For Immediate Release
Monday, Novmeber 6, 2017
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet (PDF)
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NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#33 Nicholas Truen (RB, 5-11, 210, Sr., White Bear Lake, Minn. / White Bear Lake HS)
Northern State
- Scored 18 points in the Wolves 66-21 victory over U-Mary as they tied the single game school record for points scored
- Matched his career high of 204 yards rushing
- Tallied three rushing touchdowns bringing his season total to ten
- Averaged 14.6 yards per rush, with a long of 48
- Added 18 yards receiving, with a 13 yard long
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#52 Chris Garrett (DE, 6-4, 225, Fr., Milwaukee, Wis. / Wisconsin Lutheran HS)
Concordia-St. Paul
- Led the NSIC in week 10 with 3.0 sacks, the second most in a game in the league this season
- Had a new season high 3.5 tackles for loss and has at least a half TFL in every game this year
- Forced three fumbles (DII single game high) and is tied for the league lead with five while playing in just six games (2
nd NCAA)
- Registered a new season high nine tackles in the 28-13 loss at Augie
- Has made at least six tackles in each of the last five games since returning from injury in the season opener
NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#4 JoseLuis Moreno (K/P, 6-0, 171, So., San Lorenzo, Calif. / Bishop O’Dowd HS)
Minot State
- Was 3-for-3 in field goals in a 22-16 loss to MSU Moorhead
- The three fields goals made marked a career high
- His 40 yard field goal was also a career long
- Averaged 52.2 yards on four punts including a career long 69-yard punt
- Pinned the Dragons inside their own 20-yard line twice
- Averaged 59.6 yards on five kickoffs and had two touchbacks
| Augustana University Vikings |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 28-13 vs. CSP |
4-6, 2-4 South |
W1 |
4th Overall, 2nd South |
| Team Notes |
- Augustana outgained Concordia-St. Paul with 479 yards compared to the Golden Bears’ 381
- The Vikings had 28 first downs to CSP’s 13
- The Augustana defense help the Golden Bears’ to just 32 yards on 21 carries
- The Vikings were 50 percent on third downs, converting 9-of-18 on the day |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Freshman quarterback Kyle Saddler passed for a career high 323 passing yards and three touchdowns on senior day
- Ryan Bradberry, a running back out of Dallas, Texas, rushed for a career-high 147 yards and one touchdown
- Wide receiver Jake Welsheimer had career-highs in receptions (8) and receiving yards (111) and touchdowns (2) on Saturday afternoon
- Trevor DeSchepper snagged six receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown.
- Michael Kloza, Gabe Garcia and Trevor Naasz each recorded interceptions for the Vikings |
| Up Next |
| Thursday, November 9 at Winona State – 7:05 p.m. |
| Bemidji State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 17-10 vs SCSU |
7-3, 5-1 North |
W1 |
3rd Overall, 2nd North |
| Team Notes |
- Bemidji State overcame three first-quarter turnovers to take down St. Cloud State, 17-10, in Bemidji, Minnesota
- The Beavers scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to come back from a 10-7 deficit
- BSU outrushed SCSU, 199-28, which is the second lowest total given up by the Beavers this season
- The “Gang Green” defense forced three turnovers in the second half to keep the Huskies from scoring over the final 21 minutes of game time
- Bemidji State has beaten St. Cloud State in three consecutive games for the first time since 1963-1966 |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior quarterback Jordan Hein led BSU with a season-high 111 rushing yards while adding a passing touchdown to sophomore wide receiver Jacob Anderson
- Anderson finished the game with two receptions for 46 yards and a 19-yard touchdown reception
- Senior linebacker Trysten Ross recorded his first career interception in the second half while adding six tackles and two tackles for a loss
- Junior corner back Gunner Olszewski led the BSU defense with seven tackles, one forced fumble and one sack
- Olszewski added 103 total return yards, 46 on kick offs and 57 on punt returns |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Nov. 11 at MSU Moorhead – 1 p.m. |
| Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 13-28 at Augie |
1-9, 0-6 South |
L9 |
13th Overall, 8th South |
| Team Notes |
- CSP committed four turnovers on its final six possessions, coming up short in a road comeback bid
- The Bears defense forced a season high three turnovers (1 INT, 2 FR)
- Concordia had a team season high 349 passing yards |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Junior Jonas Schenderlein made at least two FG in a game for the third straight week, moving his season total to 15 while his career total of 26 moves him into second in school history
