THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University football team (0-9, 0-8 NSIC) concludes its home season on Saturday morning with a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference battle versus Winona State University (4-5, 4-4 NSIC) with kickoff set for 11 a.m. at Mattke Field at The Schwan Regional Event Center.
•Saturday's match-up is a 'trophy game' as SMSU and WSU meet for the eighth annual 'Battle for the Sledge' presented by Game One and Adidas.
•SMSU was handed a 15-6 home loss to UMary last weekend, while WSU suffered a 42-38 home loss to Minnesota Duluth with UMD scoring the game-winning touchdown in the final minute of the game.
•SMSU will have its final game of the season on the road versus the University of Sioux Falls on Nov. 17.

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.

EIGHTH MEETING FOR THE 'BATTLE FOR THE SLEDGE'
•Saturday's game will be the eighth annual 'Battle for the Sledge', presented by Game One and Adidas. WSU has won the previous six games since SMSU won the first game after the traveling trophy was established in 2015.
•The trophy is a seven-foot tall sledgehammer. In addition to the sledge trophy, Game One will also be providing two MVP trophies awarded to a player on each team.
•Here is the history behind the naming of the trophy game, 'Battle for the Sledge': During the 2008 season, during warm-ups of the WSU/SMSU game on Oct. 4, a WSU player brought a sledgehammer to mid-field while SMSU players looked on. SMSU went on to earn a 35-28 victory over WSU, snapping the Warriors' seven-game winning streak in the series. Following the game, SMSU players ran over to the WSU sideline and grabbed the sledgehammer, celebrating the victory at midfield. With emotions running high for both teams, a WSU player went over to the SMSU sideline to get its sledgehammer back. SMSU eventually gave the sledgehammer back and a rivalry was born.

SENIOR DAY SET FOR SATURDAY
•Saturday will be 'Senior Day' as the SMSU program will honor its 13 seniors in a pregame ceremony: Joe Buelow, Octavis Cherry, Cade Eddington, Johnston Freeman, Tate Gaul, Alex Maxwell, Thomas Mergen, Daniel Obwaya, Marquise Ogletree, Keshaun Reynolds, Jason Samec, Carter Schmitz and Nathan Stearns.

SMSU vs. WSU Series Notes
Southwest Minnesota State and Winona State meet for the 53rd time on Saturday with WSU leading 32-20 ... the teams first met on Oct. 10, 1970 ... WSU leads 6-1 since the 'Battle for the Sledge' trophy game was started in 2015 ... WSU has won the last six games after SMSU won three straight from 2013-15 ... WSU leads 13-12 in games played in Marshall with WSU winning the previous three games ... the teams last played in 2022 with WSU winning in Marshall, 43-7 ... WSU has won 23 of the last 28 meetings since 1994 ... WSU has scored 30 or more points in 18 of the last 21 games ... SMSU won seven straight in the series from 1987-93 ... WSU won 13 of 14 games from 1994 to 2007.    
 
The Last Time - SMSU vs. WSU
Winona State used a punt return for a touchdown, a blocked punt for a touchdown and recorded a safety help score 43 unanswered point in a 43-7 victory over SMSU in Marshall on Oct. 15, 2022.
SMSU's Peter Osman, who caught a team-high five passes for 62 yards and a touchdown, was named SMSU's game MVP. SMSU true freshman quarterback Marcus Martin made his first career start, closing the game completing 11 of 28 pass attempts for 139 yards and one touchdown. Jesse Sherwood rushed for a game-high 78 yards on 20 attempts. Sam Santiago-Lloyd led the Warriors with 73 yards rushing and one touchdown on 18 attempts, while Ty Gavin added 62 yards on 12 carries. Kyle Haas completed 12 of 17 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown, while Trevor Paulsen finished 7 of 12 for 77 yards and one interception. Aarion Lacy returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown midway through the second quarter to snap a 7-7 game and turn the momentum on the Warriors' side. Lacy was named WSU's most valuable player for the game.

SMSU vs. WSU Series Information
Overall:    WSU leads 32-20
In Marshall:    WSU leads 13-12
In Winona:    WSU leads 19-8
Last SMSU win:    Nov. 14, 2015 (33-28)
Last WSU win:    Oct. 15, 2022 (43-7)
Largest win for SMSU:    33 (47-14, 1991)
Largest win for WSU:    56 (56-0, 1975)
Longest win streak for SMSU:    7 (1987-93)
Longest win streak for WSU:    7 (2001-07)
Current win streak:    WSU, 6
Underwood vs. WSU:    3-4
Bergstrom vs. SMSU:    1-0

