For Immediate Release
Monday, October 9, 2017
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet (PDF)
NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#84 Shane Zylstra (WR, 6-4, 215, So., Spicer, Minn. / New London-Spicer HS)
Minnesota State
- Caught 10 passes for 147 yards in MSU's 42-21 win over Augustana
- Recorded three touchdown catches from 17, 12 and 10 yards out
- Surpassed 100 receiving yards in a game for the second time this season
- Marks the second time this season being named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week (9/18/17)
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#47 Noah MacPherson (LB, 6-3, 235, Jr., Menahga, Minn. / Park Rapids HS)
Northern State
- Recorded the Wolves first touchdown of the game in a 27-19 victory over Minot State
- Tallied his first interception of the season and returned it for 32 yards on Minot’s first drive of the game
- Was second on the team with eight total tackles, including two solo and six assisted
- Added 1.5 tackles for a total loss of 12 yards, forced a fumble and had one pass break-up
- Notched one of the team’s two forced fumbles
NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
# 3 Jesse Vizzini (WR/KR, 5-8, 180, R-Jr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Prairie HS)
Upper Iowa
- Amassed 109 return yards in a 34-29 win over CSP
- Had the play of the game with 82-yard punt return for a touchdown that put UIU ahead 34-22
- Added 3 catches for 43 yards including a grab of a tipped pass to keep a drive alive
- Vizzini has returned 9 punts this season for a 12.3 yard/return average and 6 kicks for a 22-yard average
| Augustana University Vikings |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 42-21 at MSU |
2-4, 0-2 South |
L3 |
4th Overall, 2nd South |
| Team Notes |
- The Vikings defense held Minnesota State to 388 total yard, well below their season average of 523
- The Vikings return home this weekend to take on SMSU during Vikings Days |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Kirby Hora recorded a team-high 13 tackles and two sacks
- Kyle Saddler tossed three touchdown passes to three different receivers
- Trevor DeSchepper recorded three catches for 93 yards and a TD |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 14 vs. SMSU – 1 p.m. |
| Bemidji State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 45-19 vs Mary |
4-2, 2-0 North |
W3 |
3rd Overall, 2nd North |
| Team Notes |
- Bemidji State outscored U-Mary 28-6 in the second half of its home win last Saturday
- Two Beavers running backs topped 100 yards while BSU outrushed U-Mary, 283-103
- Saturday was the second time this season two BSU running backs have totaled at least 100 yards on the ground
- The Gang Green defense forced five consecutive three-and-outs to finish the second quarter and throughout the third
- Three Beavers caught touchdown passes as the team out-threw the Marauders, 195-112
- BSU improved to 8-4 all-time against U-Mary and is now on a three game winning streak |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Junior running back Andrew Lackowski set a career high with 163 rushing yards and three total touchdowns, two coming on the ground and one through the air
- Senior running back Tahi Nomane ran for 103 yards, his second 100-yard rushing game of the season, while adding one touchdown
- Senior quarterback Jordan Hein threw three touchdown passes with 194 yards, finding Lackowski, senior wide receiver Christian Lunde and sophomore wide receiver Jacob Anderson for scores
- Junior kicker Isaac Aanerud became BSU’s all-time leader in field goals with a 41-yard conversion to close out the second quarter
- Senior linebacker Trysten Ross led the BSU defense with eight tackles and added an assisted sack |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 14 at Minot State – 1 p.m. |
| Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 29-34 at UIU |
1-5, 0-2 South |
L5 |
13th Overall / 8th South |
| Team Notes |
-Bears came from down 14-0 in 2nd quarter to take 16-14 & 22-21 leads including a possession in closing minutes in UIU red zone (downs)
-Passed for 262 yards & 3 TDs with no INTs against Division II’s fourth-ranked pass defense (117.4) entering play
-Converted 8-of-20 on third down while holding UIU to 2-of-13 |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Sophomore Marcus Gustaveson hauled in three TDs with nine catches for 93 yards
- Sophomore Darnell Rolle had 126 combined yards (21-86 rush, 3-40 rec)
- Senior Ron Johnson completed 23-44 for 262 yards and 3 TDs with no INT
- Freshman Chris Garrett had two key sacks among eight total tackles and a pass deflection
