THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University football team (0-8, 0-7 NSIC), following two straight road games, returns home for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference match-up versus the University of Mary (1-7, 0-7 NSIC) on Saturday morning. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. at Mattke Field at The Schwan Regional Event Center.
•This week's game is the first of two straight home games that will kickoff at 11 a.m.
•SMSU suffered a 38-6 road loss to MSU Moorhead last Saturday afternoon, while UMary had a bye last week and previously played on Oct. 19, suffering a 30-0 home loss to Wayne State.
•UMary, which won its season opener on Aug. 29, versus Jamestown, 23-6, has lost seven straight.
•SMSU will have its final home game next Saturday versus Winona State in the 'Battle for the Sledge' game. It will also be Senior Day on Nov. 9.

BROADCAST INFO
•Saturday's game will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL with 12th-year SMSU play-by-play voice Ryan Rohlik.
•Live stats, radio broadcast and video can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

SMSU vs. UMARY Series Notes
Southwest Minnesota State and UMary meet for the 13th time on Saturday with UMary holding a 7-5 advantage in a series that started on Sept. 4, 1999 ... UMary won last season, 32-28, in Bismarck, N.D. ... UMary leads 4-2 all-time in games played in Marshall, including winning the last game at The Schwan Regional Event Center, 45-23, in 2021 ... SMSU has won three of the last five games since 2016 ... UMary won the first three games in the series in 1999, 2006 and 2007.     
 
The Last Time - SMSU vs. UMARY
UMary rallied with 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, including scoring the game-winning touchdown with 37 seconds remaining to earn stunning 32-28 victory over SMSU on Nov. 4, 2023. SMSU scored a season-high points and racked-up a season-high 410 yards on offense. The Mustangs led 28-17 with less than 10 minutes left in the game and had the ball at the UMary 25-yard line, but the Marauders stopped the drive with a sack on fourth down and moments later scored a touchdown and two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 28-25. SMSU would put together another solid drive and moved the ball to the UMary 11-yard line, but a blocked field goal attempt kept the UMary deficit at three points with just under three minutes remaining in the game and setting up the game-winning touchdown drive with back-up quarterback, Jesse Forknell, connecting with Mujeeb Rufai on the game-winning 6-yard touchdown pass. SMSU finished the game rushing for a 221 yards with a season-high 23 first downs. Josiah Hedensten had a team-high nine tackles for the Mustangs, including 1.5 for loss and recovered a fumble.

SMSU vs. UMARY Series Information
Overall:    UMARY leads 7-5
In Marshall:    UMARY leads 4-2
In Bismarck:    series tied 3-3
Last SMSU win:    Sept. 17, 2022 (31-28)
Last UMARY win:    Nov. 4, 2023 (32-28)
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:    UMARY, 1
Underwood vs. UMARY:    13-1
Schillinger  vs. SMSU:    1-0

SMSU HEAD COACH SCOTT UNDERWOOD
•Scott Underwood is in his third season as SMSU head coach with a record of 6-24. 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. SMSU's four victories in 2022 was its highest victory total since 2018.
•Underwood compiled a record of 86-51 in 12 seasons as head coach at St. Cloud State (2008-19) and is now 92-75 overall in 15 seasons as a head coach.
•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).

SMSU LAST TIME OUT
•MSU Moorhead forced three turnovers and recorded nine sacks in earning a 38-6 victory over SMSU last Saturday in Moorhead, Minn.
•SMSU closed the game with 241 yards of offense and 12 first downs, while MSUM finished the afternoon with 308 yards and 19 first down.
•SMSU starting quarterback Kendon Krogman played in the opening half and finished 4 for 10 passing for 81 yards and one interception. Wyatt Oak entered the game in the third quarter and completed 9 of 15 for 116 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
•Colin Maher led the Mustangs with three receptions for 91 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.
•DeNari Connors rushed for a team-high 20 yards on 12 attempts in his first career start.
•Amarion Meschack racked up a team-high six tackles for the Mustangs with teammates Gideon Ervasti, Josiah Hedensten, Tate Gaul, Parker Knutson and Malachi Kohls each closed with four tackles.
•Kellen Wright and Treverran Mack each had one sack, while Carter Schmitz and Jason Samec combined for one sack.

OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•Redshirt freshman safety Parker Knutson ranks first in the country in passes defended with 1.8 per game and leads SMSU with three interceptions.
•SMSU ranks fifth in Division II in fewest penalty yards per game (39.2).
•Sophomore cornerback Amarion Meschack tied a career-high with six tackles in last week's loss at MSU Moorhead.
•Redshirt freshman running back DaNari Connors made his first career start last week versus MSUM.
•Redshirt freshman wide receiver Stevie McMath had a career-long 38-yard reception last week at MSUM.
•Senior punt returner / cornerback Marquise Ogletree begins the week ranked 37th in Division II in punt return yardage (6.7 per return).  
•Sophomore punter Mason Carver booted a career-long 70-yard punt two week's ago at Northern State. He recorded three punts of 56 or more yards three weeks versus Wayne State with a pair of 56-yard punts downed at the 1-yard line.   
•Junior running back Jacob Honstetter has rushed for a team-high 266 yards on 84 carries. He missed last week's game with an injury.
•Junior wide receiver Colin Maher, who missed the UMD game with an injury, has 14 receptions for 263 yards and three touchdowns.
•Redshirt freshman Tryg Auten, who missed the Northern State game with an injury, has 13 receptions for 139 yards and one touchdown.
•Junior wide receiver Jake Anderson has caught 12 passes for 72 yards
•Junior linebacker Josiah Hedensten has a team-high 61 tackles with two sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. He ranks 70th in Division II in tackles per game (7.6).
•Junior linebacker Gideon Ervasti has 46 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss.
•Senior linebacker Thomas Mergen has registered 39 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss.
•Junior defensive end Avery Johnson leads the club with 4.5 sacks.

THE 2024 SMSU ROSTER
•The SMSU roster (as of Oct. 29) features 10 seniors, 25 juniors, 10 sophomores, 24 redshirt freshmen and 35 freshmen.

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 17-18.
             (159 teams ranked)     SMSU     UMARY
             Scoring Offense    159th     153rd
             Rushing Offense    144th      157th
             Passing Offense    152nd     117th
             Total Offense    159th     155th
             Scoring Defense    152nd     122nd
             Rushing Defense    126th     119th
             Pass Defense    72nd     88th
             Pass Efficiency Defense    147th     124th
             Total Defense    114th     119th
             Net Punting     81st     114th
             Punt Returns     107th     100th
             Kickoff Returns     62nd     93rd
             Turnover Margin     158th     46th
             Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm.     5th     35th   
             Time of Possession     130th     99th
             3rd Down Conversions     159th    145th
             3rd Down Conv. Defense    128th     149th

TEAM CAPTAINS FOR 2024
•Four players serve as team captains for the 2024 season with senior Thomas Mergen and juniors Avery Johnson, Colin Maher and Tyler Nebelung selected by the Mustang players.

NEW QUARTERBACKS IN 2024
•With sophomore Wyatt Oak starting at quarterback in the season opener, it marked the sixth straight season SMSU had a different quarterback starting week one.
•Oak has started three games this season with redshirt freshman Kendon Krogman starting four games, while true freshman Drew Kluender started versus Nebraska Kearney.
•Blake Gimbel was the last Mustang to start back-to-back season openers in 2017 and 2018.
•Steven Nava started the season in 2019, with Andrew Haidet in 2021, followed by Justus McComb in 2022 and Marcus Martin in 2023.

TURNOVERS MARGIN BY THE NUMBERS
•SMSU is 'minus-14' in turnover margin this season and has not been 'plus' in turnover margin in a game this season.
•SMSU finished 'minus-10' in turnover margin last season and was 'minus' in turnover margin in nine of 11 games.
•SMSU forced a turnover in five of 11 games in 2023 and twice (vs. MSU Moorhead and Sioux Falls) forced four turnovers.  

