THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University football team (2-3, 1-0 NSIC South) continues Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division play this Saturday, Oct. 9, hosting the University of Sioux Falls (3-2, 1-0 NSIC South) for the annual Homecoming game with kickoff slated for 5 p.m. at Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center.
•SMSU, which has won two straight road games, will be seeking its first three-game winning streak since the 2018 season.  
•SMSU will also look to earn its first victory (0-8) over USF since the Cougars joined the NSIC in 2012.
•USF is coming off a 28-26 home victory over Augustana on Saturday.

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

SMSU ON HOMECOMING
•SMSU is 24-27 all-time on homecoming.
•SMSU lost in the final seconds to Bemidji State in 2019, but has won four of its last six homecoming games.
•SMSU is 7-13 on homecoming since 2000.
SMSU homecoming games since 2010
2010    Wayne State  L, 20-38
2011     Augustana  L, 24-37
2012    Wayne State  W, 40-24
2013    Sioux Falls  L, 48-55
2014    Upper Iowa  W, 28-25
2015    MSU Moorhead  W, 48-9
2016    Upper Iowa  W, 59-41
2017    Sioux Falls  L, 10-24
2018    Minnesota Crookston  W,55-6
2019    Bemidji State, L 24-25

SMSU vs. USF Series Notes
Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls meet for the 13th time on Saturday night with USF leading 9-3 ... 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 eight games since joining the NSIC in 2012, including 51-7 in Marshall on Sept. 21, 2019 ... USF has scored 41, 55, 44, 34, 48, 39 and 51 points in seven of the eight meetings since joining the NSIC ... USF has been ranked nationally in six of the eight 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 racked up 564 yards of offense including 358 on the ground to earn a 51-7 victory over SMSU on Sept. 21, 2019, in Marshall. USF's Thuro Reisdorfer closed the game rushing for 113 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries. Teammate Ja'Tai Jenkins added 102 yards rushing and one touchdown on 10 attempts. USF forced SMSU into three turnovers and limited the Mustangs to 160 yards of total offense. SMSU, which started its third different quarterback of the season, was held to 21 yards of offense and three first downs in the second half. Paul Herrera started his first career game for SMSU and completed 19 of 30 pass attempts for 154 yards and three interceptions. Daniel Davis caught a game-high eight passes for 94 yards to pace the Mustang offense. Max Simmons rushed for a team-high 34 yards on nine carries for the Mustangs.

SMSU vs. USF Series Information
Overall:    USF leads 9-3
In Marshall:    USF leads 5-1
In Sioux Falls:    USF leads 4-2
Last SMSU win:    Oct. 20, 1979 (24-6)
Last USF win:    Sept. 21, 2019 (51-7)
Largest win for SMSU:    24 (36-12, 1969)
Largest win for USF:    44 (51-7, 2019)
Longest win streak for SMSU:    3 (1969-79)
Longest win streak for USF:    8 (2012-present)
Current win streak:    USF, 8
Sauter vs. USF:    0-8
Anderson vs. SMSU:    3-0

SMSU HEAD COACH CORY SAUTER
•Cory Sauter is in his 12th season as head coach with an overall record of 45-71, including 44-69 in NSIC games.
•Sauter's 45 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.

MUSTANG OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•Junior linebacker Onte Burns continues to be one of the top linebackers in the NSIC and nationally as he leads the NSIC and ranks 12th in Division II with 10.6 tackles per game. He is also sixth nationally with 7.6 solo tackles per game.  
•SMSU has lost nine straight home games with the last victory coming on Oct. 20, 2018, versus Northern State.  
•SMSU has rushed for more than 135 yards in four of five games this season, including a season-high 241 two weeks ago at CSP. In 2019, SMSU reached 100 yards rushing in just three games, while in 2018, SMSU reached the 100 yard rushing mark just four times. Prior to Saturday, the last time SMSU rushed for more than 200 yards in a game occurred on Oct. 5, 2019, at Minot State.
•The SMSU defense shutout Upper Iowa in the second half in last week's victory. It was the first time SMSU held a team scoreless in the second half since Sept. 16, 2017, versus Minot State.
•SMSU rushed for a season-low eight yards in last week's win at UIU.
•SMSU passed for just 70 yards in the victory at CSP in week four. It was the first time SMSU passed for less than 100 yards in a single-game since being held to 67 yards versus Winona State on Nov. 4, 2017.
•Junior running back Jesse Sherwood ranks first on team with 360 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 60 carries. He rushed for a career-high 178 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries at Concordia-St. Paul on Sept. 25. Sherwood was the first SMSU player to reach 150 or more yards rushing in a game since Max Simmons versus Upper Iowa on Sept. 22, 2018.  
•Senior quarterback Andrew Haidet has completed 48 of 96 passes for 607 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He also ranks second on the team in rushing with 222 yards and three touchdowns on 42 carries.
•True freshman defensive lineman Avery Johnson finished with a career-high five tackles versus UIU.
•Sophomore running back Duce Reynolds has amassed 160 yards rushing and two scores on 49 carries.
•Junior wide receiver Zeke Robinson has a team-high 10 receptions for 193 yards and three touchdowns. Robinson caught two touchdowns in last week's victory, including the game winning score with 1:09 left in the fourth.  
•Freshman kicker Carter Dicker has booted three field goals this season, including a career-long 37-yarder at CSP in week four.
•Senior cornerback Ken Truitt sealed the win last week with his first career interception.
•Sophomore safety Jordan White recorded his first career interception in last week's game.
•Senior linebacker Gage Roberson ranks second on the squad with 40 tackles including a team-leading 4.5 for loss.

