MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State University released its 2021 football schedule on Wednesday, featuring 11 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games including five home games at Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center.
 
SMSU, which had the 2020 season canceled due to COVID-19, will open the season on Thursday, Sept. 2, hosting MSU Moorhead with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. SMSU will open the season playing four straight versus NSIC North Division teams.
 
In week two, SMSU will have its first road game of the season taking on Northern State on Sept. 11 with game time at 6 p.m.
 
SMSU returns home for its first home Saturday night game of the season facing UMary for the annual Ag Bowl on Sept. 18 with kickoff set for 6 p.m. SMSU is 5-8 all-time in Ag Bowl games.
 
Following road games versus Concordia-St. Paul on Sept. 25 and its NSIC South Division opening game versus Upper Iowa on Oct. 2, SMSU will face the University of Sioux Falls for Homecoming on Oct. 9 with game time at 5 p.m.
 
SMSU will be on the road on Oct. 16 at Winona State in the annual 'Battle for the Sledge' game, before hosting Wayne State on Oct. 23 in its final night game of the season starting at 5 p.m.
 
SMSU will play its final NSIC North Division foe on Oct. 30 at Bemidji State, before closing the home season on Nov. 6 versus Minnesota State starting at 1 p.m. The season will conclude on Nov. 13 at Augustana.  
 
Southwest Minnesota State, under the direction of 12^th year head coach Cory Sauter, finished 3-8 during the 2019 season.
 
2021 Opponent Notes:
MSU Moorhead: MSUM leads the all-time series 28-19 … MSUM won the previous meeting (23-14) on Oct. 26, 2019, in Marshall, snapping a seven-game winning streak for SMSU in the series from 2008-17 … SMSU is 12-11 all-time at home, including 3-1 at the Schwan Regional Event Center.
 
Northern State: NSU leads the all-time series 23-11-2 … this season's game will be the first-ever game at NSU's new Dacotah Bank Stadium … SMSU won the previous meeting (35-7) on Oct. 20, 2018, in Marshall … the teams last met in Aberdeen, S.D., on Sept. 10, 2016 … NSU is 13-3-1 all-time in Aberdeen … SMSU has won five of the last eight games in the series since 2008.  
 
UMary: UMary leads the all-time series 5-4 … SMSU has won the previous two games, including the last meeting (54-24) on Sept. 29, 2018, in Bismarck, N.D. … UMary last played in Marshall on Sept. 17, 2016 … SMSU is 2-3 all-time at home, including 2-1 at the Schwan Regional Event Center … SMSU is 5-8 all-time in Ag Bowl games.
 
Concordia-St. Paul: CSP leads the all-time series 13-10 … CSP has won the last three games, including the last meeting (24-14) on Nov. 9, 2019, in St. Paul, Minn. … SMSU's last win in the series was in Marshall on Oct. 29, 2016 … the series is tied 4-4 in games played at CSP.
 
Upper Iowa: SMSU leads the all-time series 13-3 … SMSU has won 11 of the last 12 games since the 2008 season … the teams last played on Sept. 28, 2019, in Fayette, Iowa, with SMSU winning 35-28 … UIU's only win since 2007 occurred on Oct. 28, 2017, in Fayette … SMSU is 7-1 at UIU.
 
Sioux Falls: USF leads the all-time series 9-3 … USF has won all eight meetings since joining the NSIC in 2012 … USF won the last meeting (51-7) on Sept. 21, 2019, in Marshall … SMSU's last win in the series was on Oct. 20, 1979, in Sioux Falls … SMSU is 1-5 at home, including 0-4 at the Schwan Regional Event Center.
 
Winona State: WSU leads the all-time series 30-20 … WSU has won the previous four games, including the last match-up, 41-13 in Marshall on Nov. 2, 2019 … WSU has won four of the five 'Battle for the Sledge' games since the trophy game was started in 2015 … SMSU is 8-18 all-time at WSU.
 
Wayne State: WSC leads the all-time series 23-8 … WSC has won the previous four games, which includes the last game in overtime, 19-13, played in Wayne, Neb., on Sept. 14, 2019 … WSU leads the series 12-3 since the 2005 season … SMSU has lost three straight to WSC in Marshall and is 4-12 all-time … WSU is 5-1 all-time at the Schwan Regional Event Center.
 
Bemidji State: BSU leads the all-time series 24-21-1 … BSU has won 15 of the last 16 meetings since 1998 … SMSU's lone victory in that span occurred on Sept. 12, 2015, in Marshall … SMSU's last win at BSU was on Sept. 27, 1997 … SMSU is 8-13-1 all-time at BSU.
 
Minnesota State: MSU leads the all-time series 18-0 … MSU won the last game played on Sept. 7, 2019, 38-23 in Marshall … MSU has scored 34 or more points in each of the 12 games played since MSU joined the NSIC in 2008 … SMSU is 0-8 at home, including 0-6 at the Schwan Regional Event Center.
 
Augustana: AU leads the all-time series 21-3 … AU has won the last six in the series, including 45-21 in the last match-up on Nov. 16, 2019, in Sioux Falls … SMSU won the first two games of the series in 1990 and 1991, but has won just once (2013) in the last 22 games … SMSU is 2-10 all-time at AU.