For Immediate Release
Monday, October 23, 2017
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet (PDF)
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NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#6 Jakup Sinani (QB, 6-3, 182, Fr., Oak Creek, Wis. / Oak Creek HS)
MSU Moorhead
- Made first career start and amassed 412 yards of total offense, with four touchdowns in 49-7 win over UMC
- Completed 27-of-34 (79.4%) passes f
or 378 yards and three scores
- Rushed for 35 yards and a score on six carries
- Touchdown passes came from 55, 9 and 17 yards out
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#3 Adonis Brown (DB, 6-2, 198, Sr., Rockford, Ill. / Boylan Catholic HS)
Winona State
- Totaled five tackles, including four solo efforts, and a tackle for a loss in a 42-19 win over WSC
- Had a hand in two takeaways including his first pick-six of the season
- Also forced a Wayne State fumble and had two pass breakups
NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#15 Casey Bednarski (K, 6-1, 230, Jr., Oconomowoc, Wis. / Ocnomowoc HS)
Minnesota State
- Went 3-of-3 in field goal attempts from 19, 27 and 51 yards out in a 54-7 win at SMSU
- Went 6-of-6 in extra point attempts as he tallied an NSIC high 15 points last week
- Averaged 51 yards per punt and downed one punt inside the 20 yard line
- Tallied five touchbacks in nine attempts
- Named NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season (9/11/17)
| Augustana University Vikings |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 20-21 vs UIU |
3-5, 1-3 South |
L1 |
4th Overall, 2nd South |
| Team Notes |
- Augustana recorded a pick six in its second straight game and its third of the season
- The Vikings outgained the Peacocks 300-221, with 257 rushing yards |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Ryan Rubley (99 yards) and Ryan Bradberry (93 yards) led the Augustana rushing attack
- Kirby Hora posted at least 10 tackles in a game for the fifth time this season, finishing with a game-high 16
- John Waters recorded 10 tackles and had an INT returned for a TD
- Matt Wagner notched nine tackles and two sacks |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 28 at Sioux Falls – 12 p.m. |
| Bemidji State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 44-17 at NSU |
6-2, 4-0 North |
W5 |
3rd Overall, 2nd North |
| Team Notes |
- Bemidji State scored at least 40 points for the fifth straight game to extend its winning streak to five games Saturday at Northern State
- The Beavers set a season-high in rushing yards for the second consecutive week with 347 on 49 carries
- BSU outscored NSU, 38-10, after the first quarter
- The secondary grabbed three interceptions on the day, including a pick-six returned on the first drive of the second half
- Bemidji State totaled 30 first downs for the first time this season and won the time of possession battle, 32:56-27:04, for the second time this season
- BSU and Minnesota Duluth meet for Midco’s Thursday Night Game of the Week to battle for the lead of the NSIC North Division |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Junior running back Andrew Lackowski set a career high in rushing yards for the third consecutive week with 184 while adding one rushing touchdown
- Senior running back Tahi Nomane ran for over 100 yards for the third game this season, finishing with 115 on 14 carries for an average of 8.2 yards per carry
- Senior quarterback Jordan Hein threw three touchdown passes on 197 yards, finding sophomore wide receiver Jacob Anderson twice and senior wide receiver Christian Lunde once
- Junior corner back Gunner Olszewski brought in his first interception of the season while leading the defense with 10 tackles, including eight solo
- Sophomore defensive lineman Alex Hoffman followed with eight tackles, including six solo, one sack and 2.5 tackles for a loss of nine yards
- Junior safety John Vogeler brought in his fourth interception of the season, which went back for his third touchdown of the season |
| Up Next |
| Thursday, Oct. 26 vs Minnesota Duluth – 7:05 p.m. |
| Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 9-27 vs USF |
1-7, 0-4 South |
L7 |
13th Overall, 8th South |
| Team Notes |
- For the second straight week, CSP held a 3-0 1st quarter lead over a top-15 team in the country
- Produced six scoring chances against the second ranked scoring, run and total defense in DII
- Played to a one score game deep into the third quarter for the second week in a row against a top-15 team |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Junior Jonas Schenderlein tied a school record by making three field goals (46, 29, 58) including the second longest in team history, a 58-yarder in the third quarter
- Schenderlein extended his streak of under 50 yard field goals made to 16 with two (46, 29) before missing from 44 to snap the streak that dated back to October, 2015
- Freshman Lorenzo Kendricks had seven tackles and a forced fumble leading to a field goal
- Sophomore Dylan Wood had seven tackles, 3.0 TFL and his first career 2.0 sack performance
- Sophomore Antonio Zepeda tied his career high with 14 tackles, matching the team season high
- Senior Elias Arlington had a game-high 168 all-purpose yards (5-82 rec, 3-86 kr) |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 28 at Wayne State - 1 p.m. |
| University of Mary Marauders |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 33-7 vs. SCSU |
1-7, 1-3 North |
W2 |
15th Overall, 6th North |
| Team Notes |
|
- Facing the #3 rushing defense in the NSIC, the Marauders ran for 183 yards on 39 carries against St. Cloud State
- The Marauders are now #2 in the NSIC in rushing offense at 228.9 yards/game
- UMary’s pass defense limited SCSU to 73 yards on 7-of-19 passing
- Continuing to get after the quarterback, the Marauders posted three sacks against the Huskies. In the past three games the Marauders have had games of three, eight and three sacks and now have 19 on the year
|
| Top Performer(s) |
- Brock Pittlsey picked up a sack for the third straight game and is now second in the NSIC with six this season
- Freshman DeShawn Gay scored a touchdown for the third straight game with a 61 yard reception from Nick McCann. He finished the day with 33 yards rushing and 61 receiving.
