For Immediate Release
Monday, September 18, 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 eight passes for 204 yards and three scores in a 38-23 win at No. 20 UMD
- The 204 receiving yards are the third-most in a game in MSU team history
- The 204 yards and the three receiving touchdowns are single game highs in the NSIC this season
- Touchdown passes came from 14, 24 and 11 yards out
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#7 Nick Pridgeon (LB, 6-5, 230, Jr. Wauwatosa, Wis. / Wauwatosa East HS)
Winona State
- Recorded two interceptions and 61 return yards in a 42-14 win over MSU Moorhead
- Added five tackles, two quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery
- Was part of the Warrior defense that forced five turnovers
- Returned his first pick 58 yards to set up the Warriors first touchdown
NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#28 Isaac Aanerud (K/P, 6-1, 184, Jr., Otsego, Minn. / Rogers HS)
Bemidji State
- Totaled nine points with two field goals for Bemidji State in 30-27 OT loss at Augustana
- Only kicker in the NSIC with multiple converted field goals during the week
- Went 2-for-2 on field goal attempts from 38 and 37 yards, including game tying
field goal as time expired
- Converted all three extra points attempts
- Averaged 56 yards on four kickoffs
- Totaled 374 punting yards with a long of 45 yards
| Augustana University Vikings |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 30-27 (OT) vs BSU |
2-1, 0-0 South |
W2 |
4th Overall, 2nd South |
| Team Notes |
- Augustana played its first overtime game since a 37-34 win over Northern State on Sept. 3, 2016
- Augustana leads the all-time series with Bemidji State 7-2, with wins in each of the last three meetings
- the Vikings improve to 33-15 all-time at Kirkeby-Over Stadium |
| Top Performer(s) |
- True Freshman Kyle Saddler appeared in his first extensive game action and led the Vikings to a win and went 10-for-18 passing with 144 yards and a touchdown
- Redshirt Freshman Ryan Bradberry scored the game-winning TD in OT and had 17 carries with 76 yards on the day
- Kirby Hora recorded 15 tackles and a sack against the Beavers and leads the NSIC with 50 tackles on the season
- Jordan Determan intercepted a pass for the second straight week
- Jeff Glassburner kicked his first-career field goal in the game, a 24 yarder, and remains perfect in extra point attempts with eight |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 16 vs Bemidji State – 1 p.m. |
| Bemidji State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L/OT 30-27 at AU |
1-2, 0-0 North |
L1 |
3rd Overall, 2nd North |
| Team Notes |
- Bemidji State drove 48 yards in 17 seconds to force overtime but fell after a touchdown by Augustana in Sioux Falls, S.D.
- A 65-yard punt return set up a touchdown on BSU’s first offensive play of the game
- The Beavers offense was limited on the sidelines as the Vikings controlled the ball for over 40 minutes
- The Gang Green secondary pulled down two interceptions to add to its NSIC interception lead as a team |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior linebacker Niko Daniello, junior corner back Gunner Olszewski and junior safety John Vogeler each went over 10 tackles
- Vogeler led the defense with nine solo tackles and 13 total while Daniello totaled five solo and 13 total tackles with 3.0 tackles for a loss and 0.5 sacks
- Senior corner back EJ Olszewski picked off his first interception of the season, while adding nine tackles, and sophomore corner back Michael Junker grabbed his first interception of the season
- Senior defensive end Jake Wirsching led the BSU defense with two sacks for a loss of 10 yards
- Senior wide receiver Blake Holder and sophomore wide receiver Jacob Anderson each caught over 50 yards through the air while Holder added a 36-yard touchdown reception |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 23 vs Southwest Minnesota State – 2 p.m. |
| Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 21-56 vs SCSU |
1-2, 0-0 South |
L2 |
13th Overall, 8th South |
| Team Notes |
- Concordia had a season-high 249 passing yards and three passing touchdowns
- The Golden Bears look to rebound in the NSIC North-South finale against an MSU Moorhead squad that CSP is 9-2 against all-time including a 5-1 road record at Alex Nemzek Stadium
- CSP hasn’t lost in Moorhead since 2006 (18-20) |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior Elias Arlington accumulated 207 all-purpose yards including 126 receiving with a 65-yard touchdown
- Arlington also had four kickoff returns for 84 yards and a long of 27 just a week after breaking a 91-yard kick return for a touchdown at Bemidji State
- Sophomore Maxon Hutton set career-highs in pass completions (15), yards (249) and touchdowns (3) including a 65-yarder to Elias Arlington
- Sophomore Brian Szutkowski produced a career-high 11 tackles and leads the team with 23 tackles on the year, ranking 13th in the Northern Sun |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 23 at MSU Moorhead – 6 p.m. |
| University of Mary Marauders |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 38-7 vs. #7 USF |
0-3, 0-0 North |