- Senior Ron Johnson passed for a career-high 349 yards (27-54) with a touchdown
- Sophomore Marcus Gustaveson set a new career-high with 135 receiving yards while matching his career high of 10 catches while topping 100 yards for the fourth time in his career (2nd in 2017) along with his eighth touchdown of the year
- Freshman Chris Garrett had 3.0 sacks, 3.5 TFL, forced three fumbles and had nine tackles
- Freshman Blake Evans had a team-high 13 tackles and now leads the team with 84 on the season and has had 10-plus tackles in four straight games and five of the last six |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Nov. 11 vs SMSU - 1 p.m. |
| University of Mary Marauders |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 66-21 at NSU |
1-9, 1-5 North |
L4 |
15th Overall, 6th North |
| Team Notes |
|
- The Marauders will honor four seniors Saturday at the last home football game of the season, defensive backs Jacob Parker and Brady Zittleman, defensive lineman Brock Pittsley and slotback Brennan Doan. All four are starters for the Marauders and have played their whole careers at UMary
- The Marauders 21 points scored at Northern State is the second-highest total this season for UMary
- After running for 165 yards at Northern State, the Marauders are second in the NSIC and 18th in NCAA Division II in averaging 226.6 yards/game on the ground
|
| Top Performer(s) |
- Soph. QB Garrett Weissinger ran for 56 yards and two touchdowns and completed 8-of-13 passes for 132 yards and a score against the Wolves; he had a long run of 30 yards in the game
- Soph. FB Paul Guptill ran for 54 yards on 11 carries, including a long of 26 yards
- Sr. SB Brennan Doan caught four passes for 46 yards, including a long play of 40 yards
- RFr. Jace Horman caught his first collegiate pass against Northern State, a 30 yard touchdown pass
- Fr. WR Luke Little caught two passes for 30 yards. After his first three collegiate catches went for touchdowns, his two catches against the Wolves were the first non-scoring grabs of his career. Little did set up the Marauders first score when the defensive player covering him was called for pass interference and the ball was placed 3 yards from the goal line.
- Soph. P Bailey Meyer averaged 44.2 yards per punt on six attempts against the Wolves, including a long of 58 yards. He is third in the NSIC at 41.1 yards per punt |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Nov. 11 vs. Minnesota Duluth – 12 p.m. |
| University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 54-6 at UMD |
0-10; 0-6 North |
L10 |
16th Overall, 8th North |
| Team Notes |
- Minnesota Crookston is currently ranked No. 1 in the NSIC in kickoffs returns with 24.5 yards per kickoff return
- UMC is 15th in the nation in kickoff returns
- Rod Stewart is rated 13th in the nation with 29.3 yards per kickoff return
- Adam Connette pulled within one touchdown reception of the school record of 23 receiving touchdowns set by Carl Aho
- Connette had two receiving touchdowns Saturday against Minot State
- Rod Stewart is fourth all-time for receptions with 110; he needs 27 to surpass Carl Aho for third
- Stewart is also fourth for receiving yards with 2,016 yards; he needs 223 yards to tie Mark Olsonawski for third for receiving yards
- The Golden Eagles will honor seniors Chuck Lofquist, Tommy Singer, Adam Connette, Spencer Stephens, Austin Howard and Kevin Williams on Saturday during their game against Northern State
- Minnesota Crookston will look to get in the win column Saturday as they wrap up the season at 1 p.m. Sat., Nov. 11 against Northern State at Ed Widseth Field |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Matt Haire had six catches for 22 yards
- Will Cole had seven tackles and a team-leading third interception. He also had a 26-yard catch on a fake punt from Stephen Day
- Trevor Long, Jr. had a team-leading nine tackles and a 69-yard fumble return for a touchdown
- Austin Howard notched six tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack
- Stephen Day notched six punts for 37.0 yards average with a long of 58 and two punts inside the 20. |
| Up Next |
| Sat., Nov. 11 vs. Northern State – 1 p.m. |
| University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 54-6 vs.UMC |
8-2, 6-0 North |
W7 |
2nd Overall, 1st North |
| Team Notes |
- UMD captured at least a share of its 10th consecutive NSIC North Division title by taking down Minnesota Crookston 54-6
- The Bulldogs will take a seven-game winning streak into their 2017 regular season finale at Mary this Saturday
- The Bulldogs have won all nine of the previous confrontations, outscoring the Marauders 467-141 in the process
- The Bulldogs led 8-0 at the first intermission before reeling off 48 points en route to improving their all-time NSIC North Division home record to a perfect 34-0
-The Bulldogs, who had shut out their previous three opponents, had gone 16-plus quarters without allowing a point until Minnesota Crookston’s Trevor Long returned a fumble 69 yards for a touchdown with 7:38 to go in regulation on Saturday |