- Devin Hope led UMary in rushing with 57 yards against SCSU and Garrett Weissinger added 52
- Noah Krebs led the Marauders with a game-high 15 tackles and forced a fumble. He is sixth in the NSIC in tackles.
- Jarad Zittleman added 13 tackles and broke up three passes against SCSU
- Jacob Parker had a sack and broke up two passes in the Huskies game |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 28 at MSU Moorhead – 2 pm |
| University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 49-7 vs. MSUM |
0-8; 0-4 North |
L8 |
16th Overall, 8th North |
| Team Notes |
- The Golden Eagles had a strong day on the kickoff return as they averaged 38.2 yards per returns with six kickoff returns for 229 yards and a 94-yard touchdown from Rod Stewart
- Adam Connette is just three touchdowns shy of Carl Aho’s mark for receiving touchdowns in a career. Connette already has the school records for receptions and receiving yards with 227 receptions for 2,614 yards. Connette is also fourth in the league for receptions per game with 6.3. He is seventh for receiving yards per game with 69.4
- Rod Stewart continues to move up the charts for Minnesota Crookston. Stewart is fourth all-time for receptions with 102. He needs 33 to surpass Carl Aho for third. He is also fourth for receiving yards with 1,289 yards. Stewart needs 350 yards to tie Mark Olsonawski for third for receiving yards.
- The Dragons had possession 38:21 compared to just 21:39 as they controlled the ball on the day and kept the Minnesota Crookston defense on the field. |
| Top Performer(s |
- Rod Stewart had five returns for 201 yards, including a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He averaged 40.2 yards per return on the day
- Brendan Kinnee notched 14 tackles for his second-consecutive strong performance on defense
- Austin Howard had seven tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack
- Ali Alkhatib notched 12 tackles and a half tackle for loss |
| Up Next |
| -Saturday, Oct. 28 vs. Minot State – 1 p.m. |
| University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 37-0 vs. MINOT |
6-2, 4-0 North |
W5 |
2nd Overall, 1st North |
| Team Notes |
- UMD posted its second straight shut out –something it hadn’t done since the final two outings of the 1984 season – by taking down Minot State 37-0 Saturday in the Bulldogs’ Homecoming game
- The victory was the fifth straight for the Bulldogs, who improved to 33-0 all-time in NSIC North Division home games and 6-0 all-time against Minot State (UMD has outscored the Beavers 263-23 in those six triumphs)
- The Bulldogs eclipsed the 400-yard total offense plateau for the fourth time in five games, generating 236 yards on the ground and 193 yards through the air
- UMD also registered a season-high three picks, two of which they converted into points
- Next up for the Bulldogs is a Thursday night NSIC North Division showdown at Bemidji State University. Both clubs are 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the NSIC North Division
- UMD, the nine-time defending NSIC North Division champion, has reeled off 15 straight victories at Bemidji State’s expense, a run that started with the 2000 season
- That winning streak is currently the Bulldogs' second longest against any current NSIC club (UMD has won 16 straight over MSU-Moorhead, which like the Beavers, has not defeated UMD in 18 years)
- The Bulldogs have faced Bemidji State more times (56) than all but one opponent -- MSU-Moorhead (59) – during its 85-year history
- UMD remains the lone NCAA II team in the country that has not allowed a fourth down conversions this season as opponents are 0-for-6 in that situation |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Redshirt freshman quarterback John Larson, making his second collegiate start -- and first at home, completed 12 of 20 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns three quarters of work last Saturday He also rushed for a game-high 97 yards on just 12 carries