LOOKING FOR TIME IN THE 'ZONE'
•SMSU is 4 of 10 (40.0) in the red zone this season with two touchdown and two field goals. SMSU has failed to score six times in the red zone registering two interceptions, two fumbles, a missed field goal and a turnover on downs.
•SMSU closed the 2023 season 17 of 30 inside the 'red zone' with 14 touchdowns and three field goals.
•SMSU opponents are 26 of 30 in the red zone this season with 22 touchdowns and four 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    17 of 30 (56.6)    14    3
    2024    4 of 10 (40.0)    2    2

LONG PLAYS FOR THE MUSTANGS
•SMSU has recorded 37 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards with 18 coming from the offense (7 run, 11 pass).
•Wyatt Oak's 55-yard touchdown pass to Colin Maher  in week one versus Minot State is the longest pass play this season.
•Jacob Honstetter's 55-yard run versus Minot State is the longest rush from scrimmage this season.
•Tryg Auten's 52-yard return versus Concordia-St. Paul is the team's longest kick return 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    50    9    8    29    11    1    1    0
    2024    37    4    7    11    15    1    3    0

MUSTANGS WITH FIRST NON-LEAGUE HOME GAME
•With the departure of Upper Iowa University to the Great Lakes Valley Conference following the 2022 season, SMSU played a non-conference game for the second straight season and hosted its first non-league game since 2010.  
•SMSU's game versus Nebraska-Kearney in week five, a member of the MIAA, was SMSU's first home non-conference game since facing Northern State in 2010.
•In last season's lone non-league game, SMSU suffered a 16-15 loss at FCS foe, Valparaiso.

2024 NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish 11th overall in the annual 13-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•Junior offensive tackle Tyler Nebelung and junior linebacker Josiah Hedensten were named 'Players to Watch'.

MUSTANGS AT HOME
•The 2024 season marks the 16th year that Mattke Field at The Schwan Regional Event Center has served as the home for SMSU football.
•SMSU is 32-55 all-time at the stadium, including 0-4 this season.
•New turf was installed at the stadium in the summer of 2022.
•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
•Since the 2016 season, SMSU is 10-33 in road games, including 0-4 this season.
•SMSU's last season with a winning road record occurred in 2015 (5-1).

SMSU VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
•SMSU is 1-31 all-time versus Division II Top 25 teams, including 0-1 this season after losing at 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.

WORKING OVERTIME
•SMSU is 5-8 all-time in overtime games since the NCAA added overtime in 1998.
•SMSU's last overtime game occurred on Sept. 24, 2022, with a 27-20 home victory over Minot State.
•SMSU is 1-3 in multi-overtime contests.
•The program's last multi-overtime game was a 34-31 double overtime loss at Minnesota State on Oct. 13, 2012.

SEASON & HOME OPENER INFORMATION
•SMSU is 23-32 all-time in season openers after losing at home to Minot State this season. SMSU is 1-6 in its last seven home openers with the lone victory coming over Concordia-St. Paul in 2022.

MUSTANG HISTORY
•The 2024 season is the 56th year of college football at SMSU (including the 2020 season that was canceled) dating to 1968.
•SMSU owns an all-time record of 209-366-5, including 147-267-5 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 second season as head coach at UMary with a record of 3-16 . He played four seasons in the NFL (2010-13) with Atlanta and Tennessee. He was an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska and the University of Montana.
•UMary, which had a bye last week, has lost seven straight games after opening the season with a 23-6 home win over Jamestown on Aug. 29. UMary last played on Oct. 19, suffering a 30-0 home loss to Wayne State.  
•Sophomore running back Andrew Trandahl leads the Marauders rushing attack with 131 yards on 46 attempts. He also averages 23.3 yards per kick return, which includes an 89-yard return for a touchdown at Sioux Falls.  
•Junior quarterback Sofian Massoud has thrown for 1,041 yards and five touchdowns with seven interceptions, completing 122 of 190 passes.
•Senior quarterback Jordan Polo Solomon has played in four games and has completed 40 of 67 passes for 328 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions. He started versus Wayne State on Oct. 19 and completed 25 of 38 passes for 186 yards and two interceptions.  
•Senior wide receiver Mujeeb Rufai has caught a team-leading 39 passes for a team-high 418 yards and two touchdowns.
•Sophomore linebacker Christopher Federico has amassed a team-leading 66 tackles.
•Junior linebacker Mason Phillips has 35 tackles with a team-high seven for loss and a team-high 4.5 sacks.