- Junior Jonas Schenderlein extended his streak of field goals inside of 50 to 13, hitting a 30-yarder and also made his two PAT to give him 51 consecutive – both streaks date back to October, 2015. He also converted five of six kickoffs for touchbacks |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct 14 vs Winona State - 6 p.m. |
| University of Mary Marauders |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 45-19 at BSU |
0-6, 0-2 North |
L6 |
15th Overall, 6th North |
| Team Notes |
|
- The Marauders host Minnesota Crookston on Saturday for homecoming
- Game time is 1 pm at the MDU Resources Bowl and will be televised by BEK Broadcasting across North Dakota and into Minnesota
- UMary holds a 13-2 lead in the all-time series with UMC, including a 26-13 road win last season to spoil homecoming for the Golden Eagles
- For the second straight week, the Marauders scored 19 points to equal their season-high
- UMary is fourth in the NSIC in rushing yards/game at 205.2
- Despite facing the second-best team in forcing turnovers in the NSIC, the Marauders didn’t commit a turnover in the Beavers game, a first this season for UMary
|
| Top Performer(s) |
- Making his second straight start under center, QB Garrett Weissinger ran for two touchdowns (5 and 1 yards) and passed for a third (72 yards)
- The sophomore ran for 24 yards and was 4-for-7 passing for 112 yards
- Fr. Slotback DeShawn Gay scored the second-longest touchdown of his career with a 72 yard scoring reception from Garrett Weissinger
- He had a 59 yard TD run earlier against Wayne State. Gay had scored TDs the last two weeks
- Devin Hope ran for 34 yards to lead UMary in rushing for the second time this season
- Sr. DT Brock Pittsley had a career day with 2.5 sacks. Including a half-sack last week, Pittsley has a career-high three sacks this season
- Sr. DB Brady Zittleman broke up three passes
- Soph. Noah Krebs posted 11 tackles (8 solo) and is 7th in the NSIC this season with 52
- The NSIC leader in punting at 41.3 yards/kick, Bailey Meyer crushed a career-best 82 yard punt against BSU and just missed the school record of 85 yards in 1997 by Wes Harens against Carroll |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 14 vs. Minnesota Crookston – 1 p.m. |
| University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 53-27 at SCSU |
0-6, 0-2 North |
L6 |
16th Overall, 8th North |
| Team Notes |
- Minnesota Crookston put up their highest offensive output of the season with 27 points on Saturday against St. Cloud State, but they were unable to slow down St. Cloud State in a 53-27 loss at Husky Stadium
- Adam Connette inched closer to the school record for receiving touchdowns. Connette needs just three touchdowns to tie and four to break Carl Aho’s receiving record
- Rod Stewart needs 40 receptions to move past Carl Aho for No. 3 all-time in receptions. He needs 470 yards to move past Mark Olsonawski for third all-time in receiving yards
- The Golden Eagles will look to get in the win column as they head to U-Mary Sat., Oct. 14. Both teams come into the weekend with matching 0-6 marks |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Jeremy Neuman was 21-of-33 for 224 yards with four touchdowns
- Adam Connette notched nine catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns
- Rod Stewart tallied six grabs for 88 yards and two touchdowns
- Anfernee Cooper notched an interception against St. Cloud State
- Stephen Day had six punts for an average of 49.7 with a long of 64 and three punts inside the 20 |
| Up Next |
| Sat., Oct. 14 at U-Mary – 1 p.m. |
| University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 23-14 at MSUM |
4-2, 2-0 North |
W3 |
2nd Overall, 1st North |
| Team Notes |
- UMD passed its first NISC North Division road test of 2017 on Saturday, rallying for a 23-14 over host MSU-Moorhead
- The Bulldogs trailed 14-10 heading into the fourth quarter before striking for a pair of touchdowns and shutting down the Dragons the rest of the way
- In that victory – the Bulldogs 16th straight over MSU-Moorhead in a run that dates back to the 2000 season -- UMD managed just 273 yards of total offense (its second lowest output of season), but the Dragons did not fare a whole lot better generating 285 overall yards, including only 19 via the rush (on 26 carries)
- The Bulldogs did, however, force four turnovers (three fumble recoveries and one interception) while doing what it does best -- hold on to football (a sizable 36:03 to 23:57 advantage)
- The Bulldogs are now a perfect 3-0 on the road – the first time they’ve been in that situation since 2014
- UMD’s six opponents to date are a combined 26-10 and the two clubs that defeated the Bulldogs earlier this year, nationally ranked Minnesota State (6-0) and Sioux Falls (5-1) are No. 1 and No. 3 in the overall NSIC standings
- MSU Moorhead was the first team UMD faced this year that had a losing record.
