THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University football team (1-3, 0-0 NSIC South) continues play on the road this Saturday, Oct. 2, with a 3 p.m. kickoff versus Upper Iowa University (0-4, 0-0 NSIC South) at Harms-Eischeied Stadium in Fayette, Iowa. The game is the first of six Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division games scheduled this season for the Mustangs.
•SMSU is coming off a 34-24 victory at Concordia-St. Paul last Saturday for its first victory of the season. The win snapped a seven-game losing streak dating back to Oct. 26, 2019.
•The Mustangs return home next Saturday, Oct. 9, for homecoming versus the University of Sioux Falls.  
•UIU, 0-4 on the season, including two losses at home, is coming off a hard-fought 33-28 road loss to MSU Moorhead last Saturday afternoon. UIU led 21-10 after three quarters before MSUM rallied in the final quarter.

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 vs. UIU Series Notes
Southwest Minnesota State and Upper Iowa meet for the 17th time on Saturday afternoon with SMSU leading 13-3 in a series that started on Sept. 18, 2004 ... nine of the 16 games have been decided by seven or less points ... SMSU has won 11 of the last 12 meetings since 2008 ... UIU's lone win since 2007 came in Fayette on Oct. 28, 2017 ... SMSU is 6-2 all-time in games played in Fayette ... SMSU leads the series 12-2 since UIU joined the NSIC in 2006 ... the two teams have played two overtime games with SMSU winning in both 2006 and 2010.
 
The Last Time - SMSU vs. UIU
Southwest Minnesota State rushed for a season-high 158 yards and four touchdowns to earn a 35-28 victory over Upper Iowa on Sept. 28, 2019, in Fayette. Max Simmons finished rushing for a team-high 83 yards and one touchdown on seven carries while Duce Reynolds added a pair of touchdowns and 61 yards on 13 attempts. Boyer Bouman, who missed the past two games with an injury, was back in the starting line-up at quarterback and completed 15 of 24 pass attempts for 136 yards and one interception. Daniel Davis finished the night with a team-high six receptions for 31 yards with teammate Luke Narveson adding three receptions for 32 yards. SMSU closed the night recording 15 first downs and 294 yards of total offense on 52 plays. The SMSU defense was led by Onte Burns who racked up 12 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown to give the Mustangs an early lead. Levon Bellemy rushed for a game-high 113 yards on 29 carries to pace the Peacocks offense. Myles Herrera passed for 233 yards and four touchdowns while completing 16 of 25 passes.

SMSU vs. UIU Series Information
Overall:    SMSU leads 13-3
In Marshall:    SMSU leads 7-1
In Fayette:    SMSU leads 6-2
Last SMSU win:    Sept. 28, 2019 (35-28)
Last UIU win:    Oct. 28, 2017 (31-20)
Largest win for SMSU:    28 (52-24, 2009)
Largest win for UIU:    12 (28-16, 2004 & 39-27, 2007)
Longest win streak for SMSU:    9 (2008-16)
Longest win streak for UIU:    1 (2004, 2007, 2017)
Current win streak:    SMSU, 2
Sauter vs. UIU:    9-1
Hoskins vs. SMSU:    0-0

SMSU HEAD COACH CORY SAUTER
•Cory Sauter is in his 12th season as head coach with an overall record of 44-71, including 43-69 in NSIC games.
•Sauter's 44 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 22.

BOHANNON EARNS NSIC WEEKLY AWARD
•True freshman safety Hunter Bohannon was named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday following his performance in SMSU's 34-24 road victory over Concordia-St. Paul last Saturday afternoon.
•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.

MUSTANG OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•Junior linebacker Onte Burns continues to be one of the most prolific linebackers in the NSIC and nationally as he leads the NSIC and ranks eighth in Division II with 46 tackles including 31 solo stops.  
•SMSU has rushed for more than 135 yards in each of its four games this season, including a season-high 241 in last week's victory 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.
•SMSU passed for just 70 yards in the victory last Saturday at CSP. It's the first time SMSU has passed for less than 100 yards since being held to 67 yards versus Winona State on Nov. 4, 2017.
•SMSU is 10 for 11 in the 'red zone' this season with seven touchdowns and three field goals.
•Junior running back Jesse Sherwood ranks first on team with 343 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 53 carries. He rushed for a career-high 178 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries in last week's victory. Sherwood is 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 33 of 71 passes for 403 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He also ranks second on the team in rushing with 208 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries.
•Sophomore running back Duce Reynolds has amassed 142 yards rushing and two scores on 46 carries.
•Junior wide receiver Albert Lemon is tied for the team lead six receptions for 105 yards. Reynolds also has six receptions for 32 yards, while Zeke Robinson has six receptions for 101 yards and one touchdown. The touchdown reception was the first for Robinson in his career.
•Freshman kicker Carter Dicker has booted three field goals this season, including a career-long 37-yarder in last week's victory at CSP.
•Senior linebacker Gage Roberson ranks second on the squad with 34 tackles including a team-leading four for loss.