- Junior wide out Jason Balts was Larson's primary target, catching a team-leading five catches for 98 yards
- Cornerbacks Justic'e King and Jake Goodman, the only two true freshmen to see playing time this season, each had an interception Senior Kale Boomer was credited with a team-best five total tackles and also had the Bulldogs' only fumble recovery
- Larson and Balts are one of six Bulldogs to take a snap at quarterback this season |
| Up Next |
| Thursday, Oct. 26 at Bemidji State - 7 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W, 54-7 at SMSU |
8-0, 4-0 South |
W8 |
1st Overall, 1st South |
| Team Notes |
- Freshman Justin Taormina led the Maverick rushing attack with 154 yards and a touchdown
- Sophomore Shane Zylstra caught two touchdown passes at SMSU, marking the third time this season he has caught at least two touchdown passes in a game this season
- Junior Casey Bednarski went 3-of-3 in field goal attempts and 6-of-6 in extra point attempts for 15 points
- Both sophomores Zach Robertson and Austin Behm blocked a punt against SMSU that set up the Mavericks inside the SMSU five yard line
- As a team, MSU rushed for 347 yards against the Mustangs. SMSU managed 107 rushing yards
- The Mavericks tallied 541 yards of total offense against Southwest Minnesota State, compared to 240 yards by the Mustangs
- MSU went 8-of-15 in third down attempts, compared to 3-of-16 by SMSU |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Justin Taormina – 154 rushing yards, 1 touchdown
- Shane Zylstra – 84 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
- Keyshawn Davis – 6 tackles
- Michael Buetow – 6 tackles |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 28 vs. Winona State – 1 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 49-7 at UMC |
3-5, 1-3 North |
W1 |
7th Overall, 3rd North |
| Team Notes |
- MSUM ended a three-game losing streak with a 49-7 win over Minnesota Crookston
- Dragons set season highs for points (49) and yards (627) in the road win
- Senior WR Hunter Braaten leads NSIC with 55 receptions and at 6.88 receptions per game
- MSUM leads NSIC at 265.5 passing yards per game
- Dragons are second in NSIC at 22 sacks
- MSUM will look to retain the Paddle against Mary this week |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Freshman QB Jakup Sinani made his first career start and was 27-of-34 for 378 yards and three scores in the win at UMC while also rushing for a touchdown
- Senior WR Hunter Braaten set a career-high with 15 catches, which is one away from MSUM single-game school record
- Sophomore WR Hayden Swartz had a career high 145 yards receiving and a touchdown vs. UMC
- Sophomore RB Jonathan Kabambi rushed for a career-high 158 yards and two scores in win
- Sophomore DL Derek Porozinski had two sacks
- Junior DB Grant Reuer had an interception
- Redshirt freshman DL Jordan Magnuson had a sack and a fumble recovery |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 28 vs. UMary - 2 p.m. |
| Minot State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 37-0 at UMD |
1-7, 1-3 North |
L3 |
14th Overall, 6th North |
| Team Notes |
- Minot State leads the NSIC in pass defense permitting just 139.1 yards per game and ranks fifth in the conference in pass defense efficiency (106.0)
- Minot State is ranked sixth in the NSIC with 10 interceptions
- Minot State has recorded at least one interception in seven of the eight games this season
- Minot State tied its season high with 3.0 sacks against Minnesota Duluth |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Zac Cunha is ranked ninth in the NSIC with 1,109 passing yards
- Bryce Broome had 12 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks and a fumble recovery against Minnesota Duluth
- Bryce Broome is ranked third in the NSIC averaging 10.5 tackles per game
- Donnell Vercher is ranked fifth in the conference averaging 10.1 tackles per game |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 28 at Minnesota Crookston – 1 p.m. |