- The Bulldogs have trailed on the scoreboard after three quarters in five of their six games this season, but have outscored the opposition 58-34. They’ve been outscored in the third quarter, however, 55-20.
- UMD is 58-3 all-time in NSIC North Division outings with the last of those three losses coming in the Bulldogs most recent visit to Northern State (23-15 on Oct. 31, 2015). UMD will in Aberdeen, S.D., this Saturday to take on those same Wolves |
| Top Performer(s) |
|
- In its 23-14 triumph at MSU-Moorhead, UMD got touchdowns from three different players, including redshirt freshman running back Griffin Hill, who parlayed his first collegiate pass reception into his first collegiate score (11 yards)
- Hill hooked up with sophomore quarterback Ben Everhart, who was sideline with an injury in the third quarter. His replacement, redshirt freshman John Larson, threw a 20-yard touchdown strike to senior Dominic Bonner for the go-ahead score with 11:31 to go in regulation
- Senior outside linebacker Zach Bassuener (10 total tackles and 1.5 sacks) and junior inside linebacker Gus Wedig (nine stops) topped the Bulldog defensive charts at MSU-Moorhead and both forced a fumble
- Ben Everhart ranks first in the NSIC and 22 nationally in yards per completion (14.25)
- Junior wide out Jason Balts’ receiving yards (555) and all-purpose yards (837) are the second and third highest totals, respectively, of any NSIC player
|
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 14 at Northern State - 1 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Standings |
| W, 42-21 vs. AU |
6-0, 2-0 South |
W6 |
T-1st Overall, T-1st South |
| Team Notes |
- Sophomores Nate Gunn and Shane Zylstra combined for 304 yards and five touchdowns against Augustana
- With its 42-21 win against the Vikings, Minnesota State has now won its last seven Homecoming games. It has also won its last seven meetings against Augustana
- Minnesota State has won its first six games this season. MSU has now won its first six games of its schedule in five of its last six seasons
- Nate Gunn has rushed for more than 100 yards in all six of MSU’s games this season. He is the first Maverick to rush for more than 100 yards in six straight games in a season since TJ Schraufnagel did so in 1999
- Minnesota State held Augustana to 275 yards of total offense, including 43 rushing yards
- Sophomore Shane Zylstra passed the 100 receiving yard plateau for the second time this season
- The Maverick defense recorded two interceptions and a fumble recovery against AU |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Nate Gunn – 157 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns
- Shane Zylstra – 147 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns
- Michael Palme – 5 tackles, 1.5 TFL
- Evan Perrizo – 1.5 sacks |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 14 at Upper Iowa – 5 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 14-23 vs UMD |
2-4, 0-2 North |
L2 |
7th Overall, 3rd North |
| Team Notes |
- MSUM dropped its homecoming game to Minnesota Duluth, 23-14
- Dragons were 1-for-3 in red zone and just 4-of-15 on third down conversions
- MSUM outgained UMD 285-273 but also committed four turnovers
- Dragons looking for first win over this week’s opponent, St. Cloud State, since 1983 |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Sophomore CB Deiondre Taylor and senior DL Jake Busse shared team lead with 10 tackles
- Redshirt freshman DL Darin Gipson had 2.5 tackles for loss and two blocked kicks
- Redshirt freshman WR Grady Bresnahan had a career-high nine catches for 146 yards and a score vs. UMD
- Senior WR Damon Gibson had five catches for 81 yards
- Senior QB Demetrius Carr threw for 266 yards and a score |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 14 at St. Cloud - 2:30 p.m. |
| Minot State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 27-19 vs NSU |
1-5, 1-1 North |
L1 |
14th Overall, 6th North |
| Team Notes |
- Minot State ranks second in the NSIC in pass defense permitting just 147.2 yards per game
- Minot State is ranked second in the conference in punt return average with a 12.9 average
- Minot State is ranked sixth in the NSIC with nine interceptions |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Justin Gonzales intercepted two passes and returned one for a touchdown against Northern State
- Donnell Vercher led the Beavers with 12 tackles and reached double figures in tackles for the fourth straight game
- Donnell Vercher is fourth in the NSIC in tackles with 64, while Bryce Broome is ranked fifth with 61 tackles
- Larry Overstreet is sixth in the NSIC in rushing |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 14 vs. Bemidji State – 1 p.m. |