SMSU FORCES FOUR TURNOVERS TO EARN WIN
•SMSU returned to the win column last Saturday, forcing four turnovers, while Jesse Sherwood rushed for 178 yards and a touchdown, to earn a 34-24 victory over Concordia-St. Paul
•Sherwood is the first SMSU player to rush for more than 150 yards since Max Simmons versus Upper Iowa in 2018. Duce Reynolds added 51 yards rushing and a touchdown to help the Mustangs close the game with 241 yards rushing.
•SMSU closed the game with 311 yards of offense with just 70 yards passing but amassed 217 of the total yards in the final 30 minutes.
•Andrew Haidet finished the game completing just 5 of 6 passes for 70 yards but completed a huge 53-yard touchdown pass to Zeke Robinson to help SMSU rally from a 17-10 halftime deficit.
•Onte Burns closed the game with eight tackles, while Gage Roberson added eight stops. Marshawn Reese finished with seven tackles with Anthony Sola chipping in with six stops.

SMSU IN NSIC SOUTH DIVISION PLAY
•Since the NSIC adapted divisional play prior to the 2008 season, SMSU is 24-56 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.  

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 and Ken Truitt  in week four.  

THE 2021 SMSU ROSTER
•The 2021 SMSU roster (as of Sept. 28) features 11 seniors, 19 juniors, 13 sophomores, 25 redshirt freshmen and 55 freshmen.

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.


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 / UIU IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•The following is where SMSU and UIU rank in the this week's NCAA statistics.
•A full listing of SMSU in the 2021 NCAA statistics can be found on pages 20-21.
         (162 teams ranked)     SMSU     UIU
             Scoring Offense    100th     129th
             Rushing Offense    45th      94th
             Passing Offense    141st     98th
             Total Offense    116th     109th
             Scoring Defense    120th     128th
             Rushing Defense    86th     20th
             Pass Defense    139th     162nd
             Pass Efficiency Defense    160th     156th
             Total Defense    121st     131st
             Net Punting     69th     138th
             Punt Returns     101st     144th
             Kickoff Returns     58th     55th
             Turnover Margin     140th     127th
             Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm.     68th     59th   
             Time of Possession     93rd     55th
             3rd Down Conversions     44th     121st
             3rd Down Conv. Defense    85th     97th

GET IN THE 'ZONE'
•SMSU is 10 for 11 in the 'red zone' with seven touchdowns and three field goals this season.
•SMSU opponents are 15 of 18 in the 'red zone' with 11 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    10 of 11 (90.9)    10    0







BIG PLAY MUSTANGS
•SMSU has recorded 22 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards in 2021 with 12 coming from the offense (5 run, 7 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    22    5    5    7    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-4' 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 (181 games), SMSU has been a 'plus' in turnover margin in just 59 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 one time in 2021).
•The Mustangs have been 'even' or 'minus' in turnover margin in 103 of their last 158 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 1-1 on the road in 2021 and are 7-17 in road games since the 2016 season.
•SMSU finished 3-3 in road games last season.
•SMSU is 21-34 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.

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 202-336-5, including 140-242-5 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 UPPER IOWA
•Jason Hoskins was named head coach at UIU following the 2019 season. He has been an assistant coach at UIU, Northern State, Southern Illinois, Minnesota Duluth, Loras and Rockford.
•UIU is coming off a 33-28 road loss to MSU Moorhead last Saturday. The Peacocks built a 21-10 advantage following three quarters of play, but the Dragons rallied with 23 straight points to earn the victory.
•Freshman quarterback Marcus Orr completed 23 of 32 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to MSUM. For the season, Orr is 52 of 84 for 508 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions.
•Sophomore running back Keontae Luckett rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns versus MSUM. For the season has 177 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries.
•Freshman running back Willy Camacho has a team-high 358 yards rushing on 71 carries.  
•Senior wide receiver DJ Emsweller has caught 13 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns on the season. He caught six passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns versus MSUM.
•Senior linebacker Brody Bazile has racked up a team-high 27 tackles with five for loss.
•Senior defensive lineman Erik Hanson has recorded 13.5 tackles with for loss and five sacks.