L3 |
15th Overall, 6th North |
| Team Notes |
|
- Faced a nationally-ranked opponent in two of three games, including both home games
- The USF contest was the only day game in the first four games of the season for UMary
- Will play their second of three Thursday night games when the Marauders visit Upper Iowa this week
- Against the nation’s best run defense that was allowing negative yards per game, the Marauders ran for 104 yards
|
| Top Performer(s) |
- Colton Farmer ran for a team-high 46-yards and completed 2-of-3 passes for 84 yards and a score
- US Navy veteran and redshirt freshman Jordan Beaty scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 69 yard scoring pass from Farmer
- He also ran the ball for six yards
- Noah Krebs had a game- and career-high 16 tackles, broke up a pass, and returned two kicks for 51 yards, including a long of 30 yards |
| Up Next |
| Thursday, Sept. 21 at Upper Iowa - 7 p.m. |
| University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 33-14 vs WSC |
0-3; 0-0 North |
L3 |
16th Overall, 8th North |
| Team Notes |
- Adam Connette set the school record with 14 receptions in a game against Wayne State Thursday. His 153 yards ranks second all-time for single-game receiving yards
- Adam Connette needs just five touchdowns to tie the all-time receiving touchdowns record and six to break the record set by Carl Aho from 1996-99
- Minnesota Crookston led 7-0 into the second quarter Thursday after Joseph Nava connected with Adam Connette for a touchdown. Wayne State used a 19-0 run to end the first half to lift them to the 33-14 win
- The Golden Eagles amassed 401 yards of offense, including 279 yards through the air
- Minnesota Crookston forced three turnovers on Thursday with an interception from Donovan Baker and fumble recoveries by Brendan Kinnee and Trevor Long, Jr |
| Top Performer(s |
- Adam Connette had 14 receptions for 153 yards and two touchdowns
- Joseph Nava was 26-of-45 for 279 yards, two touchdowns and one interception
- Will Cole notched seven tackles
- Ali Alkhatib tallied six tackles, one tackle for loss and a half sack
- Will Cross had six tackles and a forced fumble |
| Up Next |
| Sat., Sept. 23 at Sioux Falls - 6 p.m. |
| University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 38-23 vs. #8 MSU |
1-2, 0-0 North |
L1 |
2nd Overall, 1st North |
| Team Notes |
- In its second assignment against a AFCA II Top 20 club in the past three weeks, No 20 UMD fell 38-23 to No. 8 Minnesota State Saturday night at James. S. Malosky Stadium
-The Bulldogs grabbed a 8-0 first-quarter lead only to see the Mavericks reel off 24 straight points and never relinquish the lead
-UMD has outscored the opposition 24-10 in the fourth quarter thus far in 2017
- This marks the first time since 1999 the Bulldogs have started a year 0-2 at home and the first time in eight years they have suffered two losses in the same season at Malosky Stadium.
- 11 Different Bulldogs have already rushed for football this season |
| Top Performer(s) |
|
- Sophomore quarerterback Ben Everhart made his first collegiate start (and just his sixth appearance) Saturday and completed 24-43 passes for 325 yards and touchdowns with no picks. Those 325 yards were a 2017 UMD single-game high
- Junior wide out Jason Balts was on the receiving end of eight of Everhart’s passes in the loss to MSU and parlayed those into 130 yards and one score
- Junior inside linebacker Gus Wedig paced the Bulldogs defensively with 11 total tackles Saturday to boost his team-leading stop total to 23
|
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 23 at Wayne State - 1 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Standings |
| W 38-23 at #20 UMD |
3-0, 0-0 South |
W3 |
T-1st Overall, T-1st South |
| Team Notes |
- Sophomore Shane Zylstra caught eight passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns
- His 204 receiving yards are the third-most in a game in team history
- Sophomore Nate Gunn rushed for 229 yards, which were the second-most in a game in program history
- MSU tallied 497 yards of total offense against UMD, including 244 on the ground and 253 in the air
- As a team, the Mavericks tallied four tackles for a loss and two sacks against UMD
- Minnesota State is averaging 43 points a game, compared to its opponents 16.3 points this season
- Sophomore Nate Gunn has rushed for more than 100 yards in all three games this season
- The Mavericks are averaging 526 yards of total offense a game this season |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Shane Zylstra – 8 catches, 204 receiving yards, 3 touchdown catches
- Nate Gunn – 229 rushing yards, 1 touchdown
- Michael Palme – 13 tackles, 1 TFL |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 23 vs. Northern State – 4 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 14-42 at WSU |
1-2, 0-0 North |
L2 |
7th Overall, 3rd North |
| Team Notes |
- MSUM lost its second straight game, a 42-14 loss at Winona State on Saturday
- Dragons trailed 28-0 at halftime and in the game committed five turnovers
- MSUM leads NSIC in pass offense per game at 311 yards and second in total offense per game (469.7)
- Dragons also lead NSIC with 80 first downs through three games
