THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University football program (0-0, 0-0 NSIC) opens its 55th season on Thursday night traveling to Minot, N.D., to face Minot State University (0-0, 0-0 NSIC) at First Western Bank Field at Herb Parker Stadium with kickoff slated for 6 p.m.
•Thursday's opener marks the second season for SMSU head coach Scott Underwood, who led SMSU to a 4-7 mark in 2022, recording the most victories for the program since the 2018 season. Underwood, the 11th head coach in program history, was named to the position on Jan. 7, 2022.
•The Mustangs have 42 returning letter winners, including seven starters on offense, eight starters on defense and its punter/kicker from the 2022 team. The 2022 roster features eight seniors, 19 juniors, 28 sophomores, 11 redshirt freshmen and 42 freshmen.
•Minot State, which finished 1-10 last season, has a new head coach with Ian Shields taking over in January. Most recently an assistant coach at UNLV for the last three seasons, Shields spent four years as the head coach at Division I FCS program Jacksonville University (Fla.), two years as the head coach at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.), and two seasons as head coach at NAIA Eastern Oregon University.
•A preview of MSU is located on page 3.

BROADCAST INFO
•Thursday'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.

FOR OPENERS
•SMSU is 22-31 all-time in season openers after losing at Minnesota Duluth in 2022. SMSU has lost its last five season lid-lifters.
•SMSU's last season-opening victory came on Sept. 1, 2016, versus No. 19 Minnesota Duluth (42-38) in Marshall.
•The last time SMSU opened a season with a road victory came at Minot State on Sept. 3, 2015.  
•SMSU has lost its last four home openers with the last victory coming on Sept. 1, 2016, versus Minnesota Duluth.  SMSU opens the 2023 home season on Sept. 9, versus nationally-ranked Bemidji State.

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 207-349-5, including 145-255-5 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.

SMSU HEAD COACH SCOTT UNDERWOOD
•Scott Underwood is in his second season as SMSU head coach with a record of 4-7. 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.

2022 SMSU 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.

MUSTANGS WITH FIRST NON-LEAGUE GAME SINCE
•With the departure of Upper Iowa University to the Great Lakes Valley Conference, SMSU will have its first regular season non-conference game since the 2011 season when SMSU plays at FCS foe Valparaiso on Sept. 30.  
•This will be SMSU's first game 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 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 Aug. 28) 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.

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'.

OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•For the first time since 2007, the NSIC will not have a divisional format in football. Each team will play 10 NSIC games with five at home and five on the road.
•Sophomore quarterback Marcus Martin, who last season became the first true freshman to start for SMSU since Rob Fagnan on Nov. 11, 2000, started four games a season ago. Martin closed the season completing 56 of 111 pass attempts for 697 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions. He completed 26 of 39 passes for 371 yards and three touchdowns in a week 10 loss at Minnesota State. He was the first Mustang to pass for more than 300 yards in a game since Boyer Bouman in the 2019 season finale.
•Senior wide receiver Peter Osman caught a team-high 30 passes for 467 yards and two touchdowns last season. Osman set career-highs in both receptions (8) and yards (134) at Minnesota State in week 10. Osman was the first SMSU player to record a 100-yard receiving game since Daniel Davis in the final game of the 2019 season.
•Sophomore wide receiver Eric Lira caught a career-high eight passes for a career-high 87 yards at Minnesota State in week 10 last season.
•Junior running back Donald Austin rushed for 565 yards and one touchdown on 100 carries last season. He amassed a career-high 217 yards rushing and a touchdown at Sioux Falls last season.
•Sophomore linebacker Josiah Hedensten finished second on the team with 81 tackles last season including six for loss.
•Junior linebacker Thomas Mergen ranked third on the squad in 2022 with 72 tackles with 6.5 for loss.
•Senior cornerback Marquise Ogletree led the team with three interceptions last season.
•The SMSU defense forced at least one turnover in each game last season.
•SMSU's four-game winning streak last season was its longest since starting the 2015 season 4-0.
•Junior kicker/punter Carter Dicker returns after recording a 36.7-yard punt average with 12 inside the opponents' 20-yard line. He also made 26 of 28 PATs and connected on 4 of 9 field goal attempts.

