THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University football program (0-0, 0-0 NSIC) opens its 56th season on Saturday night hosting Minot State University (1-0, 0-0 NSIC) for the annual Ag Bowl, presented by Ralco. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. at Mattke Field at The Schwan Regional Event Center.  
•Saturday's opener marks the third season for SMSU head coach Scott Underwood, who led SMSU to a 4-7 mark in 2022, followed by a 2-9 season in 2023. Underwood, the 11th head coach in program history, was named to the position on Jan. 7, 2022.
•The Mustangs have 33 returning letter winners, including three starters on offense, eight starters on defense and its punter from the 2023 team. The 2024 roster features 10 seniors, 24 juniors, 10 sophomores, 25 redshirt freshmen and 35 freshmen.
•Minot State, which finished 1-10 last season, opened its 2024 season last Thursday earning a 38-7 home victory over NAIA Valley City State.
•A preview of MSU is located on page 4.

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. MSU Series Notes
Southwest Minnesota State and Minot State meet for the 11th time on Saturday night with SMSU holding a 9-1 advantage in a series that started on Sept. 15, 1990 ... SMSU is 4-1 all-time in games played in Marshall, including earning a 27-20 overtime victory in the last meeting in Marshall on Sept. 24, 2022 ... SMSU has won the last seven games in the series, including all six with both schools members of the NSIC ... SMSU won last season's meeting, 28-23 in Minot, N.D. ... MSU earned its lone victory in the series in Marshall during the 1996 season ... SMSU won the first two games of the series in 1990 and 1991 scoring a combined 124 points.
 
The Last Time - SMSU vs. MSU
SMSU opened the 2023 season with a come-from-behind 28-23 victory over Minot State on Aug. 31, 2023, in Minot, N.D. SMSU trailed 17-0 late in the first half before scoring 28 straight points to defeat MSU for the seventh straight time. Trailing 17-14 late in the game, SMSU took its first lead of the game in the fourth quarter as Marcus Martin connected with Peter Osman for a 26-yard touchdown with 3:07 remaining. The SMSU defense forced MSU to turn the ball over on downs on the ensuing possession at the MSU 37-yard line. Donald Austin, who finished with a game-high 154 yards rushing on 26 carries, broke free for a 37-yard touchdown run to seal the victory with 2:09 left in the game. Martin completed 13 of 28 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Osman caught four passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Josiah Hedensten, who amassed 12 tackles, led the SMSU defense, which forced two turnovers in the second half. Hunter Bohannon added two forced fumbles and recovered a fumble in the final 30 minutes.

SMSU vs. MSU Series Information
Overall:    SMSU leads 9-1
In Marshall:    SMSU leads 4-1
In Minot:    SMSU leads 5-0
Last SMSU win:    Aug. 31, 2023 (28-23)
Last MSU win:    Sept. 7, 1996 (36-12)
Largest win for SMSU:    57 (63-6, 1990)
Largest win for MSU:    24 (36-12, 1996)
Longest win streak for SMSU:    5 (1997-2023)
Longest win streak for MSU:    1 (1996)
Current win streak:    SMSU, 7
Underwood vs. MSU:    8-1
Shields vs. SMSU    0-1

MUSTANG HISTORY
•This season marks 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 209-358-5, including 147-260-5 in conference play.
•SMSU has recorded 10 winning seasons, which includes two NAIA playoff appearances (1987 and 1991) and one Mineral Water Bowl appearance (2013).
•The program earned its lone conference championship in 1990.

SEASON & HOME OPENER INFORMATION
•SMSU is 23-31 all-time in season openers after winning at Minot State in 2023. The victory snapped a five-game losing streak in season lid-lifters dating back to 2017.
•SMSU lost, 34-14, to Bemidji State in last season's home opener. SMSU is 1-5 in its last six home openers with the lone victory coming over Concordia-St. Paul in 2022.

ANNUAL AG BOWL - PRESENTED BY RALCO
•Saturday's 18th annual Ag Bowl, presented by Ralco, concludes a day of celebration of agriculture in Minnesota and features numerous events for both kids and adults prior to the game.
•Proceeds generated by the Ag Bowl will fund scholarships and programming for worthy SMSU student-athletes and young people who will dedicate their careers to business success in agriculture, environmental science and the food industries.
•SMSU is 6-10 all-time in Ag Bowl games (no game in 2020) and will be playing MSU for the second time.