- WR Damon Gibson leads NSIC in receiving yards per game (133.0) and receptions per game (9.67) |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior WR Damon Gibson caught nine passes for 134 yards
- Senior QB Demetrius Carr rushed for two touchdowns
- Senior WR Hunter Braaten had seven catches for 57 yards
- Senior LB Abe Roehrich led team with eight tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and fumble recovery |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 23 vs. Concordia-St. Paul - 6 p.m. |
| Minot State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 28-20 SMSU |
0-3, 0-0 North |
L3 |
14th Overall, 6th North |
| Team Notes |
- Led at halftime for the second consecutive game
- Rushed for a season-high 135 yards
- Minot State had its third straight game with an interception |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Kiante Goudeau recorded his second interception of the season
- Lavante Bushnell caught his team-leading third touchdown of the year
- Zac Cunha tossed two touchdown passes for the second straight week |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 23 vs. Winona State – 2 p.m. |
| Northern State University Wolves |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 31-14 vs. UIU |
1-2, 0-0 North |
L2 |
9th Overall, 4th North |
| Team Notes |
- The NSU Wolves dropped their second cross divisional game of the season, after leading 14-10 at the half
- Things came unraveled for the Wolves in the fourth quarter as the Peacocks scored on a blocked punt and an open touchdown pass
- Northern tallied 102 yards of total offense, while Upper Iowa tallied 410
- Defensively the Wolves tallied two interceptions and three sacks
- NSU also notched 166 yards on kick returns, including one for a touchdown |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Zech Culbreath scored the second touchdown of the game for NSU on a 97 yard kickoff return. The junior tallied 106 yards on kick returns for the afternoon
- Etienne Ezeff led the defense with nine tackles and two pass break-ups
- Brian Sumption had a career day on defense with two interceptions, two pass breakups, and five tackles |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 23 at #8 Minnesota State – 4 p.m. |
| University of Sioux Falls Cougars |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 38-7 at UMary |
3-0, 0-0 South |
W3 |
5th Overall, 3rd South |
| Team Notes |
|
- #7 USF totaled a season-high 473 yards in total offense in rolling to a third straight win, 38-7 over U-Mary in Bismarck
- USF, which generated more than 400 yards total offense for the second straight week, led 14-0 at halftime and outscored the Marauders, 24-7 in the second half to take their second road win in three games
- For the third straight game, USF defense allowed just seven points while holding an opponent under 200 yards in total offense for the second straight week
- USF's league-leading defense has allowed no more than 210 total yards in any game this season
- For the first time in USF's NCAA DII era, the Cougars have held an opponent to seven points or less for three consecutive games
- USF has recorded the best three-game defensive scoring run (21 points allowed) since 2010
- The Cougars have built a 101-21 point differential through wins over North Division opponents UMD (26-7) and Mary (38-7) on the road and NSU, 37-7, at Bob Young Field
- USF leads NSIC in total defense (196.3 ypg), scoring defense (7.0 ppg) and rushing defense (29.0 per game)
- Cougars, the defending NSIC champs, won their 15th straight game in league play
|
| Top Performer(s) |
~ All-American running back Max Mickey had 150 yards rushing on 24 carries with two TDs against U-Mary
- As a result, Mickey now has 3,264 career rushing yards, which ranks sixth all-time at USF
- Mickey, who didn't lose a yard all day, recorded his 16th 100-yard rushing game
- Senior Jason Towns had 11 carries for 52 yards and TDs of 12 and two yards
- Towns, who had 128 all-purpose yards, scored two TDs for the first time in his career
- Junior Quarterback Ian Fieber connected on 20-of-28 passes for a career-high 206 yards and a TD |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 23 vs Minnesota Crookston - 6 p.m. |
| Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 28-20 vs. MISU |
2-1, 0-0 South |
W2 |
8th Overall / 5th South |
| Team Notes |
- SMSU won its second straight game with a 28-20 home victory over Minot State
- SMSU rushed for a season-high 272 yards and four touchdowns on 55 attempts
- Senior WR Nate Huot moved to third in NSIC history with 203 career receptions. He is seven receptions shy of tying Brian Jark of Northern State (2006-09) for the NSIC career record
- SMSU senior quarterback Blake Gimbel played just two series for SMSU before leaving with an injury
- Junior Connor Wilkie stepped in at quarterback and completed 13 of 21 pass attempts for 95 yards
- Senior Ashanti Payne and sophomore Max Simmons both rushed for more than 100 yards in the victory. It’s the first time this season SMSU has had two players rush for 100 yards in a single-game
- It was the first time since the 2016 season opener that SMSU won a game when trailing after three quarters of play