| Top Performer(s) |
- In Saturday’s 54-6 win over Minnesota Crookston, redshirt freshman quarterback John Larson completed 17 of 23 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns (all career highs) and rushed for another 60 yards and one score before calling it a day late in the third quarter
- Redshirt freshman wide out Johnny McCormick had a game-high seven receptions while junior wide out Jason Balts caught five passes for 132 yards and a pair of score
- Balts, the lone Bulldog to register a catch in all nine games to date, continues to pace the Bulldogs in receptions with 47 (four shy of his career high which he set last year)
- Balts also tops the NSIC in receiving yards (83.0 per game) and is fourth in all-purpose yards (116.1 per game)
- Junior linebacker Alex Helmer had one of the three Bulldogs interceptions Saturday, a third- quarter pick which he returned 11 yards for a touchdown
- Like Helmer, free safety Kale Boomer also recorded his first collegiate pick as he and 17 other Bulldog seniors bid Malosky Stadium a fond farewell. |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Nov. 11 at UMary - 12 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Standings |
| W 48-27 vs. WSC |
10-0, 6-0 South |
W10 |
1st Overall, 1st South |
| Team Notes |
- MSU has wrapped up at least a share of its 19th NSIC Overall and its seventh South Division Championship
- Minnesota State extended its winning streak to 12 games with its win over Wayne State
- Freshman Justin Taormina rushed for 203 yards and three touchdowns vs. WSC
- Taormina is just the sixth Maverick to rush for more than 200 yards in a game since 1981
- Minnesota State tallied 580 yards of offense against WSC, the third-most MSU has posted this season
- MSU has tallied more than 500 yards of total offense in five games this season
- The Mavericks have tallied 3,120 rushing yards this season, which are the fifth-most in a season in team history
- The Mavericks have tallied 435 points this season which are the seventh-most in a season in program history |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Justin Taormina – 203 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns
- Ryan Schlichte – 160 passing yards, 3 touchdown passes
- Larry Moore – 6 tackles, 2 passes broken up |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Nov. 11 at #13 Sioux Falls – 12 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 22-16 vs. MISU |
5-5, 3-3 North |
W3 |
7th Overall, 3rd North |
| Team Notes |
- MSUM won its third straight game with a 22-16 win over Minot State on Saturday
- It is the fifth consecutive year MSUM has had at least a three-game winning streak
- Senior WR Hunter Braaten leads NSIC at 6.8 receptions per game and with 68 total receptions
- Senior WR Damon Gibson, who has missed last 3 games, is second at 6.75 receptions
- Senior K Ruan Albuquerque is second in NSIC at 97.2 percent extra point percentage
- Freshman QB Jakup Sinani is 3-0 as a starter and has completed 74.5 percent of his passes
- Sinani has five TD an 1 INT and an efficiency of 168.17
- This week MSUM faces Bemidji State in the Battle Axe game, a rivalry dating back to 1929 |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Sophomore RB Herman Gray rushed for 78 yards and two scores, including the game-winning score in fourth quarter
- Freshman QB Jakup Sinani threw for 242 yards and rushed for 34 yards and a score
- Senior WR Hunter Braaten had a game-high nine catches for 95 yards
- Sophomore WR Hayden Swartz had five catches for 64 yards
- Sophomore RB Jonathan Kabambi had 90 rushing yards
- Junior LB Carter Thiel and sophomore CB Zach Sweep had interceptions |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Nov. 11 vs. Bemidji State - 1 p.m. |
| Minot State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 22-16 vs. MSUM |
2-8, 2-4 North |
L1 |
14th Overall, 6th North |
| Team Notes |
- Minot State ranks fourth in the NSIC in pass defense permitting 170.9 yards per game
- Minot State led 13-0 at halftime against MSU Moorhead, which marked the first time the Beavers have shutout an opponent in the first half since holding UMary scoreless in the first half on Oct. 10, 2015
- Minot State has scored on eight of its last nine trips into the red zone
- Minot State has lost four games this season by eight points or less |
| Top Performer(s) |
-Larry Overstreet rushed for 115 yards against MSUM, which marked his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game and his third of the season
-Quarterback Zac Cunha threw a 17-yard touchdown to Lavante Bushnell which moved him to within one touchdown of tying the school record of 53 career touchdown passes
-Free safety Donnell Vercher recorded a career-high 17 tackles against Minnesota State Moorhead. He had 10 solo tackles and seven assisted tackles and also added a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery
-JoseLuis Moreno was 3-for-3 on field goal attempts and averaged 52.2 yards per punt against Minnesota State Moorhead |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Nov. 11 at St. Cloud State – 1 p.m. |
| Northern State University Wolves |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 66-21 vs. MARY |
5-5, 4-2 North |
W2 |
9th Overall, 4th North |
| Team Notes |
- NSU tied the single game school record for points scored with 66 against the University of Mary in the home finale
- The Wolves scored in each of the four quarters, with Mary getting as close as seven points in the second
- The Wolves tallied a season high 30 first downs offensively, and held the Marauders to 14 defensively
- NSU notched a game leading 406 yards rushing, 169 yards passing, and 575 yards of total offense
- As a team, they averaged 9.0 yards per carry and 8.5 yards per completion
- Northern converted on 7-of-11 third downs, and scored on 6-of-9 red-zone chances
- Defensively NSU held Mary to 165 yards rushing and 159 yards passing, with two sacks for a total loss of nine yards
- Six different Wolves scored in the game, with two tallying three touchdowns |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Nicholas Truen matched his career high of 204 rushing yards, notching three touchdowns in the win
- Zachery Barber matched Truen’s total with three scores of his own, including his first of the season, while recording 55 yards receiving
- Also scoring for the Wolves was Chaka Kelly, Colten Drageset, Nathan Shaw, and Spencer Johnson
- Josh Coyle led the defense with seven tackles, while Preston Droessler and Jacob Cross tallied the team’s two solo sacks |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Nov. 11 at Minnesota Crookston – 1 p.m. |
| University of Sioux Falls Cougars |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 19-7 at UIU |
9-1, 5-1 South |
W4 |
5th Overall, 3rd South |
| Team Notes |
|
Led by a dominating defense, productive offense and timely special teams play, the No. 13 University of Sioux Falls Football Team (9-1, 5-1 NSIC South) put together a 19-7 victory at Upper Iowa on Saturday
- Has been ranked for 45 straight weeks in both the AFCA Coaches and D2Football.com polls; moved up to No. 13 in AFCA Coaches poll and No. 12 in the D2Football.com poll
- For the fifth time in six years at NCAA DII, the Cougars have opened 9-1 or better
- Proven to be road warriors with a 6-0 mark in 2017 and 17 straight NSIC road wins over the past three plus seasons
- Nationally-ranked USF defense again was dominant, limiting an opponent to under 10 points for the seventh time this season
- Has the league’s top defense, leading the NSIC and ranking No. 3 nationally in scoring defense at 9.9 ppg, third in rushing defense at 60.7 yards per game, and second in total defense at 230.5 yards per game
- USF leads the league by allowing just 3.5 yards per play
|
| Top Performer(s) |
|
- Senior Jason Towns had fourth 100-yard game and USF has nine overall. Towns had 120 yards on 26 carries while registering a career best 201 all-purpose yards
- Freshman wide receiver Ty Smith had six catches for 100 yards, including an acrobatic 24 yard catch in the fourth quarter
- Placekicker/punter Stuart Vanden Heuvel made 2-of-2 field goals (27, 23), averaged 39.6 per punt with a 52-yarder while placing two more punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, including one inside the two-yard line
- Senior linebacker Kyle Campiotti had another big game for USF with four tackles, tackle for loss, plus his first career pick-six from 67 yards
|
| Up Next |
| Saturday, November 11 vs #1 Minnesota State - 12 p.m. |
| Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 45-7 vs. WSU |
2-8, 0-6 South |
L7 |
8th Overall, 5th South |
| Team Notes |
- SMSU lost its seventh straight game on Saturday to No. 18 Winona State, 45-7
- SMSU’s seven-game winless streak is its longest since the 1983 season
- Sophomore quarterback Boyer Bouman made his third career start and completed 20 of 33 pass attempts for 67 yards
- Senior wide receiver Nate Huot and sophomore running back Max Simmons each caught five passes in the game
- SMSU forced three turnovers in the loss to WSU and now has 22 on the season ranking 29th in Division II
- SMSU is 13th in Division II in turnover margin (+1.0)
- SMSU has lost just two fumbles this season, ranking tied for first in Division II
- Junior linebacker Alex Ney ranks eighth in Division II in tackles per game at 11.2
- SMSU has been held to 100 or less yards rushing in five games |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior wide receiver Nate Huot, the NSIC’s all-time leader in receptions, has moved into a tied for third in school history with 29 receiving touchdowns
- Huot also ranks second in team history with 3,140 receiving yards and is now moved into second with 250 receptions