All-Time Ag Bowl Results
2007 Concordia-St. Paul W, 24-19
2008 Black Hills State L, 14-21
2009 Black Hills State W, 55-10
2010 Wayne State L, 20-38
2011 UMary W, 48-45
2012 UMary L, 24-43
2013 St. Cloud State L, 35-49
2014 Northern State L, 43-46
2015 Bemidji State W, 34-30
2016 Wayne State L, 39-41
2017 Minot State W, 28-20
2018 Wayne State L, 14-23
2019 Minnesota State L, 23-38
2020 no game
2021 UMary L, 23-45
2022 Concordia-St. Paul W 14-6
2023 Bemidji State L 14-34

SMSU HEAD COACH SCOTT UNDERWOOD
•Scott Underwood is in his third season as SMSU head coach with a record of 7-16. 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 an overall record of 86-61 in 12 seasons as head coach at St. Cloud State (2008-19) and is now 93-77 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).
•A complete bio on Underwood can be found on page 20.

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.

OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•SMSU returns nearly its entire coaching staff from a season ago with Levi Bullerman (7th season), Doug Patterson (3rd season), Paddy Devlin (3rd season), Charles Alexander (2nd season) and Zac Chuna (2nd season) all returning. Anders Faaren also returns as a staff assistant. Newcomers to the staff include Paul Anderson, Brady Underwood and Evan Peterson.
•For the second straight season, 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.
•SMSU will have a new starting quarterback this season with the departures of both Marcus Martin (10) and Tomele Staples (1), who combined to start all 11 games last season.
•It will be the sixth straight season SMSU will have a new quarterback starting week one. Blake Gimbel was the last Mustang to start back-to-back season openers in 2017 and 2018. Steven Nava started week one in 2019, with Andrew Haidet in 2021, followed by Justus McComb in 2022, and Marcus Martin in 2023.
•The SMSU offense will have a new look this season having to replace its starting quarterback along with its top rusher and receiver from 2023.
•Junior wide receiver Colin Maher is the team's top returning receiver after catching 15 passes for 189 yards in 2023. Junior Jake Anderson caught 11 passes for 195 yards a season ago.
•Sophomore running back Treay Taylor, who rushed 19 times for 35 yards in 2023, is the teams' top returning rusher.
•The offensive line will be anchored by junior left tackle Tyler Nebelung, who started all 11 games and has played in every games the past two seasons.
•Junior guard Jake Schetinski started five games in 2023, while sophomore guard Eddie Garcia made four starts.
•Junior center Alex Maxwell returns after starting the first two games of the 2023 season before suffering a season-ending injury.
•On defense, SMSU returns its top three and six of its top eight tacklers from a season ago.  
•Junior linebacker Josiah Hedensten, who was named All-NSIC second team, started all 11 games and led SMSU with 88 tackles, while ranking second in both tackles for loss (7.5) and sacks (3).
•Junior linebacker Gideon Ervasti ranked second last season with 65 tackles and tied for second with 7.5 tackles for loss.
•Senior linebacker Thomas Mergen ranked third on the squad last season with 62 tackles with seven for loss.
•Junior cornerback Diego Maldonado finished sixth on the team in 2023 with 38 tackles with senior safety Tate Gaul registering 37 tackles.
•Sophomore cornerback Amarion Meshack ranked eighth on the team last year with 37 tackles and had five pass break-ups.
•Junior defensive end Avery Johnson also returns after racking up a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss with a team-leading five sacks in 10 games. He registered three sacks and had four tackles for loss versus MSU Moorhead last season becoming the first SMSU player to record three sacks in a game since Jason Jacobs in 1998.
•SMSU will gain the return of senior cornerback Marquise Ogletree, who led the team with three interceptions in 2022. He was injured in the first quarter of the 2023 season opener and missed the remainder of the season.
•Sophomore punter Mason Carver returns after recording a 36.5-yard punt average with 16 inside the opponents' 20-yard line last season.

