For Immediate Release
Monday, September 19, 2016
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet (PDF)
NSIC Forecast (MP3)

NSIC Football Players of the Week
NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#6 Nick Pieruccini (QB, 6-1, 210, Sr., Chicago, Ill. / Notre Dame College Prep HS) - Minnesota State
- Led the Mavericks in passing yards (282) and rushing yards (109) in 45-12 win at SCSU
- Threw four touchdowns in a game for the first time in his career
- Was 18-of-21 for an 85.7 completion percentage
- His 109 rushing yards marks the third game in his career he has rushed for more than 100 yards
- Added a rushing touchdown right before half as the Mavericks scored 28 second quarter points

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#27 Damon Benham (DB, 6-0, 205, Sr., Deer River / Deer River HS) - Bemidji State
- Snagged two interceptions in Bemidji State’s 45-17 win over Wayne State
- Returned one interception 19 yards for a touchdown
- Set a career high with two interceptions
- Finished with four tackles and two pass breakups

NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#2 Beau Bofferding (WR, 5-8, 190, Sr., Marshall Minn. / Marshall HS) - Minnesota Duluth
- Set a school-record with 182 kickoff return yards in a 52-49 win at CSP
- Returned five kicks, one of which went for 70 yards and another for 54 yards
- The 54-yard return came after CSP had taken a 49-44 lead with six minutes left in the game

 

Augustana University Vikings

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 56-3 vs. UMC	3-0, 0-0 South	W3	2nd Overall, 2nd South
Team Notes
- Registered its third straight win of the 2016 season with a 56-3 win over Minnesota Crookston - The Vikings recorded over 400 yards of offense for the third straight game - Augustana jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead four touchdowns out of Trey Heid, including three passing and one rushing - Augustana held Minnesota Crookston to 219 yards of offense, including just 91 rushing yards - The Vikings have held their opponent to under 100 rushing yards in two straight games
Top Performer(s)
- Trey Heid completed 13 of 22 passes for 263 yards and a season-high four touchdowns - Heid also ran for 63 yards and a touchdown in the win over Minnesota Crookston - Matt Heller hauled in five passes for a season-high 149 yards and a career-high three touchdowns - The 100-yard receiving performance marks the second of the season for Heller - Jackie Davis rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries giving him a team-leading five rushing touchdowns in 2016 - Trevor Naasz led the defense with six tackles and one pass breakup - Zac Johnson finished with five tackles (2.0 for loss) and two blocked punts
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 24 at Minnesota Duluth – 6:05 p.m.

 

Bemidji State University Beavers

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 45-17 vs WSC	3-0, 0-0 North	W3	5th Overall, 2nd North
Team Notes
- Bemidji State improved to 3-0 with a 45-17 win at home versus Wayne State - The Beavers totaled more than 400 total yards for the third consecutive game - BSU forced three turnovers, returning one for a touchdown
Top Performer(s)
- Senior defensive back Damon Benham intercepted a career high two passes and returned one 19 yards for a touchdown - Senior wide receiver Brady Schmidt led the team with 64 receiving yards on five catches with one touchdown - Junior quarterback Jordan Hein threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns, surpassing 50 career touchdowns at BSU
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 24 at No. 14 Sioux Falls – 6 p.m.

 

Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 49-52 vs UMD	2-1, 0-0 South	L1	13th Overall, 8th South
Team Notes
- CSP’s 8.8 yards per play of total offense was the second highest mark in the NSIC this year (58-511) as CSP averaged a league-best single game mark of 19.1 yards per completion (17-325) - Concordia had its second straight game with an INT returned for TD as Jonathan Johnson returned UMD’s first play from scrimmage 34 yards for a score and a 14-0 lead - CSP held UMD to 1-of-3 on 4th downs and has limited opponents to 2-of-9 on 4th downs on the year - CSP was 4-of-4 in converting red zone touchdowns and is now 9-for-9 scoring TDs in the red zone on the year - Concordia averaged 7.4 per carry on 25 attempts for 186 yards and is second in the league in rushing yards per carry on the year (6.1)
Top Performer(s)
- Junior QB Ron Johnson accounted for second most TDs in a game in the NSIC this year (5 – 3 pass, 2 rush) and 322 yards of offense (252 pass, 70 rush) without committing a turnover - The longest pass of the NSIC this season was delivered by CSP receiver Alquawn Vickers on a double-pass, a 73-yard TD strike to Elias Arlington for a 21-7 first quarter lead - Marcus Gustaveson hauled in seven catches for 115 yards and two TDs and also drew four pass interference penalties against UMD’s secondary - Darius Chapes averaged 9.4 yards per carry (8-75) and is 5th in the league in rushing (285) and third in rushing average (8.9)
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 24 at Northern State – 1 p.m.