SMSU / MSU IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•The following is where SMSU and MSU ranked in last season's final NCAA statistics.
•A full listing of SMSU in the NCAA statistics can be found on pages 18-19.
         (163 teams ranked)     SMSU     MSU
             Scoring Offense    129th     151st
             Rushing Offense    47th      152nd
             Passing Offense    140th     135th
             Total Offense    116th     157th
             Scoring Defense    100th     138th
             Rushing Defense    110th     124th
             Pass Defense    90th     138th
             Pass Efficiency Defense    132nd     144th
             Total Defense    108th     136th
             Net Punting     153rd     92nd
             Punt Returns     140th     157th
             Kickoff Returns     124th     141st
             Turnover Margin     85th     29th
             Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm.     13th     1st   
             Time of Possession     42nd     77th
             3rd Down Conversions     104th    143rd
             3rd Down Conv. Defense    51st     156th

MUSTANGS IN THE 2022 NSIC/NCAA STATS
•Sophomore linebacker Josiah Hedensten ranked ninth in the NSIC and 108th in Division II in total tackles per game (7.4) last season.
•Junior linebacker Thomas Mergen finished the season  13th in the NSIC in tackles per game (6.5).
•Junior punter/kicker Carter Dicker averaged 36.7 yards per punt on 58 attempts last season ranking 79th in Division II.

TURNOVER MARGIN BY THE NUMBERS
•SMSU finished the 2022 season 'minus-1' in turnover margin.
•SMSU forced at least one turnover in each game and two or more in six games.

GET IN THE 'ZONE'
•SMSU finished last season 20 of 33 inside the 'red zone' with 17 touchdowns and three field goals.
•SMSU opponents were 30 of 35 inside the 'red zone' with 20 touchdowns and 10 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

BIG PLAY MUSTANGS
•SMSU recorded 51 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards in 2022 with 37 coming from the offense (14 run, 23 pass).
•Jesse Sherwood had the longest play from scrimmage last season with a 63-yard touchdown run versus Concordia-St. Paul.
•The longest pass play was a 50-yard connection from Marcus Martin to Peter Osman at Minnesota State.
•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

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 31-47 all-time at the stadium, including finishing 3-3 in 2022.
•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 9-24 in road games since the 2016 season, including finishing 1-4 last 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.

SMSU VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
•SMSU is 1-27 versus Division II Top 25 teams all-time, including 0-2 last season, following a loss to No. 17 Sioux Falls and No. 24 Minnesota State.
•SMSU's lone victory versus a ranked team came in the 2016 season opener versus No. 19 Minnesota Duluth (42-38) in Marshall.

SCOUTING MINOT STATE
•Ian Shields is in his first season as head coach after spending three seasons an assistant coach at UNLV. Shields spent four years as the head coach at Division I FCS program Jacksonville University (Fla.), two years as the head coach at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.), and two seasons as head coach at NAIA Eastern Oregon University.
•The Beavers finished 1-10 last season with its lone victory coming in week 10 versus UMary.
•Junior running back Evan Lovett returns after compiling 143 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 53 carries last season.
•Junior quarterback Dawson Macleary played 11 games last season and completed 170 of 325 passes for 1,700 yards with five touchdowns and 10 interception.
•Redshirt freshman quarterback Dondrae Fair is a transfer from Portland State and is listed on the two-deep roster.
•Junior wide receiver Erik Palmquist had a team-high 40 receptions last season for 370 yards and three touchdowns.
•Junior linebacker Carson Cayko led the Beavers' defense last season with a team-high 86 tackles, including a team-leading 10 for loss.