THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University football team (1-8, 1-7 NSIC) will look to snap an eight-game losing streak this Saturday with a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference match-up at the University of Mary (1-8, 1-7 NSIC) in Bismarck, N.D. Game time is set for 12 p.m. at the MDU Resources Community Bowl.
•SMSU, which is 1-4 in road games this season, will be playing its final road game of the season on Saturday. It will be the second straight season SMSU has played at UMary. The Mustangs earned a 31-28 victory last season over the Marauders.
•UMary, under first year head coach Shann Schillinger, earned its first victory of the season last Saturday with a 27-23 home win over Minot State. The Marauders used a 53-yard touchdown run and a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown to help fuel the victory. Saturday will be UMary's third straight home game.
•A preview of UMary 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 WITH STRONG SCHEDULE
•SMSU's schedule this season ranks 27th in Division II and second among all NSIC schools through nine weeks. SMSU opponents through nine weeks have a combined record (not including the game versus SMSU) of 40-30, which includes a road game at FCS Valparaiso. SMSU's Division II opponents this season have a combined record of 40-22.

SMSU vs. UMary Series Notes
Southwest Minnesota State and UMary meet for the 12th time on Saturday with UMary holding a 6-5 advantage in a series that started on Sept. 4, 1999 ... SMSU leads 3-2 all-time in games played in Bismarck, including winning 31-28 last season ... SMSU has won three of the last four games since 2016 ... UMary won the first three games in the series in 1999, 2006 and 2007.
 
The Last Time - SMSU vs. UMary
Jesse Sherwood rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries to help pace SMSU to a thrilling 31-28 victory over UMary on Sept. 22, 2022, at the MDU Resources Community Bowl. The Mustangs closed the game rushing for 301 yards and racked up 476 yards of total offense. It is the first time since the 2017 season the Mustangs have rushed for more than 300 yards in a game. SMSU quarterback Justus McComb completed 16 of 30 pass attempts for 174 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for 51 yards. Onte Burns, who amassed 12 stops, including one for loss, led the Mustang defense. Alan Giron added five tackles and earned the team's first interception of the season to help set up a scoring drive. UMary finished the game with 392 yards of offense with Logan Nelson passing for 307 yards and three touchdowns. All-American wide receiver Danny Kittner caught nine passes for 152 yards to pace the Marauders. SMSU's Carter Dicker booted a huge career-long 42-yard field goal with 4:59 left in the game to make the score 31-21 and help seal the victory.

SMSU vs. UMary Series Information
Overall:    UMARY leads 6-5
In Marshall:    UMARY leads 4-2
In Bismarck:    SMSU leads 3-2
Last SMSU win:    Sept. 17, 2022 (31-28)
Last UMARY win:    Sept. 18, 2021 (45-23)
Largest win for SMSU:    30 (54-24, 2018)
Largest win for UMARY:    19 (43-24, 2012)
Longest win streak for SMSU:    2 (2010-11)
Longest win streak for UMARY:    3 (1999-2007)
Current win streak:    SMSU, 1
Underwood vs. UMARY:    13-0
Schillinger  vs. SMSU:    0-0

OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•After failing to record a sack in the first three games, SMSU has rebounded to register 16 sacks in the last six games.
•Sophomore cornerback Jalani Jefferson was credited with five pass break-ups and four tackles in last week's loss at Minnesota State.
•True freshman DaNari Connors opened last week's game with a 29-yard kickoff return which is the longest return for SMSU this season.
•Sophomore wide receiver Eric Lira caught a career-high nine passes for 87 yards, while senior Peter Osman caught six passes for a season-high tying 96 yards in last week's game at Minnesota State.
•Junior running back Donald Austin, who ranks 65th in Division II and seventh in the NSIC (overall games) with 71 rushing yards per game, reached the career 1,000-yard rushing mark earlier this season. He has amassed 1,293 yards, ranking 16th in team history, on 274 carries.
•For the season, Austin has rushed for a team-high 643 yards and four touchdowns on 158 carries. He also has 13 receptions for 124 yards and one touchdown.
•Sophomore quarterback Marcus Martin has completed 146 of 266 pass attempts for 1,795 yards with eight touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He passes for a season-high 277 yards on a season-high 45 attempts last week at Minnesota State.
•Osman has caught a team-high 39 passes for 491 yards and two touchdowns. Lira has 33 receptions for 362 yards and one touchdown, while junior wide out Rashaan Palmer has 11 receptions for 238 yards and two touchdowns.
•Sophomore linebacker Josiah Hedensten leads the club with 71 tackles along with three sacks and six tackles for loss. He ranks third in the NSIC (overall games) in tackles per game and 38th in Division II with eight tackles per game.
•Junior linebacker Thomas Mergen ranks second with 53 tackles with six for loss and two sacks. Sophomore linebacker Gideon Ervasti has recorded 52 tackles, including six for loss. Sophomore Jalani Jefferson has 47 tackles with two interceptions and a team-high seven pass break-ups.
•Sophomore defensive end Avery Johnson registered three sacks and had four tackles for loss two weeks ago versus MSU Moorhead. He is the first SMSU player to record three sacks in a game since Jason Jacobs during the 1998 season. Johnson leads the team with 9.5 tackles for loss and is also the team leader with five sacks.