University of Mary Marauders

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 47-23 at SMSU	0-3, 0-0 North	L3	15th Overall, 7th North
Team Notes
- The Marauders ran for 258 yards and posted 343 yards against the Mustangs, all season-highs - UMary scored a season-high 23 points at SMSU - The Marauders are the least penalized team in the NSIC (12 penalties for 96 yards) - After possessing the ball for 39:53 at SMSU, Marauders are 2nd in NSIC in time of possession (35:38) -The Marauders are 1-4 all-time against homecoming opponent Winona State University
Top Performer(s)
- Jr, QB Ben Jolliffe ran for 2 TDS and 91 yards against SMSU - Sr. LB Austin Bolton had 11 tackles at SMSU, the 3rd straight game with double figure tackles. He leads the NSIC with 34 tackles - Sr. DB Danielle Whitaker’s 1Q interception led to Marauders 1st TD of season - R. FB Zach Podoll ran for a career-high 73 yards - Zack Graves is 2nd in NSIC in kick return average (32.8) after a long of 63 yards on Saturday
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 24 vs. Winona State – 1 p.m.

 

University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 56-3 at Augie	0-3, 0-0 North	L3	16th Overall, 8th North
Team Notes
- Adam Connette needs just 16 receptions to surpass Carl Aho for second all-time in receptions at UMC - Adam Connette needs just 187 yards to move past Mark Olsonawski for second all-time in receiving yards at UMC - UMC already has seven sacks on the year led by three from Bubba Cook. The Golden Eagles just had 12 all of last season - Ali Alkhatib is leading the Golden Eagles with 22 tackles on the season and four tackles for loss
Top Performer(s)
- Adam Connette had three catches for 42 yards - Ali Alkhatib had six tackles and one pass break-up
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 24 vs. Southwest Minnesota State – 1 p.m.

 

University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 52-49 at CSP	2-1, 0-0 North	W2	3rd Overall, 1st North
Team Notes
- For the second time in as many weeks, UMD rallied for a victory by scoring the go-ahead touchdown with less than five minutes to go in regulation - The 52-49 triumph over Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday night was No. 500 for the UMD football program - The Bulldogs are now 500-265-24 lifetime - UMD rolled up 582 yards of total offense Saturday in St. Paul – its largest single-game harvest since Oct. 12, 2013 (619 yards vs. MSU Moorhead) - The Bulldogs will put their 17-game home winning streak on the line this Saturday when they host Augustana. It will mark UMD’s fourth straight game this season against an unbeaten opponent
Top Performer(s)
- Both senior quarterback Drew Bauer (151 yards on 19 carries) and senior runningback Darren Walker (133 yards on 20 attempts) turned in 100-yard rushing nights against Concordia-St. Paul - Eight different Bulldogs caught passes in Saturday’s win over the Golden Bears, including junior wide out Nate Ricci who  paced UMD with a career-high six receptions - Senior free safety Tavaughn Blair figured in on a career-high 10 total tackles to lead the Bulldogs Saturday
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 24 vs. Augustana  - 6 p.m..

Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 45-12 at SCSU	2-1, 0-0 South	W1	T-4th Overall, T-3rd South
Team Notes
- Minnesota State has now won three of its last four meetings against St. Cloud State with its 45-12 win last weekend - Senior quarterback Nick Pieruccini threw four touchdowns in a game for the first time in his career against SCSU last weekend - Senior Jared Gillespie returned an interception for a touchdown for the first time in his career last weekend vs. St. Cloud State - Junior Ty Dennis posted more than 100 receiving yards for the fourth time in his career
Top Performer(s)
- Nick Pieruccini led the Mavericks in passing yards (282) and rushing yards (109) against SCSU - Alec Vesper led the Mavericks with nine tackles - Jared Gillespie returned an interception 71 yards for a touchdown
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 24 vs. MSU Moorhead – 1 p.m.