| Northern State University Wolves |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 44-17 vs. BSU |
3-5, 2-2 North |
L2 |
9th Overall, 4th North |
| Team Notes |
- NSU fell to Bemidji State, 44-17, on Saturday after a quick start scoring on the first drive of the game
- Northern tallied 22 first downs, 123 yards rushing, 218 yards passing, and 341 yards of total offense in the game
- The Wolves converted on eight of their 18 third downs and scored on all three red-zone chances on offense
- Defensively they tallied five sacks for a total loss of 35 yards and held the Beavers to just 4-of-11 on third down conversions |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Nathan Shaw notched the 27th field goal of his career, hitting a 23 yarder, which made him the all-time leader at NSU
- Hunter Trautman threw for a career high 218 yards, while Nicholas Truen led the team with two rushing touchdowns and 56 total yards
- Zachery Barber led the receivers with 89 yards, and added 36 yards on kick returns
- Noah MacPherson led the defense with 12 total tackles, including a half a sack |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 28 at St. Cloud State – 1 p.m. |
| University of Sioux Falls Cougars |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 27-9 at CSP |
7-1, 3-1 South |
W2 |
5th Overall, 3rd South |
| Team Notes |
|
- USF recorded its 16th consecutive NSIC road win and 18 of the past 19 NSIC games overall
- Has been ranked for 43 straight weeks in both the AFCA Coaches and D2Football.com polls
- Against CSP, recorded five sacks pushing their league leading total to 30, eight more MSU Moorhead which is second with 22
- Has the league’s top defense, leading the NSIC and ranking No. 2 nationally in scoring defense at 9.8 ppg and rushing defense at 59.9 yards per game
- Leads the NSIC in total defense at 236.2 yards per game
- Extended streak of scoring in a game to 147 straight games
- Improved to 26-6 all-time in NSIC road games while recording its 59th DII win
|
| Top Performer(s) |
|
- NSIC sack leader Dennis Gardeck had two more against CSP and has 12 on the season
- He also had seven tackles with four tackles for loss, which gives him a league-high 17
- Gardeck was part of a defense that held CSP to 238 total yards including a net 10 yards rushing in the second half
- Senior Jason Towns had career high in carries with 25 and yards with 125 while scoring his seventh TD of the season in the win at CSP
- Junior A.J. Garrow set a career with 71 yards receiving on five receptions with his first career TD reception. Sophomore Clint Sigg had two catches for 25 yards with his first career receiving TD
|
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 28 vs. Augustana - 12 p.m. |
| Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 54-7 vs. No. 4 MSU |
2-6, 0-4 South |
L5 |
|
| Team Notes |
- SMSU lost its fifth straight game with a 54-7 home loss to No. 4 on Thursday night
- SMSU’s five-game losing streak is its longest since the 2009 season
- Sophomore quarterback Boyer Bouman made his first career start and completed 22 of 38 pass attempts for 133 yards while also rushing for 17 yards on seven attempts
- Sophomore running back Max Simmons gained a team-high 73 yards and one touchdown on five carries
- SMSU has been held to single digit scoring in three straight games. The last time that occurred came during the 1995 season
- SMSU forced one turnover in the loss to MSU and now has 17 on the season ranking 33rd in Division II
- SMSU is 10th in Division II in turnover margin (+1.25)
- SMSU has lost just one fumble (on kickoff return) this season, ranking first in Division II
- Junior linebacker Alex Ney ranks 10th in Division II in tackles per game at 11.1
- SMSU has been held to 100 or less yards rushing in four games |
| Top Performer(s) |
-Senior wide receiver Nate Huot caught a game-high eight passes for 53 yards versus MSU. Huot has moved into second all-time in team history with 3,001 yards receiving. He also ranks third with 236 career receptions.
