THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University football team (1-4, 1-3 NSIC) returns to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action this Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. kickoff versus Augustana University (5-0, 4-0 NSIC) at Kirkeby-Over Stadium in Sioux Falls, S.D.
•SMSU, which is looking to snap a four-game losing skid since winning the season opener at Minot State, will be playing its third undefeated team of the season.
•Three of SMSU's losses have came against Division II opponents with a combined record of 13-2, while its other loss was last week to FCS opponent, Valparaiso.
•Augustana, which has won eight straight over SMSU and 23 of the last 24 meetings, is 5-0 on the season and is one spot out of this week's AFCA Top 25 poll.   
•A preview of Augustana is located on page 4.

BROADCAST INFO
•Saturday's game will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL with 11th-year SMSU play-by-play voice Ryan Rohlik.
•Live stats, radio broadcast and video can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

SMSU vs. Augustana Series Notes
Southwest Minnesota State and Augustana meet for the 27th time on Saturday with Augustana holding a 23-3 advantage in a series that started on Sept. 8, 1990 ... Augustana has won eight straight and 23 of the last 24 games since 1995 ... SMSU's win in 2013 snapped a 15-game losing streak in the series ... SMSU won the first two games of the series in 1990 and 1991 ... Augustana is 11-2 all-time in Sioux Falls with SMSU winning in 1991 and 2013 ... SMSU has been shutout the past two games and has been held to nine or less points in 13 of the 27 games, while Augustana has scored at least 25 points in 23 of the 26 meetings.     
 
The Last Time - SMSU vs. Augustana
Augustana limited Southwest Minnesota State to a season-low 140 yards of offense and racked up seven sacks in earning a 49-0 victory in the 2022 regular season finale in Marshall. Augustana closed the game with 400 yards of offense including 172 on the ground and finished with 17 first downs. SMSU was limited to a season-low 10 first downs and amassed just 53 rushing yards. Jesse Sherwood, in his final game for the Mustangs, rushed for a game-high 95 yards on 25 carries. SMSU's Marcus Martin completed 10 of 26 passes for 87 yards and was intercepted three times. Eric Lira caught a team-high four passes for 36 yards, while Peter Osman, Albert Lemon and Sherwood all finished with two receptions. Onte Burns had another big game to pace the Mustang defense with a game-high 13 tackles, including eight solo stops. Josiah Hedensten added nine tackles for the Mustangs. Casey Bauman led the Augustana offense passing for 228 yards and three touchdowns while completing 14 of 22 passes with one interception. He also rushed for 84 yards on nine carries. Devon Jones caught a game-high five passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns.

SMSU vs. Augustana Series Information
Overall:    Augustana leads 23-3
In Marshall:    Augustana leads 12-1
In Sioux Falls:    Augustana leads 11-2
Last SMSU win:    Nov. 16, 2013 (34-24)
Last AU win:    Nov. 12, 2022 (49-0)
Largest win for SMSU:    18 (28-10, 1991)
Largest win for AU:    70 (70-0, 2001)
Longest win streak for AU:    2 (1990-91)
Longest win streak for AU:    15 (1995-2011)
Current win streak:    Augustana, 8
Underwood vs. Augustana:    2-6
Olszewski vs. SMSU:    8-1

OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•SMSU's six sacks in last week's loss at Valparaiso was its highest total in a game since the 2018 season.  
•Junior defensive lineman Mark Person recorded SMSU's first safety since the 2014 season with a quarterback sack last week.
•Sophomore cornerback Jalani Jefferson returned an interception 17 yards for a touchdown in last week's loss. It was SMSU's first pick-six since Hunter Bohannon on Sept. 25, 2021, at Concordia-St. Paul.
•Junior running back Donald Austin, who ranks 37th in Division II with 81.4 rushing yards per game, reached the career 1,000-yard rushing mark two weeks ago versus Minnesota Duluth. He has amassed 1,057 yards, ranking 19th in team history, on 213 carries. Austin recorded his fourth career 100-yard rushing game three weeks ago with 115 yards on 24 carries at Wayne State.
•Redshirt freshman punter Mason Carver averaged 35 yards per punt with four inside the 20-yard line last week at Valparaiso. He booted a career-best 51-yard punt three week's ago at Wayne State.
•Junior linebacker K'Mari Watson recorded his first career interception in last week's loss to Valpo.
•Junior Tate Gaul blocked and recovered a Wayne State punt two weeks ago for a touchdown. It's the first blocked punt for a touchdown for the Mustangs since 2019 when Chris Bain blocked a punt and Nathan Hill recovered in a loss to Augustana.  
•For the season, Austin has rushed for a team-high 407 yards and one touchdown on 97 carries. He also has seven receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown.
•Martin has completed 72 of 134 pass attempts for 952 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions.
•Senior wide receiver Peter Osman has caught a team-high 20 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Junior wide out Rashaan Palmer has nine receptions for 226 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore Eric Lira has 14 receptions for 133 yards in four games played.
•Sophomore linebacker Josiah Hedensten leads the club with 36 tackles, three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss with sophomore linebacker Gideon Ervasti recording 26 tackles, including 3.5 for loss. Junior linebacker Thomas Mergen also has 26 tackles with 2.5 for loss
•SMSU is 'minus-9' in turnover margin this season and has been 'plus' in one of five games this season.