 

Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W, 23-21 vs. UIU	2-1, 0-0 North	W1	10th Overall, 5th NSIC North
Team Notes
- MSUM improved to 2-1 on the season with 23-21 win over Upper Iowa - The Dragons led 16-7 at halftime and held on for third straight home win - Junior receiver Damon Gibson recorded his fourth straight 100-yard receiving game with 11 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown - Win was Dragons’ first over Upper Iowa since 2010 and just third all-time in series - Sophomore linebacker Joe Rademacher and freshman cornerback Deiondre Taylor had interceptions which set up TDs in the win
Top Performer(s)
- WR Damon Gibson caught 11 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in win over UIU - QB Demetrius Carr threw for 141 yards and two scores in the win - RB Austin Stone rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown - LB Abe Roehrich led with 10 tackles, including nine solo stops - DB Michael Strand had nine tackles
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 24 at Minnesota State - 1 p.m.

 

Minot State University Beavers

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 41-14 v. #15 USF	1-2, 0-0 North	L1	14th Overall, 6th North
Team Notes
- MSU held a 272-125 passing advantage, the second straight game the Beavers have thrown for more yardage than its opponents - The Beavers held the ball for 35:34 of the game, just over 10 more minutes than the Cougars - Eight different receivers caught at least one pass
Top Performer(s)
- Isaiah Weed was 27-for-44 passing for 272 yards and a TD in his first start of 2016 - Donnell Vercher finished with a career-high 15 tackles and had a pass breakup - Aaron La Deaux averaged a whopping 66.7 per punt on 3 attempts
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 24 at Upper Iowa – 3 p.m.

 

Northern State University Wolves

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 26-7 at WSU	1-2, 0-0 North	L1	6th Overall, 3rd North
Team Notes
- The Wolves suffered a 26-7 loss in week three of NSIC action to the Warriors of Winona State, dropping to 1-2 overall, with both losses coming on the road this season - Northern struggled on offense, tallying just 101 yards rushing and 92 yards passing, while Winona combined for 131 rushing and 332 yards passing - The Wolves suffered their first of two interceptions against the Warrior defense and completed just under 40 percent of their passes - A total of 14 players recorded multiple tackles in the game for NSU, which also had three sacks, three pass breakups, and one interception
Top Performer(s)
- The NSU defense worked to hold the Wolves in the game, led by senior Channing Barber with 11 tackles. Barber matched his mark from a weekend ago and added a tackle for a loss of two yards and a pass breakup - Chad Stoterau followed with eight tackles, including two sacks for a total loss of seven yards - Kyle Lavand appeared in his first game of the season, running for a touchdown and completed 6-of-11 passes for 24 yards - Jacob Wiedrich punted for 318 yards in the game, averaging 39.8 yards per kick with a long of 52 yards. Wiedrich also knocked down the PAT, his first of the year, after the Lavand score
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 24 vs. Concordia-St. Paul – 1 p.m.

 

University of Sioux Falls Cougars

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 41-14 vs MISU	3-0, 0-0 South	W3	3rd Overall, 2nd South
Team Notes
- USF rolled up 453 yards in total offense, including 328 rushing, in a 41-14 win over Minot State - USF defense had four sacks, 9 TFLs, had nine pass breakups and a pick six - Cougars are 3-0 for third straight year and have won 23 of 27 games - In the past 27 games, USF’s defense and special teams have 20 TDs - USF returns this week and will face Bemidji State (3-0), with game time set for 6 p.m. on Hall of Fame Saturday at Bob Young Field
Top Performer(s)
- Luke Papilion had three total TDs, rushing for 101 yards on seven carries with two TDs and throwing for 125 yards and  a TD - Papillion recorded ninth career 100-yard rushing game - Michael Mehling recorded his first career interception and his first defensive TD with a 36-yard return. Also had a TFL and a pass breakup
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 17 vs. Bemidji State – 6 p.m., Bob Young Field

 

Southwest Minnesota State University

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 47-23 vs. U-Mary	2-1, 0-0 South	W1	7th Overall, 4th South
Team Notes
- SMSU finished with a season-high 514 yards of offense and recorded 28 first downs, despite running just 67 plays -SMSU snapped a two-game losing streak to U-Mary with the victory on Saturday -SMSU had a pair of 100-yard rushers in a single-game for the first time this season - SMSU has scored 30 or more points in 29 of its last 49 games dating back to the final game of the 2011 season
Top Performer(s)
- Junior quarterback Blake Gimbel completed 15 of 19 passes for 175 yards and four touchdowns - True freshman running back Max Simmons made his first career start and rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries - Senior running back Divonte Beale rushed for a career-high 164 yards and 27 carries - Senior linebacker Gene Germain led the team in tackles for the third straight game
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 24 at Minnesota Crookston – 1 p.m.