- Huot is two receptions shy of tying the school record (Alvin Ashley, 1990-93) of 252 career receptions
- Junior linebacker Alex Ney finished the game on Saturday with six tackles with one for loss while also forcing a fumble and recovering a fumble; he ranks third in Division II in forced fumble
- Sophomore safety Michael Griffin had eight tackles, one sack and also recovered a fumble in the loss to WSU; he ranks seventh in Division II in fumbles recovered with three |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Nov. 11 at Concordia-St. Paul – 1 p.m. |
| St. Cloud State University Huskies |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 17-10 at BSU |
6-4, 3-3 North |
L2 |
10th overall, 5th in North |
| Team Notes |
- The Huskies lost their second straight game with a 17-10 road loss to Bemidji State
- The team has now lost three straight games to BSU
- The program was held to 28 yards rushing in defeat
- It was only the second time this season that the team didn’t get to at least 100 yards
- The SCSU defense registered five sacks and eight tackles for loss
- The game was the third time this season that the program has gotten to five or more sacks
- The team held the edge in time of possession for the ninth time in 10 games this season |
| Top Performer(s) |
- John Solberg had five catches for 128 yards
- It was the third time that Solberg has eclipsed 100 yards receiving in a game this season
- Adam Stage knocked in his 11th field goal of the season
- Gary Koehring totaled 10 tackles plus 1.5 stops for loss
- Brady Westart had seven tackles and 1.5 sacks plus a recovered fumble
- Jack Horter recorded eight tackles, a sack, two stops for loss and a forced fumble |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Nov. 11 vs. Minot State – 1 p.m. |
| Upper Iowa University Peacocks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 19-7 vs. #13 USF |
6-4, 3-3 South |
L1 |
11th Overall, 7th South |
| Team Notes |
-The Peacocks dropped a hard-fought, 19-7 decision to #13 Sioux Falls on Senior Day in Fayette
- UIU’s defense held USF to just 12 points and forced 3 turnovers in the process, but the offense was outgained 220-71 in the second half
- USF outscored Upper Iowa 12-0 in the final 30 minutes to pull away late
- Upper Iowa will have to wait a week to try for their seventh win of the season, a feat the program has not accomplished since 1997 |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Linebacker Keith Schwickerath registered 18 tackles including 12 solo stops, and added two tackles for loss and a forced fumble
- Safety Jordan Rommes tallied 12 stops, with 8 solos, and registered 1 TFL as well, and added a forced fumble himself
- Quarterback Brent Lammers finished 17-33 through the air for 167 yards with a touchdown and an interception
- Linebackers Mitchel Siech and Tate Thompson each tallied five tackles, while Thompson forced a fumble as well |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Nov. 11 at Wayne State – 1 p.m. |
| Wayne State College Wildcats |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 48-27 at MSU |
5-5, 3-3 South |
L1 |
12th Overall, 6th South |
| Team Notes |
| - Down 20-0 early 2nd quarter, WSC rallied behind sophomore quarterback Aaron Bleil to tie score at 27-27 with 12:24 to play |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Sophomore reserve quarterback Aaron Bleil completed 16 of 36 passes for 253 yards and 3 TD’s
- Sophomore Willie Walton had six catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns
- Senior Nate Rogers had six receptions for 92 yards and one TD
- Sophomore Ethan Knudson has now made nine straight field goals and 12 of his last 13 after making field goals of 23 and 32 yards at Minnesota State |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, November 11th vs. Upper Iowa - 1 p.m. |
| Winona State University Warriors |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 45-7 at SMSU |
9-1, 5-1 South |
W1 |
6th Overall, 4th South |
| Team Notes |
- Defense forced five turnovers, including four interceptions
- Winona ranks 1st in DII in turnovers gained (30) and INTs (20)
- Scored 45-unanswered points, second-highest scoring output of season
- Offense, defense and special teams each scored at least one touchdown
- Six different players recorded a Winona touchdown
- Retained possession of “Battle of the Sledge” traveling sledgehammer trophy |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Romario Gayle recorded a season-high eight tackles, three for loss, and forced a fumble
- RB Landon Jacobson rushed for a career-best 70 yards and scored a touchdown
- Tanner Gran and Devon Moore each scored their first receiving touchdowns of the year
- Jake Balliu set a new Winona single-season record for punt return yards (481) … totaled 104 yards at SMSU on two attempts, including a 79-yard touchdown return, his second of the season |
| Up Next |
| Thursday, Nov. 9 vs. Augustana – 7 p.m. |
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