-Junior linebacker Alex Ney finished with a game-high 15 tackles including two for loss while also forcing and recovery a fumble versus MSU |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 28 at Upper Iowa – 2:07 p.m. |
| St. Cloud State University Huskies |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 33-7 at Mary |
6-2, 3-1 North |
W3 |
10th overall, 5th in North |
| Team Notes |
- The Huskies again used a second half surge to defeat an opponent this season in outscoring the Marauders 24-0 over the final 30 minutes of game action and have outscored their opponents 135-58 in the second halves of games
- The program won the time of possession battle for the seventh time in eight games this season and controlled the ball for 39:41 including for all 15 minutes in the third quarter
- The team forced three turnovers in the contest and outgained the Marauders 327-244 in the game
- The program is now 12-0 all-time against University of Mary
- SCSU is now 6-2 on the season for the first time since 2013 and fifth time since 2005 |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Gregory Lewis ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns and has topped 100 yards in each of the last three games
- He has now recorded a rushing touchdown in each of the last three games, four of the last five and five out of the eight games this season
- Curtwan Evans ran for 128 yards and a touchdown
- It was the first time Evans has topped 100 yards on the ground since the 2015 season
- It was the first time since the 2015 season that SCSU has had multiple 100 yard rushers in the same game
- Adam Stage set a career-high with a 48-yard field goal and then broke the school record with a 55-yard made field goal
- His kick is tied for the third longest at the Division II level this season
- Gary Koehring led the defense with seven tackles |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 28 vs. Northern State – 1 p.m. |
| Upper Iowa University Peacocks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 21-20 at Augie |
5-3, 2-2 South |
W1 |
11th Overall, 7th South |
| Team Notes |
- The Peacocks made history on Saturday with their first-ever road win in Sioux Falls, S.D. after earning a hard-fought, 21-20 victory at Augustana University
- Upper Iowa is 5-3 at the eight-game mark for the third time in the last four years and once again avoided losing back-to-back games this season
- Augustana posted a 300-221 advantage in total yards including a 257-111 advantage in rushing yards, but timely penalties and turnovers (both teams had two) went a long way to determining the outcome
- Augie's first touchdown came on an interception return for a score, while UIU's second touchdown came two plays after a fumble recovery deep in Augie territory
- Both team's quarterbacks also recorded a touchdown run of more than 40 yards in the game as well
- The Vikings scored 13 straight points from the second quarter through the third to take a 20-14 lead into the fourth with the help of a pair of field goals
- With just under ten minutes to play, the Peacocks scored the go-ahead touchdown on a long quarterback run
- Augustana sent a potential game-winning field goal toward the uprights with three minutes to play, but the kick went straight into the wind and missed to leave UIU in the lead |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Brent Lammers finished the day with 110 passing yards and a touchdown to Skyler Lehman on 15 completions and added 46 yards and a touchdown on the ground
- Ryan Parmely rushed for 66 yards on 16 carries, but had a 58-yard touchdown brought back on a chop-block penalty
- Jarred Edmonds led the way for the receivers, hauling in four catches for 44 yards
- Defensively, Jordan Rommes and Mitchel Siech were all over the field, with 10 tackles apiece. Siech added a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and recovered the fumble near the goalline to set up Conner's touchdown
- Tate Thompson added nine tackles, while Keith Schwickerath added 8, a tackle for loss and forced a fumble
- Isaac Freese tallied two sacks, while Nate Roemer and Jesse Hyneck added tackles for loss as well
- Nate Skare averaged 38.6 yards on his 8 punts, with a long of 62 yards to set a new career-high; the senior punter was a big factor in the game and now averages 40.7 yards for the season in 53 swings of the leg |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 28 vs. SMSU - 2 p.m. |
| Wayne State College Wildcats |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 42-19 at WSU |
4-4, 2-2 South |
L2 |
12th Overall, 6th South |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior Nate Rogers had two TD receptions of 11 and six yards
- Rogers now tied for second all-time at WSC in touchdown receptions with 24
- Junior Layne Sullivan had six catches for 98 yards and one touchdown |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, October 28 vs. Concordia-St. Paul 1 p.m. |
| Winona State University Warriors |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 42-19 vs. WSC |
8-0, 4-0 South |
W8 |
6th Overall, 4th South |
| Team Notes |
- First 8-0 start since 1998 (9-0)
- First eight-game winning streak at any point of the season since 2007
- Trailed 13-9 after 1st Quarter to Wayne before rattling off 33-unaswered points
- Rushed for over 200 yards for fifth consecutive game (288) … three rushing touchdowns for the second straight week
- Intercepted two passes Saturday … rank third in NSIC and DII with 15 INTs
- Warriors rank third in NSIC in scoring offense (36.4 ppg) & scoring defense (12.5 ppg)
- One of 12 remaining undefeated DII team … one of just seven 8-0 teams |
| Top Performer(s) |
- RB Eric Birth eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the third time this year (103) and rushed for a pair of touchdowns … ranks third in NSIC with seven rushing TDs
- LB Nick Pridgeon recorded a sack/safety, and four total tackles
- DE Mike Ferrante had three tackles, a sack and two quarterback hurries
- DB Adonis Brown return an INT for a touchdown, recorded five tackles and two pass breakups
- KR Jake Balliu had 110 punt return years on five attempts and 76 kick return yards on three trys
- TE Greg Rooney and FB Zach Olstad scored their first touchdowns of the season each |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 28 at Minnesota State – 1 p.m. |
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