds has rushed for 35 yards on four carries including the team's longest rush of the season of 23 yards versus Minnesota State.
•Defensive lineman Gary Barnes started and registered one tackle in the opener but missed last week with an injury.
•Punter Adien Belt is averaging 43.3 yards including a 57-yard punt at Wayne State. He currently ranks third in the NSIC in punt average.
•Defensive back Demeiko Hill has played on special teams.
•Defensive lineman Nate Collins played last week at Wayne State and registered one tackle.

SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS
•Junior Garrett Chapman leads the squad with three special teams tackles this season with two on punt return.
•Junior Adihia Bell and senior Josh Bauer both recorded two special team tackles versus Minnesota State and rank second on the team overall through two games.

SMSU HEAD COACH CORY SAUTER
•Cory Sauter is in his 10th season as head coach with an overall record of 40-62, including 39-60 in conference games.
•Sauter's 40 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 / USF IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•The following is where SMSU and USF 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    USF    
    Scoring Offense    117th    81st     
    Rushing Offense    162nd     47th    
    Passing Offense    53rd    74th
    Total Offense    138th    52nd
    Scoring Defense    100th    84th    
    Rushing Defense    166th    41st
    Pass Defense    113th    40th
    Pass Efficiency Defense    99th    35th
    Total Defense    164th    28th
    Net Punting    11th    163rd
    Punt Returns    134th    21st
    Kickoff Returns    77th    42nd
    Turnover Margin    96th    96th
    Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm.    89th    73rd   
    Time of Possession    161st    23rd
    3rd Down Conversions    128th    65th         
    3rd Down Conv. Defense    129th    41st

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.

THE 2019 SMSU ROSTER
•The 2019 SMSU roster (Sept. 17) features 107 players with 24 seniors, 21 juniors, 14 sophomores, 15 redshirt freshmen 33 freshmen.

DAVIS COMES THROUGH IN FIRST SEASON
•Senior wide receiver Daniel Davis had a big first season for SMSU 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.

SIMMONS IN THE RECORD BOOK
•Senior running back Max Simmons ranks third in team history with 26 rushing touchdowns, is tied for seventh in total touchdowns (30) and ranks eighth in rushing yards (1,908).
•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 did not play last Saturday at Wayne State.  
•Bouman entered the 2019 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.

NSIC SOUTH ACTION TO OPEN SEASON AGAIN
•For the second straight season 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 last season, SMSU opened the season with four games versus NSIC North opponents.
•SMSU again this season will face four NSIC South foes, then will play four NSIC North opponents, before closing the season with three games versus NSIC South teams.    
 
GET IN THE "ZONE"
•SMSU is 4 for 6 (66.7) inside the "red zone" this season with two touchdowns and two 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 8 of 10 (80.0) this season inside "red zone" with five touchdowns and three 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    4 of 6 (66.7)    2    2

BIG PLAY MUSTANGS
•SMSU has recorded 16 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards this season with 11 coming from the offense (1 run, 10 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    16    3    1    10    5    0    0    0  

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.

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
•Since being shutout on Nov. 5, 2011, SMSU has scored 30 or more points in nearly half of its games.
•Dating back to the final game of the 2011 season through two games this season, SMSU has scored 30 or more points in 36 of its last 81 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 four times in its last 28 games since Oct. 20, 2016, but three of those games came last season.

TURNOVER MARGIN BY THE NUMBERS
•SMSU is "minus-1" in turnover margin this season following last week's loss to Wayne 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 (168 games), SMSU has been a "plus" in turnover margin in just 53 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 once this season).
•The Mustangs have been "even" or "minus" in turnover margin in 96 of their last 145 conference games.

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 23-52 all-time in South Division games 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 16-12 versus NSIC North Division teams.
•SMSU is 12-4 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 finished 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 28-35 all-time at the stadium, is 0-1 this season after finishing 3-3 last season.
•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.  

RECORD ON THE ROAD
•SMSU is 0-1 in road games this season and are 3-14 in road games since the 2016 season.
•SMSU is a combined 32-64 in road games since 2000.

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 198-327-5, including 136-233-5 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 SIOUX FALLS
•Jon Anderson is in his third season as head coach at USF and has a career record of 17-8.
•The Cougars finished 7-4 last season and have recorded 25 straight winning seasons.
•Following a season-opening loss at Concordia-St. Paul, USF rebounded last week with a convincing 34-12 home win over Winona State.
•The USF defense limited WSU to 228 yards and 15 first downs.
•USF ran 82 plays compared to 57 for WSU and held a time of possession advantage of 38:08 to 21:52.
•Junior kicker Daniel Esparza was named the NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday. He made two field goals, including a 50-yarder, while connecting on all four extra points in the win over WSU.
•Senior quarterback Caden Walters has completed 33 of 59 passes for 432 yards with two touchdowns and one interception on the season. He has also rushed for 109 yards and one touchdowns on 20 carries.
•Sophomore running back Thuro Reisdorfer has a pair of rushing touchdowns and 174 yards rushing on 33 carries this season. He had 82 yards and two scores on 20 attempts versus Winona State.
•Senior All-American running back Gabe Watson did not play in the season opener and had just nine carries in the win over Winona State before leaving the game with an injury.
•Junior wide receiver Karnell Collier has caught 10 passes for 134 yards.
•Senior wide receiver Nate Johnson has seven receptions for 112 yards.
•Senior linebacker Brody Grantham has racked up a team-high 14 tackles.
•Junior linebacker Harvey Michael Enall has registered a team-high two sacks.