 

St. Cloud State University Huskies

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 45-12 vs. MSU	1-2, 0-0 North	L1	9th Overall, 4th North
Team Notes
- SCSU fell to Minnesota State by a 45-12 record to drop below the .500 mark on the season on Sept. 17 - The team also lost the game for the rivalry trophy the Traveling Training Kit for the second straight time - The team hasn’t defeated Minnesota State at home since the 2011 season - The program has played a pair of ranked teams in each of its home games this season and given up 40 plus points to each of them - SCSU is now 42-34-4 all-time against the Mavericks in a series that started in 1923 - The program is 10-9 against the NSIC South since the start of the 2012 season - The program will now get back on the road for the next two weeks and starts the road show with a trip to Wayne State next weekend - SCSU is 11-1 all-time against the Wildcats
Top Performer(s)
- Jameson Parsons - seven catches, 119 yards and one receiving touchdown and one throwing touchdown - John Pass – three catches, 57 yards - Nate Meyer – 295 yards passing and one touchdown - Jerry Duckworth – 9 tackles, 1 TFL
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 24 at Wayne State at 1 p.m.

Upper Iowa University Peacocks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L, 23-21 at MSU Moorhead	0-3, 0-0 South	L3	11th Overall/6th South
Team Notes
- Upper Iowa threw two interceptions that the home Dragons converted into touchdowns and missed a pair of field goals to drop their third straight game to open the 2016 season -The Peacocks drove the ball to the 8 yard line in the waning seconds of the game on Saturday but a 25-yard field goal try from the left hash stayed just left of the uprights and gave MSU Moorhead the win - The Peacock defense held the Dragons to just 94 total rush yards on 50 attempts
Top Performer(s)
- Derrick Portis lead the way for UIU’s offense with 139 yards and three scores - Brent Lammers, after playing the final four games of 2015, made his first start this year for an injured Dimitri Morales finishing with 24 completions for 202 yards, but two interceptions - The Peacocks leading receiver was David Esswein with 66 yards. Nine different players caught a pass for Upper Iowa - UIU's defense totaled six sacks in the game and constantly put pressure on the opposing quarterback - Adam Lytle led the team with 10 tackles, with 1.5 tackles for loss, while Zach Gardner tallied 9 tackles, with 2 for loss and one sack
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 24 vs. Minot State - 3 p.m.

 

Wayne State College Wildcats

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 45-17 at BSU	0-3, 0-0 South	L3	12th Overall, 7th South
Team Notes
- BSU scored on four of their first five possessions to build a 24-0 lead as the 24th-ranked Beavers defeated WSC 45-17 - Bemidji State finished with a 408-322 advantage in total offense over Wayne State - The Beavers had 122 yards rushing and 286 passing while WSC was held to 62 yards on the ground and 260 through the air.
Top Performer(s)
- Senior defensive back Cam Montgomery had team high 10 tackles with three interceptions - Montgomery became just fourth player in school history (first since 1984) to have three interceptions in one game - Sophomore tight end Keaton Slaughter had four catches for 81 yards and one TD
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 24 vs St. Cloud State - 1 p.m.

 

Winona State University Warriors

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W, 26-7 vs NSU	2-1, 0-0 South	W1	8th Overall, 5th South
Team Notes
- Winona State had 16 first downs through the air - WSU outgained NSU 332-92 in passing yards - The Warriors held the ball for 36:42 in the game - The Warriors defense had eight tackles-for-loss
Top Performer(s)
- Jack Nelson had his 17th game with at least 300 yards passing in his career - Cam Johnson and Will Claussen each had 100 yards receiving - Nelson was 24-35 with a touchdown and 332 yards passing in the game - Andrew Spencer was all over on defense; he had nine tackles, one tackle-for-loss, one interception and one pass breakup
Up Next
Saturday, Sept. 24 at Mary – 1 p.m.