| Northern State University Wolves |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 27-19 at MINOT |
3-3, 2-0 North |
W2 |
9th Overall, 4th North |
| Team Notes |
- Northern tallied their second North Division victory of the season on the road over Minot State
- The Wolves notched 191 yards rushing, 212 yards passing, and 403 yards of total offense
- NSU went 3-for-3 on red zone scoring chances, and converted 50 percent or better on both third and fourth downs
- The Wolves combined for 302 yards on kick returns, and notched their first interception return for a touchdown of the season |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Hunter Trautman threw for 204 yards with a touchdown to Cameron Eisenhauer
- Nicholas Truen led the rushers with his second straight 100 yard game, notching 134 yards and two touchdowns
- Eisenhauer tallied the teams receiving touchdown, while Nick Kayl led the team with 45 total yards
- Brian Sumption and Noah MacPherson each tallied an interception, while MacPherson taking his back 32 yards for a touchdown
- Josh Coyle led the team with 11 total tackles and one forced fumble |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 14 vs. St. Cloud State – 1 p.m. |
| University of Sioux Falls Cougars |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 31-13 vs #22 WSU |
5-1, 1-1 South |
L1 |
5th Overall, 3rd South |
| Team Notes |
|
- For USF, the 31-13 loss to Winona State ended a run of 17 straight league victories, which began in the final regular season game of 2015
- USF has been ranked for 42 straight weeks in both the AFCA Coaches and D2Football.com polls
- USF, playing without an injured All-American Max Mickey, recorded season low of 65 yards rushing against Winona State but had a season-high in passing yards with 265
- Cougars are ranked No. 2 nationally in scoring defense at 10.3 ppg and rushing defense at 59.7 yards per game. USF is third nationally in total defense at 242.3 yards per game
- USF was able to extend its streak of scoring in a game to 145 straight games
- The Cougars fell to 5-2 in homecoming games in the NCAA DII era and had its season series with WSU tied at 3-3
- The loss dropped the Cougars to 28-9 all-time against NSIC South Division opponents, including 14-5 in home games
|
| Top Performer(s) |
~ Anthony Holmes set a career-high with 123 receiving yards on five receptions against Winona State
~ Strong safety Josh Butler had seven more tackles and three more pass breakups and now has 225 career tackles and 24 pass breakups
~ With eight tackles against Winona State, Michael Atonio leads the team in tackles with 37
~ Quarterback Ian Fieber has now recorded back-to-back 200-yard passing games (210, 256), surpassing 1,000 yards for the season (1,009) |
| Up Next |
| Thursday, Oct. 12 at Wayne State - 7 p.m. |
| Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 20-6 at WSC |
2-4, 0-1 South |
L3 |
8th Overall, 5th South |
| Team Notes |
- SMSU dropped a defensive contest at Wayne State on Saturday, 20-6, to lose its third straight game
- Junior Connor Wilkie quarterback made his second career start and completed 27 of 47 pass attempts for 211 yards with one interception
- SMSU was held without a touchdown for the first time since Nov. 15, 2014
- SMSU forced two turnovers in the loss at WSC and now has 15 on the season ranking 18th in Division II
- SMSU is seventh in Division II in turnover margin (+1.5)
- SMSU has lost just one fumble (on kickoff return) this season, ranking second in Division II
- Junior linebacker Alex Ney ranks 11th in Division II in tackles per game at 11.0
- SMSU has been held to 49 or less yards rushing in three games |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Junior linebacker Alex Ney recorded a game-high nine tackles and ranks 11th in Division II in tackles per game
- Redshirt freshman tight end Eldridge Joyce tied a career-high with eight receptions at WSC
- Senior wide receiver Nate Huot finished with a team-high 59 yards receiving at WSC |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 14 at Augustana – 1 p.m. |
| St. Cloud State University Huskies |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 53-27 vs. UMC |
4-2, 1-1 North |
W1 |
10th overall, 5th in North |
| Team Notes |
- The 53 points is the second time this season that the program has scored 50 plus
- The team also recorded a season-high six sacks and 12 tackles for loss in the game
- The program is now 14-0 all-time against UMC
- The team has four wins in the first six games for the sixth time since 2008 |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Dwayne Lawhorn returned after being out the last two games because of injury and tied the school record with five touchdown passes