SMSU RALLIES FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WIN
•SMSU rallied from a 14-0 first half deficit scoring the final 20 points, including a 51-yard touchdown pass by Andrew Haidet to Zeke Robinson with 1:09 left in the game to earn a 20-14 victory at Upper Iowa on Saturday.
•SMSU started the game-winning drive at its own 23-yard line with 2:23 on the clock. SMSU converted a key third-and-six with Haidet connecting with Albert Lemon for a 22-yard pass to the 49-yard line. One play later Haidet found Robinson for the winning score.  
•On the ensuing drive, UIU moved to the SMSU 22-yard line with less than 20 second remaining, but SMSU's Ken Truit sealed the Mustang victory with an interception near the 10-yard line to end the comeback attempt.
•SMSU, which struggled in the opening half with just 114 yards of offense, closed the game with 257 yards and 13 first downs. UIU finished the game with 339 yards but was held to just 192 yards in the final three quarters and turned the ball over twice. It was the lowest total offense by an SMSU opponent this season.
•Haidet finished the game 15 for 25 for 204 yards and two touchdowns, while teammate Steven Nava completed 5 of 7 passes for 45 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
•The SMSU rushing offense, which averaged 180 yards through the first four games, was limited to eight yards. •Jesse Sherwood had 17 yards on seven carries with Duce Reynolds finishing with 14 yards on 10 attempts.
•Adihia Bell led the Mustang defense with 11 tackles, while Onte Burns chipped in with eight tackles.

SMSU IN NSIC SOUTH DIVISION PLAY
•Since the NSIC adapted divisional play prior to the 2008 season, SMSU is 25-56 all-time in South Division games, while finishing in the top half of the division three times in 12 seasons.
•SMSU had its highest finish of second place in 2013 and has also placed fourth three times, fifth once, sixth five times, seventh once and eighth once.  

BOHANNON EARNS NSIC AWARD
•True freshman safety Hunter Bohannon was named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 27 following his performance in SMSU's 34-24 victory over Concordia-St. Paul.
•Bohannon, in his first career start, recorded an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to open a 10-point lead for the Mustangs. He also had a pass break-up and registered five tackles, including a half a tackle for loss.
•He is the first SMSU player to earn an NSIC weekly award since Oct. 8, 2018.

HAIDET REACHES THE CENTURY MARK
•Senior quarterback Andrew Haidet rushed for 147 yards on 10 carries, including a 58-yard run for a touchdown, in the week three loss to UMary. Haidet is the first SMSU quarterback to rush for more than 100 yards in a single-game since Kyle Johnston in 1986.

TEAM CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2021
•Three players will serve as permanent team captains for the 2021 season as selected by the Mustang players.
•Senior Andrew Haidet and senior Adihia Bell along with junior Onte Burns were selected as permanent captains. It's the second straight season Burns has been named a captain.
•New this season, the SMSU coaching staff will select a game captain each week to serve as a fourth captain for the game.
•Khalif Spry was named captain for week one, Thomas Mergen in week two, Jesse Sherwood in week three, Ken Truitt  in week four and Evan Oetter in week five.

THE 2021 SMSU ROSTER
•The 2021 SMSU roster (as of Oct. 5) features 11 seniors, 19 juniors, 13 sophomores, 25 redshirt freshmen and 55 freshmen.

BURNS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
•SMSU junior linebacker Onte Burns was named preseason second team All-American by D2football.com on Aug. 31. Burns, a two-time team captain, was named first team All-NSIC South and Don Hansen Football Committee All-American third team following the 2019 season.
•Burns finished the 2019 season ranked 24th nationally with 9.8 tackles per game and 47th in solo tackles per game at 4.9.