SMSU HEAD COACH SCOTT UNDERWOOD
•Scott Underwood is in his third season as SMSU head coach with a record of 6-25. 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 92-76 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
•The University of Mary used a game-changing defensive touchdown late in the first half, while also adding a safety and two field goals to earn a 15-6 victory over SMSU last Saturday in Marshall.
•SMSU was in control of much of the first half, holding a 6-0 lead with just over five minutes left in the first half, before a fumble on fourth-and-one from the UMary 41-yard line was recovered by Maleik Bradford who returned it 60 yards for a touchdown to give UMary a 7-6 lead following the PAT.
•Wyatt Oak started at quarterback but left the game with an injury late in the first half. He finished the game completing 5 of 10 passes for 42 yards, while rushing for a team-high 40 yards on eight attempts.
•Kendon Krogman closed the game completing 5 of 9 passes for 53 yards, while adding 29 yards rushing on eight attempts.
•The SMSU offense finished with 224 yards and 12 first downs and was 8 of 15 on third-down conversions.
•UMary finished with 263 yards and 16 first downs with 110 of the yards coming in the fourth quarter. The Marauders were 2 of 9 on third-down conversions.
•Josiah Hedensten led SMSU with 12 tackles with one sack and the forced fumble. Gideon Ervasti collected eight tackles, while Avery Johnson and Thomas Mergen each added four tackles.

OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•SMSU converted a season-high 8 of 15 third-down conversions last week.
•Redshirt freshman safety Parker Knutson ranks fourth in the country in passes defended with 1.7 per game and leads SMSU with four interceptions.
•Junior linebacker Josiah Hedensten has a team-high 73 tackles with three sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. He ranks 43rd in Division II in tackles per game (8.2) and 38th in solo tackles (4.7).
•SMSU ranks 10th in Division II in fewest penalty yards per game (42.3).
•SMSU opponents have scored 10 defensive touchdowns this season.
•Junior wide receiver Jake Anderson caught a career-high five passes for 55 yards versus UMary.
•Junior running back Jacob Honstetter scored his first career touchdown in last week's game versus UMary.
•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 three week's ago at Northern State.
•Honstetter has rushed for a team-high 301 yards on 102 carries. He missed the MSU Moorhead 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 17 passes for 127 yards.
•Junior linebacker Gideon Ervasti has 54 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss.
•Senior linebacker Thomas Mergen has registered 43 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss.
•Junior defensive end Avery Johnson leads the club with 4.5 sacks.

THE 2024 SMSU ROSTER
•The SMSU roster (as of Nov. 4) features 13 seniors, 22 juniors, 10 sophomores, 24 redshirt freshmen and 35 freshmen.

SMSU / WSU IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•The following is where SMSU and WSU rank in the latest NCAA Division II statistics.
             (159 teams ranked)     SMSU     WSU
             Scoring Offense    159th     72nd
             Rushing Offense    142nd      54th
             Passing Offense    152nd     65th
             Total Offense    157th     60th
             Scoring Defense    144th     80th
             Rushing Defense    119th     105th
             Pass Defense    65th     37th
             Pass Efficiency Defense    142nd     80th
             Total Defense    104th     68th
             Net Punting     83rd     29th
             Punt Returns     114th     25th
             Kickoff Returns     55th     32nd
             Turnover Margin     159th     117th
             Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm.     10th     70th   
             Time of Possession     121st     31st
             3rd Down Conversions     155th    80th
             3rd Down Conv. Defense    107th     94th

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 to begin a season.
•Oak and redshirt freshman Kendon Krogman have both started four games this season, while true freshman Drew Kluender started versus Nebraska Kearney before suffering a season-ending injury.
•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-15' 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 5 of 11 (45.4) in the red zone this season with three touchdowns 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 28 of 34 in the red zone this season with 22 touchdowns and six 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    5 of 11 (45.4)    3    2

LONG PLAYS FOR THE MUSTANGS
•SMSU has recorded 41 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards with 19 coming from the offense (7 run, 12 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    41    4    7    12    17    1    4    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 32-56 all-time at the stadium, including 0-5 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.

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 209-367-5, including 147-268-5 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 WINONA STATE
•Brian Bergstrom is in his third season as head coach with a record of 17-15. WSU won a share of the NSIC South Division and qualified for the NCAA playoffs during his first season in 2022. He was an assistant coach at South Dakota State from 2017-21. He was also an assistant at Augustana and Gustavus.  
•WSU is coming off a 42-38 home loss to Minnesota Duluth last Saturday with UMD scoring the game-winning touchdown with 23 seconds remaining.
•UMD closed the game racking up 535 yards of offense, while WSU closed with 393 yards.
•Senior quarterback Cole Stenstrom completed 19 of 31 for 223 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. For the season he has completed 100 of 172 passes for 1,403 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions.
•Sophomore wide receiver Cayden Holcomb caught five passes for 107 yards versus UMD and has 23 receptions for 409 yards and three touchdowns.
•Senior wide receiver Sylvere Campbell has caught a team-leading 38 passes for 614 yards and five touchdowns.
•Junior running back Cair'ron Hendred has rushed for 505 yards on 92 carries this season.
•Sophomore linebacker Brent Jeske leads the club with 44 tackles, including 4.5 for loss.
•Senior linebacker Kyjuan Vengrowsky has a team-leading seven tackles for loss with 5.5 sacks.