- It was the eighth time that an SCSU quarterback has thrown five touchdowns in a game
- Lawhorn is the fifth quarterback in school history with five touchdown passes in a game and the first since 2012 (Phillip Klaphake)
- Lawhorn completed 13 passes for 327 yards
- His 327 yards passing is his first game with more than 300 yards passing in a game and the most the program has had in a contest since Nate Meyer threw for 378 against MSU Moorhead last season
- John Solberg went over 100 yards receiving for the second time in his career with four catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns
- John Pass caught three passes for 85 yards and a touchdown and has now caught a touchdown in each of his last four games |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 14 vs. MSU Moorhead – 3 p.m. |
| Upper Iowa University Peacocks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 34-29 vs. CSP |
4-2, 1-1 South |
W1 |
11th Overall, 7th South |
| Team Notes |
|
- Upper Iowa held a two-score lead twice in Saturday night's Salute to Service game at Harms-Eischeid Stadium including a 34-22 lead with nine minutes to play
- A late touchdown by the Golden Bears pulled the visitors within five, 34-29, and after a stop Concordia-St. Paul drove the field for a possible game-winning drive
- The UIU defense turned back CSP after three straight incompletions including a fourth down toss into the endzone from the nine-yard line to preserve the 34-29 victory
- UIU took an early 14-0 lead, but CSP scored 16 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to take a 16-14 lead with just 2:05 on the clock in the third
- The Peacocks answered with a pair of touchdown passes between Brent Lammers and Jarred Edmonds around a Golden Bear touchdown pass from Ron Johnson to Matt Gustaveson to put UIU ahead 27-22 just four minutes into the fourth quarter
- On the ensuing possession, the Peacocks forced a punt and Jesse Vizzini took it on one hop and returned the kick 82 yards for a touchdown and a 34-22 lead for the home team
- Upper Iowa claimed a 245-121 advantage on the ground, while Concordia-St. Paul grabbed a 262-174 advantage in the passing game
|
| Top Performer(s) |
- Brent Lammers ran for 162 yards and a touchdown and added 174 passing yards and two scores to lead the offense
- Edmonds caught 4 passes for 70 yards and two scores, while Vizzini added 3 catches for 43 yards to his huge punt return TD
-Ryan Parmely ran for 79 yards on 22 carries
- Defensively, Tate Thompson led the team in tackles with 8 including 1.5 sacks
-Jordan Rommes and Nic Patterson each added 7 tackles on the night, while Jordan Wymer and Mitchel Siech recorded 6 stops |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 14 vs. #5 Minnesota State - 5:07 p.m. |
| Wayne State College Wildcats |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 20-6 vs. SMSU |
4-2, 2-0 South |
W2 |
12th Overall, 6th South |
| Team Notes |
- WSC improved to 2-0 in NSIC South Division play with 20-6 win over SMSU
- WSC defense held Mustangs to a pair of field goals and just 260 yards of total offense |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior running back Rashad Trimble ran for 159 yards on 25 carries with one TD (52 yds)
- Sophomore placekicker Ethan Knudson was 2 for 2 on field goals and had two touchbacks on kickoffs
- Junior defensive back Emile Hope had eight tackles, two breakups and one tackle for loss |
| Up Next |
| Thursday, October 12 vs. Sioux Falls - 7 p.m. |
| Winona State University Warriors |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 31-13 at No. 6 USF |
6-0, 2-0 South |
W6 |
6th Overall, 4th South |
| Team Notes |
- First 6-0 start since 1998
- Scored 24 unanswered points en route to win over No. 6 Sioux Falls
- Rushed for 204 yards vs. Sioux Falls defense which had allowed an average of 30.8 rushing yards/game
- Held Sioux Falls to 65 total yards rushing
- Defense forced four turnovers … tied for DII lead with 21 turnovers and +13 turnover margin |
| Top Performer(s) |
- RB Javian Roebuck rushed for career-best 142 yards and two touchdowns
- WR Isaiah Frandsen caught six passes for 81 yards and two scores … second two TD game of season
- QB Darren Beenken was 18-30 for 226 yards, two touchdowns and zero INTs
- DB Andrew Spencer led the team with 10 tackles (including two tackles-for-loss), one sack and one forced fumble
- DBs Adonis Brown, Isaiah Hall and Cam Gavin each recorded INTs |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 14 at Concordia-St. Paul – 6 p.m. |
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