SMSU HEAD COACH SCOTT UNDERWOOD
•Scott Underwood is in his second season as SMSU head coach with a record of 5-11. He was named the program's 11th head coach on Jan. 7, 2022.
•Underwood was the first SMSU head coach in team history (11 head coaches) to begin his SMSU coaching career with a 4-1 record.
•Underwood compiled an overall record of 86-61 in 12 seasons as head coach at St. Cloud State (2008-19).
•SCSU recorded 10 winning seasons with three NCAA playoff appearances during his tenure. SCSU won seven or more games seven times, including a school record 12 victories in 2013.
•SCSU made NCAA playoff appearances in 2010, 2011 and 2013 and won a share of both the NSIC North Division and NSIC overall championship in 2011.
•He was also an assistant coach at SCSU (2001-07), North Dakota (1997-2000), Sioux Falls (1993-96) and Augustana (1988-92).
•A complete bio on Underwood can be found on page 19.

SMSU LAST TIME OUT
•Valparaiso rallied from an early 15-0 deficit by scoring the game's final 16 points to earn a 16-15 victory over Southwest Minnesota State last Saturday in Valparaiso, Ind.  
•Valpo, an FCS member of the Pioneer Football League, scored the game-winning touchdown with 5:14 left in the fourth quarter on a 35-yard touchdown run by quarterback Michael Appel.
•SMSU was outstanding on defense, limiting Valpo to 179 yards of offense on 58 plays with 11 first downs, while converting just 3 of 15 third-down conversions. •SMSU finished the game with six sacks, its highest output since 2018 and also recorded a safety and an interception return for a touchdown.
•The SMSU offense was limited to 11 first downs and 243 yards of offense.
•Donald Austin rushed for a game-high 57 yards on 19 carries for SMSU, while Marcus Martin finished with a career-high 35 yards on the ground despite three sacks.
•Peter Osman caught a team-high three passes for 30 yards.
•SMSU's lone offensive touchdown in the game occurred in the first quarter with Martin connecting on a 65-yard touchdown pass to Rashaan Palmer.
•Cornerback Jalani Jefferson also scored for the Mustangs by returning an interception 16 yards to help SMSU build a  15-0 lead early in the second quarter.
•SMSU scored its first two points on a Mark Person sack in the end zone.
•Gideon Ervasti amassed a team-high nine tackles for the Mustang defense with Josiah Hedensten adding eight tackles and two sacks.

BOHANNON EARNS NSIC WEEKLY HONOR
•Junior safety Hunter Bohannon was named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5 following his performance in SMSU's 28-23 season opening victory at Minot State on Aug. 31.
•Bohannon forced two fumbles, recovering one, recorded three solo tackles and one pass break-up.
•It's the second time Bohannon has earned the award in his career. He also earned the award on Sept. 27, 2021.  

MUSTANGS WITH FIRST NON-LEAGUE GAME SINCE
•With the departure of Upper Iowa University to the Great Lakes Valley Conference, SMSU had its first regular season non-conference game since the 2011 season on Sept. 29 suffering a 16-15 loss at FCS foe Valparaiso.  
•The game was SMSU's first versus an FCS opponent since losing at Northern Iowa in the final game of the 1999 season. SMSU also played at Illinois State in 1992 and twice at Weber State in 1983 and 1989.
•SMSU's last non-conference game prior to Valpo was the 2013 Mineral Water Bowl versus Pittsburg State, while the last regular season non-conference game occurred in the 2011 season opener at Northern State.

THE 2023 SMSU ROSTER
•The SMSU roster (as of Oct. 3) features eight seniors, 19 juniors, 28 sophomores, 11 redshirt freshmen and 42 freshmen.

TEAM CAPTAINS FOR 2023
•Four players serve as team captains for the 2023 season with seniors Cam Irvin and Peter Osman and junior Donald Austin and Thomas Mergen selected by the Mustang players.

SMSU / AUGIE IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•The following is where SMSU and AUGIE rank in the latest NCAA Division II statistics.
•A full listing of SMSU in the NCAA statistics can be found on pages 17-18.
             (161 teams ranked)     SMSU     AUGIE
             Scoring Offense    151st     36th
             Rushing Offense    138th      80th
             Passing Offense    92nd     28th
             Total Offense    126th     44th
             Scoring Defense    120th     23rd
             Rushing Defense    98th     41st
             Pass Defense    84th     93rd
             Pass Efficiency Defense    88th     65th
             Total Defense    89th     58th
             Net Punting     129th     18th
             Punt Returns     48th     7th
             Kickoff Returns     138th     7th
             Turnover Margin     153rd     79th
             Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm.     44th     53rd   
             Time of Possession     37th     41st
             3rd Down Conversions     65th    13th
             3rd Down Conv. Defense    124th     91st

TURNOVERS MARGIN BY THE NUMBERS
•SMSU is 'minus-9' in turnover margin this season after finishing the 2022 season 'minus-1' in turnover margin.
•SMSU did not force a turnover in three straight games, but had two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown at Valparaiso in week five.  
•SMSU forced at least one turnover in each game and two or more in six games last season.