- True freshman safety Lucas Fisher sealed the victory for SMSU with an interception at the 1-yard line as time expired |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Sophomore running back Max Simmons rushed for 124 yards and one touchdown on 24 attempts
- It was his seventh career 100-yard rushing game
-Sophomore safety Michael Griffin set a career-high with 10 tackles |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 23 at Bemidji State – 2 p.m. |
| St. Cloud State University Huskies |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 56-21 at CSP |
2-1, 0-0 North |
W1 |
10th overall, 5th in North |
| Team Notes |
- The Huskies picked up their second road win of the season with a 56-21 victory over Concordia-St. Paul
- The 56 points scored was the most points the program has scored in a contest since scoring 59 against MSU Moorhead during the 2015 season (10/31/15)
- The 50 plus points was the 16th time since 2008 that the program has recorded 50 or more points
- The team controlled the ball for 43:10 and racked up 482 yards of offense
- The 482 yards were the most for the program since getting 535 against Minot State last season (11/5/16) |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Dwayne Lawhorn threw four touchdown passes and accounted for five touchdowns in the game
- His four touchdown passes were the most for SCSU since Nate Meyer also threw four touchdown passes against Minnesota Duluth during the 2015 season (10/10/15)
- Lawhorn also completed 18 of 25 passes for 254 yards plus ran 11 times for 73 yards and a touchdown
- The program had a pair of 100 yard receivers in the game with Cole Otto (eight catches for 111 yards and a touchdown) and John Pass (seven catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns)
- It was the first time SCSU has had pair of 100 yard receivers in the same game since Jameson Parsons (nine catches for 157 yards) and Grant Thayer (five catches for 102 yards and one touchdown) both topped the mark against Bemidji State during the 2015 season (10/24/15)
- Gregory Lewis picked up a pair of touchdowns on his 16 carries for 47 yards against the Golden Bears |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 23 vs Augustana – 6 p.m. |
| Upper Iowa University Peacocks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 31-14 at NSU |
2-1, 0-0 South |
W1 |
11th Overall, 7th South |
| Team Notes |
- Upper Iowa trailed by four, 14-10, at halftime, but shutout Northern State in the second half to win 31-14 on the road in a NSIC cross-division game
- The Peacocks outgained the Wolves 410-154 in total yards thanks to 140 on the ground and 270 in the air, while holding their opponents to just 52 yards rushing and 102 yards passing
- Both teams scored a special teams touchdown in the game; NSU got a 97-yard kickoff return from Nate Shaw and UIU scored when Michael Sparkman fell on the ball in the end zone after Keith Schwickerath's third punt block of the year |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Jarred Edmonds caught 11 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown
- Brent Lammers threw for 270 yards and a touchdown on 27 completions while adding 9 yards rushing
- Antoine Conner gained 64 yards and scored a touchdown on 18 carries, while Jon Deprey rushed 16 times for 58 yards a score
- Keith Schwickerath blocked his third punt of the season and added a forced fumble and 4 tackles
- Tanner Thompson led the squad in tackles with 7, while Jordan Rommes had 5 stops and an interception |
| Up Next |
| Thursday, Sept. 21 vs. U-Mary - 7 p.m. |
| Wayne State College Wildcats |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 33-14 at UMC |
2-1, 0-0 South |
W2 |
12th Overall, 6th South |
| Team Notes |
- Wildcats won eighth straight meeting vs. UMC
- WSC gained over 450 yards for second straight game - 473 |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior quarterback Zach Osborn completed 14 of 23 passes for 253 yards and four TD’s
- Osborn throws four TD passes in second straight game
- Senior running back Rashad Trimble rushed for career-high 185 yards on 24 carries with one TD
- Senior wide receiver Nate Rogers had five catches for 114 yards and two TD’s
- Sophomore wide receiver Willie Walton hauled in six receptions for 101 yards and two scores |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, September 23rd vs. Minnesota Duluth - 1 p.m. |
| Winona State University Warriors |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 42-14 vs MSUM |
3-0, 0-0 South |
W3 |
6th Overall, 4th South |
| Team Notes |
- Second 3-0 start since 2014 season
- Defense forced five turnovers on Saturday; +5 turnover differential this season
- Went 4-for-4 in Red Zone chances; 14-for-15 this season
- Rushed for a season-best 94 yards and four touchdowns on the ground |
| Top Performer(s) |
- WB Isaiah Frandsen hauled in three passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns
- LB Nick Pridgeon intercepted two passes and has three in the past two games |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 23 at Minot State – 2 p.m. |
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