THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University football team (1-2, 1-2 NSIC) returns home to face undefeated and No. 23 ranked University of Minnesota Duluth (3-0, 2-0 NSIC) for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference match-up at Mattke Field at The Schwan Regional Event Center in Marshall with kickoff set for 1 p.m.
•SMSU has lost two straight games, including a 49-10 road loss to Wayne State last Saturday night. SMSU, which trailed 21-10 at halftime, committed four turnovers in the game, including committing two on its first two plays of the second half. Both turnovers resulted in touchdowns for WSC.
•UMD, which defeated SMSU in last season's lid-lifter in Duluth, is undefeated and moved into the AFCA Top 25 this week following last week's 42-34 home win over the University of Sioux Falls.
•A preview of UMD 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. UMD Series Notes
SMSU and UMD meet for the 37th time on Saturday with UMD leading 28-7-1 in a series that began on Oct. 16, 1976 ... SMSU has won only six games on the field of play ... SMSU was awarded a forfeit victory in Duluth during the 1986 season ... UMD leads the series 11-5 in games played in Marshall ... SMSU's last win in the series came in Marshall on Sept. 1, 2016, snapping an eight-game UMD winning streak in the series ... UMD has scored 31 or more points in the past 11 games ... UMD won the last meeting, 31-21, in Duluth in the 2022 season opener ... UMD has been ranked nationally or receiving votes in the last seven meetings.   
 
The Last Time - SMSU vs. UMD
SMSU opened the Scott Underwood era with a hard-fought 31-21 setback to UMD in the 2022 season opener. UMD snapped a 21-21 game with a 43-yard touchdown pass with 12 minutes and 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs, which were receiving votes in the preseason Top 25, sealed the victory with a field goal with just under four minutes remaining in the game. SMSU was led by Jesse Sherwood, who rushed for a game-high 156 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Mustang redshirt freshman quarterback Justus McComb, playing in his first career game, completed 9 of 18 passes for 161 yards and also rushed for one touchdown. Peter Osman caught four passes for 96 yards for the Mustangs. Onte Burns paced the way for the Mustang defense with a game-high 12 tackles.Thomas Mergen added nine tackles with Jalani Jefferson adding eight stops.UMD closed the game with 441 yards of offense with 22 first downs, while SMSU amassed 306 yards and 16 first downs. UMD's Wade Sullivan rushed for 121 yards on 26 carries, while Logan Graetz completed 16 of 24 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns.

SMSU vs. UMD Series Information
Overall:    UMD leads 28-7-1*
In Marshall:    UMD leads 11-5
In Duluth:    UMD leads 16-2-1*
Neutral:    UMD leads 1-0
Last SMSU win:     Sept. 1, 2016 (42-38)
Last UMD win:    Sept. 1, 2022 (31-21)
Largest win for SMSU:    36 (43-7, 1987)
Largest win for UMD:    70 (70-0, 1976)
Longest win streak for SMSU:    2 (1986-87)
Longest win streak for UMD:     10 (1976-85)
Current win streak:    UMD, 2
Underwood vs. UMD:    2-12
Wiese vs. SMSU:    3-1
*includes SMSU forfeit victory in 1986

SMSU VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
•SMSU is 1-28 versus Division II Top 25 teams all-time, including 0-1 this season following a week two home loss to No. 10/11 Bemidji State.
•SMSU's lone victory versus a ranked team came in the 2016 season opener versus No. 19 Minnesota Duluth (42-38) in Marshall.

OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•Junior Tate Gaul blocked and recovered a Wayne State punt last week for a touchdown to give SMSU an early 7-0 advantage. It's the first blocked punt for a touchdown for SMSU since the 2019 when Chris Bain blocked a punt and Nathan Hill recovered in a loss to Augustana.  
•Redshirt freshman cornerback Amarion Meshack registered a career-high five tackles versus Wayne State.
•Junior running back Donald Austin recorded his fourth career 100-yard rushing game last week with 115 yards on 24 carries. Austin ranks 18th in Division II with 101.7 rushing yards per game.
•Redshirt freshman punter Mason Carver booted a career-best 51-yard punt in last week's loss.
•Redshirt freshman quarterback Tomele Staples completed 3 of 4 passes for 38 yards in relief of Marcus Martin.
•Redshirt freshman running back Treay Taylor recorded a pair of receptions for 28 yards and also rushed for nine yards on six carries.
•Junior kicker Carter Dicker booted his first field goal of the season (31 yards) in the loss on Saturday night.
•Sophomore right guard Brock Ward made his first career start last week, but had to leave the game in the first half with an injury.
•SMSU is 'minus-6' in turnover margin this season and has not forced a turnover since week one.
•Sophomore quarterback Marcus Martin finished with career-highs in both completions (27) and attempts (42) in the loss to Bemidji State in week two.