DEFENSIVE AND SPECIAL TEAM NUGGETS
•Senior Tate Gaul blocked two punts last season, including one versus Northern State, while recording a block and recovering a Wayne State punt for a touchdown. It was the program's first blocked punt for a touchdown since 2019.  
•SMSU had one safety last season, its first since 2014,  with Mark Person recording a sack at Valpo.

THE 2024 SMSU ROSTER
•The SMSU roster (as of Sept. 3) features 10 seniors, 24 juniors, 10 sophomores, 25 redshirt freshmen and 35 freshmen.

SMSU / MSU IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
•The following is where SMSU (2023) and MSU (2024)  rank in the latest NCAA Division II statistics.
•A full listing of SMSU in the final 2023 NCAA statistics can be found on pages 18-19.
             (161 / 75 teams ranked)     SMSU     MSU
             Scoring Offense    150th     15th
             Rushing Offense    140th      2nd
             Passing Offense    79th     n/a
             Total Offense    120th     18th
             Scoring Defense    125th     9th
             Rushing Defense    88th     21st
             Pass Defense    147th     42nd
             Pass Efficiency Defense    139th     25th
             Total Defense    129th     22nd
             Net Punting     115th     7th
             Punt Returns     107th     24th
             Kickoff Returns     148th     38th
             Turnover Margin     155th     16th
             Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm.     26th     7th   
             Time of Possession     37th     35th
             3rd Down Conversions     68th    12th
             3rd Down Conv. Defense    100th     7th

TURNOVERS MARGIN BY THE NUMBERS
•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 last season and twice (vs. MSU Moorhead and Sioux Falls) forced four turnovers.  

STAY IN THE 'ZONE'
•SMSU finished 17 of 30 inside the 'red zone' last season with 14 touchdowns and three field goals.
•SMSU opponents were 39 of 44 inside the 'red zone' with 26 touchdowns and 13 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

BIG PLAY MUSTANGS
•SMSU recorded 50 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards with 37 coming from the offense (8 run, 29 pass).
•Marcus Martin's 65-yard touchdown pass to Rashaan Palmer at Valparaiso was the longest play from scrimmage last season.
•Tomele Staple's 43-yard touchdown run versus Sioux Falls was the longest rush from scrimmage last 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

SMSU VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
•SMSU is 1-30 all-time versus Division II Top 25 teams, including 0-3 in 2023.
•SMSU's lone victory versus a ranked team came in the 2016 season opener versus No. 19 Minnesota Duluth (42-38) in Marshall.

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 will play a non-conference game for the second straight season and will host its first non-league game since 2010.  
•SMSU will host Nebraska-Kearney, a member of the MIAA, on Oct. 5. It will be 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 road loss to 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 32-51 all-time at the stadium, including finishing 1-4 last 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
•After recording its last winning road record in a season in 2015 (5-1), SMSU is 10-29 in road games since the 2016 season and finished 1-5 last season.

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 OPENERS
•SMSU is 23-31 all-time in season openers after beginning the 2023 season with a victory at Minot State. The win snapped a five-game losing skid in season opening games.

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 209-358-5, including 147-260-5 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 MINOT STATE
•Ian Shields is in his second 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 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.
•MSU opened the season last Thursday with a 38-7 home victory over Valley City State (N.D.). It's the program's first opening day victory since 2002.
•The Beavers ran 59 plays in the win with only one pass attempt. MSU closed the game rushing for a school record 416 yards on 58 attempts.
•Senior running back Evan Lovett rushed for a game-high 139 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries, while junior quarterback Carson Chrisman rushed for a school record tying four touchdowns and 133 yards on 15 attempts. Chrisman was a defensive back his first three seasons before converting to quarterback this fall.
•Sophomore cornerback Brayan Augustin racked up a team-high seven tackles in the victory, while senior linebacker Carson Cayko registered six tackles with three for loss.
•Sophomore defensive back Myzel Williams recorded five tackles and one interception, while freshman cornerback Nalu Cordeiro added one interception.
•The Beavers finished 1-10 last season with its lone victory coming in week seven versus Concordia-St. Paul.