GET IN THE 'ZONE'
•SMSU is 3 of 8 inside the 'red zone' this season with two touchdowns and one field goal
•SMSU opponents are 21 of 23 inside the 'red zone' with 13 touchdowns and eight field goals.
•The following is SMSU in the 'red zone' since the 2010 season.
    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    20 of 29 (69.0)    16    4
    2022    20 of 33 (60.6)    17    3
    2023    3 of 8 (37.5)    2    1

BIG PLAY MUSTANGS
•SMSU has recorded 16 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards with 14 coming from the offense (1 run, 13 pass).
•Marcus Martin's 65-yard touchdown pass to Rashaan Palmer at Valparaiso is the longest play from scrimmage this season.
•Donald Austin's 37-yard touchdown run versus Minot State is the longest rush from scrimmage this season.
•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    42    6    8    18    10    1    2    3
    2022    51    14    14    23    13    0    1    0
    2023    16    6    1    13    1    1    0    0

2022 RUSHING ONE OF THE BEST IN TEAM HISTORY
•SMSU finished the 2022 season rushing for 1,901 yards ranking fourth in team single-season history.
•SMSU's 172.8 rushing yards per game also ranked fourth in team single-season history.

2023 NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish ninth overall in the annual 13-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•Senior wide receiver Peter Osman and junior linebacker Thomas Mergen were named 'Players to Watch'.

MUSTANGS AT HOME
•The 2023 season marks the 15th year that Mattke Field at The Schwan Regional Event Center has served as the home for SMSU football.
•SMSU is 31-49 all-time at the stadium, including 0-2 this season.
•New turf was installed at the stadium in the summer of 2022.
•SMSU lost 12 straight home games from late in the 2018 season through 2021. SMSU was winless at home in both 2019 and 2021 (2020 season was canceled).  
•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
•After recording its last winning road record in a season in 2015 (5-1), SMSU is 10-26 in road games since the 2016 season, including 1-2 this season.

SMSU VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
•SMSU is 1-29 versus Division II Top 25 teams all-time, including 0-2 this season following a week four home loss to No. 23 Minnesota Duluth.
•SMSU's lone victory versus a ranked team came in the 2016 season opener versus No. 19 Minnesota Duluth (42-38) in Marshall.

WORKING OVERTIME
•SMSU is 5-8 all-time in overtime games since the NCAA added overtime in 1998, including 1-0 last season after defeating Minot State, 27-20, on Sept. 24.
•SMSU is 1-3 in multi-overtime contests.
•SMSU's previous overtime home win came on Nov. 2, 2015, versus Winona State.
•The program's last multi-overtime game was a 34-31 double overtime loss at Minnesota State on Oct. 13, 2012.

SEASON OPENERS
•SMSU is 23-31 all-time in season openers after beginning the 2023 season with a victory at Minot State on Aug. 31. The win snapped a five-game losing skid in season opening games.

MUSTANG HISTORY
•The 2023 season is the 55th year of college football at SMSU (including the 2020 season that was canceled) dating to 1968.
•SMSU owns an all-time record of 208-353-5, including 146-258-5 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 AUGUSTANA
•Jerry Olszewski is in his 11th season as head coach and has a record of 68-39. He has a career record of 100-57 in 14 seasons as a head coach overall after spending three seasons as head coach at St. Olaf College.
•The Vikings are 5-0 overall, 4-0 NSIC, following last week's 49-29 victory over the University of Sioux Falls.
•Senior quarterback Casey Bauman tied the school record with six touchdowns passes and also ran for a touchdown in the victory and was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.
•Bauman has completed 96 of 143 passes for 1,291 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has also rushed for 151 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries.
•Senior running back Jarod Epperson has amassed a team-leading 287 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 57 attempts.
•Senior wide receiver Logan Uttecht leads the Vikings with 18 receptions for 241 yards and one touchdown.
•Junior wide receiver Canyon Bauer ranks tied for fourth on the team in receptions with 13, but has caught a team-high five touchdowns.  
•Senior Devon Jones has returned two punts for touchdowns this season, while sophomore Isaiah Huber has returned one kickoff for a touchdown. AU's kickoff returns rank seventh in the country while punt returns also rank seventh.
•Junior defensive back Peyton Buckley has racked up a team-high 34 tackles with two for loss and one interception. Junior linebacker Hayden Wallace has racked up 4.5 tackles for loss and one interception.