SMSU HEAD COACH SCOTT UNDERWOOD
•Scott Underwood is in his second season as SMSU head coach with a record of 5-9. 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
•Wayne State forced four Southwest Minnesota State turnovers, while WSC quarterback Nick Bohn threw for a career-high 356 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for two scores, to pace the Wildcats to a 49-10 victory last Saturday night in Wayne, Neb.
•WSC finished the night with 497 yards of offense on 56 plays, while SMSU ran 67 plays and closed with 290 yards.
•Donald Austin rushed for a game-high 115 yards on 24 carries for the Mustangs, recording his fourth career 100-yard rushing game.
•Marcus Martin completed 10 of 22 pass attempts for 124 yards and three interceptions for the Mustangs.
•Eric Lira caught a team-high four passes for 61 yards to pace the SMSU receivers.
•The SMSU special teams came through with the game's first big play as Tate Gaul blocked a WSC punt and recovered the ball in the end zone for the first touchdown of the game.
•Amarion Meshack, Hunter Bohannon, Diego Maldonado and Gaul each finished with five tackles.

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 victory at Minot State on Aug. 31.
•Bohannon forced two fumbles, recovering one, recorded three solo tackles and one pass break-up in the Mustangs' come-from-behind win.
•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 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 Sept. 18) 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 / UMD IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•The following is where SMSU and UMD rank in the latest NCAA statistics.
•A full listing of SMSU in the NCAA statistics can be found on pages 17-18.
         (163 teams ranked)     SMSU     UMD
             Scoring Offense    128th     13th
             Rushing Offense    100th      4th
             Passing Offense    74th     118th
             Total Offense    92nd     19th
             Scoring Defense    133rd     58th
             Rushing Defense    98th     79th
             Pass Defense    139th     66th
             Pass Efficiency Defense    120th     49th
             Total Defense    135th     64th
             Net Punting     86th     5th
             Punt Returns     29th     109th
             Kickoff Returns     128th     89th
             Turnover Margin     147th     55th
             Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm.     43rd     28th   
             Time of Possession     4th     102nd
             3rd Down Conversions     30th    2nd
             3rd Down Conv. Defense    157th     137th

TURNOVERS MARGIN BY THE NUMBERS
•SMSU is 'minus-6' in turnover margin this season after finishing the 2022 season 'minus-1' in turnover margin.
•SMSU forced at least one turnover in each game in 2022 and two or more in six games.

GET IN THE 'ZONE'
•SMSU is 3 of 7 inside the 'red zone' this season with two touchdowns and one field goal
•SMSU opponents are 14 of 15 inside the 'red zone' with 11 touchdowns and three 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 7 (42.9)    2    1

BIG PLAY MUSTANGS
•SMSU has recorded 13 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards in 2023 with 11 coming from the offense (1 run, 10 pass).
•Marcus Martin's 44-yard touchdown pass to Rashaan Palmer versus Minot State 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    13    5    1    10    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 31-48 all-time at the stadium, including 0-1 in 2023.
•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 10-25 in road games since the 2016 season, including 1-1 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 208-351-5, including 146-257-5 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 MINNESOTA DULUTH
•Curt Wiese is in his 11th season as head coach (2020 season was canceled) and has a record of 91-21 with five NCAA playoff appearances. He was head coach at Marietta College (Ohio) from 2006-07 prior to becoming an assistant coach at UMD in 2008. He recorded his 100th career coaching win last week and is 100-32 all-time.
•UMD is coming off 42-34 home victory over Sioux Falls last Saturday afternoon racking up 550 yards of offense, including 280 on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Kyle Walljasper rushed for 136 yards and four touchdowns, while completing 17 of 23 passes for 270 yards and one interception.
•Senior wide receiver Sam Pitz caught a game-high eight passes for 133 yards in the victory. Pitz has a team-leading 13 receptions on the season for 191 yards and three touchdowns.
•Walljasper leads the squad in rushing yards with 395 and eight touchdowns on 38 attempts.
•Senior running back Chamere Thomas has amassed 98 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries.
•Senior safety Marcus Glodowski has racked up a team-high 19 tackles with one for loss.
•Junior linebacker Mac Strand has recorded 17 tackles with one for loss.