DEFENSIVE AND SPECIAL TEAM NUGGETS
•Sophomore Jalani Jefferson picked-up a blocked MSU Moorhead PAT two weeks and raced the other way for a two-point defensive score. It's the program's first two-point defensive score since the 2004 season.
•Jefferson returned an interception 17 yards for a touchdown at Valpo. It was SMSU's first pick-six since Hunter Bohannon on Sept. 25, 2021, at Concordia-St. Paul.
•Junior Tate Gaul has blocked two punts this season, including one versus Northern State in week seven. He blocked and recovered a Wayne State punt in week three for a touchdown. It's the program's first blocked punt for a touchdown since 2019.  
•Junior defensive lineman Mark Person recorded SMSU's first safety since the 2014 season with a quarterback sack at Valpo.

SMSU HEAD COACH SCOTT UNDERWOOD
•Scott Underwood is in his second season as SMSU head coach with a record of 5-15. 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 20.

SMSU LAST TIME OUT
•Minnesota State, ranked No. 13 nationally, used a strong rushing attack and strong defense in the red zone to earn a 30-12 victory over SMSU last Saturday in Mankato.  
•SMSU closed the game with 353 yards of offense and 21 first downs with Marcus Martin completing 22 of 45 pass attempts for a season-high 277 yards. He also had SMSU's lone touchdown with a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter.
•The 21 first downs are the second highest total of the season for the Mustangs.
•Eric Lira caught a career-high nine passes for 87 yards for the Mustangs with teammate Peter Osman closing with six receptions for a game-high 96 yards. Colin Maher caught three passes for a career-high 48 yards.
•SMSU had pair of great scoring chances in the opening half with first-and-goal on two occasions, however the Mustangs had to settle for a pair of Carter Dicker field goals. The Mustangs ended the game 3 of 5 in the red-zone, while the Mavericks were a perfect 5 of 5 in the red-zone.
•Josiah Hedensten led the Mustang defense with a game-high 11 tackles with Tate Gaul, Gideon Ervasti and Thomas Mergen each recording six tackles. Jalani Jefferson also had a strong game with four tackles and five pass break-ups.

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.  

THE 2023 SMSU ROSTER
•The SMSU roster (as of Oct. 31) features nine seniors, 17 juniors, 28 sophomores, 11 redshirt freshmen and 41 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 / UMARY IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•The following is where SMSU and UMary rank in the latest NCAA Division II statistics.
•A full listing of SMSU in the NCAA statistics can be found on pages 18-19.
             (161 teams ranked)     SMSU     UMary
             Scoring Offense    153rd     137th
             Rushing Offense    148th      158th
             Passing Offense    79th     102nd
             Total Offense    128th     154th
             Scoring Defense    123rd     140th
             Rushing Defense    96th     150th
             Pass Defense    139th     102nd
             Pass Efficiency Defense    129th     144th
             Total Defense    136th     147th
             Net Punting     114th     78th
             Punt Returns     108th     35th
             Kickoff Returns     143rd     86th
             Turnover Margin     155th     68th
             Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm.     48th     20th   
             Time of Possession     52nd     69th
             3rd Down Conversions     84th    101st
             3rd Down Conv. Defense    103rd     140th

TURNOVERS MARGIN BY THE NUMBERS
•SMSU is 'minus-14' in turnover margin this season after finishing the 2022 season 'minus-1' in turnover margin.
•SMSU has forced a turnover in three of nine games this season. The Mustangs forced at least one turnover in each game and two or more in six games a season ago.

GET IN THE 'ZONE'
•SMSU is 10 of 19 inside the 'red zone' this season with seven touchdowns and three field goals.
•SMSU opponents are 35 of 40 inside the 'red zone' with 24 touchdowns and 11 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    10 of 19 (52.6)    7    3

BIG PLAY MUSTANGS
•SMSU has recorded 38 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards with 26 coming from the offense (2 run, 24 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    38    7    2    24    11    1    0    0

SMSU VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
•SMSU is 1-30 all-time versus Division II Top 25 teams, including 0-3 this season.
•SMSU's lone victory versus a ranked team came in the 2016 season opener versus No. 19 Minnesota Duluth (42-38) in Marshall.

SMSU WITH FIRST NON-LEAGUE GAME SINCE 2013
•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.

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 31-51 all-time at the stadium, including 0-4 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 10-28 in road games since the 2016 season, including 1-4 this season.

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 208-357-5, including 146-259-5 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 UMARY
•Shann Schillinger is in his first season as head coach at UMary. He played four seasons in the NFL (2010-13) with Atlanta and Tennessee. He has been an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska and the University of Montana.
•UMary earned its first victory of the season last Saturday building a 27-7 fourth quarter lead and holding on to defeat Minot State, 27-23.
•Redshirt freshman running back Jeremiah Moore leads the Marauders rushing attack with 241 yards and two touchdowns on 65 attempts. He did not have a rushing attempt last week.
•Junior running back Amir Bankhead rushed 11 times for a team-high 79 yards in the win last week which included a 53-yard touchdown run.
•Sophomore quarterback Sofian Massoud has thrown for 1,110 yards and eight  touchdowns with three interceptions. He completed 19 of 30 passes for 146 yards and one touchdown versus Minot State.
•Junior wide receiver Mujeeb Rufai has caught 54 passes for a team-high 505 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore wide out Traivon Dyson has added 32 receptions for 362 yards and a team-leading six touchdowns.
•Sophomore return man Jaxon Feller ranks eighth in Division II in combined kick returns with a combined 607 yards with 514 on kickoff returns.
•Junior defensive back Reginald Morrow has amassed a team-leading 46 tackles.
•Sophomore linebacker Mason Phillips has 38 tackles with a team-high 6.5 for loss and a team-high four sacks.