SMSU / USF IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•The following is where SMSU and USF rank in the this week's NCAA statistics.
         (163 teams ranked)     SMSU     USF
             Scoring Offense    111th     62nd
             Rushing Offense    75th      29th
             Passing Offense    132nd     81st
             Total Offense    127th     42nd
             Scoring Defense    102nd     62nd
             Rushing Defense    65th     23rd
             Pass Defense    142nd     131st
             Pass Efficiency Defense    156th     73rd
             Total Defense    115th     72nd
             Net Punting     34th     50th
             Punt Returns     108th     41st
             Kickoff Returns     112th     79th
             Turnover Margin     76th     101st
             Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm.     76th     45th   
             Time of Possession     96th     42nd
             3rd Down Conversions     37th     41st
             3rd Down Conv. Defense    76th     107th

GET IN THE 'ZONE'
•SMSU is 12 for 13 in the 'red zone' with nine touchdowns and three field goals this season.
•SMSU opponents are 16 of 21 in the 'red zone' with 12 touchdowns.
•SMSU finished the 2019 season 22 for 29 (75.9) inside the 'red zone' with 19 touchdowns and three field goals.
•SMSU opponents closed the 2019 season 34 of 42 (81.0) inside "red zone" with 28 touchdowns and six 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     22 of 29 (75.9)    19    3
    2021    12 of 13 (92.3)    9    3

BIG PLAY MUSTANGS
•SMSU has recorded 26 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards in 2021 with 16 coming from the offense (5 run, 11 pass).
•For a complete look at the 'long' plays go to page 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    56    12    4    37    12    1    2    0
    2021    26    6    5    11    7    0    1    2

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

TURNOVER MARGIN BY THE NUMBERS
•SMSU is 'minus-3' in turnover margin in 2021.
•SMSU finished 'minus-2' in turnover margin in 2019, 'plus-2' in 2018 and was 'plus-9' in 2017.
•Since the start of the 2004 season (182 games), SMSU has been a 'plus' in turnover margin in just 60 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, six times in 2019 and twice in 2021).
•The Mustangs have been 'even' or 'minus' in turnover margin in 103 of their last 159 conference games.

SMSU VERSUS THE NSIC NORTH
•Since 2012, when the NSIC schedule had each team playing four inter-divisional games, SMSU has a record of 19-17 versus NSIC North Division teams, including 1-3 in 2021.
•SMSU finished 2-2 versus NSIC North opponents in 2019, 3-1 in 2018, was a perfect 4-0 in 2015, 3-1 in 2016 and 2-2 in 2017.  

MUSTANGS AT HOME
•The 2021 season marks the 13th year that Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center served as the home for SMSU football.
•SMSU is 28-41 all-time at the stadium, including an 0-2 record in 2021.
•SMSU has lost nine straight home games with the last victory coming on Oct. 20, 2018, versus Northern State.  
•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 ON THE ROAD
•SMSU is 2-1 on the road in 2021 and are 8-17 in road games since the 2016 season.
•SMSU finished 3-3 in road games last season.
•SMSU is 22-34 in road games since head coach Cory Sauter took over in 2010.

WORKING OVERTIME
•SMSU is 4-8 all-time in overtime games, including 0-1 in 2019, 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.

2021 NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish 11th overall and sixth in the South Division in the annual 14-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•Senior quarterback Andrew Haidet and junior Onte Burns were named 'Players to Watch' in the NSIC this season.

FOR OPENERS
•SMSU is 22-30 all-time in season openers after losing to MSU Moorhead this season.
•SMSU's last season-opening victory came on Sept. 1, 2016, 42-38, versus No. 19 Minnesota Duluth in Marshall.
•SMSU is 3-8 in season openers under head coach Cory Sauter.
•SMSU has lost its last four home openers with the last victory coming on Sept. 1, 2016, versus Minnesota Duluth.

MUSTANG HISTORY
•The 2021 season is the 53rd year of college football at SMSU dating to 1968.
•SMSU owns an all-time record of 203-336-5, including 141-242-5 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 fifth season as head coach with a record of 27-13.  
•USF is coming off a dramatic 28-26 victory over Augustana last Saturday, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 2:53 remaining in the game.
•USF was limited to just five rushing yards in the game, but redshirt freshman quarterback Adam Mullen completed 26 of 36 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns.
•Junior running back Thuro Reisdorfer leads the Cougars in rushing at 527 yards with five touchdowns on 74 carries. He was injured in last Saturday's game and finished with just five carries.
•Redshirt freshman running back Jacqueze Lockett has amassed 195 yards and one touchdown.  
•Senior wide receiver Dominic Pegley has caught 29 passes for 371 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
•Sophomore linebacker Cody Jantzen has racked up a team-high 24 tackles with three for loss.
•Senior defensive lineman Joey Wehrkamp has recorded seven tackles with for loss and three sacks.